Facebook says it is "horrified" at the continued online abuse of footballers and has announced what is says are tougher measures to tackle the issue. The social media platform is changing the rules governing direct messaging on Instagram, a platform it also owns. It will disable the accounts of those found to have repeatedly sent abusive private messages on Instagram.

UK head of content policy Fadzai Madzingira said it was saddening to see continued abuse on the platforms. She said: "I'm horrified at the type of abuse that people, especially these footballers, have to deal with on the basis of who they are, whether it's their race or their religion or their gender, and as a company, we're disappointed to see that sort of behaviour that plays out offline also playing out on our platform.

"It's why we're making the announcements today about taking tougher measures to go after accounts that are violating our community standards and our goals within Instagram direct messages."

A number of Premier League footballers including Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Axel Tuanzebe, West Brom's Romaine Sawyers and Chelsea full-back Reece James have been subjected to abusive online messages in recent weeks. The Football Association has called for action from the government, which has since stated social media companies could face "large fines" potentially amounting to "billions of pounds" if they fail to tackle abuse on their platforms.

Asked whether Facebook was enabling such abuse, Madzingira said: "No, to imply that it's about enabling I think would be inaccurate. I think that platforms like ours allow communities of people to connect on the things that they love. If we need to have a conversation about hate, it really needs to be not what is just happening on the platform."

Footballers past and present have called for users of social media platforms to be required to provide verification documents when creating accounts so that they can be traced more effectively if they breach rules. Facebook says this measure would prove challenging in communities where such documents would not be readily available.

Fadzai added: "If we were to insist on using government ID or passport details we would be barring access to the very people who use our platforms to build communities, so we are very conscious we allow for that access." The company claims it took action on 6.5 million pieces of hate speech on Instagram between July and September last year, including within direct messages which are harder to police because of privacy rules. She explained: "To date, if someone violated the rules in Instagram direct messages, we would set a specific ban or a block for a certain amount of time and extend that period, should they continue to violate.

“Today we're announcing that we will now be removing those accounts, should they continue to violate within Instagram direct messaging." Facebook said it would not spell out how many offences would trigger removal as offenders could use the information to game the system and said it was doing everything they can to fight hate and racism on their platform, but added that the problems are bigger than them.

Some users have sought a ban on specific emojis commonly used in racist messages but Ms Madzingira argued against banning symbols that could be used innocently in other contexts. She also said filters could be used to prevent others from leaving offensive comments on posts, and that work was also being done to prevent banned users from opening new accounts.

Asked whether Facebook has prioritised profits over clamping down on abuse, Madzingira said: "I think that would be an inaccurate assessment. Because if people didn't feel safe on the platform they wouldn't be able to be there.

"We accept that being able to deal with this issue is everyone's responsibility and we want to play our part. The frustration that these players have is right - it is horrifying the abuse they are receiving."

James Anderson and Jack Leach bowled England to a famous 227-run victory against India on the final day of the first Test in Chennai. Anderson inspired England with 3-17 and Jack Leach took 4-76 as England inflicted just a second home defeat on their hosts in eight years.

India made a decent start in their pursuit of a world record 420, before Anderson swung the game in devastating fashion when introduced. He bowled Shubman Gill and Ajinkya Rahane in an incredible over of reverse swing and had the dangerous Rishabh Pant caught soon after.

Virat Kohli held England up in the afternoon session with 72 but he was bowled by one that scuttled low from Ben Stokes. Leach claimed the key wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara at the start of the day and saw off Ravichandran Ashwin, who put on 54 with Kohli. Jofra Archer sealed the win by having Jasprit Bumrah caught behind 35 minutes before tea.

England, heavy underdogs before the series began, take a 1-0 lead into the second match of the four-Test series, which begins on Saturday at the same ground. They have also jumped to the top of the standings in the World Test Championship but must win the series 3-1, 3-0 or 4-0 to reach this summer's final. The victory must rank as England's greatest in recent years in Test cricket.

There have been landmark successes: the Ben Stokes-inspired victory in the 2019 Ashes, a historic win in Cape Town 13 months ago and a fine comeback against Pakistan last summer. But this is India in India. Kohli's side had lost one of their last 35 home Tests, a run going back to their last series defeat on home soil - England's victory under Alastair Cook in 2012.

There were questions about the tourists' tactics on the fourth day, and Kohli delayed things for a while, but Anderson and Leach ensured those whispers were irrelevant. It was almost the perfect performance from England, who are unbeaten in 11 Tests under Joe Root's captaincy. Root has also equalled Michael Vaughan's record of 26 Tests wins as England captain, doing so in 47 Tests as opposed to Vaughan's 51.

