An Australian netball association has hit out at the actions of some fans after a boys team, the Queensland Suns, received a torrent of abuse after beating several female rivals to win the under-18 state title.
The coach of the Queensland Suns, Tammy Holcroft, revealed to Australian media in the aftermath of the team’s success in the state championship that several “vulgar comments” had been made towards the team after they stormed to victory by a margin of 46-12 in last weekend’s final, and comes after the team was granted entry to the competition after taking part in exhibition games the year prior.
“They were offered opportunity to progress into competitive status,” Netball Queensland high performance director Demelza Fellowes said.
“They had a fantastic tournament and played really well. So did all of the teams. Ultimately, they made it through to the finals and were really successful.
However, Fellowes also noted that the all-boys team’s inclusion in the tournament had “caused a bit of division“, but she argued that the move was in line with the sport’s pursuit of inclusion and said that their participation will ultimately lead to more men and boys taking up the sport.
“We focused more around them having the opportunity to progress and grow and develop, and also for our female teams, or the other teams in the tournament, to go and progress and have that challenge as well, and put the best foot forward in our high performance pathway,” she said.
“Netball Queensland is really proud of and driven by our strategic direction of inclusivity and providing an opportunity for anyone to belong and experience and play and love our game.
“Inclusion is a huge value for us. This was just an opportunity and platform for the men and boys to continue to grow and continue to love and explore our game.”
However, this wasn’t a unanimous reaction. Several fans online railed against the move to have boys compete against girls, prompting Netball Queensland to issue a statement in which they said that they were “extremely disappointed” at the reaction.
“We want to make clear that there is a place for everyone in our sport,” they said, adding that they “won’t tolerate vilification or abuse in any form in our game.”
“We stand by the decision to choose inclusion over exclusion.”
The statement also affirmed that “change is sometimes uncomfortable” but said that it was “imperative” that men and boys be given a platform to compete “because if you can’t see it, you can’t be it“.
The move comes at a time when the issue of gender in sport has become a hot topic, partly due to several instances of trans athletes competing against women in various sports, such as that of Laurel Hubbard – who was born male – competing against women in recent Olympic weightlifting competition.
They didn't realize that beforehand? It does suck when biological reality smacks you in the face.
Thomas Tuchel is a perfect 3-0 against Pep Guardiola and Manchester City since joining Chelsea, and another win in Saturday’s clash will suggest that the balance of power has changed in English football.
What a difference nine months can make. On this day in January, former Blues boss Frank Lampard was 24 hours away from paying the ultimate price for falling out of the Premier League title race as Roman Abramovich and Marina Granovskaia once again embraced change and casted the club legend aside – a price paid by numerous Chelsea managers throughout the Russian billionaire’s tenure at the club.
German boss Tuchel, himself recently discarded by French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain, was quickly installed as Lampard’s replacement – with Abramovich offering him just an 18-month contract, a safeguard, perhaps, against further tumult in the head coach’s office.
Now, several months later, Chelsea are European champions and Tuchel was rewarded with a new multiple-year deal.
Tuchel’s influence was almost immediately felt at Stamford Bridge. The club progressed unimpeded through the Champions League as well as securing the coveted top-four finish which seemed improbable under Lampard, but if there was to be a key signifier of the improvements made under the German’s stewardship it was a trio of performances against Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions-in-waiting Manchester City.
The first, a win in the FA Cup semi-final, was quickly followed three weeks later by an away league win in Manchester, only for the two clubs to meet once more in the Champions League Final just on May 29, where Tuchel made it three wins from three on European football’s biggest stage thanks to a single Kai Havertz goal.
And ahead of the latest meeting between two of world football’s most well-regarded managers on Saturday afternoon, Tuchel and Chelsea can serve a significant warning that there has been a seismic shift atop the balance of power in English football.
It won’t be easy. There have been several doomsday predictions surrounding Guardiola for much of his managerial career but the Spaniard has repeatedly shown a capacity to meet challenges head on. Last season saw his side win just six of their opening 13 games in the Premier League before winning 13 straight and taking the league title at a canter.
Tuchel, though, has shown that he is more than a match for Guardiola’s tactical nous – and has overseen a revolution at Stamford Bridge as he coronated Lampard’s underperforming stars into some of Europe’s best players.
