Category Archives: Sport

Sydney Olympics were bought ‘to a large extent’, said Australian official John Coates

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  • Comments by leading IOC official made in 2008 interview
  • Payments were permitted under Olympic rules at the time

John Coates, the vice-president of the International Olympic Committee and outgoing president of the Australian National Olympic Committee, said “to a large extent” that Sydney was awarded the summer Olympic Games in 2000 because it “bought the Games”.

In extracts from a recently discovered hour-long interview in 2008, Coates revealed that he offered payments to two African National Olympic Committees who were represented on the IOC panel in exchange for their votes in 1993.

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‘Uniquely qualified’: John Coates drafted letter of praise for himself to Brisbane Olympics organisers

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  • Outgoing AOC president drafted compliments of his own work
  • ‘Hard to think of anyone better qualified in the world of sport’

John Coates, the outgoing president of the Australian Olympic Committee, drafted his own letter of recommendation stating that it was “hard to think of anybody better qualified in the world of sport” to be appointed to the organising committee of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Coates is Australia’s most celebrated official in the Olympic movement and a vice-president of the International Olympic Committee. He stood down on Saturday as president of the AOC after 32 years. He will become the AOC’s inaugural honorary life president after the 2024 Paris Olympics, when he stands down from the IOC. The life presidency role was written into the AOC’s constitution at last year’s AGM and Coates was formally awarded the position in March 2022.

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AOC elects Ian Chesterman to succeed John Coates as president

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Coates uses outgoing address to announce Australian Olympic Committee support for Ukrainian athletes to resettle in Australia

Stepping into the shoes vacated by the most influential figure in Australian Olympic history, new Australian Olympic Committee president Ian Chesterman wants to inspire the next generation of Olympians.

Chesterman was elected to succeed John Coates as AOC president, convincingly defeating triple Olympic medallist Mark Stockwell 67-26 in a vote of AOC delegates at Saturday’s annual general meeting in Sydney.

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Sage Steele sues ESPN after remarks on vaccine mandate and Obama’s race

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  • SportsCenter host was suspended for comment made on podcast
  • Anchor says network curtailed her right to free speech

ESPN anchor Sage Steele is suing the network after claiming it curtailed her right to free speech over remarks she made last year.

Steele attracted criticism after remarks she made on a podcast hosted by former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler last September. During her appearance, the SportsCenter host called ESPN’s vaccine mandate “sick”, said female reporters should change the way they dress to avoid inappropriate comments from male athletes and questioned whether Barack Obama is Black.

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New investigation into allegations of plagiarism against concussion expert Paul McCrory

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British Journal of Sports Medicine says it is investigating a body of work published by McCrory, its former editor-in-chief

The British Journal of Sports Medicine says it is investigating a body of work published by its former editor-in-chief, neurologist Dr Paul McCrory, in light of “additional allegations of plagiarism” against the world-renowned concussion expert.

The peer-reviewed journal will also review the past four consensus statements published by the global Concussion in Sport Group (CISG), of which McCrory was the lead author, along with a sample of other papers on which he is the first or senior author.

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MCG comes alive on Anzac Day as Collingwood edge Essendon

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  • Collingwood 15.3 (93) beat Essendon 12.10 (82)
  • Jack Ginnivan wins Anzac Day medal in front of 84,205 fans

Teenage sensation Jack Ginnivan has slotted a career-best five goals to help lift Collingwood to an 11-point win over Essendon in an enthralling Anzac Day encounter. In front of 84,205 fans at the MCG – the largest crowd since the 2019 grand final because of the global pandemic – small forward Ginnivan starred in his side’s 15.3 (93) to 12.10 (82) victory.

The 19-year-old had just 12 disposals but was awarded the Anzac Day medal as best afield for his match-winning haul in the traditional blockbuster. The result squared the Magpies’ season record at 3-3 and left Essendon reeling at 1-5, with their finals hopes just about shot.

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Dragons hold on to stun Roosters in NRL Anzac Day upset

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  • St George Illawara win 14-12 at SCG
  • Ben Hunt wins Ashton Collier Spirit of Anzac medal

A battered and bruised St George Illawarra pulled off an Anzac Day boilover, with a courageous Ben Hunt helping them stun the Sydney Roosters 14-12.

