Sports News

It has been announced that this year's London Marathon will take place on a closed-loop circuit around St James's Park.

The event, moved from April because of the coronavirus pandemic, is restricted to elite athletes, who will be in a bio-secure bubble during race week. The finish line will be in its traditional place on The Mall, with no spectator access to the course.

Event director Hugh Brasher said: "We are confident we have created the safest environment for everyone. Sports fans all over the world are eagerly anticipating these great races in this unique environment." The revised route will feature 19.6 laps, taking in The Mall, Horse Guards Parade, Birdcage Walk and the spur road running adjacent to the front of Buckingham Palace.

Kenya's defending champion Eliud Kipchoge will take on Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele, who went within two seconds of Kipchoge's world record last year. In the women's race Brigid Kosgei of Kenya, who beat Briton Paula Radcliffe's long-standing world record in Chicago last October, will also be trying to defend her title in London.

British Paralympic great David Weir will be aiming for a record ninth win in the men's wheelchair race, with course record holder Manuela Schar attempting to follow up her 2019 win in the women's wheelchair race.

Athletes will be tested for Covid-19 four days prior to travel and again on arrival at a hotel outside London, which will be used exclusively by athletes and support staff.

Testing will continue at the hotel until the Friday before the event on October 4.

The hotel was chosen for its 40 acres of grounds where athletes will be able to train during race week. It will be mandatory for everyone inside the bubble to observe social distancing rules and wear face coverings.

Barcelona's all-time leading goal scorer Lionel Messi says he is staying because it is "impossible" for any team to pay his release clause and he does not want to face "the club I love" in court.

The Argentine, 33, sent a fax to the club saying he wanted to exercise a clause in his contract which he said allowed him to leave for free. But they said his 700m euro (£624m) release clause would have to be met.

The legendary maestro said: "I thought and was sure that I was free to leave.

"I told the president and, well, the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I wanted to go or if I wanted to stay and in the end he did not keep his word. Now I am going to continue in the club because the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the 700m clause, and that this is impossible."

Messi, whose contract expires next summer, says the fact he did not tell Barca he wanted to leave before 10 June was crucial, and had he done so his release clause would not have had to be met.

He added: "Now they cling to the fact that I did not say it before 10 June, when it turns out that on 10 June we were competing for La Liga in the middle of this awful coronavirus and this disease altered all the season.

"There was another way and it was to go to trial. I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which gave me everything since I arrived. It is the club of my life; I have made my life here."

His father Jorge had held talks in Barcelona this week and insisted his son could leave for free, only for La Liga to back Barca's stance over the release clause.

Manchester City were among the clubs linked with Messi when he made clear he wanted to end his 20-year stay at the Nou Camp, nine days after an 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.

That result meant Barca ended the season with no silverware, and they replaced manager Quique Setien with former Everton and Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman.
Messi is yet to train with his team-mates since Koeman's arrival and admits the club's lack of recent success influenced his decision to ask to leave.

"I looked further afield and I want to compete at the highest level, win titles, compete in the Champions League," he said. "When I communicated my wish to leave to my wife and children, it was a brutal drama.

"The whole family began crying, my children did not want to leave Barcelona, nor did they want to change schools.
"I love Barcelona and I'm not going to find a better place than here anywhere. Still, I have the right to decide.

"I was going to look for new goals and new challenges. And tomorrow I could go back, because here in Barcelona I have everything."

British Athletics has today announced Christian Malcolm as the newly appointed Olympic Programme Head Coach.

Malcolm, who since January 2019 has been Head of Performance and Coaching at Athletics Australia was appointed following an open recruitment process and will take up his post later this year. As Head Coach Malcolm will work alongside athletes and coaches to support performances across all disciplines and event groups, as well as lead the Great Britain & Northern Ireland senior teams at major championships.

Following an impressive competitive career from which he retired in 2014, Malcolm had previously been British Athletics technical lead for sprint relays, a position he held from March 2015 to December 2019. The highlight of that was the double sprint relay medals won by the 4x100m teams at the home World Championships London 2017. The women’s team won silver, whilst the men’s 4x100m team won a global gold sprint relay medal for the first time since the Athens Olympics in 2004.

