Category Archives: Australia sport

Brisbane v the Olympics: Gabba shambles shows people power is hitting the 2032 Games

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The speed of recent pivots reveals there is genuine concern that people are uneasy about the Games amid rising housing and cost of living pressures

Denver, Colorado, is the only place to ever cancel the Olympic Games. The city had won the right to host the 1976 Winter Games, but withdrew amid mounting local opposition.

“We ought to say to the nation and the world, ‘We’re sorry … we made a mistake. Take the Games elsewhere,” state representative Bob Jackson told the Associated Press in 1971.

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Socceroos goalkeeper Joe Gauci joins Aston Villa in record-breaking Australian transfer deal

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  • Keeper leaves Adelaide United for record fee for A-League player
  • 23-year-old to be understudy to Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez

Australian goalkeeper Joe Gauci has sealed a dream move to Aston Villa, amid a rush of transfer activity in the Socceroos’ Asian Cup camp.

The Premier League side have reportedly broken the transfer fee record for an A-League Men player heading overseas to secure Adelaide United’s Gauci on a deal until 2028.

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Pat Cummins says he supports changing the date of Australia Day

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  • Cricket Australia not branding Gabba Test for public holiday
  • Men’s cricket captain says country could ‘choose a better date’

Pat Cummins has called for a change to the date of Australia Day, backing the decision for the term not to be used in marketing for the Brisbane Test.

Cricket Australia (CA) have chosen not to brand this week’s second Test against West Indies as “the Australia Day match”, or use the term at the Gabba on day two on 26 January.

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A wild baggy green chase? The mystery of David Warner’s missing caps

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After the cricketer made a nationwide plea for their return, the caps were found in a ‘half-coffin’ cricket bag. But how did they get there?

The mystery surrounding the whereabouts of David Warner’s “missing” baggy greens has been solved – or has it?

The retiring batsman sparked an intensive manhunt, and national discussion, after he appealed for the return of his prized baggy greens on the eve of his last Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

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Rohan Dennis charged over death of wife, fellow cyclist Melissa Dennis

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Reports name Melissa as woman who died after being hit by car in Adelaide and Rohan as the driver

Two-time Olympian and Two-time Olympiancyclist Melissa Dennis has died after she was struck by a car in Adelaide’s inner north.

Dennis’s husband and fellow Australian Olympic cyclist, Rohan Dennis, has reportedly been charged in relation to her death.

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NRL player Troy Dargan dies after motorcycle crash in Cook Islands

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Canberra Raiders recruit dies aged 26 while holidaying with his family at Christmas

The NRL player Troy Dargan has died in a motorcycle accident while holidaying in the Cook Islands.

Dargan played two NRL games, both for South Sydney in 2020, and had joined Canberra on a two-year contract for the upcoming season.

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South Asian fans in Cricket Australia’s sights as it strives to be a ‘sport for all’

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Multicultural action plan seeks to remove barriers to players and volunteers from diverse communities

Two-thirds of south Asian-Australian cricketers find it challenging to find a club, according to Cricket Australia’s multicultural action plan, which calls for the body’s staff to undergo unconscious bias and cultural awareness training.

The plan – which was released on Friday in Melbourne in the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan – is the result of thousands of hours of consultation with members of local communities.

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No UK rescue for 2026 Commonwealth Games after Gold Coast withdrawal

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  • British government rules out stepping in to save 2026 event
  • Original hosts Victoria pulled out in July due to prohibitive costs

The British government has told Commonwealth Games organisers that the UK will not step in to rescue the event again after the Gold Coast withdrew its bid for the 2026 event.

Substantial UK government support allowed Birmingham to ride to the rescue of the 2022 Games after Durban was stripped of the event in 2017.

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Peter V’Landys accuses politicians of ‘outright lies’ as plan to extend Racing NSW chair Russell Balding’s tenure fails

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Racing body will need to scramble to replace chair after Coalition and crossbench team up to try to strengthen oversight

The Racing NSW chief executive, Peter V’Landys, has accused politicians of spreading “outright lies” and “mainly wrong diatribes” during the parliamentary debate that ultimately resulted in the loss of his chairman.

One of the most powerful men in Australian sport, V’Landys is overseen by the Racing NSW board. He has held the position of chief executive for nearly 20 years, 12 of those with Russell Balding as chair.

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Plan for 20,000-seat stadium to temporarily replace Gabba kicks off Queensland funding row

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Labor announces it will commit $46m towards $137m cost of upgrading Ekka showgrounds

A proposal to upgrade Brisbane’s showgrounds with a temporary 20,000-seat stadium – to act as the city’s home of AFL and cricket while the Gabba is rebuilt – has quickly become a political football.

The Queensland government announced on Friday it would commit $46m to create the temporary stadium but requested the remaining $91m cost be shared between Brisbane city council, AFL and cricket authorities and the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland, which runs the annual Ekka show at the venue.

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Richmond’s Monique Conti wins her first AFLW best and fairest

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  • Star midfielder polls 23 votes out of a possible 30
  • All-Australian also plays basketball for Melbourne Boomers

Richmond’s Monique Conti has stormed to her first AFLW best and fairest, winning the league’s highest honour with two rounds to spare.