There were stand-out performances from experienced players like Root, whose first-innings 218 set up the win, Stokes and Anderson but also contributions from their emerging young players.

Kohli batted well on the final day and looked to be finding form after a period out for the birth of his first child. Spinner Ashwin will also be boosted by nine wickets in the match. India showed during their recent series in Australia they can respond to adversity. There they were bowled out 36 in losing the first Test and recovered to take the series 2-1.

They must do so again now to maintain their run of 12 home series wins in a row.

The risk of coronavirus transmission from sharing sports equipment is "lower than once thought", a study suggests. Researchers, led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, applied live virus particles to nine types of sports equipment and a control material. They concluded that it seems unlikely that sports balls and accessories are a major cause for transmission.

Last June Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that cricket balls are a "natural vector" of coronavirus. The Strike study found the virus was least transferrable on absorbent materials like cricket gloves and tennis balls, compared with non-porous equipment like racing saddles and rugby balls. The researchers found that there was rapid decay of viral particles across several types of equipment, and it was very difficult to transfer live virus back off it. Close contact between players is likely to be a more important mode of spreading the virus than sharing equipment, researchers concluded.

James Calder, from Imperial College and Fortius Clinic, said: "The findings in this study are important not only for elite athletes, but also for community sports and our schools.

"It shows that the risk of transmission when sharing sports equipment is lower than was once thought and it highlights the importance of promoting other infection control measures in sports, whilst urging equipment manufacturers to identify surfaces that may be less likely to retain viable virus."

During the study a low dose and a high dose of live coronavirus was applied to a cricket glove, a football, a golf ball, a piece of gym pit foam, a horse saddle, both red and white cricket balls, a rugby ball and a tennis ball, as well as a piece of stainless steel as a control material. Each was tested after one minute, five minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 90 minutes, to see whether live virus could be transferred off the equipment at time points that were relevant to sports events.

When the low dose was applied, virus was recoverable on seven of the 10 items tested after one minute, one of the 10 after five minutes - the horse saddle - and none of the 10 after 15 minutes. When the high dose was applied, virus was recoverable on nine out of the 10 items after one and five minutes - all except the cricket glove - six out of 10 after 30 minutes, and two out of 10 after 90 minutes (the rugby ball and horse saddle). However, the study - which is awaiting peer review - found that the "mean recovery of the virus fell across all materials to 0.74% at one minute, 0.39% at 15 minutes and 0.003% at 90 minutes".

Dr Emily Adams, a senior lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said: "Anything that is slightly absorbent like a tennis ball or some of the leathery cricket balls, it's very difficult to transfer any live virus off those. So we think that transmission from sports equipment is probably very low in these cases. In many sports, like tennis, really the public health intervention should be focused on players and how players interact before a game, during a game and after a game and in transport rather than the sports equipment itself." The study found there was a noticeable difference in the viral recovery of red and white cricket balls.

It says: "Despite the white and red cricket ball surfaces both being composed of bovine leather, the different coatings used to finish the surfaces (synthetic grease on the red ball, nitrocellulose on the white ball) had a noticeable effect on viral recovery, with the red ball having a lower level." The study concludes that, given the differences in virus transfer between the types of sports equipment, the findings could "direct the engineering of materials that retain and absorb virus" as opposed to water-repellent materials, where the ability to transfer virus particles back off a surface is greater.

Former world heavyweight champion Leon Spinks has died. The American achieved a famous upset win over Muhammad Ali in 1978, in just his eighth professional fight. He had suffered with health issues in his later years and was diagnosed with advanced stage prostate cancer in 2019.

A statement from his management company said: "His final fight was fought with the same skill, grace and grit that had carried him through so many lifetime challenges." The former US marine died in Henderson, Nevada, with his wife Brenda Glur Spinks by his side.

The statement added: "Leon fought his battle with numerous illnesses resiliently, never losing his trademark smile. Showing true Spinks determination, he never threw in the towel."

Born in St Louis, Spinks won gold at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, then rose to greater prominence a little more than 18 months later, given the nod via a split decision to stun Ali and claim the WBC, WBA and lineal heavyweight titles. In one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport, Spinks defied his 10-1 underdog odds with bookmakers to prevail after 15 rounds, winning 145-140 and 144-141 on two scorecards while a third went 143-142 in favour of Ali.

His reign as world champion lasted exactly seven months as a sharper and fitter Ali gained revenge in a rematch in September 1978, becoming the first three-time lineal heavyweight champion after a comfortable points win. Spinks did get another opportunity for heavyweight glory in June 1981, but was stopped inside three rounds by Larry Holmes.

