Ed Warner: Sport must be proactive in protecting its stars from abuse December 23, 2021 If you see me reaching for the remote to watch BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2022, you know what to do. I was delighted that our gold medal winning GB Wheelchair Rugby team was nominated for the Team of the Year last weekend, alongside an illustrious bunch of trophy winners from other sports, [...]
Big Sport Quiz of 2021: How much do you remember? December 20, 2021 From teenagers sweeping to Grand Slam tennis titles to England reaching a major football final, an Olympic Games like no other and the introduction of a brand new cricket competition, it has been a hugely eventful year in sport. Off the field it has been just as transformative, with private equity and, increasingly, cryptocurrency and [...]
Winter Olympics: USA announce boycott of Beijing games over ‘ongoing genocide’ December 6, 2021 The White House yesterday confirmed a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 winter Olympics, due to be held in Beijing in February. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said:“The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games given the [People’s Republic of China’s] ongoing genocide and [...]
Ed Warner: Select committees are ultimately toothless November 25, 2021 The political pile-on has been swift. But although they secured detailed testimony on cricket racism under the cloak of parliamentary privilege, MPs show no signs of learning from the futility of their past hearings into sporting crises. It needn’t be so. I’ve had the dubious honour of appearing before three Westminster select committees down the [...]
Ed Warner: Sewing ruling bodies together is not always the answer November 18, 2021 I’m a late adopter of LinkedIn, only joining this summer as a means of promoting Sport inc. Compiling my profile, I paused for just a second before deciding not to include my inglorious 52 days as interim chair of the British Basketball Federation back in 2018. On Sunday, as the T20 World Cup neared its [...]
Why sport is playing against the clock when it comes to the climate crisis October 26, 2021 It is becoming increasingly apparent that the climate crisis touches everything and sport – often played outdoors and shaped by the weather – is, not surprisingly, no exception. Winter sports are in serious trouble. Alpine glaciers and skiing seasons are rapidly shrinking. Not a single event on last year’s biathlon circuit could proceed without using [...]
Sports hero: World 200 metres bronze medallist Alex Quinonez brutally murdered October 24, 2021 World 200 metres bronze medallist Alex Quinonez has been killed in his home country of Ecuador. The 32-year-old finished third at the World Championships in Doha two years ago to become the first Ecuadorian athlete to win a global medal in a track event. The Ecuadorian sports ministry announced the news in a statement on [...]
Opinion: Rowing can be a force for good but needs support from business October 12, 2021 We don’t hear enough about rowing so it can take a certain commitment and courage for someone to get into a boat for the first time and push against the stream. Yet there is an increasing number of people across Britain who live by the sport – whether recreationally or competitively, indoors on rowing machines [...]
No Pac-Man in Paris, but does esports really need the Olympics? October 7, 2021 Only four years ago, esports looked destined to be included as exhibition events at the Paris 2024 Olympics, en route to full medal inclusion at Los Angeles 2028. But the pandemic took the momentum out of their advocates’ lobbying and the success of the new sports showcased at Tokyo appears to have put paid to [...]
Anti-doping chiefs WADA consider taking cannabis off prohibited list following Sha’Carri Richardson ban September 15, 2021 The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) is to a review cannabis as a prohibited substance after criticism surrounding Sha’Carri Richardson’s Olympic ban. WADA says the scientific review will be used to determine whether cannabis should remain a banned substance. The discussion around cannabis gained momentum after US sprinter Richardson was forced to miss this year’s [...]