British Athletics has confirmed the appointments of Darren Campbell as Head of (short) Sprints and Relays and Tim Benjamin as Head of (long) Sprints and Relays, following an open recruitment process. The decision to split the role of Head of Sprints and Relays into long and short sprints was taken recognising the specialist expertise both candidates bring to this event group. Both roles are part time but offer full time coverage.

The key purpose of this role is to ensure high levels of engagement with targeted athlete-coach pairings and to provide support in line with the Individual Athlete Plan (IAP). As well as liaising closely with those on the World Class Programme, the position will help to support the development and transition of sprinters on the periphery of the programme. It will also ensure any specific sprint camps best prepare and deliver sprint squads into milestone target events. Both Benjamin and Campbell will begin their new roles with immediate effect.

Olympic Head Coach, Christian Malcolm said: “These are great appointments for the sport. Darren and Tim bring a wealth of experience to the roles following their successful careers in and out of the sport. I am pleased to bring them into the team as we continue to support athletes and coaches to achieve their goals during 2021 and beyond.”

Olympic 4x100m relay gold winning champion Darren Campbell said: “I’m really pleased to accept this role and work with Tim, Christian and Sara. I felt like it was the right time to get involved with the sport again. I’m excited by the new leadership and the new direction it’s headed in by putting the athlete first.

“I’ve had experience across the board competing, coaching, mentoring and mediating and understand what the athletes and their coaches will be looking for. When I was competing, I don’t feel we always got what we needed, and support wasn’t offered properly. I know I can bring that experience and help to ensure athletes have what they need to be successful.

“I’m looking forward to putting my energy into this, giving encouragement to the athletes so they can perform when they need to.”

Fellow-sprint relay legend, Tim Benjamin said: “I am delighted to be offered this role alongside Darren. I’ve remained a big fan of athletics throughout my retirement and had always wanted an opportunity to give back to my sport. I’ve had 11 years in the commercial world yet my heart has always been here.

“I had a great competitive career and have worked with world class coaches such as Jock Anderson, Tony Lester, Colin Jackson and Linford Christie. I’ve been exposed to so many differing approaches and I’ve also made my fair share of errors as an athlete which means I can bring this insight and experience to help support the athletes and coaches I work with in this role.”

Following a recruitment process for the Head of Endurance role, no appointment has been made; instead a wider and longer term strategy for endurance will be driven via a wide consultation across a range of stakeholders. Chris Jones will be seconded with the agreement of Welsh Athletics on a two-day a week basis to lead on this project in conjunction with Christian Malcolm and Sara Symington.

Rob Denmark will continue on an interim basis to act up as the main point of contact for those athletes targeting Tokyo until after the Games.

Accidental handball that leads to a goal-scoring chance or a goal for a team-mate will no longer be penalised, say football's law makers.

Ifab confirmed the change, saying it was because of the "interpretation of handball incidents" not being applied consistently. Ifab is also looking a possible change to the law regarding offsides. Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has proposed that a player should be considered onside if any part of their body that can legally score a goal is level with the second-last defender.

Fifa will also continue to test semi-automated technology to detect offside, whereby a signal is sent to the assistant referee almost instantly. The change to the handball rule is likely to be introduced in England from July 1. It will remain a handball offence if a player scores accidentally with their hand or arm, or uses their hand or arm directly before scoring.

The International Football Association Board had tightened handball laws for the start of the 2020-21 season. However, a spate of handball decisions led to fierce criticism across the game and saw English top-flight referees ordered to be less strict about their interpretations of the law.

Premier League officials were told to particularly focus on the distance an offending player is from the ball and whether he has extended his arm outside the natural body line. Ifab clarified its interpretation of the offside law, saying the definition for handball, whereby the arm ends at the bottom of the armpit, must be used when judging whether a player is offside or not.

Wenger's proposed change to the offside law is set to be trialled in lower-league Chinese football and, if successful, could then be trialled in England, Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said. "There are people who think it may lead to a more defensive game and others who think it would mean a more exciting game," Bullingham said. "Let's do the trial and find out."

Fifa will also continue to test semi-automated technology to detect offside, with a signal sent to the assistant referee almost instantly. That would leave referees and their assistants just needing to decide whether the offside player was interfering with play.

"Everyone recognises that when a goal is scored and fans have to wait to find out if it's a goal or not isn't a brilliant experience for the fans, particularly those in the stadium," added Bullingham. "We are looking at technology where a linesman will immediately know if a player is offside or not and have that communicated to them and that allows them to make an instant decision, so in theory for offside decisions there would be no need to go back to the video assistant referee."

