British Athletics has selected a team of 15 for the World Para Athletics Junior Championships which take place in Nottwil, Switzerland from 1-4 August 2019.

Among those set to represent the country are two medallists from the 2017 edition of these championships, Karim Chan and Ethan Kirby, with 11 athletes earning their first junior international cap for the Great Britain & Northern Ireland team.

Chan won the T20 long jump title – for athletes with an intellectual impairment - in Nottwil two years ago and earns his place in the 2019 squad following a season so far which has seen him extend his personal best by 13cm to 6.33m.

Kirby won silver back in 2017 in the T20 400m and will compete over the distance once more in Nottwil. He lowered his PB to 52.92 at the end of May, dipping under 53 seconds for the first time. He will be joined in the T20 400m by Prince Reid who has a best of 52.49s, set in Watford last month. The athletes come into the under 20 contest as two of the leading names in the season’s rankings.

In the women’s T20 400m, Faye Olszowka will make her British debut in the U20 age-group, heading into the event ranked second in the junior world standings after revising her lifetime best to 1:03.08 in May.

Matthew Cooper, ranked second in the world in the junior T34 rankings in 2019, will be one to watch out for when he goes in the combined U20 T33/34 100m in August. The Weir Archer Academy athlete will additionally contest the 200m and 400m in Switzerland, as will Zien Zhou who also contests all three distances.

Ben Callander – a T33 athlete who is ranked number one junior in the world in the classification – will join the pair in the T33/34 100m, 200m and 400m.

One athlete has been selected in the U17 category; Wales-based Molly Hopkins who will race in the T62 100m – for athletes with lower limb amputations competing with a prosthetic – in her first international competition.

Team Leader Sarah Benson commented: “We are delighted to select 15 athletes for the second World Para Athletics Junior Championships. This event serves as an important step for these athletes in the Paralympic performance pathway and will be a fantastic opportunity to experience the international competition environment.

“It will be a great learning experience for these exciting prospects and I’m sure it will help them in preparation for future potential Paralympic Games and senior world championships.”

Hundreds of London youngsters are preparing to battle for the opportunity to compete at one of the world’s biggest athletics events, the Müller Anniversary Games, in the London Stadium on the weekend of 20–21 July.

The London Boroughs Connect Relays will see young athletes representing their schools and boroughs, in an initiative which will bring community athletics in London, together with the elite end of the sport, as part a four-day Festival of Athletics at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, from 18–21July.

Teams of children from four age groups (under 11, under 13, under 15 and under 17), will race at a qualification event on Thursday 18 July, and the top teams will then go head-to-head in the grand final as part of the pre-show at the Müller Anniversary Games on Saturday 20 July.

Relays will take place over three distances; 4 x100m, 4x200m and 4x400m.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The Anniversary Games are well established as one of the highlights of the international athletics calendar and we look forward to welcoming the elite competitors to London for what is sure to be another exciting edition of this event.

“What’s more, it’s fantastic that the best of London’s young up-and-coming athletes will have the chance to compete and I wish them all the best of luck.”

London’s European 100m and 200m champion, Dina Asher-Smith is just one of the big stars competing at the Müller Anniversary Games this year.

She said: “I love competing in the London Stadium, and I think it’s fantastic that so many young people from across London, will get the opportunity to be part of the Müller Anniversary Games and the Festival of Athletics.

“It will be a special week for everyone involved, and my advice to all the London Boroughs Connect Relays competitors is, run as fast as you can, but above all have fun.”

Newham’s Olympic and double world 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu added: “I’m so excited that children from community athletics programmes in London will be racing on the same stage as the best athletes in the world at the Müller Anniversary Games.

“The London Stadium is my home track and competing there is an unforgettable experience. I hope the London Boroughs Connect Relays will help young people from the city, to see how exciting and rewarding athletics and sport can be.”

Major Events Director for British Athletics, Cherry Alexander OBE said: “The London Boroughs Connect Relays is an exciting development of our successful Club Connect Relays, and will offer the opportunity, for children and teenagers from community athletics programmes in London, to be part of one of the world’s biggest and best athletics meetings.

