Top European athletes set to shine as EuroHeroes series arrives in South Bohemia

The 13th edition of the Mattoni Half Marathon České Budějovice is just a few days away.

Top European athletes set to shine as EuroHeroes series arrives in South Bohemia

The 13th edition of the Mattoni Half Marathon České Budějovice is shortly on us.

Tour 21 team reach £500k with 100 days to go

A team of 25 amateur cyclists will begin riding the full 21 stages of the 2021 Tour de France route, one week ahead of the professionals in exactly 100 days. The Tour 21, which takes place from Saturday 19^th June – Sunday 11^th July, aims to raise in excess of £1,000,000 for national blood cancer charity Cure Leukaemia and the team are halfway to their fundraising total after recently surpassing £500,000.

Cure Leukaemia, which was announced as the first ever official Charity Partner of the Tour de France in the UK for the next three years, recorded a £1,500,000 fundraising shortfall in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and The Tour 21 team, which was increased from 20 to 25 riders after this event’s postponement last summer, aim to help the charity address this shortfall in funding by completing all 3,384km of the world’s most famous and prestigious professional cycling event.

All funds raised by The Tour 21 team will be invested in the national Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP) which has been solely funded by Cure Leukaemia since January 2020. TAP is a network of specialist research nurses at 12 blood cancer centres located in the UK’s biggest cities and a facilitatory hub based at the Centre for Clinical Haematology in Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This network enables accelerated setup and delivery of potentially life-saving blood cancer clinical trials to run giving patients from a UK catchment area of over 20 million people access to treatments not currently available through standard care.

Leading the team on his final Tour de France challenge is ex-England footballer, blood cancer survivor and Cure Leukaemia Patron Geoff Thomas, 56, who said: “We all know that this event will be gruelling and will test us to the limits both physically and mentally but the reason we are doing it is to raise over £1,000,000 for Cure Leukaemia to claw back the £1,500,000 fundraising shortfall the charity suffered. However tough the challenge is for us it is nothing compared to what blood cancer patients have to go through and I know that from personal experience.

“I am delighted that, as a team, we have reached the halfway mark with our fundraising, but we must keep our foot down now to ensure we can set off from Brittany on June 19^th knowing that we have exceeded £1,000,000 to sustain the TAP network and give hope to the 38,000 people diagnosed with blood cancer in the UK each year.”

Cure Leukaemia Chief Executive James McLaughlin continued: “It is fantastic to see The Tour 21 team reaching £500,000 raised this far out from the start of the event but after such a challenging year in 2020. With a range of sponsorships opportunities still available for this event

including the jersey, team bus and comprehensive video content of the whole 21 stage event, it would be great if companies worldwide could support Geoff and the team surpass their fundraising target.

“With this being Geoff’s final major cycling challenge, we encourage everyone who has supported him over the years can do so once again to ensure he can hang up his cleats knowing this team has made a huge impact for blood cancer patients across the UK.”

Tour de France and Olympics winner, Thomas, in emotional goodbye as retires in home city

Geraint Thomas ended his illustrious cycling career with an emotional finish to the Tour of Britain in his hometown of Cardiff on Sunday as the 2018 Tour de France champion, who also won two Olympic gold medals on the track, was given a given a guard of honour before the start of the final stage.

Tour de France legend Froome suffers serious crash in France

Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has been airlifted to hospital after sustaining multiple injuries in a crash in southern France.

Tour de France set for all-French route for first time since 2020

Trail race athletes selected for the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships

Several trail athletes have been selected to compete for Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubia, Austria on 6-10 June 2023. In the first wave of selections, eight athletes have been selected to represent the country in the long trail race, while four athletes have been pre-selected for the short trail race with the rest of the squad announced in May.

Trailblazing women’s cricket clothing brand calls for ambassadors

Pioneering female clothing brand, Maiden Cricket, is on the lookout for brand ambassadors to step up to the wicket and help drive the future of women’s cricket. 

Travis Smyth looks to maintain momentum at International Series Vietnam

Playing on The International Series has brought the best out of Travis Smyth, following recent qualification for The Open at Royal Liverpool and he is hoping his recent consistent form can continue in Vietnam this week.

The Australian has had a blistering start to the 2023 season on the Asian Tour, recording three top 10 finishes at the Saudi International, International Series Qatar and most recently at the World City Championship in Hong Kong.

Trayvon Bromell leads world-class 100m line-up at The Müller British Grand Prix in Gateshead

Trayvon Bromell, the fastest man in the world this year, is part of a mouth-watering men’s 100m field at the Müller British Grand Prix in Gateshead on Tuesday 13^th July. The 25-year-old holds the world-leading mark for 100m in 2021 with 9.76 and he recently won the US Olympic trials in style.

But at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in North East England in less than a fortnight he takes on Olympic bronze medallist Andre De Grasse of Canada plus British athletes Adam Gemili, CJ Ujah, Zharnel Hughes and Reece Prescod. The power-packed line-up also includes Fred Kerley, who ran 9.86 for third place behind winner Bromell at the US Olympic trials last month.