This achievement saw Malcolm named jointly Coach of the Year at the 2017 BBC Sports Personality awards, alongside Stephen Maguire and Benke Blomkvist.

As a coach to individual athletes he has also enjoyed success in the para athletics programme, most notably in his role as a Performance Coach at Disability Sport Wales for just under three years. He coached Jordan Howe to T35 100m silver and Rhys Jones to a personal best - finishing fourth in the T37 100m - at the World Para Athletics Championships London 2017.

Before his 2014 retirement Malcolm had represented Great Britain & Northern Ireland to the highest level. His World junior sprint double gold in 1998 heralded his credentials to the sport, going on to compete in four Olympic Games. With European Indoor gold and silver, World Indoor and European Championship silver, Commonwealth silver and bronze, as well as two World bronze medals as part of the GB & NI 4x100m relay team, his competitive career has certainly helped underpin his success in the coaching ranks.

At Athletics Australia Malcolm was tasked with ensuring the coaching structures were world class, working with the high-performance team to support elite athletes and their coaches towards major championships.

Christian Malcolm said: “Words can’t describe how excited I am to have the opportunity to take this role on and be part of a new start for British Athletics. As an athlete I knew I wanted to give back to the sport when I finished competing.

“In all my coaching and advisory roles so far, I have wanted to help athletes avoid the errors I made and support them and their coaches to get the best out of themselves. I’ve worked with some world class coaches throughout my career whilst competing, as part of the GB relay set up and whilst at Athletics Australia. They’ve all helped me to grow in various ways, but I know my first coach Jock Anderson would have been the most pleased to see me take this role and use all that he taught me about helping athletes prepare.

“I’m very excited to be re-joining British Athletics at this time. Jo (Coates) and Sara (Symington) have a great outlook as to what the sport can achieve from playground to podium. There is a new energy and drive and I’m looking forward to helping athletes and coaches towards success in Tokyo, Paris and beyond.”

British Athletics CEO Joanna Coates said: “I am really pleased to appoint Christian to this role. His credentials are numerous but most impressive was the energy and vision he had for the Head Coach role during the recruitment process.

“The panel were incredibly impressed by both his technical knowledge and approach to high performance – putting the athlete first, championing welfare and also a change in culture that will really enhance the World Class programme.

“Alongside Sara, Christian will bring a fresh new approach to the performance team as we head towards Tokyo and future Olympic cycles.”
 

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out has revealed a 42% increase in reports of discrimination in English professional football last season, which it describes as "shocking". They says reports it received rose from 313 in 2018-19 to 446, despite some games being behind closed doors.

Reports of racism in the professional game rose 53% and those of abuse based on sexual orientation increased by 95% with a poll also finding that 71% had seen players targeted by racism on social media.

The YouGov poll of 1,000 fans, commissioned by Kick It Out, also showed that 30% of fans had heard racist comments or chants at a match.

The chair of Kick It Out, Sanjay Bhandari, said football had "responded positively" to the coronavirus pandemic and the death of George Floyd in the United States, which led to global protests.

But he added: "Beneath the surface, hate and division in society remains a lurking pernicious threat. Our reports indicate a steep rise in discrimination reports over the last two years, which reflect the hate crime statistics from the Home Office that show marked national increases over the last four years.

“We know that reports to Kick It Out are just the tip of the iceberg. We only report what is reported to us."
When the Premier League and Championship resuming in June without fans in stadiums, there were still instances of players being racially abused on social media, with Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha and Sheffield United striker David McGoldrick among those targeted.

The poll also found 32% of fans said they had heard homophobic comments at a football match last season and, of those, 41% of respondents have witnessed homophobic abuse aimed at footballers on social media.
Before fans were denied access to stadiums last season, there were several instances of homophobic chants at Premier League games.

Bhandari added: "Social media can be a battleground of hate. We need to work together across society to win this battle.
"We need better regulation and enforcement and we need social media companies to be part of the solution. We need clubs and governing bodies to continue to lobby for change, sanction offending supporters and support law enforcement processes with the provision of evidence.

