Dive tower completion marks major milestone for Sandwell Aquatics Centre

Another significant milestone has been reached at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Smethwick after the dive tower, which will be used for the diving competition at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, was completed. The dive tower, which took five weeks to build, includes 31 separate English made, concrete pieces weighing 233 tonnes in total. The structure is 10m and took five people 2000 hours to build.

The diving competition at Birmingham 2022 will see men and women compete in the 1m and 3m springboard events and the 10m platform event, as well as the 3m springboard and 10m platform synchronised events. For the first time ever at a Commonwealth Games, there will also be mixed synchronised 3m springboard and mixed synchronised 10m platform diving included on the programme.

Team England has a great record of winning diving medals at the Commonwealth Games having previously bagged 75, including 31 golds, 22 silvers and 22 bronze medals. One of the team’s most recent diving medallists is Noah Williams, who won silver in the men’s 10m synchronised platform competition on the Gold Coast in 2018.

Noah, who is also a European bronze medallist, recently saw photos and video footage of the completed dive tower and said: “The dive tower looks so impressive, as does the whole Sandwell Aquatics Centre – it is going to be a fantastic facility to compete in and there will be lots of divers across the Commonwealth who will be really excited to see this phenomenal progress.

“Seeing the completed dive tower means that you can now start to visualise what it would be like to compete at Birmingham 2022 and I’m sure that come Games time the atmosphere inside that venue will be absolutely unreal, especially with a home crowd to support Team England.”

The Sandwell Aquatics Centre will host swimming and para swimming at the Commonwealth Games from 29 July to 3 August and the diving competition from 4 August to 8 August. With 66 medal events in total set to be held at the facility, it will be the stage for more medal moments than any other Birmingham 2022 venue.

As it is such a crucial facility for the Games, Birmingham 2022 Chief Executive, Ian Reid, has been carefully following progress over the last 18 months and said: “This is another key milestone in the construction of the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, the only brand new venue for Birmingham 2022. The progress on this facility is clear for everyone to see and it is remarkable how much has been achieved in the space of 12 months. The dive tower looks incredible and I’m sure its completion will really help to focus the minds of those divers looking to compete at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in 18 months’ time.”

The £73 million project is being funded by several partners. Sandwell Council is contributing £27 million, with £38.5 million coming from the overall Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games budget. A further £7.6 million is funded by other external partners Sport England, Black Country LEP, Sandwell Leisure Trust (SLT) and University of Wolverhampton.

Nigel Huddleston MP, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage said: "The Aquatics Centre is really taking shape and the new dive tower is another important milestone in this exciting build. The Centre will be a spectacular stage for our home nation swimmers and divers, and an important sporting legacy for the people of Sandwell."

The project is being overseen by Sandwell Council and the council’s Deputy Leader, Councillor Maria Crompton, said: “We are thrilled to be marking yet another major milestone, the completion of the 10-metre dive tower, at the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre on Londonderry Lane in Smethwick. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our construction partners who have worked diligently throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to bring this amazing venue to life.

“The completion of the dive tower marks a pivotal moment for the aquatics centre and displays this world-class facility as the host venue for the swimming and diving events for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Reaching this milestone is testament to the strong relationships we have forged with all our partners since the beginning of this project which has enabled us to deliver this project on time and on budget.”

CGF President Dame Louise Martin DBE said: “The completion of the dive tower at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre is another exciting milestone as we progress towards Birmingham 2022. I believe this state-of-the-art facility will be one of the outstanding legacies of the Commonwealth Games.

“In addition to jobs and investment for Sandwell, the local community will benefit immeasurably from having a world-class facility that has a 50m swimming pool, a 25m diving pool and a community swimming pool, in addition to seats for up to 1,000 spectators. As we begin to look optimistically ahead to the Games, I have no doubt that the Sandwell Aquatics Centre will provide the perfect stage for the world’s top athletes to showcase the very best of Commonwealth Sport.” 

Robyn Birch, is another Team England diver, who will be hoping to compete at the new centre. She said: “The dive tower looks fantastic and its completion is a really important milestone for those divers looking to compete at Birmingham 2022.

“Seeing the photos and video footage of the new centre as it develops will help to inspire me during training over the next 18 months. Gold Coast 2018 was a fantastic experience, but it would be truly amazing to compete at a home Games.”

Djokovic leads roll call of heroes to attend Laureus World Sports Awards 2025

A host of world-class sporting stars are set to descend upon Madrid for the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards later this month, including 24-time grand slam tennis champion and current ‘Laureus World Sportsman of the Year’ Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic set to compete at Australian Open with medical exemption

World number one Novak Djokovic will defend his Australian Open title later this month after receiving a medical exemption from having a Covid-19 vaccination. All players and staff at the tournament must be vaccinated or have an exemption granted by an expert independent panel.

Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open winner, has not spoken publicly about his vaccination status. The tournament begins in Melbourne on 17 January.

Djokovic wins ninth Australian Open in straight-sets Medvedev demolition

Novak Djokovic continued his dominance of the Australian Open by overwhelming an irritated Daniil Medvedev to win a record-extending ninth men's title. Top seed Djokovic won 7-5 6-2 6-2 to claim his 18th Grand Slam, leaving him two behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the men's record books.

