‘Sooner The Hundred is scrapped the better, the Ashes shone’ August 3, 2023 I’ve had a tough summer so far on behalf of readers, dragging myself from Ashes to Ashes – a day at each of the five men’s Tests plus one of the women’s T20s. From the maddening Rubik’s Cube of ticket application ballots last autumn, through the tyranny of rail strikes, to the final dose of [...]
Team GB set for lowest gold medal haul for 20 years at Paris 2024 Olympics July 26, 2023 Team GB athletes are predicted to win just 10 gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, their lowest tally for 20 years. Schoolgirl skateboarder Sky Brown, 15, 800m runner Keely Hodgkinson and BMX star Bethany Shriever are among those tipped to top the podium by analysts Gracenote Sports. Gymnasts Jessica Gadirova and Bryony Page and [...]
Enhanced Games president likens doping to ‘being gay 50 years ago’ July 3, 2023 Ever thought about watching a 100m race where you knew everyone was using substances to artificially enhance themselves, rather than finding out a couple of years later when a ban is issued? Well the Enhanced Games may be for you. The idea pits competitive sport alongside the world of performance enhancing drugs in an Olympics-style [...]
Ed Warner: Fear of losing to the Poms may get Australian sport its extra A$2bn April 6, 2023 As an English sports fan it’s always fun when others cite your nation as their greatest rivals when they wouldn’t make your own top three. Cricket aside, such is the case with Australia. Last week a cry from Australia’s sporting hierarchy for more financial backing from politicians caught my eye. The need to beat the [...]
UK culture sec urges Olympic partners like Coca-Cola and Visa to back Russia athlete ban March 11, 2023 The UK’s culture secretary has written to sponsors of the Olympics including Coca-Cola and Visa urging them to back a ban on Russian and Belorussian athletes. Lucy Frazer addressed the letter to the CEOs of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Worldwide Partners, which include Coca-Cola, Intel, Samsung and Visa. The letter to CEOs comes after [...]
Why Japanese advertising darling Dentsu has been charged with corruption over Tokyo 2020 Olympics contracts March 1, 2023 Japanese advertising giant Dentsu is among several companies and individuals charged with corruption over the awarding of contracts for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Dentsu’s competitors Hakuhodo and Tokyu Agency and event production companies Cerespo, Fuji Creative and Same Two have also been charged. Former Tokyo 2020 operations executive Yasuo Mori and former Dentsu executive Koji [...]
British skateboarder Sky Brown, 14, wins world championship gold February 12, 2023 Teenage skateboarder Sky Brown won gold at the World Championships yesterday, with fellow Briton Lola Tambling coming sixth. Fourteen-year-old Brown, who became Britain’s youngest summer Olympian at last year’s Tokyo 2020 Games, laid down a high score of 90.83 in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to take top spot in the first Paris 2024 [...]
Ed Warner on the sporting year that was December 22, 2022 And so we reach the end of a year of sporting excess, or at least an excess of sport. Sunday’s FIFA World Cup Final was the calorific dessert that may well have caused you to come over all Mr Creosote, exploding under the temptation of just one more dish of must-see sporting competition. While we [...]
Ed Warner: Marathon season revives questions about unequal fight against doping September 22, 2022 The track season is behind us and athletic thoughts now turn to autumn marathons. Berlin, renowned world record course, this Sunday. London and then Chicago within a fortnight. New York at the start of November. That’s four of the six marathon majors in seven weekends, and doubtless plenty of competition among race organisers to secure [...]
Hollie Pearne-Webb: I am still learning how to lead as England hockey captain July 4, 2022 It’s not often you get the chance to reinvent yourself as a captain three years into your tenure, but that’s exactly what England and Great Britain hockey captain Hollie Pearne-Webb is doing as her side begin a World Cup and then head to a home Commonwealth Games. The Pearne-Webb era has been dogged by the [...]