The incidents claimed 13 lives in October in the town that neighbours Nadal’s home of Manacor.

The 17-time Grand Slam winner had also made his tennis academy available for those impacted by the sudden downpour.

“In the name of the municipality and the residents especially those effected by the flood in October, we want to thank him for the sensitivity he has shown since the beginning and after what happened here in Sant Llorenc,” Puigros said in a video.

Photo by  Naratip Srisupab/SEALs Sports Images

Chon Buri – World No 1 Ariya Jutanugarn is determined to overcome fitness issues and help Thailand to win the inaugural Amata Friendship Cup against Japan which kicks off this morning at the Amata Spring Country Club.

Thailand’s sporting superstar has been busy with non-stop commitments during the four weeks she has been back home and even had to spend a few days in hospital two weeks ago due to influenza. She and her sister Moriya only joined their teammates for belated practice on Wednesday’s afternoon.

Ariya, along with five other Thai women and six men, will take on their Japanese counterparts in foursomes and fourballs format today and tomorrow before the concluding singles on Sunday.

“I’m still OK and will give it a 100 per cent out there, especially since I am in the same team as Thai legends which gives me extra motivation,” said 10-time LPGA winner Ariya after practice round on Thursday.

“I feel quite excited with this format and a bit fearful I might be a burden if my partner is a legend.

“Teaming with any Thai legend will be an honour,” added Ariya ,whose high-profile playing partners include eight-time European Tour winner Thongchai Jaidee, 10-time Asian Tour victor Prayad Marksaeng and the current Thai No1 and world No38 Kiradech Aphibarnrat, the Kingdom’s first holder of a card to play on the world-leading PGA Tour.Although the hosts are also blessed to have other world-class stars such older sister Moriya Jutanugarn and Thidapa Suwannapura, each an LPGA victor this year, Ariya says she would never underestimate Japan, whose men’s team is led by world No 47 Satoshi Kodaira and the women by two-time LPGA winner Nasa Hataoka.

Photo by  Naratip Srisupab/SEALs Sports Images

“You don’t know what’s going to happen in matchplay format as anyone can be on fire at any given day. I can’t say if we have the advantage but I can say we are a very strong team,” Ariya added.

According to Thai men’s captain Boonchu Ruangkit, Kiradech will be paired with Thai No 1 amateur Atthaya Thitikul in the foursomes this morning after which the remaining pairs will be revealed.

“I’ve never competed in this format before but I believe in the abilities of our female players. As for Atthaya Thitikul, she is the No 1 amateur in Thailand,” said Kiradech, who suggested that Ariya could strengthen her game even more by using the driver more.

“If she can use two-irons or three-woods and still be No 1, she could rule women’s golf for another five years by using the driver more,” he said.

Skipper Boonchu is somewhat concerned that exhaustion might take its toll on the Jutanugarn sisters but is still confident they can pull it off.

“Ariya and Moriya have been very busy and have had little time to practice,” he admitted. “But I still believe in their competence. Some of our players are stronger than the Japanese teams while the rest are quite close. I’m confident we have the edge a bit but we won’t underestimate Japan.”

The visitors players are also unfamiliar with the mixed-team format and say they’ll need time to adjust.

“This will be the first time the men’s and women’s have competed together. So we don’t what to expect but it will be fun,” said Japanese men’s captain Joe Ozaki.

“It has been a meaningful year for the Asian Tour in 2018. As we celebrate another season of success, we are happy to see that many stakeholders within the Asian Tour family made an effort to give back to society through our partnership with Habitat for Humanity.

Through this partnership, our objective is to help Habitat for Humanity expand their brand awareness by garnering support from the golfing community to provide more families with access to affordable housing.

Over the past 12 months, players and staff have also volunteered their time on-site in India, Thailand and now Indonesia, which are some of the places that we host tournaments in. We are proud to be able to pledge our support to Habitat for Humanity,” said Cho Minn Thant, Chief Operating Officer of the Asian Tour.

George Gandranata, Berry Henson, Elki Kow, Wolmer Murillo, Fajar Win Nuryanto and Mitchell Slorach comprise the Asian Tour golfers who are leading the build. Asian Tour management and staff also worked together with Habitat for Humanity Indonesia ambassadors, and families in building three homes.

Rick Hathaway, Asia-Pacific vice president of Habitat for Humanity International said: “We are grateful for the strong partnership with Asian Tour through 2018. The build with Habitat families in Sentul marks Asian Tour’s continuous support. Thanks to the passion and commitment of golfers and staff, we can move closer to our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.”

During the build, Asian Tour volunteers were able to meet and work with future homeowners Enoh, Bai and Aben. Their families have been living in run-down bamboo houses that have leaky roofs and poor lighting. With the support of Habitat Indonesia and Asian Tour, the three families will be able to create a better future through secure and stable homes.

In Sentul, where communities are among the millions of Indonesians living in poverty, low-income housing are built by the families themselves often using makeshift and low-quality materials. Sustainable housing solutions that build families’ and communities’ resilience are critical in disaster-prone Indonesia where vulnerable families are at risk of losing scarce assets and falling deeper into poverty.