The 33-year-old Serb has never lost a final at Melbourne Park and beating Medvedev is a third triumph in a row. Russian fourth seed Medvedev, 25, has lost both of his Grand Slam finals. After collecting the trophy, Djokovic told the Rod Laver Arena: "I love you each year more and more. The love affair keeps going."

Medvedev, who lost to Nadal in the 2019 US Open final, was tipped to push Djokovic close and win his maiden major. The Russian had reached the Melbourne final on the back of a 20-match winning streak, but floundered under the intense pressure applied by Djokovic.

Throwing racquets, poor body language and shouting angrily at his team were an illustration of how the Russian imploded in the third set, contrasting starkly with Djokovic's confident and steely exterior. Djokovic clinched the title after one hour and 53 minutes with a backhand overhead volley, falling to the blue court on his back before lapping up the acclaim of the reduced 7,500 crowd.

Djokovic roared loudly and tapped his heart, before exchanging hugs with coach Goran Ivanisevic and the rest of his support team. After thinking an abdominal injury earlier in the tournament might scupper his chances, the pride and relief of Team Djokovic was clear in their celebrations.

In-form Medvedev had, perhaps playfully, insisted "all the pressure" was on Djokovic because of his desire to chase Nadal and Federer in the battle to finish with the most men's Grand Slams titles. Maybe it was a ploy to deflect the attention off himself. Either way it did not work as Djokovic emphatically proved he is still the man to beat.

World number one Djokovic responded to Medvedev's comments with a withering tone in his assessment that the younger generation "still have a lot of work to do." He produced a masterclass of intensity, focus and execution, looking comfortable on a court he has described as a "home from home".

Djokovic, like he had in his previous three Melbourne finals, started quickly with an immediate break of serve as he looked to stamp his authority. Medvedev remain unflustered - until later in the match, at least - and continued in his attempt to drag Djokovic into some gruelling baseline exchanges. Djokovic tried to avoid long points by employing the odd drop-shot but that helped the Russian to level at 3-3.

A fascinating opening set could have swung either way, but it was the reigning champion who edged it when he unpicked Medvedev's serve again in the 12th game. History was ominous for the Russian: Djokovic had only lost five of 264 Grand Slam matches when he had won the first set.

Medvedev went into the final on the back of a 20-match winning streak and had won his past 12 matches against top-10 opponents. However, extending those runs looked unlikely once he began to implode in the second set.

After the pair exchanged breaks in the opening two games, Djokovic pounced again when a raft of unforced errors crept into Medvedev's game. He started to look a little irritated, perhaps partly because of some disruptive fans in the previous game but mainly because he could not negate Djokovic, bouncing his racquet down on the court before the Serb moved 4-1 ahead.

The racquet survived that, but not the second thud Medvedev gave it when he whacked a forehand long for 5-2. Djokovic sealed the two-set advantage with a crunching forehand which Medvedev could not handle.

Medvedev had never won after losing the opening two sets, but did fight back against Nadal at the 2019 US Open to force a decider. Negativity looked to be deep-rooted, however, and the prospect of a similar fightback looked far-fetched. There was a brief glimmer of hope at 30-30 in the seventh game of the third set, but Djokovic held for 5-2 - prodding his temple with his finger to emphasise his mental toughness - and served out to seal a one-sided win which few expected.

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Double award for in-form Raiders

Plymouth Raiders went unbeaten in the BBL Championship during March and came up just short in the BBL Trophy Final, leading to recognition for Head Coach Paul James and emerging star guard Rickey McGill.

James wins the Kevin Cadle Molten BBL Coach of the Month award for the second time this season after March saw him lead Plymouth to three league wins, which extends to eight straight going back to February and including the first two games of April, as that good run has seen them climb the table to second place.

Most impressively, Raiders scored a big road win at Newcastle Eagles which initially helped them close the gap on their title-chasing rivals - who had been in second for some time - before over-taking them early in April. It was a strong performance from Raiders, winning 85-72 while scoring 58 points in the paint, led by 16 from former Eagle Mike Morsell, and holding Eagles to their third fewest points of the season, including just 31 in the second half.

Aside from that, there were two other double-digit league wins over the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks and Manchester Giants - the first of those live on Sky Sports - where Raiders showed character to emerge from half time team talks with big second half performances to overturn early deficits - something that they have continued to do since. They beat Sheffield 50-32 in the second half, and Manchester by an even better 52-27.

James' team has a clear identity and style, as the league's leading defence conceding just 75 points per game at only 41% from the field, also giving up the fewest points in the paint (30.5) of any team. They are also aggressive offensively, as by far the league's leaders in free-throw attempts at 24 per game - five higher than the next team - and offensive rebounds with 12 per game.

Raiders have also come through adversity in the month, winning games despite injuries to key players such as Prince Ibeh, Michael Ochereobia and Chris Porter-Bunton, with captain Ashley Hamilton also returning to the team from an injury lay-off.

