Sports News

With just over a month until the London Athletics Meeting on Sunday 23 July, more than 40,000 tickets have been sold making it the biggest athletics fixture since the World Athletics Championships London 2017. The tenth stop of the Wanda Diamond League series will see the event return to the London Stadium for the first time since 2019 and the best athletes in the world are lining up to compete in the series’ most prestigious fixture.

Several Paralympic medallists will be heading to the London Athletics Meet on Sunday 23 July, joining a stellar programme of events. Five para events will be included in the programme alongside the Wanda Diamond League events, with many of those athletes set to compete returning from the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships which take place in Paris one week prior.

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for November’s (5) IAU 50km World Championships in Hyderabad, India, has been announced with seven athletes set to represent at the 2023 edition of the Championships following medal success at the Europeans in 2022.

Andrew Davies – the individual bronze medallist at the 2022 European Championships - returns to the fold as a member of the men’s quartet. He was also part of the gold medal winning men’s team at the Europeans, as was Will Mycroft who will receive his second GB & NI vest at the Championships.

Edgbaston’s status amongst the world's leading cricket venues has been underlined after the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the stadium will host major men’s and women’s international fixtures until 2031.

ECB’s home international schedule – covering the period from 2025-31 – includes a mouth-watering selection of Tests, ODIs and IT20s at the stadium. And it promises to bring a much-welcomed economic boost to the city’s hotels, bars and restaurants – estimated at around a quarter of a billion pounds over the seven years – as well as promoting the West Midlands on a global stage. 

Rhasidat Adeleke moved to 20th in the all-time list for the women's 400m as she won the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) title in the US after smashing her own Irish record by 0.34 seconds in Texas by triumphing in 49.20 seconds.

US star Britton Wilson was the strong favourite for the final but had to settle for second spot in 49.64. Adeleke's win saw her become the first Irish victor at the NCAAs since 2006.

Professional golfer, Richard Mansell, achieved a world-first by completing a hair-raising trick shot from the roof of the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, onto the Old Turn Junction Island in the middle of the Birmingham Canal.  

The daring “No Risk, No Reward” trick shot has brought the iconic Belfry Brabazon Course’s 10th hole water hazard to an eager crowd in Birmingham City Centre in anticipation of what’s to come at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo from 29th June-2nd July. Birmingham City Centre, the home of more canals than Venice, made the perfect backdrop to host a reimagining of the internationally-renowned Brabazon water hazard which regularly challenges the most seasoned of professionals.  

On the heels of the recently announced NBA Basketball School in Costa Navarino, a celebratory event took place on Thursday, June 8 to commemorate the unique collaboration. NBA Legend Joakim Noah, along with NBA Executives and NBA International Basketball Operations staff, were present to mark the occasion.

The special event included on-court programming and interaction with 13-year NBA veteran Joakim Noah, an autograph session and basketball clinics focused on the fundamentals of the game including footwork, ball-handling, shooting, team concepts, and halfcourt 3x3 competitions. The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy was also on display to coincide with the 2023 NBA Finals currently taking place featuring the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat. 

Thousands of Manchester City fans gathered to celebrate their team's historic Treble as they staged an open-top bus parade through the city as blue flares were set off and fans threw inflatable bananas in the air as several of the players went shirtless in the heavy rain. Manager Pep Guardiola was seen puffing on a cigar as fans climbed lampposts.

The parade was delayed by lightning storms. City beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final. Guardiola said: "We had to have rain as this is Manchester. The fans are used to the rain." It comes after the club clinched the Premier League and FA Cup this season.

With less than a month to go until hundreds of athletes from around the world gather together at California State University, Sacramento, to bring hope, healing, and inspiration to communities around the globe struggling with homelessness, the Homeless World Cup and Street Soccer USA today unveiled the Sacramento 2023 Homeless World Cup logo, slated to represent this tournament’s inaugural trip to the United States.