Chelsea have also reloaded up front, adding the goalscoring instincts of Romelu Lukaku to address some of last season’s goalscoring woes – a contrast to Guardiola and Manchester City who came up short this summer in their unceasing pursuit of Tottenham’s Harry Kane.
City have once again stuttered at the start of the Premier League campaign, losing to Tottenham and dropping two points against Southampton, while Tuchel’s Chelsea have shone – conceding just one goal so far this season en route to four wins from five.
This weekend Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel will meet again for the first time since the Champions League final… pic.twitter.com/LDI27TbNUp
Another on Saturday – which would be Tuchel’s fourth against Guardiola and Manchester City so far this year – wouldn’t just confirm Chelsea as legitimate title contenders, it would also suggest that the Manchester club’s status as league standouts is under serious threat.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Guardiola appeared to fire a shot across Tuchel’s bow by saying that his side struggled with Chelsea’s “long ball” style.
“They controlled all departments which is why it was difficult in the final of the Champions League against an exceptional team,” he said.
“My impression is we played with a lot of courage with personality but unfortunately we could not do it with the counter-attacks, long balls, second balls were not good enough and they beat us.”
And as Tuchel told the media ahead of the game, another win would be a sign of the consistency he craves at the club.
“It’s a six-pointer between two teams who are clearly rivals for the top four,” he said of the clash.
“They are the example and they are the benchmark at this high level and I’m very happy that we are able to produce these kind of performances and results but we need to prove we can produce this with the same consistency.
“It doesn’t take a miracle to beat City but it is absolutely necessary to bring out our best performance.”
But Tuchel remained coy when he was asked point blank as to who was the better coach.
“This question does not even exist for me, so I cannot answer it. It’s a question for you guys and you can endlessly debate.”
One suspects Chelsea fans might do that for him if he can coax another three points from Guardiola’s team on Saturday afternoon in London.
Boxer Michele Broili has received a provisional ban from the Italian Boxing Federation after he displayed several prominent fascist and neo-Nazi tattoos during a recent fight as police announce investigation into the matter.
Broili, 28, was defeated by his Moroccan counterpart in Trieste last weekend for an iteration of the super-middleweight title, but a debate has formed in his native Italy as to whether someone apparently endorsing facist and Nazi ideologies should be allowed to compete at the sport’s highest level.
The Italian boxer was beaten by unanimous decision by his opponent but viewers watching the broadcast on a livestream were said to be alarmed by various tattoos that Broili displayed.
Broili was seen sporting an ‘SS’ tattoo on his chest, as well as an ’88’ symbol – a veiled code for the term “Heil Hitler“. He also had tattoos representing the ‘totenkopf’ – the group responsible for operating concentration camps during World War II – as well as others noting his support for skinhead organizations.
Furthermore, he was also said to be seen performing a fascist salute to his supporters before the bout – with sporting authorities in Italy understood to be investigating how he was licensed by the Italian Boxing Federation.
“When I got into the ring and saw those tattoos, I was shocked,” said Nourdine after he defeated Broili.
“I found those tattoos obscene. There is no justification. The Italian Boxing Federation should have realized from the beginning that this boxer had those sympathies. Inciting hatred is punishable by law.”
The Italian Boxing Federation responded to the swelling debate by reaffirming that all of its members must restrain from behavior deemed as discriminatory, and that they were referring the matter to an Italian sports body for further investigation – but failed to state why action wasn’t taken soon against the fighter who has competed in 17 professional fights.
However, Broili has been provisionally suspended by the organization until at least November 17 pending further review by the Italian Boxing Federation.
Police have also been confirmed as looking into the situation while prosecutors in Trieste determine if criminal charges should proceed.
“The court considers that the public showing of tattoos with unequivocal Nazi symbols and evocations during an official sports competition represents serious and unjustified behavior for a licensee,” said the Italian Boxing Federation court after applying Broili’s ban.
They also said that his tattoos stand in opposition to “the general principles of equality, of non-violence and non-discrimination at the base of the sports system.”
In Italy, the promotion of fascism is a criminal offence – as is performing a fascist salute, something which is punishable by two years in prison. Broili has yet to comment publicly on the furore but his coach, Denis Conte, said that his fighter is a model professional.
“Michele only talks about sport and only wants to do sport. Michele is the prototype of the athlete who wakes up at four in the morning to train,” he said.
