With the Paris 2024 Olympics around the corner, the quadrennial question is resurfacing: Does MMA have a future in the Olympics, and what would the sport look like in the Games? As President of the organisation working to make this dream a reality – the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) - I can partially answer this.
As someone who has struggled with their own mental health and wellbeing for as long as I can remember, I feel it is important for leaders of organisations to be active and purposeful in creating a safe space for people to know that it is ok not to be ok. We are all on this journey, and we have a responsibility to look after each other.
The Rugby World Cup just completed in France has amassed a new team from a range of countries - the Retirees XV - who have chosen this high moment to step away from the game. Some may be stepping back, of course.
What lessons have we learned about next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris following the conclusion last night of the Rugby World Cup, which ended with South Africa beating New Zealand to lift the Webb Ellis trophy for a record fourth time?
Unlike many Presidents of International Federations (IF) seeking Olympic inclusion, Antonio Espinós is not afraid of speaking out against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) when he feels he has been wronged.
The passing of Sir Bobby Charlton last weekend severed one of the last links what was arguably perhaps the greatest single gathering of talent in the history of Wembley Stadium.
World sports organisations have been the focus of public criticism for some time.
In my close association with Bobby Charlton from the time of his teenage FA Cup finals - at the time I was a contemporary England Amateur XI winger -he was always a quiet, yet frank, commentator on the stage where he was himself incomparable.
I have reached an age when many of the giants responsible for my childhood love of sport are being snatched away.
When you meet someone famous who means a lot to you - someone like Bobby Charlton, for instance - you have to watch your step.
On Friday, in the presence of 50,000 spectators, 4,100 athletes from 41 countries and 650 million viewers across America, the Pan American Games Opening Ceremony displayed a great three-hour showcase of Chile, its land and its people!
For years, cricket has been the heart and soul of India's sporting landscape, commanding the hearts of millions. Beyond the cricketing arena, other sports such as football, hockey, boxing, and athletics, have also claimed their places in the spotlight.
Mumbai, the city which has been hosting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session this past week, is a world away from the German spa town of Baden-Baden where the IOC met 60 years ago.
It has been a remarkable couple of weeks in the Olympic Movement, which never ceases to amaze in its ability to bend rules. something that came to the fore at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Mumbai.
The most famous comebacks in sport took place on a football pitch, golf course, boxing ring, cricket pitch or tennis court as far as most fans are concerned.
When British skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won the Olympic gold medal in ice dance at Sarajevo 1984 with 12 perfect 6.0s from every judge, for their interpretation of Maurice Ravel's Boléro, an important member of their team was singer-actor Michael Crawford. Crawford, who had played Frank Spencer in British sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em and the title role in the musical The Phantom of the Opera, had become a mentor to the pair in 1981 and went on to help them create their Olympic routine. Crawford said he “taught them how to act". He was present with their trainer Betty Callaway at the ringside at Sarajevo as they created one of the most iconic moments in Olympic history.
BWF Chief Operating Officer (COO)
In connection with Olympic/Paralympic Games the COO is responsible for the planning related to institutional meetings and hospitality activities.
As a member of the Management Team, the COO supports the functions of the Secretary General, especially in areas of governance and annual planning, holistic and connected strategic planning, policy development and staff management. The COO is responsible for coordination of all BWF insurance activities.
Pierre de Coubertin once said cricket has "practically no appeal for those who are not British". While he expressed doubts about the Olympic viability of cricket, lacrosse and baseball, Philip Barker wonders how the man who helped revive the modern Games would have reacted to new sports at Los Angeles 2028.
Should cricket be an Olympic sport?
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