“We are truly excited that the Homeless World Cup will be played in the United States – in Sacramento - for the first time in its 20-year history. From Paris to Cardiff and Melbourne to Cape Town, this world class tournament has been played in some exceptional cities and venues to bring awareness and understanding to this global issue– homelessness,” said Mel Young, Co-Founder and President of the Homeless World Cup Foundation. 

Keely Hodgkinson broke the British record to win the women's 800m at the Paris Diamond League as Faith Kipyegon stunned the crowd by claiming the 5,000m world record. THE British Olympic and world silver medallist won with a time of one minute 55.77 seconds, almost three seconds quicker than the field.

Kipyegon then dominated her race with a time of 14 minutes 5.20 seconds. It was her second world record in a week. The Kenyan smashed the 1500m world record in Florence seven days ago with a time of 3:49.11.

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad for the European Team Championships has just been announced. The first division match at the Championships, held in Silesia, Poland on the 23-25 June 2023, will see Great Britain and Northern Ireland go up against 15 other countries across the three days of competition.

UK Athletics has selected a full team with the aim of achieving the highest team placing possible at this Championships, whilst providing development opportunities for a number of athletes.

The Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan and Britain’s Eilish McColgan will go head-to-head in an intriguing women’s 5000m at the London Athletics Meet on Sunday 23 July. Double Olympic gold medallist – and recent TCS London Marathon champion – Hassan returns to the track after her fine form on the roads to set up an exciting 5000m contest at the London Stadium.

She has been one of the most successful endurance athletes in the sport’s history, winning global medals in distances ranging from 1500m up to 10,000m, with her triple medal-winning display at the Tokyo 2020 Games [gold in the 5000m and 10,000m, and bronze in the 1500m] further cementing her place in the athletics hall of fame. Her recent success on the roads, with a superb and popular win at the London Marathon in April, further showed her versatility across the distances.

Warwickshire Cricket is celebrating Pride Month by organising the country’s first ever national LGBTQ+ cricket tournament. Teams representing five professional county clubs – Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Middlesex and Northamptonshire – will compete in a round-robin event at Sutton Coldfield CC on Sunday (11 June).

There are only two LGBTQ+ cricket clubs in the UK – including Lapworth-based Birmingham Unicorns – and it’s hoped the inaugural competition will encourage participation across the Network. Warwickshire and the Unicorns have developed a strong partnership since the side formed in 2020 and squad members have benefitted from coaching sessions at Edgbaston’s indoor centre from Bears’ staff and players.

The British Basketball League (BBL) have announced the appointment of Elliot Stein as the League’s new Commercial Director. He joins the BBL with exceptional experience within the sports business sector, having most recently held the position of Director of Business Development at B+A. During this time he cultivated relationships with clients such as Nike, Pinterest, Foot Locker, Ubisoft, Meta and many more, where Stein was intrinsic in generating new business and increasing revenue.

Spanish sporting sensation Marc Márquez, is a self-described natural competitor. In the past 10 years, he has won 59 MotoGP races, and claimed six titles in the premier class. Before that came 26 wins in the feeder 125cc (now Moto3) and Moto2 classes, resulting in a world championship title in each. His limitless appetite for competition was an unstoppable force, until an injury in the first race of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship series threatened to end his career at its peak. “Since I was a kid, it was never enough,” said Márquez.

Young footballers are kicking their half term holiday into touch to lead a green energy project which is building their own employability skills while future-proofing their community club. The 15 teenagers are spending their school holidays working on engineering solutions to tackle their club’s sustainability challenges thanks to an innovative collaboration.

The youngsters, aged 12-14, are building wind turbines and solar panels, and looking at irrigation options as part of investigating what solutions will work best for their club. The ‘Greener than Green’ project at Cleator Moor Celtic Football Club in Cumbria has been made possible by a range of diverse businesses, from one-person start-ups to major multinationals, collaborating with the community to help give the young people skills which will help them find future employment.