Category Archives: Sport

Police investigate UK ice hockey tragedy amid tributes to Adam Johnson

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South Yorkshire force looking into death of American Nottingham Panthers player during match in Sheffield

Police have said they are investigating the death of a professional ice hockey player during a match in Sheffield on Saturday night and have encouraged people to avoid speculation about the incident.

Adam Johnson, 29, died after appearing to receive a catastrophic cut to his neck from the skate blade of another player during the Challenge Cup game between his team Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers.

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Mary Lou Retton released from hospital but has ‘long road ahead’ in recovery

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  • Gymnast became hero of Team USA at 1984 Olympics
  • 55-year-old was seriously ill with pneumonia

Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton has returned home after a lengthy hospital stay because of pneumonia, her daughter said on Monday.

Shaley Kelley Schrepfer, the oldest of Retton’s four daughters, posted an update on Retton’s condition on Instagram nearly two weeks after the family disclosed that the former Olympic all-around champion was in intensive care.

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Lottery winner to represent England at pool after buying table with winnings

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The first thing tiler Neil Jones bought with his £2.4m prize was a pool table, on which he honed his skills

A tiler whose first purchase after winning £2.4m on the national lottery was a pool table is about to experience his “proudest moment” as he prepares to represent his country at the European Pool Championships in Malta.

Neil Jones, 59, had just £13 in his pocket when he and his partner, Julie Kirkham, won the money just before Christmas 2010.

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MSU did not seek permission before showing Hitler on videoboard before game

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  • Creator of quiz says Michigan State did not contact him
  • University apologize after incident on Saturday

The creator and producer of The Quiz Channel on YouTube, which includes Adolf Hitler’s image as part of a quiz Michigan State used on its videoboards before a game against Michigan, said the school didn’t ask for permission to use his content or pay him for it.

“It’s an absolutely normal trivia question, shown in an inappropriate setting,” Floris van Pallandt wrote on Sunday on his YouTube page. “Ignoring the dark facets of history is by no means the answer, on the contrary.”

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Man arrested over alleged mass shooting plot at Oregon climbing event

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  • Samson Zebturiah Garner being held on $10m bail
  • Police say they found guns and evidence of plot in car

A man has been arrested in Oregon over an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a rock climbing event.

Samson Zebturiah Garner, 39, was taken into custody in Deschutes county after local police were informed by detectives in Portland, Oregon, that the suspect was “planning a violent attack during an event” in the area. According to the Bend Bulletin, Garner had told two acquaintances he intended to harm people at a climbing event in the county, most likely the Alpine Club Craggin’ Classic which is taking place this weekend.

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England and South Africa rugby fans gather around UK for World Cup semi-final

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Pubs in south-west London, where many of the UK’s 200,000-plus South Africans live, are hosting viewing parties

Excited fans of England and South Africa are gathering in bars, pubs and community centres around the UK to watch the tense Rugby World Cup semi-final between the two nations.

England secured their spot in the final four after overcoming Fiji 30-24 in a close-run quarter-final in Marseille, while South Africa narrowly defeated the hosts – and erstwhile favourites – France last weekend, 29-28.

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Russian, South African and US athletes get rushed Australian citizenships ahead of 2024 Olympics

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Exclusive: Government fast-tracked applications of canoeist, wrestler and water polo player backed by AOC

The Australian government has fast-tracked the citizenship of three athletes from South Africa, Russia and the US, in an effort to boost the nation’s chances of winning gold medals at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

With the support of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), South African canoeist Pierre Van der Westhuyzen, Russian wrestler Georgii Okorokov and US water polo player Sam Slobodien, will receive citizenships ahead of the games after having their applications fast-tracked.

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Mohamed Salah makes donation and calls for aid to be allowed into Gaza

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  • Striker said to have made significant donation
  • ‘The people of Gaza need food and supplies urgently’

Mohamed Salah has appealed for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza after making a donation to help those affected by Israeli air strikes.

The Egypt and Liverpool striker, one of the highest-profile Muslim footballers in the world, made the donation to the Egyptian Red Crescent on Sunday. The amount was undisclosed but is said to be significant.

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Nice suspend Youcef Atal for social media post on Israel-Hamas war

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  • Club suspend defender Atal ‘until further notice’
  • El Ghazi also suspended by Mainz for pro-Palestinian post

Youcef Atal was suspended by Nice for a social media post about the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Ligue 1 club said on Wednesday.

The Algerian international, who has been at the Ligue 1 side since 2018, has since deleted the post. He had been on international duty and was summoned to speak with the club as soon as he returned.

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Zimbabwe women’s football coach in custody after indecent assault claim

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  • Shadreck Mlauzi arrested after return from tournament
  • Female staff member reported allegations to Harare police

The coach of the Zimbabwe women’s football team has been remanded in police custody after being accused of indecent assault against a female member of staff during an international tournament.

Shadreck Mlauzi, who was reappointed as coach at the end of last month having previously guided Zimbabwe to the 2016 Olympics, was arrested on Tuesday after returning to Harare from the Council of Southern Africa Football Association (Cosafa) women’s championship in South Africa.

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Ireland’s embrace of Zombie song at Rugby World Cup stirs debate over lyrics

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Fans seen singing the Cranberries’ hit in stadiums but some Irish republicans are unhappy at revival

Twenty years after a lethal IRA bomb inspired its stark, chilling lyrics, the Cranberries’ song Zombie has experienced an unlikely rebirth as a Rugby World Cup anthem.