“We need players to continue to use their powerful voices. Kick It Out will play its part with campaigning, education and talent programmes that diversify the face of football. But this is everyone’s responsibility. We all need to take a stand."

In the grassroots game, reports of discrimination fell by 14%, although amateur seasons were cancelled in March because of the Covid-19 pandemic. When comparing like-for-like time periods to the previous season, there was an 11% rise.

Paul Elliott, chair of the Football Association's inclusion advisory board, said: "The FA has made huge strides in recent years to ensure that English football is a diverse and inclusive game, but we know there is more to be done.

"We strongly condemn all forms of discrimination and, while only participants fall under the FA's jurisdiction, we investigate all reported forms of discriminatory abuse in English football at every level of the game, and work closely with the relevant authorities to ensure matters are dealt with appropriately."

The African Union Commission in collaboration with the Republic of Algeria, the Chair of the Bureau of the Specialized Technical Committee on Youth Culture and Sport, recently convened a Ministerial Virtual Forum which brought together the Ministers of Sport, Sport Movement and other stakeholders in Africa to deliberate on sport responses in mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on the continent.

A total of eight-six participants which included Ministers from five of the ten African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Member Countries attended the meeting. Ministers of sport from Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa attended on behalf of AUSC Region 5. 

Sport in Africa has been adversely impacted by the spread of the corona virus. The conference of ministers therefore sought to explore the potential of sport to provide unique solutions in these unprecedented periods.

The importance of remaining physically active and ensuring regular exercise and physical activity for African citizens is regarded as fundamental towards sustaining people’s physical health and well-being. The direct contribution of sport towards improvement of immunity as well mental health has been confirmed by many studies.

The conference of Ministers therefore convened to explore ways of motivating people confined in their homes due to covid-19 inspired travel restrictions to be able to enjoy good health and well-being through sport and recreation. 

In their deliberations, the African Ministers of sport placed emphasis on the need for governments to provide realistic guidelines on how people can remain active under such a fractured and decimated sporting environment. In addition, the Ministers deliberated to find solutions on how to deal with the growing anxiety regarding the post Covid-19 period as most people mainly athletes keep speculating on whether sport, which is already under financed, will be prioritized for support post covid-19 in Africa.

It was in view of these challenges that, the conference of African Ministers of sport sought to draw deliberate and collective action to mitigate the spread of the virus and to develop a strategy for African sport during and post Covid-19 period.

The Ministers further sought to develop a continental response on current and post Covid-19 period for sport in African. The indaba also created a platform for exchange of best practices and experience sharing by Member States and the African Sports Movement. 

In the presentation on behalf of the AUSC Region 5 Council of Ministers, Honourable Likeleli Tampane, the Lesotho Minister of Gender, Youth, Sports and Recreation, in her capacity as the Region 5 Council of Ministers Chairperson raised a number of suggestions to be considered as Africa’s response to Covid-19.

She noted that the impact of Covid-19 had been experienced at four levels being, Participation in organized sport and physical activity; Social impact, inclusion and equality; Economic development and employment and at Governance of sport level. “Africa needs a risk adjusted strategy to balance between saving lives and sustaining livelihoods in all considerations for return to sport while ensuring that sport satisfies health protocols and requirements of experts to avoid spiking new waves of infections,” said Honourable Tampane.

The AUSC Region 5 Council of Ministers recommended the need for African Member States to consider developing responses at Systems and population level, Institutional level and Community level.

“As Region 5 Council of Ministers, we recommend with strong conviction the need for African responses to address prevention and containment measures; advocacy and communication; advice and guidance on staying active; economic support packages and return to sport planning,” Honourable Tampane emphasised. 

The Conference was officially opened by the African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, Her Excellency Amira Al Fadil. The indaba was chaired by Algeria Minister of Sports and Youth Sid Ali Khaldi and in attendance were African Ministers of sport, the African Union Sports Council Coordinator Dr. Hikabwa Chipande, African Sports Development Regions Presidents and Secretaries General, Continental Sports Confederations, the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), the African Women in Sport Association (AWISA) as well as the World Anti-Doping Agency Africa among others. 