Bromell said: “I am really enjoying my season so far and looking forward to racing 100 metres at the Müller British Grand Prix on 13^th July. I remember running in northern England at a street athletics event in Manchester five years ago and the support was great from the fans so I am hoping there will be similar atmosphere in Gateshead.” Back in 2016 Bromell won the world indoor 60m title and was touted as a successor to Usain Bolt, but injury struck and he spent time on the side-lines before rediscovering his form this year with a streak of victories and fast times.

De Grasse will prove tough opposition, though. The 26-year-old took silver behind Bolt in the 200m at the Rio Olympics and won 100m and 4x100m bronze at those Games as well, whereas he has been in fine form in 2021.

British sprinters will have home support, though. Gemili won the national 200m title last weekend and he said: “After the Müller British Athletics Championships in Manchester I’m looking forward to racing in front of a home crowd again, this time over 100 metres in Gateshead.

“It will be good to test myself against some of the best sprinters in the world too on the eve of the Olympic Games.” Such is Gemili’s ability, he has broken 10 seconds for 100m and 20 seconds for 200m and finished fourth in the Olympic 200m final.

Ujah, meanwhile, won the British 100m title last weekend and he has a best of 9.96, whereas Hughes is the European 100m champion and his best is 9.91. They are all on their way to the Olympics as well after being named in the British squad this week.

In addition, Prescod is part of Team GB in Tokyo and after a spell of injuries he is hoping to return to the kind of form that saw him run 9.94 for 100m in 2018. Elsewhere, British star Dina Asher-Smith will be racing over 200m in Gateshead while Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands will compete in the women’s mile.

Johannes Vetter of Germany could give Jan Zelezny’s world record a scare in the javelin if conditions are good, while the women’s pole vault sees British record-holder Holly Bradshaw taking on Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi, world outdoor champion Anzhelika Sidorova, world indoor gold medallist Sandi Morris and world leader in 2021 Katie Nageotte. Gateshead staged the first Wanda Diamond League event of 2021 in May after it was moved from Rabat in Morocco to the North East of England and now, on 13^th July, the same venue will host the seventh Diamond League of the season.

Treble-winning hero, Yorke, takes charge of T&T

Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke has just been named as head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago national team ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifying.

Tribute paid to footballer Cody Fisher

Schoolchildren have formed a guard of honour in memory of a footballer who was stabbed to death on a nightclub dancefloor on Boxing Day.

There was also a minute's silence for Cody Fisher at his club's match. The Stratford Town game was the first since his death at the Crane venue in Digbeth, Birmingham.

Tributes pour in for Arsenal legend, Campbell and Millwall keeper, Sarkic

Tributes from the world of football to Kevin Campbell show he was "hugely popular" and an "amazing character", England boss Gareth Southgate said.

Tributes pour in for football’s Terry Venables

Terry Venables was described by many as the best English coach with Gary Lineker leading tributes to his Barcelona and Tottenham boss, saying that Venables' death - which came after a long illness - had hit him hard.

Tributes still pouring in for the ‘voice of football’, Motty

Many people from around the world are still paying their much-deserved respect to the legendary commentator John Motson OBE. Having spent an illustrious 50-year career as the sport’s leading wordsmith - ostensively with the BBC - the ‘voice of football’, popularly known as 'Motty', covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships and 29 FA Cup finals.

Trinidad gears up for ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2024 with just days to go

The countdown is on! With just 100 days until the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2024 kicks off, Tourism Trinidad has joined in igniting the celebrations with a Launch Activation at the C3 Centre in San Fernando.

Trio of relay Gold medals for GB & NI on final day at the European U20 Championships

The British team wrapped up the European Athletics U20 Championships by winning a trio of relay medals in majestic fashion to end the event top of the medal table with 12 overall; six gold, one silver and five bronze medals.

Trio ruled out of England series

India's Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan have been ruled out of the Test series against England because of injury.

Opening batsman Gill returned home to India after suffering a shin injury in June's World Test Championship final defeat by New Zealand. All-rounder Sundar misses out with a finger injury, while fast bowler Khan fractured his thumb in a warm-up match.

Batsmen Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav have been named as replacements. The pair have been called up from India's second-string squad which is currently playing Twenty20 series in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has linked up with the squad in England after recovering from Covid-19, while bowling coach Bharat Arun and Wriddhiman Saha and Abhimanyu Easwaran have completed their period of isolation. The first Test in the five-match series begins on August 4 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

India's squad: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav.

Tutton and Heard soar on their senior debuts at the European Team Championships

On the opening day of the European Team Championships, two Great Britain & Northern Ireland (GB&NI) debutants put on a royal performance in the pole vault staged in front of the Royal Palace in the blazing Madrid heat.

