Sports News

Tickets for this year’s Rugby World Cup matches at Villa Park may have sold out, but Birmingham residents and visitors can still experience the excitement of the tournament at the city’s official fanzone – one of just 15 around the country.

The world's biggest athletics superstar, Usain Bolt, will lead a stellar global cast at the re-opening of the London Olympic Stadium on Friday 24th July. Fans are expected to flock to the stadium to relive memories of 2012, as the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games deliver the best of the Olympics and Paralympics in three days of action-packed athletics.

41 world and 22 Olympic champions as well as 13 London 2012 Paralympic champions will re-open the Olympic Stadium with a fantastic weekend of athletics at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games on 24-26 July. Usain Bolt will be the star attraction on the Friday night of the three-day event and he will be joined by British Olympic champions Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill amongst a host of other global superstars.

Staff and customers at Blakenhall Community and Healthy Living Centre are set to complete the Tour de France – on spin bikes! They are aiming to ride 3,360 kilometres – on 2,088 miles, and the length of this year's world famous race – at the event on Tuesday, and they are inviting people to come down and either take part or cheer them on.

Sydney is set for a bumper weekend of events in August when the Bledisloe Cup clash, the Netball World Cup and The Good Food and Wine Show take place from 7-9 August, at Sydney Olympic Park. In the ultimate trans-Tasman battle, the Qantas Wallabies face off against arch rivals the New Zealand All Blacks at ANZ Stadium to try and win back the Bledisloe Cup after a 13-year drought on Saturday 8 August.

A further 22 athletes have been added to the Great Britain & Northern Ireland team heading to Eskilstuna, Sweden for the European Junior Championships on 16-19 July. Among the additions to the 55-strong team are Lina and Laviai Nielsen (coach: Frank Adams, club: Enfield & Haringey), who will join Cheriece and Shannon Hylton (John Blackie, Blackheath & Bromley) in becoming the first double set of twins to represent GB & NI at the same competition.

Howzat?! Well for these shocked London tourists, it seemed pretty alright, judging by their faces. The stunned onlookers’ were hit for six when these gorgeous swimsuit-clad models transformed Hyde Park into their own cricket wicket for a make-shift game last week.

Ping pong enthusiasts from across the midlands battled the sweltering heat last week, smashing their way through Bullring's first ever community table tennis tournament. Twelve bat-wielding teams participated in the frenzied contest, including the Hamstead Table Tennis Club, and local football team Lozell's Strikers.

Rachel Riley has revealed she will take part in the first British Cycling Breeze Challenge Event of the year as the countdown to the popular women-only rides begins. Launched successfully in 2014 with more than 800 women taking part, the Breeze Challenge Events in 2015 are scheduled to take place in Lancashire (4 Oct) and Warwickshire (20 Sept), as well as visiting Windsor (23 Aug) and the South East for the first time.   

The world’s best high jumpers will challenge the world record when they compete at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London on Friday July 24.  Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim and Bohdan Bondarenko of the Ukraine headline a strong field, which also includes Great Britain & Northern Ireland’s Olympic bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz, American Erik Kynard, and Italian Marco Fassinotti.

Premier League side, Stoke City, are to show their support for the Asian Football Confederation’s One Goal campaign during the Barclays Asia Trophy 2015. The Potters will wear shirts bearing the One Goal logo throughout the tournament in Singapore and will first wear it in the opening game of the Barclays Asia Trophy when they play Everton on Wednesday July 15.

Marston Green mum Natalie Mayo and her 10-year-old son Bradley have set themselves a five mile swimming challenge in the name of John Taylor Hospice. Between them, the dedicated duo are planning to swim five miles in five days in North Solihull Sports Centre’s swimming pool. 

At the recent Sainsbury’s Birmingham Grand Prix Adam Gemili ran 9.97 secs to become the first ever Briton to go under both 10 seconds in the 100m and 20 seconds in the 200m.  After crossing the line the 21-year-old took a fall injuring his right leg, but today said he “hopes to be back and running before the end of the season.”

Some of the world’s best sprinters will line up in the men’s 100m at what is set to be an electrifying Friday night of athletics at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games. The event at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park includes a two-day Diamond League meeting on Friday 24^th and Saturday 25^th July, with the Sainsbury’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final taking place on Sunday 26^th July.

This never-before-seen event will take place at Disneyland Paris and will include a mix of races for kids and adults. The weekend will be organized with the support of runDisney and its successful 20 years' experience in staging running events at US Disney theme parks.