Supporting Habitat for Humanity initiatives help overcome Indonesia’s housing gaps. Last week, Olympic golf champion and world number two Justin Rose donated US$50,000 to support Habitat Indonesia’s disaster response in tsunami and earthquake-hit areas in Sulawesi and Lombok.

Generous contributions from Asian Tour golfers also help make a difference. Habitat ambassadors Danny Masrin and Berry Henson raised funds together with their peers and supporters through the #BirdiesforHabitat challenge at the Indonesian Masters.

Meanwhile, India’s Shubhankar Sharma topped this year’s Habitat for Humanity Standings. The adoption of the name Habitat for Humanity Standings for this year’s Asian Tour season-long Order of Merit rankings is a meaningful reminder that housing is a top priority that can empower people to build better lives and families.

As Asian Tour’s sustainable development partner, Habitat for Humanity was able to bring the need for decent housing closer to the hearts of the golfing community in the region and the rest of the world. The partnership is instrumental in raising resources, awareness and in mobilizing volunteers for the cause of decent, secure housing in India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Marking its 35th anniversary in the Asia-Pacific region in 2018, Habitat for Humanity continues to draw on the strength of partnerships such as with Asian Tour to build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.

Reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China will defend her title against ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Singapore. ONE Middleweight World Champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang of Myanmar will defend his title against Ken Hasegawa of Japan. ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang will defend his title against Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki of Japan.

Tickets for ONE: A NEW ERA go on sale 20 December at 6PM JST and is available on LINE Ticket athttps://ticket.line.me/sp/ONEChampionship, Kyodo Tokyo, Ticket Pia, Lawson Ticket, and E-plus from 27 January 2019.

Also seeing action on the card are new ONE Championship athletes Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez. In addition, ONE Championship will officially kick off the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix with a series of compelling bouts.

Reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan and ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee have been on a collision course ever since the Chinese hero entered the organization in December 2017.

The two martial artists sit at the top of their weight classes, and each has dominated their respective divisions. However, with Lee moving up in weight to challenge Xiong for the strawweight crown, the Singaporean has the chance to become the first two-division women’s World Champion in ONE Championship history. It certainly will not be easy, as “The Panda” represents the toughest challenge in Lee’s career.

Reigning ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Aung La “The Burmese Python” N Sang is the most iconic sports superstar to hail from Myanmar.

His first encounter with Japan’s Ken Hasegawa in June 2018 was a five-round thriller of epic proportions, one which Aung La N Sang won in the final moments of the heated battle. The match is considered the “Greatest Bout In ONE Championship History” and was also awarded “Bout Of The Year” honors at the 2018 Global Martial Arts Awards for its nonstop action and dramatic finish. Aung La N Sang and Hasegawa will meet once again at ONE: A NEW ERA in a highly-anticipated rematch that is sure to produce fireworks.

Reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines is set to face Japanese martial arts legend and former World Champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki in a long-awaited rematch.

In November 2016, Folayang captured the title from Aoki via third-round TKO, but surrendered the belt to Martin Nguyen a year later. This past November, the Filipino reclaimed the crown with a dominant five-round unanimous decision over Singaporean knockout artist Amir Khan. Meanwhile, Aoki is riding a three-bout win streak, having finished Rasul Yakhyaev and Ev Ting by submission, and stopping Shannon Wiratchai by TKO. These three wins have elevated the Japanese icon to another shot at the ONE Lightweight World Title, as well as a chance to defeat his former conqueror.

In addition to the three aforementioned bouts, multiple-time World Champions Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez are scheduled to make their first appearances inside the ONE Championship cage.

Alvarez joined ONE Championship in October, taking his stellar career back to Asia where he first made a name for himself. A multiple-time lightweight World Champion, Alvarez seeks to become a ONE World Champion but will have to go through a bevy of top lightweight contenders in order to achieve his goal. In his first outing for the promotion, Alvarez will face top lightweight contender Timofey Nastyukhin of Russia.

Johnson, meanwhile, is widely considered the pound-for-pound best mixed martial artist in the history of the sport. He joined ONE Championship in late October and, alongside Alvarez, appeared in Singapore the following week for the Global Martial Arts Summit, Global Martial Arts Awards, and ONE: HEART OF THE LION. Johnson’s opponent for his first ONE Championship bout will be Japan’s Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu.

The ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix will commence at ONE: A NEW ERA. Initial bouts for the tournament will also be announced at a later date.

Also on the card is a ONE Super Series showdown between Muay Thai legend Yodsanklai IWE Fairtexand Dutch World Champion kickboxer Andy Souwer.

Yodsanklai is coming off a stunning performance in Kuala Lumpur at ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS. The martial arts veteran finished opponent Luis Regis with three rapid-fire uppercuts that drew a chorus of cheers from the crowd. Souwer, on the other hand, is one of the most internationally-renowned striking superstars ever to emerge from the Netherlands and is a two-time K1 World MAX World Champion and It’s Showtime 70MAX World Champion.