Spinks then dropped down to cruiserweight but was defeated by WBA champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi in 1986. He boxed on for another nine years and finished with a record of 26 wins, 17 defeats and three draws.

Known for his gap-toothed grin, Spinks' battles in the ring contributed to his ill health in later life. It was found he had shrinkage in the brain in 2012 before his cancer diagnosis was confirmed a few years later. His son Cory, 42, is a former undisputed welterweight champion who also won a world title in the light-middleweight division.

Spinks' younger brother Michael, 64, was undisputed light-heavyweight champion for a period in the 1980s, before moving up to heavyweight, where he won the IBF title and avenged Leon's loss to Holmes.

He was 67.

Another significant milestone has been reached at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Smethwick after the dive tower, which will be used for the diving competition at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, was completed. The dive tower, which took five weeks to build, includes 31 separate English made, concrete pieces weighing 233 tonnes in total. The structure is 10m and took five people 2000 hours to build.

The diving competition at Birmingham 2022 will see men and women compete in the 1m and 3m springboard events and the 10m platform event, as well as the 3m springboard and 10m platform synchronised events. For the first time ever at a Commonwealth Games, there will also be mixed synchronised 3m springboard and mixed synchronised 10m platform diving included on the programme.

Team England has a great record of winning diving medals at the Commonwealth Games having previously bagged 75, including 31 golds, 22 silvers and 22 bronze medals. One of the team’s most recent diving medallists is Noah Williams, who won silver in the men’s 10m synchronised platform competition on the Gold Coast in 2018.

Noah, who is also a European bronze medallist, recently saw photos and video footage of the completed dive tower and said: “The dive tower looks so impressive, as does the whole Sandwell Aquatics Centre – it is going to be a fantastic facility to compete in and there will be lots of divers across the Commonwealth who will be really excited to see this phenomenal progress.

“Seeing the completed dive tower means that you can now start to visualise what it would be like to compete at Birmingham 2022 and I’m sure that come Games time the atmosphere inside that venue will be absolutely unreal, especially with a home crowd to support Team England.”

The Sandwell Aquatics Centre will host swimming and para swimming at the Commonwealth Games from 29 July to 3 August and the diving competition from 4 August to 8 August. With 66 medal events in total set to be held at the facility, it will be the stage for more medal moments than any other Birmingham 2022 venue.

As it is such a crucial facility for the Games, Birmingham 2022 Chief Executive, Ian Reid, has been carefully following progress over the last 18 months and said: “This is another key milestone in the construction of the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, the only brand new venue for Birmingham 2022. The progress on this facility is clear for everyone to see and it is remarkable how much has been achieved in the space of 12 months. The dive tower looks incredible and I’m sure its completion will really help to focus the minds of those divers looking to compete at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in 18 months’ time.”

The £73 million project is being funded by several partners. Sandwell Council is contributing £27 million, with £38.5 million coming from the overall Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games budget. A further £7.6 million is funded by other external partners Sport England, Black Country LEP, Sandwell Leisure Trust (SLT) and University of Wolverhampton.

Nigel Huddleston MP, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage said: "The Aquatics Centre is really taking shape and the new dive tower is another important milestone in this exciting build. The Centre will be a spectacular stage for our home nation swimmers and divers, and an important sporting legacy for the people of Sandwell."

The project is being overseen by Sandwell Council and the council’s Deputy Leader, Councillor Maria Crompton, said: “We are thrilled to be marking yet another major milestone, the completion of the 10-metre dive tower, at the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre on Londonderry Lane in Smethwick. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our construction partners who have worked diligently throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to bring this amazing venue to life.

“The completion of the dive tower marks a pivotal moment for the aquatics centre and displays this world-class facility as the host venue for the swimming and diving events for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Reaching this milestone is testament to the strong relationships we have forged with all our partners since the beginning of this project which has enabled us to deliver this project on time and on budget.”

CGF President Dame Louise Martin DBE said: “The completion of the dive tower at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre is another exciting milestone as we progress towards Birmingham 2022. I believe this state-of-the-art facility will be one of the outstanding legacies of the Commonwealth Games.

“In addition to jobs and investment for Sandwell, the local community will benefit immeasurably from having a world-class facility that has a 50m swimming pool, a 25m diving pool and a community swimming pool, in addition to seats for up to 1,000 spectators. As we begin to look optimistically ahead to the Games, I have no doubt that the Sandwell Aquatics Centre will provide the perfect stage for the world’s top athletes to showcase the very best of Commonwealth Sport.” 

Robyn Birch, is another Team England diver, who will be hoping to compete at the new centre. She said: “The dive tower looks fantastic and its completion is a really important milestone for those divers looking to compete at Birmingham 2022.