Even in their only defeat in March, to London Lions in the BBL Trophy Final, Raiders characteristically showed great fight to almost come back from a big early deficit, falling just short of a first piece of BBL silverware since 2007.

The catalyst for Raiders on numerous occasions has been American guard Rickey McGill, who has averaged an amazing 25.5 points per game in March to pick up the Molten BBL Player of the Month award.

That points haul has come on amazing shooting splits of 62% from the field - on 99 attempts, or 16.5 per game as Plymouth's go-to man - as well as 47% from the three-point line and 82% at the free-throw line. He has also added five assists, four rebounds and two steals per game. Overall, he is sixth in the league in assists and seventh in steals.

He was outstanding in March's BBL Trophy run, which saw him score over 30 points in both legs of the semi-final and the final itself. He was unlucky to be on the losing team in the final, scoring 31 points on 68% shooting, including nine early in a three minute third quarter spell to bring Raiders back to within one point from a 16 point deficit.

To get to the final, he scored 63 points over two legs in just three days against Surrey Scorchers, going 24-35 (69%) from the field in a pair of comprehensive wins.

In BBL Championship play, McGill scored comfortably in double-figures in all three games, and had perhaps one of his best all-round performances to round out the month on the road at Manchester Giants, with his first double-double of 23 points and 12 assists, along with four rebounds and four steals.

On Sky Sports, he was MVP of the Sheffield game after hitting 15 of his 21 points in the second half, including a big 'and-one' play for the go-ahead basket that changed the momentum in a previously tight affair.

A busy and important April is already underway for Raiders, with wins in consecutive nights over the Easter weekend, while they also face two South West derbies with Bristol Flyers and a clash with league-leading Leicester Riders as they chase the title in this last month of the regular campaign.

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Double Olympic champion Semenya not ashamed of being different

Two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya says that she is not going to be ashamed of being different and will fight for what is right amid her ongoing dispute with athletics authorities.

Semenya, 32, was born with differences of sexual development (DSD) which mean she has an elevated level of testosterone - a hormone that increases muscle mass and strength. The South African cannot compete in female track events without taking testosterone-reducing drugs.

Caster said recently she was turning her attention to winning battles against the authorities rather than collecting medals, with competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics no longer a goal. She said it was about fighting for the upcoming generation because there are a lot of kids affected by the same ruling.

Under regulations introduced in 2018, athletes with DSD were only allowed to compete in female track events between 400m and the mile if they reduced their testosterone levels. In March, World Athletics ruled that DSD athletes must now have hormone-suppressing treatment for six months before being eligible to compete in all female events.

Semenya, who won Olympic 800m gold in 2012 and 2016 and is a three-time world champion over the same distance, said: "For me I believe if you are a woman, you are a woman.

"No matter the differences you have. I have realised I want to live my life and fight for what I think and I believe in myself. I know I am a woman and anything that comes along with it just accept it."

She ran in the 5,000m at last year's World Championships in Oregon but failed to qualify for the final. In July, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in her favour in a case related to testosterone levels in female athletes.

"At the end of the day, I know I am different,” Caster added. “I don't care about the medical terms or what they tell me.

“Being born without a uterus or with internal testicles. Those don't make me less of a woman. Those are the differences I was born with and I will embrace them. I am not going to be ashamed because I am different. I am different and special and I feel great about it.

"It comes with why we fight for women's sport. The importance of women's sport is not being taken seriously and we need to take charge of our own bodies. Decide what is right for us. Not another gender deciding what we should look like.

"If we are woman enough or not, it is up to us. We know and believe in what is right, then why must we stop." The case at the ECHR was not against sporting bodies or DSD rules - but specifically against the government of Switzerland for not protecting Semenya's rights and dates back to a Swiss Supreme Court ruling three years ago.

The ECHR found the Swiss government did not protect Semenya from being discriminated against when its Supreme Court refused to overturn a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), which upheld the World Athletics rules.

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Doubt cast on email from Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai

The head of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has cast doubt on an email released by Chinese state media attributed to tennis player Peng Shuai.

Steve Simon, chairman of the WTA, said in a statement he had a hard time believing the email was written by Ms Peng or on her behalf. One of China's biggest sporting stars, she has not been heard from since she made sexual assault allegations against a top Chinese official.

Dream team of sports stars announce launch of gruelling 100km desert trek across UAE

Sporting legends, record-breakers and Olympic heroes have been announced as the first of the sporting names taking part in the latest Laureus Challenge.

Australian cricketer Steve Waugh, British Olympic legend Chris Hoy, South African rugby icon Bryan Habana and world record mountaineer Annabelle Bond will lead a group of 100 inspirational fundraisers for the Laureus Challenge 2022, presented by Sierra Space, a 100km trek through the United Arab Emirates, from 14-19 November 2022.

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The Great Britain and Northern Ireland team got off to the perfect start at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris as Gavin Drysdale and Rafi Solaiman won gold and silver respectively in the men’s T72 100m.

Drysdale won a second world title of his career, and he was pushed all the way to achieve it by European champion Rafi Solaiman who matched his silver medal winning display from 2019. The duo take home the honours in the new FrameRunning event to start GB & NI’s march at the Championships.

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