“I’m delighted that so many young people from London will be part of the Festival of Athletics and the Müller Anniversary Games. I’m sure it will be a memorable experience for the competitors, and I hope their friends and families come along to support them and enjoy what will be a wonderful celebration of athletics.”

London Legacy Development Corporation CEO, Lyn Garner, said: “This summer we are proud to be hosting some incredible free sporting opportunities on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for people living in east London. Working with British Athletics, we have a fantastic opportunity for young sportspeople to enjoy the incredible atmosphere of the London Stadium - the best venue for athletics in the country.”

Track Academy, an athletics charity working with young people in London, is the Official Charity Partner to the 2019 Müller Anniversary Games.

Track Academy member Confidence Lawson said: “Borough connect relays is a great initiative for young kids around different boroughs to come together and showcase their talents. Relays is one event in track that creates team spirit and shows the value of working as a team. No one great gets to be where they are without a support system behind them.

“Athletics has been good to me in a sense of giving me constant motivation to always want to better myself and keep pushing forward. My only regret is not starting earlier than I did. Seeing my achievements inspires the younger generations is a blessing and I want to help as much as I can to motivate the younger generations.”

The Müller Anniversary Games has seen history made on numerous occasions in recent years, with some memorable performances from British names such as Sir Mo Farah, Laura Muir and London sprint star Asher-Smith, while para athletics stars Kare Adenegan and Sophie Hahn both broke world records at the 2018 edition of the event. Each participant in this year’s inaugural London Borough Connect Relays will be distributed with a Nike t-shirt as part of the event.

Plans showcasing the emerging design for the redevelopment of Alexander Stadium have been published, as public consultation begins.

The venue at Walsall Road, Perry Barr, will be the focal point of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, hosting the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as the athletics programme.

New artist impressions of the stadium have been released revealing Birmingham City Council’s intentions to create a legacy asset the city and its residents can be truly proud of.

The redeveloped stadium will increase its permanent seating capacity from 12,700 to 18,000 allowing up to 40,000 during the Games through additional temporary seating.

Key features include:

• A new western stand replacing the Main, Knowles and Nelson stands
• New tiered seating to the north and south
• A new 400m 6-lane warm up track and re-laying of a new IAAF Category 1 track (400m 9-lane competition standard track)
• Improved public realm and parking provision, with additional landscaping and signage
• Installation of new stadium lighting and practice throwing field
• A new access road from A453 Aldridge Road (to be used for event/maintenance use only)

Demolition of the current west stand within the stadium is subject to a separate application which will be submitted to Birmingham City Council in summer 2019.

Members of the local community are encouraged to attend the consultation events taking place at Alexander Stadium this evening (22 June) 11am-4pm. There will be an opportunity to meet members of the project team, view the indicative plans and provide feedback before a planning application is submitted in the autumn.

Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We’re now in an exciting phase of the design process where we would like to share our plans for the future with the community and hear their thoughts.

“The team has designed a redeveloped stadium which will meet the needs and aspirations of the community for generations to come. This is about creating a destination venue, shaping a legacy beyond the Commonwealth Games.

“We are making lots of information and detail available, so I encourage as many people as possible to come along, have a look at the designs and provide their feedback.”

Subject to gaining planning permission, the redeveloped stadium will be ready ahead of the Games which will take place between 27 July and 7 August 2022.

For anyone unable to attend the events, all consultation material is now live on the council’s Be Heard consultation website at: www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/place/alexander-stadium

Those unable to access the internet can pick up a consultation leaflet and paper questionnaire at the following libraries: Library of Birmingham, Birchfield Library and Tower Hill Library.

The deadline for providing feedback is 5pm on Friday 12 July 2019.

Greene King IPA, the Official Beer of England Cricket, has teamed up with cricketing legend Darren Gough to offer customers the chance to meet him and watch England this summer.

The former England fast bowler and talkSPORT broadcaster Darren Gough is calling out to cricket super fans to win a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch England take on Australia during the fifth test of the Ashes on Saturday 14^th September. Starting the day with a breakfast at a Greene King pub hosted by Darren, the lucky winners and their guests will then be whisked across to the Kia Oval Cricket Ground alongside Darren to watch the England super stars in action.

