Sydney to Hobart yacht race: LawConnect wins back-to-back line honours in event marred by two deaths

  • Third time LawConnect has claimed line honours, after initial success in 2016 as Perpetual Loyal
  • Could take days for overall handicap winner to be decided

A “sombre” LawConnect has delayed celebrations after claiming back-to-back line honour wins in a Sydney to Hobart race marred by the death of two sailors.

The Christian Beck-skippered supermaxi was first across the River Derwent finish line at 2.35am on Saturday in a time of one day, 13 hours, 35 minutes and 13 seconds.

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‘Everyone is crazy about tennis’: Sinner’s success inspires Italy to pick up rackets

Italians are taking to the court with factors including the pandemic and broadcasting also said to be fuelling enthusiasm

At the age of 47, diehard AC Milan fan Ninni Licata has hung up his football boots in exchange for a tennis racket.

Like thousands of Italians in recent years, Licata has been unable to resist the lure of a game that for years had been relegated to the sidelines of the country’s national sports, overshadowed by football and Formula One.

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‘Everyone is crazy about tennis’: Sinner’s success inspires Italy to pick up rackets

Italians are taking to the court with factors including the pandemic and broadcasting also said to be fuelling enthusiasm

At the age of 47, diehard AC Milan fan Ninni Licata has hung up his football boots in exchange for a tennis racket.

Like thousands of Italians in recent years, Licata has been unable to resist the lure of a game that for years had been relegated to the sidelines of the country’s national sports, overshadowed by football and Formula One.

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Sydney to Hobart yacht race: LawConnect leads after two deaths in wild weather leave fleet rocked

  • Supermaxi LawConnect in box seat Friday evening to take line honours for second year running
  • As at 5.30pm, 22 yachts from the 104-strong starting fleet had retired

The Sydney to Hobart yacht race has been left reeling after the deaths of two sailors in wild weather that has forced a fifth of the fleet to retire.

Supermaxi LawConnect was in the box seat on Friday evening to take out line honours for a second year running after rival Master Lock Comanche pulled the pin with mainsail damage.

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At least 56 people killed in crush at Guinea football stadium

Witnesses say people scrambled to escape after teargas used during pitch invasion at match in Nzérékoré

At least 56 people have died and dozens of others were injured in a crowd crush at a football stadium in southern Guinea, authorities in the west African state said.

The Stade du 3 Avril in Nzérékoré, the country’s second largest city, was hosting the final of a football tournament in honour of the leader of the country’s junta, Mamady Doumbouya, on Sunday afternoon. Local reports said thousands of spectators were present at the stadium and children were among the victims but did not give a definitive figure in either case.

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Fifa ignores own report into Qatar World Cup over workers’ compensation

  • Subcommittee points to ‘severe human rights impacts’
  • $50m legacy fund to be used on international development

A long-awaited Fifa report into the legacy of the Qatar World Cup has been published, but only after its key recommendation was rejected by the organisation.

Fifa’s subcommittee on human rights and social responsibility has found that the game’s world body “has a responsibility” to provide financial remedy to workers who suffered loss as a result of employment at the 2022 World Cup. Its report argues that Fifa should use its Qatar legacy fund for those workers. Two days before the report was published, however, Fifa announced that the $50m fund would be used on international development projects instead.

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Fifa issues glowing Saudi 2034 World Cup report despite human rights fears

  • Bid deemed to have medium risk in evaluation report
  • 2034 offering gets higher score from Fifa than 2026 bid

Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid received a higher technical score from Fifa than the 2026 joint bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico, even though the Middle Eastern nation has yet to construct a number of stadiums proposed for the tournament.

Fifa released its bid evaluation report in the early hours of Saturday morning and said the 2034 bid received an overall average score of 4.2 out of 5, though eight stadiums are still to be built. All venues – including the planned 92,760-seater King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh – will not be completed until 2032, but three new stadiums are expected to be finished for the Asian Cup which kicks off in January 2027.

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