What it’s actually like in Qatar ahead of the World Cup 2022 June 14, 2022 Before I touched down in Qatar, I assumed it was a nation of falconry, beauty pageants for camels, and endless amounts of money. Save for a sprinkling of snazzy, FIFA-approved stadiums, little suggests Qatar plays football. When I arrive I see no goal posts in parks, locals playing, or even “No Ball Games” signs like [...]
Lydia Hall interview: Welsh golfer on her Amazon delivery sideline and the Aramco Team Series June 14, 2022 Lydia Hall spent much of the pandemic delivering parcels but now the Welsh golfer is enjoying improved returns on the Ladies European Tour, thanks in no small part to the Aramco Team Series. When Covid-19 shut down much of sport in early 2020, Hall was forced to put her clubs to one side and turn [...]
George Blackshaw interview: Amputee Golfer on learning from the pros at the Aramco Team Series June 14, 2022 The Aramco Team Series might boast some of the best women’s golfers in the world but that doesn’t mean that it remains roped off to non-professionals. George Blackshaw, known to thousands of followers on social media as the Amputee Golfer, was one of those who got the chance to play alongside the elite at the [...]
Hannah Burke interview: Aramco Team Series tipped my season into profit June 14, 2022 Sharing in victory at the Aramco Team Series in Jeddah last year was more than just a welcome boost towards the end of a long season for England’s Hannah Burke. It also marked her first success since being sidelined by injury in 2019, losing sponsors and then having to take more time away from competition [...]
Aramco Team Series: Why the Saudi energy and chemical giant is backing women’s golf June 14, 2022 Aramco public affairs general manager Talal Al-Marri explains why the Saudi energy and chemicals giant became one of the biggest backers of women’s golf via the Aramco Team Series, and what the company looks for in a sports sponsorship. Q. How did you come to be title partners of the Aramco Team Series? A. We [...]
Liverpool agree club record £85m transfer fee for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez June 13, 2022 Liverpool have agreed a £85m deal to make Benfica striker Darwin Nunez their record signing, the Portuguese club have confirmed. The Premier League team will pay a guaranteed £64m, plus additional performance-related fees up to a maximum of £21m. Uruguay international Nunez, who scored 34 goals in 41 games last season, is due to undergo [...]
Leicester and Saracens final offers far more than first versus second storyline June 12, 2022 For the sixth time in the last seven seasons, the Premiership final will be contested between the sides who finished in the top two places in the table. In Leicester Tigers and Saracens, English rugby is set to witness a clash between historic giants of the league and the newer dynasty from the capital. Saracens [...]
LIV Golf has won opening skirmish in tussle with PGA Tour to shape the future of the sport June 12, 2022 Charl Schwartzel lifted the trophy, posed for the photographs and collected the £3.85m pay cheque but he wasn’t the only winner at the first LIV Golf Invitational, which concluded just outside London on Saturday. Also celebrating will have been Greg Norman, frontman for the new circuit hoping to lure the world’s best players, and Saudi [...]
LIV Golf blasts ‘vindictive’ PGA Tour as £200m series begins to backdrop of bitter row June 9, 2022 LIV Golf accused the PGA Tour of being “vindictive” as the war of words between the two organisations spilled over into the first day of the £200m breakaway circuit. With what appeared to be pointed timing, the PGA Tour announced it had suspended all 17 of its members who have chosen to play the first [...]
Ed Warner: Team sportspeople like Gareth Bale are held to double standards over loyalty June 9, 2022 Commentary stat of last weekend for me was that Gareth Bale has spent more time on a football pitch for Wales this season than for Real Madrid. Having run down his lucrative contract with the Spanish club, Bale is now a free agent – the footballing equivalent of the golfers signing up for this week’s [...]