Qatar Airways and Qatar Duty Free (QDF), the Official Airline and Retail Sponsor of the Qatar Total Open 2021, congratulate Petra Kvitova on being crowned the winner of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event in Doha after her 6-2, 6-1, victory in last night’s final. This is her second win of the prestigious annual tournament which was held at the state-of-the-art Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, and featured the presence of renowned international female tennis players.

His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to Petra Kvitova in securing the this year’s Qatar Total Open 2021 title. Over the years, Qatar Airways has been a proud sponsor of this prestigious tournament, and once again the State of Qatar continues to demonstrate its dedication toward hosting world-class sporting events. We look forward to taking part in future tennis championships for years to come.”

Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Marketing and Corporate Communications, Ms. Salam Al Shawa, said: “Qatar Airways is delighted to congratulate Petra Kvitova after her victorious performance in this year’s annual Qatar Total Open. With every passing season, we are privileged to witness world-class athletes as they entertain us, and bring people of all ages and backgrounds together through sport.”

Mr Thabet Musleh, Qatar Duty Free Vice President Operations, said: “Qatar Duty Free extends heartfelt congratulations to Petra Kvitova on her well-deserved win at the Qatar Total Open 2021.  We thank all the players for an exciting tournament. Thank you also to the WTA 500 and the Qatar Tennis Federation for bringing this global sporting event to Doha each year for spectators to enjoy both here in Qatar and across the world.”    

With its recent announcement as the Official Airline for the UEFA EURO 2020, Qatar Airways’ continues to strengthen its presence in the world of sport; with the likes of FIFA, CONMEBOL, Paris Saint-Germain, AS Roma, Boca Juniors, FC Bayern München, K.A.S. Eupen and Al Sadd SC in the carrier’s global football sponsorship portfolio, further representing its alignment with the national vision of Qatar.

Jodie Williams will be captaining the Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland this weekend.

The European and Commonwealth medallist will compete in the individual 400m for the first time at a major championship after back-to-back indoor PBs at the British Athletics European Indoor Selection Trials – 52.27 her best - saw her earn her place on the team. Williams finished fourth over 60m at the 2011 edition of the Championships and returns ten years later to compete in the 400m and 4x400m relay.

On receiving the captaincy, Williams said: “It is a huge honour to be chosen as the team captain. I was a little nervous when I was first asked but I am looking forward to it. This is my ten-year anniversary since I made a senior British team for the first time. The European Indoors (in Paris) was my first senior championships. It is cool that it has all come full circle and I am now going to be team captain.”

On her primary message to the team, especially the 15 athletes making their senior debuts for Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Torun, she said: “My biggest message would be ‘to back yourself’. It can feel quite daunting coming in as a newbie. I know I played down my aspirations on my debut, but I would say don’t do that. You have made the team in your own right, just like everyone else. Enjoy the experience and embrace it.”

On her own expectations for the championships, the 27-year-old added: “I am going there to perform. I’m a competitor, I don’t like to downplay my aspirations. It is a new event for me, but I’ll be going there to be in finals and challenge for medals. At this point in my career, that is why I’m standing on the start line.” Olympic Head Coach, Christian Malcolm added: “I’m really pleased to be announcing Jodie as the team captain of the British team for the European Athletics Indoor Championships.

She has taken herself out of her comfort zone during this indoor season, achieving an indoor PB and earning her place on the team. She has a wealth of experience to share which will be beneficial to the whole squad. I know she will lead by example, on and off the track, during the championships.”

Teenager Kelly Hodgkinson claimed her maiden European senior title as the British team added seven medals to their tally to equal their best haul at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Toruń, Poland winning two gold, four silver and six bronze medals overall. The teenager, who only turned 19 on Wednesday, timed her move around the outside perfectly to take the lead with 250m to go and held her nerve as she ramped up the pace for the final lap.

Despite a late surge from Joanna Józwik (POL), Hodgkinson kicked once again to power across the line in 2:03.88 for her maiden senior title and become the youngest British champion at the event since Marilyn Neufville in 1970. After the race, Hodgkinson exclaimed: “I’m so happy. You never quite understand the shock when it happens. You picture it in your head so many times, but when the reality comes through, it’s just a different feeling. 

“I didn’t really think about the pressure. I am only 19 and I’m still learning and there’s still things that I’m going to learn. I just wanted to keep my same relaxed state like I did in the heats and the semi-final. Me and Trevor (Painter) talked about that and we said not to change anything for the final. I just didn’t want to make any mistakes and I really believed in myself. 