Last year’s runner-up to Brisbane’s Ally Anderson, Conti polled 20 of a possible 24 votes across the first eight rounds to add the best and fairest to her fifth All-Australian selection.

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From a quadruple hat-trick to not getting a bowl: Gareth Morgan leaves third grade cricket fans hanging

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The Mudgeeraba Bushman became a global star for taking six wickets in an over, but the world will have to wait to find out if he can extend his run

When a local sports reporter told Gold Coast cricketer Gareth Morgan he was going to write “a bit of an article” for the back page about Morgan’s six wickets in an over the day before, the 44-year-old was surprised.

“I said to him: that’s a little bit over the top for third grade cricket don’t you think?” Morgan recalls.

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Australia has three months to find host city for Commonwealth Games 2026

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Peak body wants Australia to keep the event but talks are under way with other countries and about changing the Games’ format

Australia has three months to find a 2026 Commonwealth Games host city as three other candidates emerge for the event.

Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) hierarchy said on Wednesday that finding an Australian host for the 2026 edition remains the priority while appealing for government support.

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Melbourne Cup: most Australians have little or no interest in ‘race that stops the nation’, Essential poll finds

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Only 11% of respondents to survey say they have ‘high interest’, down five points from before last year’s race

Punters are switching off the Melbourne Cup, with a majority of Australians reporting they have little or no interest in what was once “the race that stops the nation”.

According to the latest Essential poll of 1,049 voters, just 11% reported a “high interest” in the Melbourne Cup, down five points from when the question was asked before the 2022 race.

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Rugby Australia accepts Eddie Jones’s resignation as search for next Wallabies coach begins

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  • Governing body wishes embattled coach well after he quit post
  • RA expected to target Stephen Larkham and Dan McKellar

Eddie Jones’s tenure as Wallabies coach is officially over after Rugby Australia formally accepted his resignation following the team’s disastrous World Cup campaign in France.

RA on Tuesday confirmed the embattled coach’s departure from the national setup and said he would officially leave his post on 25 November.

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Less than half of Australian children who experience violence in sport tell an adult, world-first study finds

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Normalisation of violence in sport, like ‘tough love’ coaching, has discouraged children from speaking up, experts say

When Matthew* experienced violence from his soccer coach and teammates, he didn’t tell his parents out of fear it would mean giving up the sport he loved.

“I didn’t want them to withdraw me from sport altogether, because sport has always been everything in my life, it truly has.”

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Marcus Stoinis’ spontaneous New York photoshoot goes viral after fans recognise ‘world famous’ athlete

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Street photographer known for ‘ordinary people’ portraits snaps Australian cricketer and partner without realising ‘he’s photographing royalty’

Australian cricket all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is causing a stir on and off the field after an impromptu Instagram video, shot recently on a New York street, went viral.

Stoinis helped Australia thrash Pakistan in the World Cup on Friday night. In a crucial match for Australia’s finals hopes in the international one day series, Stoinis helped Australia thump Pakistan and secure a 62-run win in Bengaluru.

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Australia news live: Minns says NSW police response to pro-Palestine rally will be ‘reasonable and proportionate’; voice referendum latest updates

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Follow today’s news live, including the latest updates on the voice referendum

A strong no vote could hold back reforms in Indigenous affairs, Wyatt says

Ken Wyatt said he doesn’t think the government has made a mistake deciding against legislating the voice if the referendum is defeated, but he fears what a strong no vote will mean for the future of Indigenous affairs:

We’ve got to respect what Australians are saying if there is an overwhelming no majority …

The fear I have now is with a strong no, whether the government will become reticent to be adventurous on doing significant reforms in the future in the Aboriginal affairs portfolio, and on programs and policies that could reshape the landscape of Aboriginal affairs and the way in which Aboriginal people access the plethora of services that we all take for granted across this nation as our inherent right.

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Betting agency’s $40m payout for Penrith premiership believed to be largest in Australian history

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News Corp-backed Betr attracted controversy last year when it offered 100-1 odds on the 2023 NRL and AFL grand final winners, as well as other sports

The News Corp-backed betting agency Betr is in the process of paying out $40m in bets after Penrith’s grand final win on Sunday, which the company believes is an Australian record.

Betr attracted significant controversy earlier this year over its widely advertised launch campaign offering 100-1 odds on the Melbourne Cup, something that prompted regulatory intervention and a record $210,000 fine.

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In Australia, Gambling Help Online is available on 1800 858 858. The National Debt Helpline is at 1800 007 007. In the UK, support for problem gambling can be found through GamCare on 0808 8020 133. In the US, the National Council on Problem Gambling is on 800-522-4700

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Sydney smashes 1 October heat record as Victoria fights bushfires

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The previous hottest start to October in Sydney was 33.1C but Sunday’s mercury peaked at 35.6C

Sydney has endured its hottest ever start to October on record as fire danger warnings were issued across NSW – and as two bushfires threatened campers and towns in eastern Victoria.

According to data from the Bureau of Meteorology, two years had tied for Sydney’s hottest 1 October on record: 33.1C was recorded at Observatory Hill weather station in both 1961 and 2009.

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