The Conference resolved to introduce numerous responses among them being advocacy and awareness campaigns to heighten knowledge about the pandemic.

Ministers also resolved to ensure that Governments prioritise sport through sustainable funding and creating a conducive environment for sport to thrive during and post covid-19 pandemic.

In addition, Governments and the sports movement was implored to provide stimulus response packages to mitigate the covid-19 induced stress and anxiety on athletes and sports bodies.

Further more, the African Ministers of sport resolved to institute research to gather empirical evidence and document the contribution of sport towards economic resilience as well as the extent of the impact of the pandemic on the sports industry. 

Lewis Hamilton paid a touching tribute to Chadwick Boseman after dedicating his Belgian Grand Prix win to the late Black Panther star who died aged just 43 after a four-year secretive battle against colon cancer.

The Mercedes driver performed the iconic Wakanda - arms crossed over his chest - salute from the franchise blockbuster on the podium after what he describe as an 'emotional weekend'.

He then posted a picture of him taking a heartfelt moment of reflection at Spa and also uploaded a photo of his pre-race stance in a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.

He wrote: 'I want to dedicate this win to Chad and his family, he was such an inspiration and his legacy will live on.

'I'm posting this image because we must continue to fight for equality, nothing has changed yet and the battle continues.'

Hamilton led from start to finish in the race to record his 89th career win, and fifth triumph of the season in a performance was made even more impressive after the tragic news surrounding Boseman's shock passing broke. 

The six-time world champion led the way in sharing messages for the actor before he sealed pole position in qualifying at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. 

“That ones for Chadwick”, he tearfully screamed after taking the chequered flag.

On Twitter he wrote: 'I woke up today to the sad news, our super hero passed away.

'I'm so grateful I got to meet you brother. Thank you for all you have done for us.

'Rest in Power, you were the best of us and will never be forgotten. Love, light and prayers I send to you and your family.'
 
Boseman was best known for playing real-life figures, including professional baseball player Jackie Robinson in the biopic, ‘42’, James Brown in ‘Get On Up’, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in ‘Marshall’. 

He passed away at his home in Los Angeles with his wife and family by his side. 

Having secured a record-extending 93rd career pole, Hamilton went to his 89 wins - his fifth win from seven races - and is only two behind Michael Schumacher's Formula One record of 91.

Jamaican former sprinter gold medallist Usain Bolt is awaiting results of a recent coronavirus test while self-isolating.

The 34-year-old revealed on social media he will "stay at home" as a precaution despite not having any symptoms.

"Just to be safe, I'll quarantine myself and just take it easy," he said.

He held a birthday party in Jamaica which is understood that Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling was one of the guests.

"I did a test on Saturday, because I have work," Bolt added. "I'm trying to be responsible, so I'm going to stay in and stay here for my friends.

"Also I'm having no symptoms, so I'm going to quarantine myself and wait on the confirmation to see what is the protocol on how I should go about quarantining myself from the Ministry of Health."

The sprinter retired from athletics in 2017 following the World Championships in London.

He began training with Australian club Central Coast Mariners in 2018 but did not pursue a career in football.

England are due to play Iceland in the Nations League on Saturday, September 5, before taking on Denmark on Tuesday, September 8.

 
Birmingham 2022 is inviting the best sporting facilities in the West Midlands to apply to become official training venues, giving them the opportunity to host international athletes from across the Commonwealth during the Games.
 
Organisers are looking for Games Time Training Venues for 10 of the 19 sports on the Birmingham 2022 programme, providing essential facilities for thousands of athletes leading up to and during the Games, from 18th July to 10th August 2022.
 
The sports requiring training venues are: athletics, boxing, women’s cricket T20, hockey, netball, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, rugby sevens, swimming and triathlon.
 
Athletes competing in the remaining nine sports will train either at their competition venues, or at one of the three Campus Villages where athletes will stay during the Games.
 
Training venues are where athletes will fine tune their preparations for Birmingham 2022, so it is important that they have access to world class facilities to help them deliver their best performances in competition.
 
