Sports News

Tom Paulson has been appointed as the Head of Paralympic Performance at UK Athletics following the completion of an open recruitment process which included a para athlete representative.

Paulson, who will take his post in mid-August, will join UK Athletics from the English Institute of Sport (EIS) where he has held the post of Head of Paralympic Performance Support since 2017, working at the British Paralympic Association as Head of Performance for Tokyo 2020, and Deputy Chef de Mission for Beijing 2022.

The University of Wolverhampton has launched a new Performance Pathway Training Programme to support the transition onto the British Judo World Class Performance Programme (WCPP).

The long-standing relationship between the University of Wolverhampton and British Judo continues to thrive, with British Judo relocating its Head Office to the Walsall Campus alongside its Performance Team.

The Professional Fighters League, the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, have announced two major back-to-back 2022 Playoffs will be hosted in Cardiff and London this summer in partnership with Live Nation, the world’s largest music and entertainment promoter.  

MMA fans in the United Kingdom for the first time ever will experience the greatest fighters on the planet compete in the PFL’s win-and-advance season format. 

The British Basketball League (BBL) and Women’s British Basketball League (WBBL) have both announced the renewal of its partnership with exclusive apparel sponsor Kappa.

The worldwide sportswear company has continued their significant commitment to supporting the league, with this latest deal ensuring the BBL is Kappa’s longest standing UK based partner.

Birmingham 2022 has passed a significant milestone on the journey towards the Commonwealth Games this summer, as it successfully delivered its first official public test events. 

Happening on the same day in two different parts of the region, the Müller Birmingham Diamond League event at Alexander Stadium, and the ‘Prep the Pool’ swimming event at the newly built Sandwell Aquatics Centre were both safely and successfully delivered.

Forestry Commission Chair, Sir William Worsley officially opened the impressive new cycling facilities at Forestry England Cannock Chase Forest. Showcased at the event was ‘Perry’s Trail’, an off-road trail for intermediate riders which is going to be used as the backbone of the course that will host the mountain bike competition at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games this summer.

British athletes shone at their home Müller Birmingham Diamond League as Dina Asher-Smith, Laura Muir, Matt Hudson-Smith, Keely Hodgkinson and the women’s 4x100m relay took victory while there were also six world leads set at an impressively renovated Alexander Stadium.

Asher-Smith held strong in the women’s 100m – and was impressive as the British women set a world lead in the 4x100m relay – and Birmingham’s own Hudson-Smith also immoveable in the men’s 400m.

Biniam Girmay made history as the first Black African winner of a Grand Tour stage - but then had to go to hospital after an accident while celebrating. Eritrea's Girmay, 22, beat Mathieu van der Poel in a sprint for the line to win stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia.

But he missed a post-race news conference to go for a hospital check-up after hitting himself in his left eye with a prosecco cork on the podium.

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland U20 team has been announced today for the Loughborough International which is taking place on Sunday 22 May. With the World Athletics U20 Championships taking place in Cali, Colombia this summer, selection provides an excellent opportunity for athletes to gain valuable experience in an international environment.

Leicester Riders ended the season in spectacular style by lifting the BBL play-off trophy with a 78-75 win over London Lions in a quite exhilarating final at The 02 Arena. The Riders capped a memorable campaign off in front a British Basketball League record crowd of 15,824, with an incredible atmosphere inside the arena. The showpiece event was also enjoyed by many more watching live on Sky Sports.

Reigning world and Commonwealth heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR) will compete in the long jump at the Müller Birmingham Diamond League on Saturday 21 May.

The 29-year-old, who is ranked third on the British all-time list for long jump with a personal best of 6.93m (indoors), is also a world indoor pentathlon champion (2018), world indoor long jump silver medallist (2014) and European Championships silver medallist (2018); her outdoor best is 6.92m.

London Lions ended the season in spectacular style by lifting the WBBL play-off trophy with a 70-45 win over Sevenoaks Suns at London’s 02 Arena.

The Lions completed the domestic quadruple in front of a Women’s British Basketball League record crowd of 10,928 with an incredible atmosphere in the arena as the fans witnessed an exhilarating finale.

With four days to go until the Müller Birmingham Diamond League on Saturday 21 May, a host of global athletics stars – including several Olympic and Paralympic champions - are set to descend upon the newly renovated Alexander Stadium in Birmingham as start lists have gone live.

Australian cricket mourned the loss of another of their greats with the passing of all-rounder Andrew Symonds, who died after being involved in a car crash. The all-rounder, who played 26 Tests, 198 one-day internationals and 14 Twenty20s at international level - between 1998 and 2009 - is another significant loss for Australian cricket, following the deaths of former wicketkeeper Rod Marsh and legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne earlier this year.

Ahead of the first ever eSkootr Championship (eSC) race in London, industry leaders and policy makers gathered today at the first New Mobility Forum to discuss the opportunities and challenges lying ahead for the micromobility sector. 

The event, which was organised by the Commission for Micromobility & Sport in partnership with Zag Daily opened with an address from eSC’s Co-founder Alex Wurz followed by a keynote from Thomas Ableman, Director of Innovation at Transport for London.

Coverage of the inaugural eSkootr Championship (eSC) will be shown across the USA and in Canada on Segi TV throughout the 2022 season. Segi TV is a free on-demand streaming service available in over 100 million households in America, showcasing diverse and underrepresented content.