“They trust my instincts. They are really letting me grow into my athlete and Jenny’s Meadows experience is there to tap into if I need it. They said to me ‘just keep the same relaxed state and you’ll know how you feel and what to do’ and that’s what I did.” Teammate Ellie Baker narrowly missed out on bronze, crossing the line fourth in 2:04.40 after a last 50m burn up with Józwik and Angelika Cichocka, with Isabelle Boffey, also making her senior British debut, sixth in 2:07.26.

There was double relay delight for the women’s and men’s 4x400m relay teams as the women’s contingent secured silver in an impressive 3:28.20, with the men’s securing bronze in 3:06.70. Andrew Pozzi became the first British man to claim a medal at the championships as he claimed silver in the 60m hurdles final, equalling his personal best in 7.43s as he cut the tape.

It was a near-flawless run from Pozzi, who got out strongly and was level with France’s Wilhem Belocian at the halfway point. The Briton clipped the fourth hurdle before a lunge for the line saw him claim silver, just 0.01s away from taking the gold. Pozzi said: “It’s an equal PB. I was actually doing really well at the start, I just lost a couple of steps in the middle. It’s a championships and the better man won, so it is what it is. I’m a bit disappointed, but I gave it everything I could”.

In the women’s equivalent, sisters Cindy Sember and Tiffany Porter secured silver and bronze to boost the British medal tally, clocking 7.89s and 7.92s respectively as Nadine Visser of the Netherlands defended her title in a world leading 7.77s. A bold front-run from Jamie Webb in the men’s 800m final saw him rewarded with a bronze in 1:46.95 following a sprint-finish.

It all came down to a sprint finish for the Briton, who had led from the first lap of the race, but as Poland’s Patryk Dobek hit the front at the bell, Webb found himself having to hold off the challenge of Adam Kszczot (POL) and Mateusz Borkowski (POL) in the final 100m on the final bend. Webb gave it his all but could not hold off the challenge of Borkowski, who pipped him to silver on the line in 1:46.90, with Dobek notching a personal best 1:46.81 for gold.

In the men’s 3000m final, Andrew Butchart and Jack Rowe came home in seventh and ninth position respectively, clocking 7:52.15 and 7:53.47 respectively, a season’s best for the latter as they found themselves playing catch-up with Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s (NOR) speed. The British duo found themselves searching for space in the final four laps, being forced to settle for seventh and ninth respectively, with Norway’s Ingebrigtsen clocking 7:48.20 for gold.

Having set a personal best 1.91m in qualifying for the women’s high jump, Emily Borthwick cleared a best of 1.85m as she finished eighth on her maiden senior Championships. The Wigan & District athlete required a third time clearance at her opening height of 1.85m to progress, but three fouls at 1.89m signalled the end of the competition.

British medallists at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships:

Gold: Keely Hodgkinson (women’s 800m), Amy-Eloise Markovc (women’s 3000m)

Silver: Holly Archer (women’s 1500m), Andrew Pozzi (men’s 60m hurdles), Cindy Sember (women’s 60m hurdles), women’s 4x400m relay

Bronze: Verity Ockenden (women’s 3000m), Jodie Williams (women’s 400m), Holly Bradshaw (women’s pole vault), Tiffany Porter (women’s 60m hurdles), Jamie Webb (men’s 800m), men’s 4x400m relay

The Rugby World Cup 2021 is set to be postponed until next year following a recommendation by governing body World Rugby. The tournament is currently scheduled to be hosted in New Zealand between 18 September and 16 October. A final decision is expected after the Rugby World Cup board and World Rugby's executive committee consider the recommendation on March 8 and 9. World Rugby said that the challenging Covid landscape influenced its decision.

It added: "It has become clear in recent discussions with key partners including New Zealand Rugby, the New Zealand government and participating unions, that, given the scale of the event and the Covid-19 related uncertainties, it is just not possible to deliver the environment for all teams to be the best that they can be on the sport's greatest stage." The country's borders are currently closed to almost all travellers and cases have recently emerged in Auckland, one of the country's host cities.

Nicky Ponsford, the Rugby Football Union's head of women's performance, said: "We are naturally disappointed but understanding of the decision.

"Player welfare has to be prioritised and ensuring teams both qualify on the pitch and can perform to their best at the tournament is also vitally important for the game."

Irish Rugby's director of women's rugby, Anthony Eddy, added: "We're obviously disappointed. We have always put player welfare at the heart of everything we do and that's never been as important as it has over the past 12 months."

New Zealand has always been viewed as one of the best places to be hosting a major sporting event in 2021, with some of the lowest Covid numbers in the world. However, hosting an additional 11 arriving Test sides and agreeing suitable quarantine arrangements has proved too much.

It is the first time the women's tournament has been hosted by a southern hemisphere nation, and it's thought the event will be rearranged for 2022.