“Seeing the photos and video footage of the new centre as it develops will help to inspire me during training over the next 18 months. Gold Coast 2018 was a fantastic experience, but it would be truly amazing to compete at a home Games.”

A Midlands firm has been appointed to design, license, and retail a comprehensive range of official Birmingham 2022 and Commonwealth Sport products, with the first due to go on sale online in the next couple of months.

Birmingham 2022 and CGF Partnerships have appointed Cube International, with offices in both Herefordshire and Worcestershire, as the master licensee responsible for designing, sourcing, delivering and retailing licensed products at official Birmingham 2022 shops, other local and national retail outlets and via a dedicated online shop accessed via the birmingham2022.com website.

Around 1,500 products will be developed and sold, featuring Birmingham 2022, Commonwealth Sport and Home Nations branding. A first phase of merchandise, including hoodies and t-shirts, mugs, water bottles and pin badges will go on sale online in the next couple of months. Cube International will also create exclusive ranges for the Birmingham 2022 official mascot, which will be unveiled later this year. Around 35 official retail stores will be set up, including a Birmingham city centre megastore, and at a number of other city centre locations, transport hubs, Games venues and temporary live sites. Cube International will also be responsible for building and operating the official online store.

The retail stores will employ around 300 people, with staff recruited where possible with the support of the Commonwealth Jobs and Skills Academy, launched by the West Midlands Combined Authority to generate job opportunities for and improve the skills of local people. Roles will include customer service, security and warehousing positions. In addition to these official retail stores, other local and national retailers are being encouraged to register their interest in selling Commonwealth Games products.

Games organisers are also keen to work with West Midlands firms to develop further product lines that bring the region’s creative flair to life. In line with Birmingham 2022 and Commonwealth Sport’s social value commitments, the range of products and the shops they are sold in will have a strong commitment to sustainability, with a focus on limiting single use plastics, responsibly managing waste materials, and reducing carbon emissions.

Ian Reid, Birmingham 2022 CEO, said: “Our retail offering will help to bring the Games to life, building excitement as Birmingham 2022 draws closer. It will also help to support the West Midlands’ economic recovery as we recruit around 300 people to work in our retail outlets in the run up to the Games.

“I’m also happy to be working with a Midlands business, Cube International, which has the global expertise to deliver this product range.  I can’t wait to see a whole variety of Commonwealth Games items for sale online and in shops over the next few months. I’ll be first in line to buy a cuddly toy!”

Cube International is an expert sports retail, e-commerce, licensing, and merchandise business which works with international sports events such as The Rugby League World Cup 2021 and the Cricket World Cup, as well as with the NHS and brands including Sainsbury’s.

Andy Moss, Cube International’s Executive Chairman, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed the Master Licensee for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The vision of the Games and the values that they represent harmonises with Cube’s working philosophy and enables us to fully collaborate across all areas to deliver an incredible experience for visitors, fans and commercial partners.

“It is incredibly exciting to be working with such an imaginative team and, together, we are looking to reimagine and redefine major event retail. We very much look forward to opening our first official store and bringing to life an exciting and sustainable retail and merchandise programme.”

CEO of CGF Partnerships, David Leather, said: “We selected Cube International as our master licensee following an internationally competitive process. Cube has the experience and capability to deliver this official product range, and shares the social values and ambitions both of the Commonwealth Sport movement and Birmingham 2022. I am confident we will see that reflected in the exciting yet sustainable range of products they are developing.

“As preparations for the Games continue, this range will help to create an inspiring brand identity that gives the public the chance to own a part of the Commonwealth Games story and a piece of history.”

Paul Blanchard, Commonwealth Games England Chief Executive, said: “We can’t wait to see what Cube International produce for the nation to get behind their favourite athletes and support them at a home Games. This is an exciting point in time as we get closer to the Games and we can see that support come to life.”

Mayor of the West Midlands and Chair of the WMCA, Andy Street, said: “One of the main reasons I was so determined to help secure the Commonwealth Games for the region was the employment opportunities it will create across the West Midlands, and I am pleased to see today’s announcement is unlocking hundreds more jobs for local people.

“We are so fortunate to have the Commonwealth Games coming to our region at what will be such a difficult time for many people’s livelihoods, and I would encourage everyone to look at the job opportunities available through the Games and see how they can get involved.”

Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “This is another exciting step towards the Birmingham 2022 Games and the agreement will boost business locally, opening up many opportunities for retail jobs, which is crucial at a time when the sector is coming to terms with the devastating impact of the pandemic.

“I know when I see someone wearing a Birmingham 2022 pin badge of carrying a reusable branded water bottle. I will have an immense feeling of pride.”