India-Pakistan, England cricket chiefs and sport’s moral compass Sport Business The ECB will be grateful that it has not yet had cause to reach for its moral compass in the India-Pakistan conflict, writes Ed Warner. I was in Paris at the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby Euros when Russia invaded Ukraine. The very next day’s results show Russia beating Poland 1-0. This in a sport in which [...]
What price do you put on London 2040 Olympics and 2029 athletics meet? Sport Business Ed Warner writes on the 2040 London Olympics and 2029 World Athletics Championships ambitions and what price you can put on the impact such events have. For London 2012 and London 2017 read London 2040 and London 2029. Plans are afoot to persuade the IOC and World Athletics to return their flagship events to Britain’s [...]
Ed Warner: Why our review calls for the RFU Council to be disbanded Sport Business A review has called for the RFU Council to be disbanded. City AM columnist Ed Warner, who was part of the review panel, explains its conclusions. A number of readers have asked why I’ve been silent on the turmoil within English rugby in recent months. Resignation of the chair of the RFU; a special EGM [...]
London Marathon has never been more popular so why not make it bigger? April 24, 2025 The ballot for entry to the 2026 London Marathon opens tomorrow and closes next Friday. Over 840,000 entered the draw for this weekend’s race. Strip out places bought for fundraising runners by charities as well as club slots and age-graded, guaranteed entries, and the odds of ballot success were just one in 50. Rarity value [...]
Don’t be dazzled by the hype around The Hundred April 17, 2025 Ed Warner looks at the start of the County Championship season and whether an upcoming ECB review could see new influence from Hundred investors. The ice cream van was doing a steady trade, even at £4 for a Magnum. Made the twenty quid ticket feel especially good value. Around 2,500 people basked in the April [...]
Why the 2026 World Cup could help the USL to relegate MLS April 3, 2025 The United Soccer League is challenging MLS for US supremacy. If the 2026 World Cup is a hit, the USL’s pro-rel gamble may just pay off, says Ed Warner. Qualifying is well under way for the 2026 World Cup. Four countries have already booked their places to add to the trio of North American hosts. [...]
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 [...]
Trump is making Russia the next IOC president’s burning issue March 20, 2025 If Trump can claim to have brokered peace in Ukraine, and with swathes of the world still beholden to Russia, the IOC will have to accept them back into the Olympics, says Ed Warner. The final bell has sounded at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Nis, Serbia. The tournament’s medal table is emblematic [...]
Ed Warner: My memo to sport’s blazers? Stay out of the way March 6, 2025 Sport governing bodies should focus on organisational framework but professional activity can largely be left to the free market, argues Ed Warner. Who doesn’t love a badge, especially if having the right to flaunt it conveys status? Witness the urge to wear replica kit, even though the status this gives is simply identification as a [...]
FA Cup final in Riyadh? Why heritage competitions should follow the money February 27, 2025 Sixteen teams head into this weekend’s fifth round of the FA Cup, their fans celebrating shortening odds of a Wembley semi-final appearance and, in turn, final glory. Most will be oblivious to the £2m prize for the ultimate winners of the trophy. Club owners will likely consider this a paltry reward in itself, although broadcast [...]