The West Midlands has some of the best sporting facilities in the world, and hosting international athletes is a chance for venues to raise their profile, spread the economic benefits of the Games across the region, and inspire communities through their involvement with Birmingham 2022. 
 
Each sport has specific criteria which locations must meet to be eligible as a training venue. Venues can apply to host one or several sports depending on the facilities they have available. 
 
Training venues must be located within a 30-minute drive time of one of the three Campus Villages where athletes will be staying during the Games: University of Birmingham, University of Warwick and the NEC. Venues will be required for at least three weeks, from 18th July until 10th August 2022.
 
World number five squash player Sarah-Jane Perry from Kenilworth is a member of the Birmingham 2022 Athletes’ Advisory Committee. She said: “Any elite athlete will tell you that good preparation is the key to success at a major championships. Having the right training facilities during Birmingham 2022 is really important and, being based in the West Midlands already, I know that we have some of the best in the world.
 
“Having state-of-the-art training facilities gives athletes the confidence that they can perform to the best of their ability and I can’t wait to be competing for gold on home soil in 2022.”
 
Ian Reid, CEO of Birmingham 2022, said: “The West Midlands is home to many excellent sporting facilities, from major competition venues to state-of-the-art training centres. We are looking for the best venues from across the region to work with us to help thousands of international athletes prepare for the biggest sporting event the West Midlands has ever staged.
 
“This gives us another opportunity to showcase even more of the region’s assets to the world in 2022, as well as inspire, engage and connect communities all over the West Midlands to feel part of the Games”.
 
Women’s cricket T20 is one of the sports that requires Games Time Training Venues in 2022.
 
Asma Ajaz-Ali coaches young female players at Kings Heath Cricket Club and is England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) programme executive for Birmingham. She said: “Women’s cricket T20 is part of the Commonwealth Games sport programme for the first time at Birmingham 2022 so it will be a massive honour for some of the fantastic clubs we have across the West Midlands to become training venues for international stars in two years’ time.
 
“More and more young girls are playing cricket, and I am sure that seeing their heroes training at their clubs will inspire them to succeed, increase participation and grow the profile of the sport across the region.”
 
Scott Sturdy, rugby development officer for the RFU in the West Midlands, said: “It’s great that we will be able to watch the world’s best players in the West Midlands in 2022. It provides a fantastic opportunity to get more people involved in the sport.
 
“We have plenty of top class rugby facilities across the region which will provide a perfect training ground for international players to prepare for a thrilling tournament at the Coventry Stadium in 2022.”
 
Sports facilities can find out more about the criteria required to become a training venue at: www.birmingham2022.com/trainingvenues. The deadline for applications is 30th September 2020.
 
Facilities that aren’t eligible to become Games Time Training Venues could instead be considered as a venue for a pre-games camp, which will see some teams arriving in England early to acclimatise and finalise their preparations before the Games begin.

Adam Gemili was a class apart in the 200m as he won in 20.61 seconds as housemates Jemma Reekie and Laura Muir dominated their track events on a successful day for British athletes at the Stockholm Diamond League meeting.

Reekie, 22, won the 800m - her fourth victory this season - in one minute 59.68 seconds and fellow Scot Muir, 27, clocked three minutes 57.87 to take the 1500m.
Holly Bradshaw cleared 4.69m to win the pole vault.

European champion Muir stayed up with the two pacemakers during the 1500m before sprinting away from the field in the final 200m to lead a British 1-2-3. Laura Weightman was second and Welshwoman Melissa Courtney-Bryant third with a personal best of 4:01.81.

Reekie was also exceptional. The under-23 European champion pulled away from American Raevyn Rogers just before the final bend to claim a comfortable win.

Briton Laviai Nielsen finished second behind American Wadeline Jonathas in the 400m in 52.16.

No British athletes were involved in the one-jump final of the innovative long-jump competition.

Abigal Irozuru (6.57m), world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson (6.52m) and Shara Proctor (6.14m) failed to make the top three after five jumps to qualify for the women's jump-off.

The event was won by Ukraine's Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk with 6.85m, while South African Ruswahl Samaai took the men's event with 8.09m.