TV skills bootcamp broadening horizons for para skier Griffith

International para skier Mackenzie Griffith is going from strength to strength after completing a film and TV skills bootcamp that has opened up the option of an alternative, but still exciting, career behind the camera.

Mackenzie, who identifies as non-binary, joined the GB para team after being talent spotted at the age of 15 and is now hoping to make the GB elite team by the end of this season and the national team for the 2026 Olympics in Milan and Cortina. The 23-year-old from Moseley, Birmingham, decided to undergo the Host Broadcast Training Scheme (HBTI) bootcamp in 2021, so they had something to fall back on if their Olympics dream failed to come true.

The bootcamp is run by Create Central, a trade body set up to turbo-charge the region’s film, TV and games industries and a partner of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) which also funds the skills courses. Mackenzie’s skiing career is an inspiring one, marked by dogged determination and natural ability while having cerebral palsy with hemiplegia on their right side.

This has affected muscle tone and strength from head to toe, weakening their right side including their torso, chest, leg and arm. Mackenzie said: “I was born at just 23 weeks and the doctors told my parents I had a 6% chance of survival. After heart and eye surgery, and a lengthy stay in the neonatal unit, I am most definitely a survivor!

“I learnt to walk aged two and to ski at three. My disability has fuelled, not hindered my determination in life. I am physically impaired, and therefore my official international skiing classification is LW 9.1, the more severe classification of someone with both a leg, and arm impairment.

“These challenges have fuelled my determination and desire to go for anything I want, even if one involves throwing myself down a hill at speed. What I most enjoy about being active is that skiing is exhilarating and has given me a sense of freedom, helped me enormously with my self-esteem, and allowed me to develop my independence.”

Funded by the WMCA, Create Central works to encourage the region’s screen industry to discover new talent, or to encourage people from other careers to diversify into the TV industry*. Talking about their decision to enrol, Mackenzie said: “I wanted to make sure I wasn’t limiting myself to sport.

“Being involved in the bootcamps offered by Create Central has meant I have developed the skills I need to get involved in the TV industry. I love being in front of a screen as an athlete but also enjoy getting behind the scenes to find out about how it all comes together. Thanks to Caroline Officer my tutor and to Emma Riley from Shine TV for supporting me through this training.”

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA Chair, said: “A key part of our regional agenda is to ensure local people right across our region have the skills they need to succeed. 

“That’s why it’s great to hear Mackenzie’s inspiring personal story - a driven athlete who has overcome challenges whether as a competitor or embarking on a television production career. Mackenzie’s decision to take advantage of the training offer from Create Central is testament to the quality of skills bootcamps available here in the West Midlands. I look forward to seeing many more young people benefitting from bootcamps - boosting their confidence and making the most of their talents in the months and years ahead.” 

The WMCA’s portfolio holder for productivity and skills and leader of Coventry City Council, Councillor George Duggins, said: “It is really encouraging to hear Mackenzie’s experience. I would always advise young people to keep their options open and continue to develop their skills.

“Taking part in this bootcamp has meant that Mackenzie has done just that. I wish them all the very best in their future career both as an athlete and in TV.” Having already been involved in the Great British Menu in September 2021, an opportunity that came because of their involvement in the bootcamp, Mackenzie hopes to be involved in further TV productions.

“I’m really excited about the move of the Masterchef production from London to Birmingham. The Commonwealth Games showed that we deserve the recognition as a city – I had an amazing time working as a Logger during the Games for Lawn Bowls.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the Birmingham film and TV industry boom with new commissions and productions coming our way!” Encouraging others looking for success Mackenzie says: “My top tip for other people trying to get into the TV industry is that it is similar to sport – you’ll get rejections but just keep on going and you’ll get there eventually.

“No athlete was a pro or expert at the beginning. We train all year round to work on our craft, so keep on going and practicing. Network with people, keep knocking on doors and one will open eventually.” Mackenzie is also a personal trainer and comes from a family of keen skiers - both parents and elder sister ski and have encouraged them to be competitive.

More recently he went to live in Canada for eight months where they won four medals (three bronze, one silver) in the Canadian and American Nationals, before returning home in June 2023. They were part of a new high performance structured training program called Canadian Para Snowsport Training Centre running out of CADS Alberta, in Cochrane, Alberta.

This will be where they will be returning this season. Mackenzie hopes to be part of the Winter Olympics in 2026 by getting the points needed to join the GB elite team and will start training for that from October this year, but alongside this they will continue to develop their involvement in TV production.

Mackenzie is currently looking for local sponsorship as they are entirely self-funded.

*A key objective of the Create Central bootcamps is to develop an alternative training model to address industry skills’ shortages and gaps and recruitment for bootcamps focuses on democratising access for all and actively engages with underrepresented groups. The bootcamp Mackenzie took part in was delivered by Solihull College and was Create Central's HBTI Commonwealth Games Bootcamp with Sunset and Vine.