More than 50,000 England fans expected in German capital as men’s side hope to make history against Spain
Tens of thousands of England fans are arriving in Berlin as Gareth Southgate’s men’s team attempt to make history and beat Spain to win a first major tournament since 1966.
More than 50,000 England fans are expected to be in German capital for the final of the European championship, many of whom will be without tickets.
Continue reading...The two big channels prepare to slug it out for viewers for the climax of the tournament
Forget La Roja versus Three Lions. Sunday’s battle between the big two terrestrial channels, which will simulcast the action, looks set to be an equally tasty clash.
Last Wednesday, a peak of 21.6million viewers watched England’s nervy semi-final win over the Netherlands on ITV1. Ratings will rise even higher for the showpiece final, but this time fans must decide whose coverage to watch. ITV hoped to gain an early edge by scheduling its build-up to begin at 6.30pm, ahead of the 8pm kick-off. Initially BBC1 wasn’t slated to start until 7pm until the Beeb made a last-minute change to replicate its rival – the broadcasting equivalent of a late Jude Bellingham equaliser. Here’s how the TV teams will line up…
Continue reading...IOC signs deal with kingdom to host gaming Olympics over 12-year period amid criticism of Saudi human rights record
Saudi Arabia and the International Olympic Committee have announced a 12-year agreement to host the new esports Olympics in the oil-rich kingdom starting next year.
The partnership promises “Olympic Esports Games held regularly”, the International Olympic Committee said in a statement on Friday, beginning with the Esports Olympics in 2025. Saudi Arabia did not disclose how much it planned to spend on the competition.
Continue reading...World’s oldest grand slam breaks with tradition to host ‘eChamps’ as part of efforts to attract younger audience
From Hawk-Eye to AI, Wimbledon traditionalists have spent 20 years railing against the introduction of computer technology on the hallowed turf.
But now the oldest grand slam in tennis is experimenting with hosting a whole tournament in a virtual world.
Continue reading...As Saturday after Saturday gets wiped out by bad weather, clubs are drowning in a sea of unplayed fixtures
The first thing Jamie Amendolia’s boys ask him when he picks them up from school every afternoon is the same: “Is training on? Is the game on? Has it been called off? Are we playing?”
Both of his sons, Sebastian, 10, and Alexander, eight, play football at Enfield FC in Sydney’s inner west. They’re footy fanatics. Except both have had their season thrown into chaos by the wet weather that has hit and bogged down Sydney’s weekends for months.
Continue reading...Lawyers for Brett Favre have asked a federal appeals court to revive a defamation lawsuit the former NFL quarterback filed against a fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Shannon Sharpe, amid the backdrop of a Mississippi welfare scandal.
A federal judge in Mississippi threw out the lawsuit in October, saying Sharpe used constitutionally protected speech on a sports broadcast when he criticized Favre’s connection to the welfare misspending case.
Continue reading...The “Demon” has slain his Wimbledon demon to reach the last eight of the grass court grand slam for the first time. But Alex de Minaur now has another bad memory to exorcise. Two years after blowing a two-set lead and two match points when on the brink of reaching the quarter-finals, the No 9 seed held his nerve as a horror repeat threatened against Arthur Fils.
De Minaur put his fans on No 1 Court – and late-night television viewers back home – through the wringer as he dropped the third set but showed Aussie grit to take the fourth on his second match point. His 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win, in just shy of three hours, booked a last-eight meeting with Novak Djokovic on Wednesday (late Wednesday or early Thursday AEST).
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