There were two attempts at world records. Norway's Karsten Warholm, 24, ran the second-fastest 400m hurdles in history in clocking 46.87 to win, and might have beaten the 46.78 mark set by Kevin Young in 1992 had he not struck the final hurdle. Warholm also won the men's 400m.

Swede Mondo Duplantis won the men's pole vault with 6.01m, but failed at his three attempts to break Ukrainian Sergey Bubka's record of 6.14m set 1994.

The next Diamond League meeting - they are all being held behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic - is in Lausanne on 2 September.

World Athletics president Lord Coe has said that the sport "may have to think out of the box" if the Olympic Games do not go ahead in 2021.

The Tokyo Games have been pushed back a year because of coronavirus and Coe says there are "no certainties" they will happen on the new date.

He suggested that other events could be organised to replace those cancelled.
"I really hope we are in a position to deliver the Tokyo Games," he said.

Coe said: "We also may have to think slightly out of the box about how we might have to create other types of events if - I hope not - but if we have a very badly disrupted season generally."

The president of the London 2012 organising committee added that should the Games have to take place without fans, it would still be worth doing but that the idea did not fill him "with unalloyed joy".

In response to the finding of 19 allegations of emotional abuse or neglect of British world-class programme athletes by coaches since 2017, Coe said those involved in sport cannot be "remotely complacent".

He continued: "The most important thing that sports bodies need to do, whether they're national or global, is to investigate reports of harassment and abuse, and take it very seriously and with rigour. And it's got to be a system that the athletes absolutely trust in.

"But what sports do need to be doing is talking more about where these vulnerabilities lie and actually speaking to themselves as well. We should have that conversation among sports generally."

Earlier in August, the Russian Athletic Federation (Rusaf) paid World Athletics a £4.8m fine relating to the country's state-sponsored doping scandal to avoid expulsion by the governing body.

Coe said Rusaf must now present a reinstatement programme to World Athletics before the process of giving Russian athletes permission to compete as authorised neutral athletes could begin.

He added: "I'm hoping that we really can resume the reinstatement path, but it will only be achieved when I'm absolutely certain that we're not putting in jeopardy the careers of clean athletes for those that have chosen to cheat."

Singer Jorja Smith has used her new music video to amplify British open water swimmer Alice Dearing's work around diversity.

The powerful video for ‘By Any Means’ dropped earlier this month. It features Smith's friends and family, as well as 23-year-old Dearing, who has competed at three World Championships and is on course to become the first Black woman to represent Great Britain in swimming at the delayed Tokyo Olympics next year.

Last year, Dearing became the lead ambassador for the Black Swimming Association, a charity launched to encourage more Black people to swim. And Smith, who was named best British female solo artist at the 2019 Brit Awards, has spoken publicly to champion Dearing's work to "increase diversity in aquatic areas and break down the barriers"...

According to governing body Swim England, 95% of Black adults and 80% of Black children in England do not swim, while the last recorded data from 2018 shows that less than 1% of registered competitive swimmers with Swim England identify as Black or Mixed Race.

Dearing previously said: "I am a big believer in representation. I don't think you can be something that you can't see. People won't naturally take up swimming if they can't see someone who naturally looks like them - especially for little Black girls and boys." She describes not seeing other people of colour at open swimming meets and even having to deal with racism - overhearing, as a 17-year-old, one coach using racist language about her.

Alice is just the second Black swimmer to represent Britain at international level, after Achieng Ajulu-Bushell.

The By Any Means video also features members of Football Beyond Borders, an organisation aimed at helping youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds who are disengaged at school.

When the Chinese Women's Super League resumes this weekend it will feature Malawian sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga. It will be the first time the sisters have played against each other competitively having appeared together for the national team, Malawian club DD Sunshine and Swedish side Kvarnsveden.

Temwa, 21, will be playing for Wuhan FC and hoping to follow in her big sister's footsteps after Tabitha, 24, was recently voted the league's Player of the Year for a second year in a row.

"She's a very good player, and the thing is everyone will be working hard to make her team and fans happy," Tabitha said. Temwa admits there will be some sibling rivalry: "Both of us will do our best to see who the best player is. Back home the family are very happy about us.