Fans can win this unique prize through ‘Goughie’s Giveaway’, a Greene King IPA pub promotion, spearheaded by Darren across over 2500 pubs throughout the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and Ashes. Punters who buy a pint of Greene King IPA at participating pubs will be given a scratch card with the chance to win top prizes. There are twenty-one pairs of tickets for the exclusive VIP cricket experience with Darren and over 99,000 instant prizes to be won including free pints.

Speaking about the promotion Darren Gough said: “What a summer of cricket we have ahead of us. I can’t think of a better way to enjoy watching England in action than with a group of cricket fans and a few pints of Greene King IPA. Get yourself down to the pub to be in with a chance to win and I’ll see you later this summer.”

Matt Starbuck, managing director of Greene King Brewing and Brands added; “For England cricket fans the chance to meet one of England’s greatest ever players and spend a day watching our national team is a dream come true. We are proud to be the Official Beer of England cricket and to celebrate our national team by rewarding our loyal customers with this money can’t buy experience.”

Former basketball superstar, Shaquille O'Neal, says that he is very interested in buying out Reebok. Retired Shaq, who was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 1992, made more than $300 million from his NBA salary and various endorsement deals.

As a long-time serial entrepreneur, he has invested in several franchises and reportedly owns 155 Five Guys restaurants, 17 Auntie Anne’s, 9 Papa John's, 40 24-hour fitness gyms, and 150 car washes. According to CNBC, in America, he has also profited quite a bit from early investments in Google and Apple.

During a recent interview after candidly mentioning that he is a part of the investment group that just purchased Sports Illustrated, he also told CNBC that he would love to purchase Reebook.

The champion turned sports commentator signed his first shoe deal with Reebok in 1992, which was worth $15 million. He says though that Adidas, who currently owns Reebok, has “diluted [the brand] so much to where it’s almost gone.”

“If they don’t want it, let me have it,” Shaq said. “I want to bring them back to basketball and to fitness.”

He added that Reebok struggles to compete with brands like Adidas and Under Armour, and he thinks he knows how to fix the problem.

If Reebok is up for sale, it would be costly - definitely a multi-billion deal even though their exact value today is unknown. But O’Neal can easily afford it. According to Forbes, he himself is worth $400 million and his portfolio is worth up to $8 billion.

The FIFA Women's World Cup, held in France, starts tomorrow so whether you're new to the world of women's football, on the hunt for a second team, the tournament, held in nine cities, in nine different venues, runs to July 7 with England and Scotland among the 24 teams aiming to reach Final in Lyon.

The hosts – who have never gone beyond the semi-finals of the World Cup and have only reached the last eight at the European Championship - get the competition under way with their opening group match against South Korea in Paris, while Scotland, who are making their first appearance at the World Cup, will meet England, who are much-fancied, in Nice on June 9 in what is the opening game for both countries.

Defending champions are the United States - who are seeking a fourth title.

They have a squad bursting with talent and experience with the likes of Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe. It is also expected to be 36-year-old Carli Lloyd's last tournament - the former Manchester City midfielder was Fifa World Player of the Year and the Golden Ball winner at the World Cup in 2015.

The US will begin the defence of their title against Thailand June in Reims on June 11.

Olympic champions Germany are, along with England, a main threat - the side having been knocked out in the semi-finals in 2015 - and in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in 2017.

They remain ranked No.2 in the world.

Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg has not been included in Norway's squad but a few of her European Champions League winning Lyon team-mates are likely to be on show, including England's Lucy Bronze and the newly-signed Nikita Parris, plus Japan defender Saki Kumagai.

Speaking of Japan - as an outside bet the world number seven ranked team were World Cup winners in 2011 and runners-up in 2015.

European champions the Netherlands, with PFA Player of the Year Vivianne Miedema a leading figure, could also challenge for the title.

Australia captain and forward Sam Kerr guided her country to their first Cup of Nations in March.

Orlando Pride forward, the 6-times FIFA World Player of the Year Marta - who won the Best Female Player Award in September, is the driving force behind an ageing Brazilian team.

Just some to watch out for as the FIFA Woman’s World Cup takes centre stage.