On a brutal afternoon at the SCG, the Dragons lost Jack Bird to suspected broken arm and Jaydn Su’A due to a leg injury after the second-rower had been among their best.

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Brumbies break through for win as Waratahs and Reds crushed by Kiwis

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  • Brumbies 28 beat Highlanders 17 to claim first Kiwi scalp of Super Round
  • Waratahs 27 Chiefs 51; Reds 17 Hurricanes 30; Rebels 17 Crusaders 41

The Brumbies restored some pride in Australian rugby by claiming the first Kiwi scalp of Super Round with a hard-fought 28-17 victory over the Highlanders, after NSW and Queensland both fell short in the opening two days of action at AAMI Park.

The Canberra-based Brumbies had only lost once through the 2022 domestic component of the competition while the Highlanders had only banked one win but the men from Dunedin still proved difficult to shake on Sunday afternoon.

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Beautiful chaos reigns as A-League basket cases deliver box office show

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On paper it was eighth plays ninth, both teams flawed and prone to imploding. But the Mariners and Jets’ rivalry is exactly what the ALM needs

To ape Bill Hader’s famous Saturday Night Live character Stefon, the A-League Men’s hottest rivalry is the F3 Derby. Located on a sodden field in Newcastle, the latest edition of this regional rivalry had everything. Twists and turns, emotions bubbling over, VAR disallowing goals, dramatic comebacksand Matt Simon almost coming to blows with a red-carded Daniel Penha.

After serving as the unexpected highlight of ALM’s opening round of the 2021-22 season, overshadowing the greater ballyhooed Sydney Derby, punters were incredulous they were forced to wait 153 days for Saturday evening’s rematch between the Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets, a fixture ready to resume its place amongst the pantheon of box office ALM fixtures.

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US Capitol evacuated as baseball parachute display seen as ‘probable threat’

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  • Army parachutists landed at home of Washington Nationals
  • Congressional staffers as police alert of possible threat

The US Capitol was briefly evacuated on Wednesday evening after police identified an aircraft that they said posed “a probable threat” to the heart of American government.

The plane turned out to be members of the US Army Golden Knights, who parachuted into Nationals Park for a pregame display. The stadium, home of the Washington Nationals baseball team, is a little more than a mile away from the Capitol.

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Perth Glory CEO admits Daniel Sturridge move has failed

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  • ‘We had high hopes… It hasn’t worked,’ says Tony Pignata
  • Striker unlikely to be offered new contract at end of season

Perth Glory’s gamble on Daniel Sturridge has been labelled a failure by chief executive Tony Pignata, who admits it is unlikely the English striker will be offered a new deal with the A-League Men club.

Sturridge, a former Liverpool forward with 26 England caps, was the highest-profile signing heading into the 2021-22 ALM season but has featured for just 93 minutes across five substitute appearances – failing to find the net.

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Boston Marathon turns into sprint on 50th anniversary of first women’s race

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  • Peres Jepchirchir wins thrilling women’s race
  • Kenya’s Evans Chebet takes men’s title with ease
  • Race returns to Patriots’ Day spot after Covid disruption

Peres Jepchirchir celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Boston Marathon women’s division by winning a see-saw sprint down Boylston Street on Monday as the race returned to its traditional Patriots’ Day spot in the schedule for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Running shoulder to shoulder for most of the course, the reigning Olympic champion and Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh traded places eight times in the final mile, with Jepchirchir pulling ahead for good in the final 385 yards. The Kenyan finished in 2 hours, 21 minutes and 1 second, four seconds ahead of her rival.

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Female fighters to make boxing history at Madison Square Garden

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Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano face off in April at legendary New York venue where Ali fought Frazier

At the end of April, boxing history will be made. For the first time, two female fighters, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, will face off at New York’s legendary venue Madison Square Garden, in a fight that is predicted to supercharge the sport’s rapid rise in popularity.