“My parents never thought their children would one day play football outside of the country, but now it's happening." But she is also thankful to Tabitha for her help in getting her career started.

Tabitha's journey began when someone spotted her talent as she played in her village with the boys and helped her move to the capital Lilongwe to join DD Sunshine, one of the very few serious women football teams in the country. She said: "Growing up, I never saw myself as different from boys - whatever they did, I believed I could, and went for it."

Her next bit of good fortune was when a young American lady working for a local NGO was persuaded to join DD Sunshine, by two colleagues who were players at the club. She was later transferred to Sweden by the NGO, where she decided that apart from working she would continue to pursue her newly-found passion of football.

When she approached Krokom Dvarsatts, who were in the Swedish third Division at the time, the club was meticulous in enquiring of where she had played before to make sure they did not violate any transfer rules. The club contacted DD Sunshine owner David Dube to discuss terms of transfer for the American and he said they could take her without paying on condition they would try out another of his players whom he believed was more talented.

"When Krokom Dvarsatts hesitated, Mr Dube offered to pay visa and flight costs for me to travel to Sweden for trials," says Tabitha. "I joined the team for training on the same day I arrived and they were immediately impressed with my strength, dribbling, shooting from far and scoring skills."

The pair are helping to improve the fortunes of the national team as they led the team to the second round of Tokyo Olympic qualifiers with 14-1 aggregate win over neighbours Mozambique. They won the home leg 11-1 with Temwa scoring five times to outshine her big sister, who 'only' managed a hat-trick. In the second round they beat Kenya 3-2 in Malawi, with two goals from Tabitha, but then lost 3-0 in the return leg.

The sisters' achievements have not gone unnoticed back in Malawi with Tabitha not only being named captain of her national team but also being named Malawi Sports Personality of the Year and Sports Woman of the Year in 2019.

As the redevelopment of the Alexander Stadium continues, Birmingham City Council and Birchfield Harriers can confirm alternative provision of a track and field facility has been secured for club members.

Wyndley Leisure Centre in Sutton Coldfield will be the training venue for Birchfield athletes while the Alexander Stadium undergoes major construction work to make the venue the largest dedicated athletics facility in the UK.

Equipment from the stadium including hurdles, high jump and pole vault beds and the throws cage will be relocated to the eight lane 400m track at Wyndley, operated on behalf of the council by Birmingham Community Leisure Trust. Birchfield Harriers will have use of the track twice per week (the same frequency as at the Alexander Stadium) on Monday and Wednesday evenings at the Sutton venue.

Following the completion of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Alexander Stadium and its facilities will become a long-term focal point for sport, leisure, health and well-being activities in Perry Barr and provide Birchfield Harriers with the best permanent facility of its type for athletics use in the country.

Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We understand the inconvenience the construction work has caused and the disappointment for those that had hope to use the facilities until later this year.

“The work programme meant no other option than to close the athletics track because the health and safety of all site visitors, including athletes, is of paramount importance.

“I’m delighted we have been able to work with trustees and officials to secure an excellent alternative training venue for Birchfield Harriers at Wyndley Leisure Centre.

“This is only a temporary measure before the club will go ‘home’ to a world-class facility at the Alexander Stadium once it is ready for re-occupation.”

Ainsley Bennett, Chair of Birchfield Harriers Trustees, added: “As Birchfield Harriers Trustees we have been working closely with the city council in what are very difficult and trying times for all.

“We are pleased with all the cooperation and consideration that has been extended to us in providing alternative training arrangements, whilst we all await the world-class facilities being built for the Commonwealth Games and the legacy this will give to athletics in the city and Birchfield Harriers for many years to come.”

The new arrangement commenced earlier this week on 10 August 2020.

Jessica McCaskill handed Cecilia Braekhus her first professional defeat in a huge upset to become the undisputed world welterweight champion.

American McCaskill, 35, won by majority decision in Tulsa to take Braekhus' WBA, WBC, IBF, IBO and WBO belts.

Victory would have seen Norway's Braekhus, 38, beat Joe Louis' streak of 25 straight title defences in an 11-year reign.

