Every athlete that wins a medal at the World Para Athletics Championships London 2017 will be provided with an additional medal to gift to their coach, it has been confirmed today, with a week to go until the first night of the Championships.

In a milestone first for the World Para Athletics Championships, organisers, in coordination with World Para Athletics have confirmed that coaches of medal winning athletes will also receive medals in recognition of their unique and valued relationship.

The coaches medals, which are based upon similar themes to the athlete medals but differ in design, will be provided to successful athletes following their ceremony, where they will then be able to gift to their coach or significant advisor.

The athlete medals for the World Para Athletics Championships were revealed back in May and are inspired by the notion of ‘What makes an athlete tick?’. The possibility of creating a coaching medal was investigated by UK Athletics who form the LOC for the World Para Athletics Championships.

Paul Macgregor, coach to Paralympic T37 100m and 400m champion Georgina Hermitage, said: “As a coach your focus is on getting your athlete in the best place possible to be able to win medals at major championships. That moment on the podium is rightly theirs but it certainly is nice for athletes to have the opportunity to reward someone who has helped them get to that point. It is not something that has been put forward before and so it is going to be another thing that makes the World Para Athletics Championships London 2017 so memorable.”

Sir Philip Craven, IPC President, said: “I think London 2017 deserve great credit for introducing coaches medals for the first time to the World Para Athletics Championships. Coaches are the unsung heroes behind the scenes and it is fantastic that they will be rewarded for their efforts in coaching medal winning athletes.”

Niels de Vos, Championship Director, said: “As organisers it was important that we made provision for coaches medals for the World Para Athletics Championships. Our #FillTheStadium campaign is encouraging as many supporters to attend and this is another milestone moment for the event and something we are proud to announce with exactly one week to go to the Championships. Athletes deserve their time on the podium but coaches play such a vital role in getting them to that point, so we are pleased to be able to support the athlete to share that success.”

The World Para Athletics Championships London 2017, and the IAAF World Championships London 2017, are together the biggest sporting event in the world in 2017. The biggest event to be staged at the London Stadium since the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games – it is the first time both Championships have been held in the same city with over 3,000 athletes from over 200 nations competing over 20 days of action.

Ultra-endurance athlete Mark Beaumont has set off on his record breaking attempt to cycle around the world in just 80 days. In 2008 Mark successfully cycled around the world in 194 days, this time he will attempt to do it in less than half the time.

Inspired by Jules Verne's classic adventure novel Around the World in Eighty days published in 1873, Mark will attempt to circumnavigate the globe over 144 years later by bicycle rather than balloon as he embarks on the Artemis World Cycle.

Mark departed from Paris at 04:00 this morning, making his way towards Poland en route to Beijing through Lithuania, Russia, and Mongolia before cycling between Perth and Brisbane in Australia.

In New Zealand Mark will head for Invercargill and Auckland with the fourth leg of his challenge taking him between Anchorage in the United States and Halifax in Canada. He will attempt to complete his journey by cycling from Lisbon back to Paris with the aim of arriving by Thursday 21st September.

Mark comments: “This is my chance to shoot for the stars and take on the ultimate endurance cycling challenge. Since I last pedalled around the world nearly ten years ago, there has been a growing desire in me to push the boundaries of what is possible and to retake the circumnavigation World Record at a whole new level. I know what I'm getting myself in to, this will be the toughest challenge of my life and will be an immense physical, mental and logistical battle before I reach the finish line.

“I have spent the last three years creating an amazing support team, who are in charge of my nutrition, logistics, navigation and safety, allowing me to purely focus on my performance and being an athlete. I don't think anyone has ever tried to go this fast and this far before and I have been building on my experience as an endurance rider over two decades to prepare for this journey”.

Major hit record selling American female vocal group, The Three Degrees, will be headlining at The Jam House Birmingham on 24^th August.

The famous girl band are most renowned for their record ‘When Will I See You Again’, which was a major hit throughout the world, topping the chart in the USA, UK, Japan and most European countries. Prince Charles himself publicly acclaimed that The Three Degrees are his favourite group, ‘Charlie’s Angels’ as they were tagged. The group were particularly successful in the UK, achieving 12 Top 50 hit singles between 1974 and 1985.

 More than four decades on, the threesome retain their sparkling choreography and precise vocal quality, having amassed an impressive list of hit records since their first debut. Today, the line-up consists of Valerie Holiday, Helen Scott, and Freddie Pool. Valerie has been with the band since 1967, Helen since 1963 (having took a ten-year break in-between), and Freddie joined in 2011, replacing Cynthia Garrison. So it is, that after more than four decades of existence, The Three Degrees are the longest running female vocal group in history.

Their highly anticipated performance at the Jam House will see the return of hit favourites ‘Dirty Ol’ Man’, ‘TSOP’, ‘When Will I See You Again’, Year of Decision’, ‘Woman in Love’, and many, many more.