For two women to go 10 rounds at the same venue where Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier – twice – and Rocky Marciano knocked out an ageing Joe Louis shows the remarkable, rapid progress that has taken place in the past two decades.

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Harry and Meghan to speak at opening of Invictus Games

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Duke and Duchess of Sussex will address spectators in The Hague accompanied by Netflix film crew

The Duke of Sussex took part in a driving challenge as the Invictus Games got under way on Saturday. Ahead of the opening ceremony, he and the Duchess of Sussex joined a junior driving contest where they were driven round a circuit of miniature Land Rovers.

The couple are expected to speak on stage at the Invictus Games opening ceremony on Saturday night.

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Cleary deals set Panthers up for long-term success

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With five-year contract extensions to keep them at Penrith until 2027, Nathan and Ivan Cleary can build the dynasty their club has always craved

Penrith’s ultimate successes have, historically, been fleeting. Not this time. The signing of star halfback Nathan Cleary and coach Ivan Cleary to long-term deals has set the Panthers up for sustainable security at the top of the premiership ladder. This may not be Melbourne Storm longevity but it is hard to see Penrith missing out on the top four anytime in the 2020s now the Clearys have locked themselves in as centrepieces.

Amid a great deal of controversy in 2019, Nathan Cleary was reunited with his father Ivan, who left the Wests Tigers in acrimonious circumstances to return to Penrith for his second stint as head coach. It led to Phil Gould’s departure as Penrith’s executive general manager and left a great deal of angst among the Wests Tigers faithful that the driver of the bus had ditched the joint. It did net a remarkable third premiership for the Panthers last year though, the golden generation realising their potential.

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Former Colombia great Freddy Rincón dies, aged 55, following car crash

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  • Rincón had been driving car that collided with bus in Cali
  • Colombian Football Federation mourns ‘great loss’ for sport

Former Colombia captain Freddy Rincón has died aged 55 after sustaining severe head injuries in a car crash.

Rincón was hurt after the vehicle he was driving collided with a bus on Monday in Cali, Colombia.

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Andrew McDonald set to be named Australia’s cricket head coach

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  • Cricket Australia lock in Langer’s permanent replacement
  • McDonald expected to take charge of all three formats

Andrew McDonald will be named as Australia’s men’s cricket coach after impressing as an interim boss during the tour of Pakistan.

The former Test allrounder has only strengthened his bonds with a playing group that was desperate for change. McDonald, 40, could be confirmed as Australia’s full-time coach as soon as Wednesday.

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Black Ferns report favouritism, body-shaming and cultural insensitivity in scathing review

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Review involved interviews with 50 current and former players, managers and coaches of New Zealand women’s rugby team

New Zealand’s governing rugby body has failed to properly support women’s high performance rugby, with some players reporting favouritism, ghosting, body-shaming and culturally insensitive comments, a scathing review of one of the world’s top women’s rugby teams has found.

The more than 30-page review, which came with 26 recommendations, was instigated after a senior Black Ferns player – Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate – posted on social media that she had suffered a mental health breakdown following the Black Ferns’ 2021 end-of-year tour to England and France.

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Former Colombia player Freddy Rincón in critical condition after car crash

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  • Rincón was driving car that collided with bus in Cali
  • Hospital treating 55-year-old for ‘traumatic brain injury’

Freddy Rincón, the former Colombia captain, is in a critical condition with severe head injuries after being involved in a car crash in the city of Cali.

Four other people who were in the vehicle that Rincon was driving were also injured following the collision with a bus at around 4.30am. The bus driver was also hurt, according to local authorities who are reviewing CCTV footage of the accident.

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Eya Guezguez, Tunisian Olympic sailor, dies aged 17 in training accident

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  • Guezguez and her sister Sarra competed at Tokyo Games
  • Sarra survives accident where dinghy reportedly capsized

The Tunisian Olympic sailor Eya Guezguez has died in a training accident at the age of 17, the International Olympic Committee has announced.

Guezguez, who represented Tunisia at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games, was sailing with her twin sister, Sarra, when their boat capsized in strong winds. Eya died in the accident while Sarra, who competed alongside her in Tokyo in the 49er FX category, survived.

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