Inside Victorian racing’s power struggle and a last-minute change to new laws

The Sydney Morning Herald - Oct 7, 2026

A 3.57am email to the office of Racing Minister Anthony Carbines triggered a dramatic shift in the battle for control of Victoria’s racing industry.

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Oct 7, 2026

ISU president from Korea elected head of Winter Olympic Federations

International Skating Union (ISU) President Kim Jae-youl has been elected the new head of the Winter Olympic Federations (WOF), an umbrella organization representing international federations governing major Winter Olympic sports. The ISU said Wednesday that Kim would succeed outgoing WOF President Ivo Ferriani of Italy, following a meeting of the organization in Lausanne, Switzerland. "President Kim was recognized for his passion and dedication to snow and ice sports, as well as his commitment to strengthening cooperation among international sports federations," the ISU said. The WOF was established to promote the shared development of Winter Olympic sports through exchanges and cooperation among their international governing bodies. Its members represent major disciplines, including skating, skiing and snowboarding, ice hockey, curling, luge, bobsleigh and skeleton, and biathlon. "Snow and ice sports have very special characteristics," Kim said. "I will work together with all WOF members to raise the profile of winter sports in today's society." He added that he would cooperate with all

Oct 7, 2026

Seoul open to joint 2036 Olympic bid with North Jeolla, mayor says

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said that the city is open to jointly hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics with North Jeolla Province, but urged the province to develop a practical proposal capable of winning the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) approval. “We are prepared to accept any joint-hosting arrangement North Jeolla may propose,” Oh said during a press conference at City Hall, Wednesday. “We have no intention of demanding changes as a condition for joining.” This comes after North Jeolla Gov. Lee Won-taeg recently proposed jointly hosting the Games with the capital, amid worries that the province’s existing infrastructure may not be sufficient to host the large-scale global sporting event on its own. The province won Korea’s domestic nomination for the 2036 Olympics last year after securing 49 of the 61 votes. However, Oh stressed that willingness to cooperate should not be confused with confidence that a bid would succeed, citing the logistical challenges posed by the long distance between the Seoul and North Jeolla Province. The priority, he added, is to present a cost

Oct 7, 2026

KBO postseason to begin Oct. 14

The Korean baseball postseason will begin next week for a run that could last as long as four weeks, the league office announced Wednesday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said the postseason will begin with the wild card round next Wednesday between the fourth-place team and the fifth-place team in the regular season. The higher-seeded team only needs a win or a tie in two attempts to advance to the next round. However, the lower-seeded club must win two straight games to advance to the next phase. The wild card round was added to the postseason in 2015, and only once has a fifth-place team upset a fourth-place team — the 2024 KT Wiz over the Doosan Bears. After the wild card round, the first round will be the best-of-five affair, with the No. 3 team from the regular season earning a bye and awaiting the wild card winner. The Kia Tigers, the LG Twins and the Bears are still jostling for positions for the final three postseason spots. The winner of this series will go on to face the No. 2 team from the regular season in the second round, also a best-of-five competition. The Samsung

Oct 7, 2026

Top KBO draft pick receives largest rookie signing bonus

The top selection at this year's Korean baseball draft received the largest rookie signing bonus in league history Wednesday. The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced they gave their two-way prospect Ha Hyun-seung a signing bonus of 1.6 billion won ($1.2 million) — easily surpassing the previous record of 1 billion won awarded to former Kia Tigers pitcher Han Ki-joo in 2006. Ha, 18, went first overall at the annual KBO draft last month. While at Busan High School, Ha excelled both as pitcher and hitter, and when announcing the team's pick at the draft table, Heroes general manager Huh Seung-pil identified Ha as "pitcher and position player." On the mound this year, Ha went 4-0 with a 0.39 ERA in 42 2/3 innings across 15 outings. He struck out 77 batters and walked only 11. At the plate, Ha batted .383/.495/.593 in 24 games with three home runs and 21 RBIs. At the U18 Asian Baseball Championship in September, Ha went 3-0 without giving up a run in 15 2/3 innings, while striking out 25 and walking two. He tossed seven shutout innings and gave up just one hit i

Oct 7, 2026

Korea sports body receives apology from Asian Games organizers over mishaps

The top Korean sports organization said Wednesday it received a formal apology from the organizers of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games over a series of mishaps that occurred during the recently concluded competition. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said the Asiad organizing committee sent a letter the previous day under the name of its chief, Hideaki Omura, to apologize for an incident during the medal ceremony for the men's football tournament Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, east of the main host city Nagoya. Korea defeated the home team Japan 1-0 for the gold medal, but during the victory ceremony, the Korean national flag, Taegeukgi, was not raised on time and did not reach the top of the pole by the end of the national anthem. The organizers said a rope knot had been caught in the pulley on the pole and the operations staff at the stadium had not properly checked the setup prior to the ceremony. It was only the latest in a series of issues that Korean athletes dealt with throughout the event. The men's basketball team, for instance, had to cancel its shootaround the mor

Oct 7, 2026

Choi Won-jun breaks KBO's single-season hits record

Choi Won-jun of the KT Wiz broke a single-season hits record in Korean baseball Wednesday. Choi collected his 203rd hit of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season against the Samsung Lions at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, just south of of Seoul, to break the previous mark of 202 set by Victor Reyes of the Lotte Giants in 2024. Choi and Reyes entered their respective games Wednesday with 201 hits apiece. Choi got his 202nd knock moments before Reyes picked up his against the Kia Tigers at Sajik Baseball Stadium in the southeastern city of Busan. And Choi got to No. 203 first with a bloop single to left field off Lee Seung-hyun. Reyes, though, will still have a chance to finish the season with more hits than Choi. After Wednesday, the Giants will have four games remaining, while the Wiz will only play two more games. Reyes has not missed a game since joining the Giants in 2024. He is the first player in KBO history with multiple 200-hit seasons.