But as far as Nourdine is concerned, the initial justice has already been doled out.
“For me, all this is not normal. But I cannot deny that beating someone with those tattoos is a victory worth double,” he said.
UFC star Jon Jones has found himself on the wrong side of the law again after he was reportedly arrested in Las Vegas for ‘battery domestic violence’ just hours after he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in a glitzy ceremony.
According to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, former longtime UFC light heavyweight champion Jones is facing charges of battery domestic violence and injuring and tampering with a vehicle following an early Friday morning arrest in Las Vegas.
Jones’ bail is set at $8,000 and the star is reportedly scheduled to make a court appearance on Saturday morning.
According to US outlet TMZ, law enforcement received a call from Caesars Palace around 5:45am, where they then made contact with the UFC star.
There has been no official comment from Jones or the UFC as of yet.
Jon Jones was arrested early Friday morning by the Las Vegas Metro PD, a police spokesperson told ESPN. Jones is being charged with battery domestic violence and injuring and tampering with a vehicle. More info coming to @espn.
Jones, who has yet to taste (a non-DQ) defeat in his extensive run with the UFC, has faced several legal issues throughout his career after previously being arrested for hit and run (in an incident which left a pregnant woman with a broken arm) as well as drunk-driving and negligent use of a firearm, among others.
His hit-and-run arrest, which occurred in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2015, resulted in him being stripped of the UFC’s light heavyweight championship after he was adjudged by UFC officials of a breach of the organization’s Athlete Code of Conduct policy.
Jones’ most recent arrest came in March of last year when he was detained on numerous charges including aggravated driving while intoxicated (DWI), negligent use of a firearm, possession of an open container and driving with no proof of insurance.
He pleaded guilty to the DWI charges after agreeing a deal which saw the other charges dropped, and was sentenced to four days house arrest as well as a year of supervised probation, among other punishments.
Jones, 34, was in Las Vegas on Thursday alongside his family for his induction to the UFC Hall of Fame alongside Alexander Gustafsson for their classic UFC 165 title fight.
Jon Jones accepts his first UFC Hall of Fame induction.
He hasn’t competed in the UFC since February of last year and announced last summer that he was relinquishing his world title in advance of a move to the heavyweight division, which he told reporters on Thursday is expected to happen in the second quarter of 2022.
Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton sent a mechanic flying backwards into the air after smashing into him with his car – then claimed that “we all make mistakes” after his Mercedes team reassured fans.
The unwitting team member suffered the unenviable agony of being thrown backwards into the air by the front of Hamilton’s car, shunting him up and back onto the ground as the Brit cruised in to the pit.
Bravely picking himself off the floor, the unnamed man signaled that he had not suffered significant injuries while Hamilton asked: “Man, magic – is he OK?”
A member of the team reported back: “Yeah, he’s alright. Been given a thumbs up.”
As footage of the scary incident inevitably spread on social media, the official account of Hamilton’s Mercedes team responded: “Bump. The good news is that he’s OK.”
Hamilton was backed by stars including tennis great Venus Williams as he reacted on his own platform.
“I believe this is the first time I’ve taken out a mechanic in 14 years,” the revered veteran told his fans.
Hamilton slightly overshoots his pit box and knocks over his front jack holder. Says “magic” (a brake bias setting) was still on. Mechanic is OK #F1#RussianGP
“My heart was in my mouth – I was so worried. Thankfully he was OK; pretty courageous to stand in front of the car like that.
“We all make mistakes, it’s part of the journey. But it’s how we come back from them that matters most.”
Other than fearing he had badly hurt a mechanic, the seven-time champion had a successful day in Sochi – not least because arch-rival Max Verstappen will start at the back of the grid on race day.
These quieter moments before the weekend kicks off and engines start — they never get old. Our work never stops and we’re as determined as ever. pic.twitter.com/AbcdkzxXIC
Verstappen was already facing a three-place grid penalty because of his crash with Hamilton in Monza last time out, and the Red Bull contender has been handed a further punishment after taking a new power unit before the Russian race.
The man who will start the Grand Prix five points behind Verstappen at the top of the standings went second-fastest overall during practice.
Mercedes have been utterly dominant in Sochi in recent years, and their formidable run looks set to continue after teammate Valtteri Bottas was the only driver to go faster than Hamilton.