"This is for the fourth-grade-year-old homeless Jessica," said McCaskill.

"This is for the little girl that just didn't care what people thought about her and learned to love herself even though she was really weird."

Braekhus, who became welterweight world champion in 2009, said: "If this is my last fight, I could leave women's boxing and just say, 'I was a part of this. I was a part of taking women's boxing to this level.'"

McCaskill, also the unified world light-welterweight champion, is now expected to face the winner of the rematch between Katie Taylor and Delfine Persoon on 22 August.

Ireland's Taylor beat McCaskill by unanimous decision in December 2017 to retain her WBA world lightweight title.

British Athletics has today announced that it has accepted a request from World Championship finalist Sophie McKinna to take up the original offer of membership to the Olympic World Class Programme (WCP) for 2020.

Shot putter McKinna enjoyed a memorable 2019 reaching her maiden World Championship final in Doha with a personal best of 18.61m, rounding a progression of 85 centimetres from 2018, and winning the first British titles of her career indoors and outdoors.

She was given the chance to join the WCP at the start of December however athletes can use their discretion should they not wish to accept membership. Following a request to British Athletics, McKinna will now take up her membership, which remains open to all athletes offered it for any given year.

McKinna will be welcomed at Podium Potential level. The British Athletics WCP is UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded initiative to support the delivery of success at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Membership onto the WCP for 2020 is based upon an athletes’ potential to win a medal at Tokyo 2020 or Paris 2024.

Sophie said: “I am very pleased to be accepted into the WCP, during the season British Athletics have supported me through injury and allowed me to get back to full fitness quickly. I am very much looking forward to pushing on with the remainder of the 2020 season and onward to 2021.”

Head of Field & Combined Events at British Athletics, Peter Stanley, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sophie onto the World Class Programme. She enjoyed a fantastic 2019, proving herself among the best shot putters in the world delivering an outstanding performance and great personal best when it mattered in Doha.

“Sophie is a brilliant young athlete who we believe will benefit greatly from being on the World Class Programme and we look forward to working closely with her as she continues her development guided by her coach, Mike Winch.”

As National Allotment Week passes, it has been announced that the Walsall Road Allotments in Birmingham will be receiving a much-needed upgrade.

The work being done is thanks to McLaughlin & Harvey, the lead contractor at the Alexander Stadium redevelopment in Perry Barr.

Over the course of the next week, the construction team will be upgrading one of the roads in the allotment used by The Open Doors Project, a non-profit organisation that provides outdoor activities for young people with disabilities or additional needs.

The upgrade will be delivered as part of McLaughlin & Harvey’s You Matter Communities, which provides support to local communities through volunteer time, small grants and the use of excess materials from the construction process.

Kate Millington, Director at The Open Doors Project CIC, said: “Our allotment is a much-loved space and gives the children we work with opportunities to explore nature and take part in a range of activities.

“We are excited about the re-paving of the road next to our plot as it will make access much easier for the young people who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids.”

The works to the road will go on over three to four days and involve the volunteer contributions of nine members of the Alexander Stadium redevelopment team.

McLaughlin & Harvey Operations Director for the Alexander Stadium, Martin Keys, said “You Matter Communities is about making a positive contribution to Birmingham’s communities.

“As a neighbour to the Walsall Road Allotments, we are happy to use our skills in this way and delighted that it will improve the access for the young people involved in The Open Doors Project long after we have completed the stadium project”.

Betty Farrugia, Site Manager, Walsall Road allotments, added: “We are really pleased that McLaughlin & Harvey have made this generous offer. The road upgrade will make it much safer for the young people who take part in the activities. We’ve also benefited from donations of picnic benches and some loads of topsoil from the site team which has benefitted many of the plot holders.”

Leader of Birmingham City Council, Councillor Ian Ward, said: “Our partners at McLaughlin & Harvey really impressed us with their vision for the Alexander Stadium project when they outlined their vision for becoming good neighbours and an active part of the local community.

“Through activity like this, they are making a positive difference for many people in Perry Barr and I look forward to seeing many other groups and projects benefit from their efforts in the months and years ahead.”