After Italy farce rugby needs to take a look at its law book March 2, 2022 Ireland’s Six Nations victory over Italy on Sunday saw an officiating decision which by the letter of the law was correct but in practice ruined a game of rugby. Here is what was so wrong about it and two more rules that World Rugby should address before the World Cup next year: Red card replacement [...]
Cam’s the man: Norrie poised to defend Indian Wells title March 2, 2022 When the first serve of the Indian Wells Masters gets walloped next week, Great Britain will have a defending champion – Cameron Norrie – in the tournament for the first time. Cameron Norrie won his maiden ATP Tour Masters 1000 event last year when he overcame Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in what many [...]
Premier League takes slow road to first NFT deal March 1, 2022 Driven by the extraordinary early success of the NBA’s Top Shot digital collectibles, NFTs were the talk of the sports industry when the Premier League dipped its toe into the market last year. It launched a tender process, inviting bidders to submit proposals for a range of officially licensed Premier League NFTs, which was due [...]
Everton backer Usmanov has assets frozen by EU over Putin links March 1, 2022 Everton backer Alisher Usmanov has had his assets frozen by the European Union on the grounds that he is close to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Usmanov’s company USM Holdings sponsors Everton’s training ground and has bought the naming rights to the Premier League club’s yet-to-be constructed stadium. The billionaire is also a close associate of [...]
Sir Ben Ainslie on sailing, management and when he plans to stop racing March 1, 2022 The acronym GOAT often gets bandied around in sport, usually unwarranted, but when it comes to British sailors, British Olympians and British sportspeople, Sir Ben Ainslie truly is up there with the Greatest Of All Time. The most successful sailor in Olympic history, an America’s Cup winner and multiple competitor, and now the man in [...]
Why your next ski break should be in Austria’s Ischgl & Kappl February 28, 2022 “Relax if you can” is Ischgl’s motto and for a high quality, luxury ski destination the place is hard to beat. Walking down Ischgl’s main drag opulence hits you like a diamond-encrusted knuckleduster. Four and five star hotels rule the strip. Our choice was Hotel Piz Buin – all the luxury I could wish for [...]
Skiing without the hassle at the Aman Melezin hotel in Courchevel February 28, 2022 The weekend: Take an early flight out of London and you can be skiing or snowboarding on the largest linked ski area in the world – with 600km of slopes across Les Trois Vallées – by the afternoon. For minimal time-wasting, the ski-in, ski-out Aman Melezin hotel is located on the Bellecôte Piste above Courchevel [...]
Forget crowds: Charter your own yacht in Corfu February 28, 2022 The situation is as follows. We’d been locked down for 18 months. We avoided the uncertainty of summer foreign holidays and were scouting round for an October half term option. That’s how we hit upon the idea of sailing… in Corfu… in October. On a low season sailing holiday you are taking a double risk. [...]
Uefa terminates £100m Gazprom sponsorship as sport shuts out Russia February 28, 2022 European football’s governing body Uefa has confirmed the termination of its long-standing sponsorship deal with Russian state energy company Gazprom. The move came as Uefa banned Russian teams from its international and club competition following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. “Uefa has today decided to end its partnership with Gazprom across all competitions,” it said. [...]
Fifa, Uefa and IOC heed calls to ban Russia from international sport February 28, 2022 Russia faces an indefinite period of exile from international sport after major bodies including the International Olympic Committee, Fifa and Uefa bowed to calls to ban the country. The IOC said Russian teams and athletes should not be allowed to compete in international competitions, even under a neutral flag, as a result of the country’s [...]