Ireland fans have belted out its chorus in stadiums across France and hope to do so again on Saturday after a quarter-final tie against New Zealand at the Stade de France in Paris.

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FA criticised by Jewish groups over response to Hamas attacks

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  • Silence for all Israel-Palestine victims and no lit Wembley arch
  • Campaign Against Antisemitism says plan ‘utterly shameful’

Leading Jewish groups have hit out at English football’s response to the Hamas attacks in Israel and criticised the Football Association’s refusal to light up the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag.

With the FA believed to be nervous over being seen to favour one of Israel and Palestine, it has decided to hold a period of silence for all victims of the conflict before England host Australia in a friendly on Friday night. On a day when the Premier League broke its silence on the situation, it was announced that the England and Australia players would wear black armbands and that supporters would be prevented from bringing Israeli and Palestinian kits and flags into Wembley.

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Zimbabwe FA investigating women’s team coach over sexual misconduct allegations

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  • Claims that coach ‘asked for sexual favours’ at tournament
  • Zifa says safeguarding officer investigating in South Africa

The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) has confirmed it is investigating a member of its senior women’s coaching team over allegations of sexual misconduct against female colleagues.

The Guardian understands the allegations relate to a series of incidents said to have taken place during the current Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) women’s championship in South Africa. They include claims that the coach made inappropriate invitations to his room and “asked for sexual favours” – allegations first made in an article by the London-based journalist Melody Gwenyambira this week.

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Former NFL player Sergio Brown taken into custody after mother’s death

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  • Sergio Brown was reportedly deported from Mexico
  • Myrtle Brown was found dead near home in Chicago

The former NFL player Sergio Brown has been taken into custody after the death of his mother in September.

Police in San Diego said he was held after entering the United States from Mexico on Tuesday. He is awaiting extradition to Maywood, Illinois, where the body of his mother, Myrtle, was found near her home last month. Police had issued a warrant for first-degree murder after her death was ruled a homicide.

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FA will announce plans to honour Israel victims before England friendly

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  • Senior Jewish football executives have reached out to the FA
  • Sir Keir Starmer wants Wembley arch in Israeli flag colours

The FA will announce plans on Thursday to mark the recent atrocities in Israel at the friendly match between England and Australia, after leading Jewish figures within the game urged them to act.

As the leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, said he believed the Wembley arch should be illuminated in the colours of the Israeli flag following attacks by Hamas across the country last weekend, pressure grew on the FA to break the silence that has been consistent across the professional game this week.

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Worries over confidence and periods hitting UK girls’ enjoyment of PE

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Survey finds less than two-thirds say they enjoy PE in schools, down from 74% in 2016

Girls’ enjoyment of physical education in school has declined over the past six years, with a lack of confidence, concern about periods and anxiety about their appearance holding them back, according to research.

Less than two-thirds of girls and young women (64%) who took part in a survey this year by the UK charity the Youth Sport Trust (YST), said they enjoyed PE, down from 74% when the poll began in 2016.

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Uefa forced into stalling plans to reintegrate Russia’s under-17 teams

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  • Blanket ban on Russian sides ended after vote in September
  • However at least 12 federations will not play against Russia

Uefa has been forced to stall plans to reintegrate Russia’s under-17 teams into its competitions after widespread opposition rendered them unworkable.

The surprise decision to accept junior teams and end a blanket ban on Russian sides, in place since the country’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, came when a vote was passed on 26 September. A Uefa executive committee meeting in Nyon on Tuesday had been due to discuss the issue again, with suggestions beforehand that it could be brought to a fresh vote, but the topic was pulled after the governing body accepted its efforts had hit a dead end.

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Goalkeepers perceive the world differently, study suggests

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Goalies’ brains appear able to merge signals from different senses more quickly, say researchers

The former Premier League goalkeeper Brad Friedel once said that to be able to work well in the box, you have to be able to think outside the box.

Now scientific data supports the idea that goalies’ brains really do perceive the world differently – their brains appear able to merge signals from the different senses more quickly, possibly underpinning their unique abilities on the football pitch.

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Hull City ‘appalled’ by alleged racist abuse of player as Millwall fan arrested

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  • Fan detained over incident during 2-2 Championship draw
  • Millwall ‘working with police, security staff and Hull City’

Hull said they were “appalled” after one of their players was the subject of alleged racist abuse during their 2-2 draw with Millwall at the Den.

Joe Bryan secured the Lions a point with a 54th-minute equaliser, but the Championship game was overshadowed by the incident, which led to a Millwall fan being arrested.

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UK government pressed for answers on Sheikh Mansour and Russians

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  • Ukrainian activist urges government to investigate City owner
  • ‘Many oligarchs appear to have found home for wealth in UAE’

The UK government has been asked to reveal what steps it has taken to investigate whether Manchester City’s owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, assisted wealthy Russians on whom it has imposed sanctions in moving their assets to the United Arab Emirates.

Lawyers acting on behalf of a Ukrainian activist – who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals from Russia – have written to the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, to ask whether investigations have been carried out to determine whether Mansour, the UAE’s deputy prime minister, should be identified as a “designated person” subject to financial sanctions under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

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