Sports News

Governments from 32 Commonwealth countries have taken the historic step of committing to align their national sports policies to the Sustainable Development Goals, in order to gear investments in sport towards positive outcomes in health, education, gender equality and justice. At the Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting in Rio de Janeiro the governments also endorsed a set of far-reaching Commonwealth policy proposals to protect against threats such as doping, match fixing and other forms of corruption, while introducing safeguards to protect children, promote equality and end discrimination.

An 18-strong British team has been selected for September’s World Mountain Running Championships (Uphill) in Sapareva Banya, Bulgaria. The senior women’s quartet includes international gold medallists on the mountain running scene with newly crowned European (up and down) champion Emily Collinge, and world long distance mountain running champion Annie Conway contributing to one of the most formidable squads heading to the championships.

Qatar Airways is cheering on Team Qatar athletes as the official airline partner of the largest-ever Qatari Olympic team. The men and women will compete in beach volleyball, equestrian, boxing, swimming, athletics, weightlifting, shooting, judo, handball and table tennis. As the official airline of Team Qatar the carrier is also sponsoring Bayt Qatar, a hospitality house designed to provide a Qatari cultural element to the events.

Fans of American Football will get the opportunity to soak up the US ultimate game-day experience on Sydney soil when the inaugural College Football Sydney Cup brings marching bands, mascots, cheerleaders, all-American food and spectacular football to Sydney's ANZ Stadium on 27 August 2016. The inaugural College Football Sydney Cup is the first round in the official 2016 NCAA College Football Championships and will see the University of California, Berkeley (Cal Bears) and the University of Hawaii (Rainbow Warriors) meet for the first time outside of the United States.

Commonwealth governments will gather in Rio de Janeiro on the eve of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games to push for greater recognition of sport as a vehicle to deliver global development goals, such as on health and education. At the Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting, the government representatives are expected to deliver a powerful statement of intent on how sports policy can help achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was agreed by world leaders almost a year ago.

After joining the elite Lords bowling list in the last Test, all eyes will be on Chris Woakes as he makes his home debut in an England Test team against a much-fancies Pakistan at Edgbaston.  With him now cementing his place in the side this, surprisingly, sees the locally-born star playing in his first 5-day international match at his Warwickshire home ground and in surroundings which he would know – every nook and cranny.

Swimming is one of those skills every one of every age should master and there are few better ways to take the plunge than during a break at the Budock Vean Hotel on Cornwall's Helford River. The luxury hotel has teamed up with expert coach Len Hatcher to provide lessons for all ages and abilities starting in their own pool and graduating to open waters including the hidden creeks and coves of the Helford and the surrounding coastline.

Jessica Ennis-Hill has been named as the British athlete people would most like to go on a walk with. Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, asked its social media followers and staff to nominate the British athlete – past or present – they’d most like to go on a 20 minute walk with. The top ten were then put out to over 2000 members of the public in a YouGov poll.

Inspired to take to two wheels by Chris Froome's victory in the Tour de France, and the Prudential RideLondon event this weekend? Head to the Surrey Hills - where champion Froome will participate in RideLondon-Surrey Classic on Sunday 31 July. Froome, cycling icon Sir Bradley Wiggins and Team GB have stayed at family-run Foxhills to train in the surrounding Surrey hills and countryside.

This must surely be the most beautiful clubhouse in the world. This is the view that greets golfers arriving to play a round or two at Imperial Springs' recently opened private 27-hole championship golf course. Its 28,000 square meters, architected in the Tang Dynasty style in keeping with the rest of Imperial Springs, offer an impressive indication of what lies beyond, including 180-degree panoramic views from the balcony.

Team GB’s badminton squad and some of Europe’s finest players were preparing for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena. Cllr Ian Ward, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, met some of the players during a break in training including Kirsty Gilmour and Rajiv Ouseph, to wish them well in Rio. The training camp was arranged at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, home of the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships, to give Team GB’s players the opportunity to train with many of Europe’s top players from across all five events.

Sense, the national deafblind charity, has beenawarded a grant of £424,958 from Sport England to increase opportunities for people with deafblindness to participate in sport and physical activity through its ‘Sporting Sense’ project. Sense will use the investment to continue developing a wide range of physical activity programmes for England’s growing deafblind population, who are among the hardest to reach within the disability sector.

Leicester Riders' British forward Anthony Rowe has announced that he will depart following four seasons and having won multiple pieces of silverware with Riders. "I've been trying to avoid this decision for quite some time now." Rowe confessed. "Three knee surgeries later would suggest that I have escaped the grasps of retirement on several occasions. But now it's finally time to accept it. I am sad to leave the game that I love, but I am very excited for a new career. My mind is saying play another decade or two, but my knees are saying no more!"

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that Birmingham's Edgbaston Stadium has been awarded England's first Test Match of the Investec Series against the West Indies from Thursday 17 to Monday 21 August. Edgbaston already has five prestigious fixtures - including India v Pakistan, England v Australia and a semi-final - confirmed in 2017's ICC Champions Trophy and will also host NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day for the fifth consecutive year on Saturday September.

On his first return to international competition for three years, triple jumper Nathan Douglas has been announced as captain of the British Athletics team for the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 6-10 July. Discus thrower Jade Lally will lead out a 97-strong team at the Olympic Stadium on 6 July, having been bestowed with the honour of Flag Bearer for the British Athletics team at the Opening Ceremony.

Black Country Chamber of Commerce held their fourth annual 5 a-side football competition at Powerleague Halesowen. The event was co-ordinated to take place on the eve of the start of the Euro 2016 competition and the teams all played in colours to represent the participating countries. Before the 16 teams kicked off Hannah Fahy from Macmillan Cancer Support introduced Male Cancer Awareness week and some of the teams pledged to put up posters and support Macmillan through a workplace Euro sweepstake.