Sources and league executives moved on April 15-16, 2026 to push back against media reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is preparing to withdraw support for LIV Golf. CEO Scott O’Neil sent a memo telling staff and players the 2026 schedule will run “exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle” as the circuit prepared to play at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City. Multiple outlets including the Financial Times and New York Times reported that PIF executives were reconsidering the multibillion-dollar backing after unveiling a new five-year strategy, and that an emergency leadership meeting took place in New York. PIF has invested more than $5 billion in LIV since 2021; some players say they were told funding was secured through 2032. The league has posted strong recent attendances in Australia and South Africa but continues to post heavy losses and has seen high-profile exits such as Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed. LIV remains under scrutiny from sponsors, broadcasters and regulators as uncertainty about long-term financing persists.

April 15-16 — A volatile two-night NBA play-in produced high drama on and off the court. The Charlotte Hornets edged the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime after LaMelo Ball drove for the winning layup; an earlier sequence in which Ball appeared to grab Bam Adebayo’s leg left the Heat star with a lower-back injury and out for the night. The league retroactively assessed a flagrant-2 on Ball, fined him $35,000 for the play and $25,000 for using profanity in a postgame interview (a combined $60,000), but did not suspend him. Video also showed Ball delivering two punches to the Hornets’ mascot during celebrations. In other play-in results, Tyrese Maxey scored 31 to lift the Philadelphia 76ers past the Orlando Magic 109-97 to clinch the No.7 seed and a first-round series with Boston; Orlando will meet Charlotte Friday for the final East berth. Deni Avdija’s 41 points propelled the Portland Trail Blazers to a 114-110 win over Phoenix and the No.7 seed — a result that triggers Portland’s conveyance of a protected No.15 2026 draft pick to the Chicago Bulls. Broadcasters streamed play-in coverage across new rights partners, with all play-in games carried on Amazon Prime Video under the NBA’s reworked media deal.

April 15-16 — Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, to lift the Philadelphia 76ers to a 109-97 play-in victory over the Orlando Magic and secure the East’s No. 7 seed. Philadelphia (45-37) will open a first-round series Sunday at the No. 2 Boston Celtics. The Magic (45-37) will host the Charlotte Hornets on Friday in a winner-take-all game for the final East spot; Desmond Bane had 34 points for Orlando. Joel Embiid, recovering from an emergency appendectomy, surprised teammates by returning to the 76ers’ locker room before the game and watched from the bench. In Los Angeles, Stephen Curry scored 35 points as the Golden State Warriors rallied to beat the Clippers 126-121 in a dramatic 9-10 play-in matchup. Kristaps Porziņģis added 20 and Al Horford hit four fourth-quarter 3s to fuel a 16-6 closing run. Golden State travels to Phoenix on Friday for a game to decide the West’s No. 8 seed; the Clippers’ season ends with their play-in loss. Under the NBA’s new media-rights deal, all six play-in games are streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Switzerland’s men’s ice hockey head coach Patrick Fischer was dismissed in mid‑April 2026 after admitting he used a falsified COVID‑19 vaccination certificate to enter China for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Fischer, 50, who had led the national team since 2015 and guided Switzerland to three world championship silver medals, publicly apologised after being confronted by Swiss broadcaster SRF with documents showing he was fined nearly 39,000 Swiss francs in 2023 for document forgery related to buying the certificate on social media. The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation initially said the matter was closed once Fischer admitted the error, but reversed course amid media scrutiny and public debate about “values and trust,” naming Jan Cadieux as his immediate replacement. Fischer had been due to step down after Switzerland hosts the IIHF World Championship in May 2026. Federation president Urs Kessler said the decision reflected the organisation’s focus on integrity and respect following renewed attention to the case.

Arsenal reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after holding Sporting Lisbon to a 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, advancing 1-0 on aggregate thanks to Kai Havertz’s stoppage-time winner in the first leg in Lisbon. The north London side secured back-to-back semi-final berths for the first time in the club’s history and will face Atlético Madrid, with the first leg in Spain on April 29 and the return at the Emirates on May 5. Arsenal were far from fluent across the two legs – managing only one shot on target in the second leg – but defended resolutely, recording their eighth clean sheet in 12 Champions League games this season. Manager Mikel Arteta praised the squad’s effort; captaincy duties for the recent fixtures fell to Declan Rice after players nominated him, and Rice played through illness. Arsenal remain top of the Premier League but have shown signs of late-season wobble, having lost recently in domestic cup and league matches, and now face a pivotal Premier League trip to Manchester City amid injury absences to Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard and a doubt over Noni Madueke.