Helen Scott, Bandmember of The Three Degrees, comments: “We love the Jam House! The club lives up to its name, people really jam there. So much energy and the staff are always so friendly. I will tell you a little secret - we always get there early enough to have dinner!  A lot of venues don't have great food but the Jam House does.  And the sound is great - loud and in your face but a great atmosphere.”

72 young athletes, aged between 14-18, have been selected to represent Team England at this year’s Commonwealth Youth Games in The Bahamas.

The 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games will provide young athletes with a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable experience of a multi-sport competition to support their development.

A host of future stars will be heading to the Caribbean from 19-23 July 2017 competing in athletics, swimming, rugby 7s, beach volleyball, judo, boxing and tennis.

Notable young athletes in the squad include two-time national junior boxing champion Ivan Price, 2016 European Youth Championships Long Jump gold medallist Holly Mills and Beach Volleyball U20 British Champions Joaquin and Javier Bello, who will all have the opportunity to represent Team England for the first time.

They will follow in the footsteps of Team England and Olympic heroes Jessica Ennis-Hill, Beth Tweddle, James de Gale and Danny Care in representing England at the Commonwealth Youth Games.

The 2017 Bahamas Games will feature up to 1300 athletes who will compete across nine sports for 94 medals including Judo and Beach Volleyball for the first time.

Sarah Winckless, Chef de Mission for Commonwealth Games England said:

“I’m delighted that we will be taking such a talented group of young athletes to the Commonwealth Youth Games. For many this will be their first experience of a multi-sport Games environment and a key milestone on their pathway.

“These young athletes represent the pride of England and I know everyone back home will be wishing them all the best for the competition.

“This is the largest team we’ve sent overseas to a Commonwealth Youth Games and for the team behind the team the Commonwealth Youth Games represents an important staging post on the road to the Gold Coast next year.”

The first Commonwealth Youth Games was held in Edinburgh in 2000 and Team England has taken part in all editions since. Bahamas 2017 will be the largest international sporting event ever hosted in The Bahamas, and the largest-ever edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games.

The most recent Commonwealth Youth Games were in Samoa in 2015, when England came third in the medal table behind South Africa and Australia.

Young swimming sensation Layla Black, who claimed two gold medals at Samoa 2015 will get the chance to experience her second Commonwealth Youth Games, having been selected to represent Team England at this year’s edition.

Swimmer, Layla Black said:

“It feels great to have been selected for my second Commonwealth Youth Games. It fills me with a great sense of pride to have been chosen to represent my country again.

“I am looking forward to swimming fast, meeting new people and experiencing a new culture in the Bahamas.”

Not since Gary Linaker, in 1986, has an England goal scoring icon, signed for the Spanish giants, but England international Toni Duggan's move to Barcelona from Manchester City Women is another developing chapter in her already stellar at club and international level.

It’s fair to say that not many transfers in the women’s game get so much news attention, but this one is ground-breaking. Not quite of Gareth Bale proportions but, nevertheless, immeasurable in what it could mean for women’s football in this country and the player herself.

The 25-year-old Liverpudlian first broke into the Everton in 2007 before helping City win their first Women's Super League One title in 2016 and the 2016-17 Women's FA Cup. In 2007, a 15-year–old Duggan came off the substitute's bench to score on her debut for England Under–17s.

A regular, at every level since, she was part of England's squad for the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada - coming third in the competition and securing the bronze medal.

"I’ve had a lot of success in England and I’ve really enjoyed my time with Manchester City but I wanted to challenge myself even further by playing abroad,” Toni said. “Barcelona is one of the world’s biggest clubs and I’ve totally bought into their philosophy. I’m also looking forward to learning Spanish and living in the city."

Duggan is not only the first English footballer to join Barcelona since Lineker 31 years ago, her move confirms a new era for the women’s game, one which will be dominated by the big names of the men’s game.

A fat-fighting football weight-loss scheme for men is appealing for new players.

The MAN V FAT scheme, funded by Sandwell Council’s public health team, is starting a new league at Hadley Stadium in Smethwick next month (July). The sessions will be on Monday nights, 7-9pm.

Every week men weigh in, play football in an organised team tournament and earn bonus goals if players in their team lose weight, rewarding them for scoring both footie and weight goals.

To date, 83 men taking part in the scheme at Portway Lifestyle Centre in Oldbury have lost 80 stone - the equivalent in weight of 80 FA cups - in just 12 weeks.

Men can also get nutrition advice as part of the scheme. After 14 weeks men can choose to stay on the league to continue to play football and keep the weight off.

Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for public health and protection Councillor Elaine Costigan said: "This is a really fun, successful, appealing project to help men get fitter and shed the pounds.

“The results they’ve had so far are just incredible – I hope more men sign up for the new sessions and that they see the same great results.”