Olympics should lead way in AI and lighten impossible load on its judges Sport Business If any sporting body has the means to fund investment in AI judging it’s the International Olympic Committee, writes Ed Warner. I’ve no idea whether Zoe Atkin’s “amplitude” deserved to bag silver rather than bronze in the freeski halfpipe on Sunday. All I know is she didn’t wipe out on all three of her three [...]
IOC looks tin-eared at best, cruel at worst over Ukraine helmet saga Sport Business The reputations of the IOC and its president Kirsty Coventry have suffered badly from its handling of the Ukraine helmet row at the Winter Olympics, says Ed Warner. Are you not entertained? The Winter Olympics have delivered stories ranging from the titillating (penile injections, condom shortages and a narcissistic declaration of infidelity) to the enraging [...]
Forget medal targets, Winter Olympics success will be decided on sofas not ski slopes Sport Business Sports fans have a feast of action, from the Winter Olympics to the Six Nations and the T20 World Cup, to gorge on over the coming days, writes Ed Warner. Have you planned your viewing schedule for the next few days? Pushed the football to the margins of your calendar for once? Six Nations opener [...]
MMA in the Olympics? New global body targets Games inclusion November 27, 2025 Mixed-martial arts could be added to the Olympic Games under plans announced today by Asian MMA chiefs. The Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association (AMMA) says it wants to unify the sport under a new world governing body called FIMMA, which will meet for the first time next week. They believe that will boost their chances [...]
Union threatens LA Olympics strike and issues $5bn demand August 26, 2025 The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has been threatened with strike action by a union demanding a $5bn investment in local housing. The Unite Here Local 11 union has issued a list of demands ahead of the next Olympiad, insisting their 32,000 members could strike over the Olympics if they’re not listened to. They have asked [...]
Paris 2024 Olympics was watched by 5bn, claims IOC June 20, 2025 The Paris 2024 Olympic Games were the most-watched in history, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC said 5bn people – 84 per cent of the world’s population – watched action from France last summer on TV or digital devices. In Britain, 36.1m people – 59 per cent of the population – watched [...]
Does cricket have Olympic future in Brisbane and, maybe, India? May 29, 2025 Team GB may put forward a cricket team for the LA 2028 Olympic Games, but with Australia and potentially India hosting next does the sport have a long-term future? Over a decade ago at the London 2012 Olympics Welshmen Ryan Giggs, Joe Allen, and Neil Taylor joined the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Micah Richards and [...]
London yet to fire starting gun on 2040 Olympic bid despite Khan backing April 29, 2025 Talk of a London bid to host the 2040 Olympic Games is premature and faces competition from Saudi Arabia, despite the enthusiasm of Mayor Sadiq Khan, City AM understands. Khan this week reiterated his ambition for the capital to become the first city to host the event four times, saying that it would “knock it [...]
After losing IOC election, how about Seb Coe for chair of football regulator? March 27, 2025 It was, with hindsight, not a “keep Seb Coe out” but a “get Kirsty Coventry in” campaign that determined the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential election outcome. I was as guilty as most British observers in believing that Seb Coe would take it to the wire. Unconscious bias and all that. In the event, eight [...]
Coventry IOC election clears Russia ‘return to Olympic podium’, says Kremlin sport minister March 21, 2025 Russia believes the election of Kirsty Coventry as IOC president can see the banned nation “return to the Olympic podium”. Russian Olympic Committee president and sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev congratulated Coventry on her election, in a vote that surprisingly took just one round to find an overall majority conclusion. Briton Lord Coe got just eight [...]