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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.”

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.

With her cousins Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari, being international wrestlers and Commonwealth Games medalists as well, India is celebrating a ‘new fighting spirit’ with wrestler Vinesh Phogat. Now, coming from a successful family of wrestlers, she is the first Indian woman wrestler to win Gold in both Commonwealth and Asian games.

A world championships bronze medallist in 2019, she was the first Indian woman to win gold at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games. For many of today’s young hopefuls her story is an inspiration, the latest among a growing number.

The 26-year-old, who comes from a small village in the northern state of Haryana (who has markedly fewer females than males), had an upbringing that was very different. Her uncle decided that all the family's daughters should take up wrestling - which attracted opposition and controversy.

Phogat recalls: "All hell broke loose in the village when my uncle starting training us girls in the early 2000s. People called him and us names. My sisters and I all had short cropped hair and so we would wear shorts in the village and practise.

"Ladies would come up to my mother and say 'tell your daughter to at least cover her legs'. My mother would also feel ashamed, but we fought back collectively. And the international medals proved everyone wrong."

Back then, only two decades ago, there were far fewer icons to watch out for. Now she is one of many modern figures showcasing the rising spirit of Indian sportswomen.

Phogat was six-years-old when she watched on TV as Karnam Malleswari won India's first Olympic medal in female competition: a weightlifting bronze at the Sydney Olympics. “The date is still etched in my memory too” she says, as it became a watershed moment for women's sport in India.

Since then four more Indian women have claimed Olympic success; boxer Mary Kom, wrestler Sakshi Malik, and badminton stars Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu.

It is a serious scene of concentration but there can be no doubt - something very uplifting is taking place in Indian sport.

Basketball superstar LeBron James has come out fighting after Swedish football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic told him to stay out of politics.

Ibrahimovic said in a TV interview sports figures like James should not get involved as "it doesn't look good". James fired back: "I will never shut up about things that are wrong." Pointing out Ibrahimovic's own past complaints about racism in Sweden, James said: "I'm kinda the wrong guy to actually go at... I do my homework."

The two are megastars in their respective sports.

Ibrahimovic, in an interview with UEFA and Discovery+ in Sweden, criticised the political activism of sports stars. "Do what you're good at. Do the category that you do. I play football because I'm the best at playing football, I'm no politician. If I'd been a politician, I would be doing politics.

"This is the first mistake famous people do when they become famous and come into a certain status. For me it is better to avoid certain topics and do what you're best at doing, because otherwise it doesn't look good." James's response after his LA Lakers beat the Portland Trail Blazers was unequivocal. "I would never shut up about things that are wrong," he said.

"I preach about my people and I preach about equality, social injustice, racism, systematic voter suppression, things that go on in our community. There's no way I would ever just stick to sports, because I understand how powerful this platform and my voice is."

James also appeared confused at Ibrahimovic's statements, as the football star has regularly spoken out against racism. He said: "He's the guy who said in Sweden, he was talking about the same things, because his last name wasn't a [raditional Swedish last name, he felt like there was some racism going on when he was out on the pitch."

Ibrahimovic did indeed in 2018 tell French broadcaster Canal+ he did not receive the same treatment as other Swedish athletes, saying: "This is about racism. I don't say there is racism, but I say there is undercover racism." But he has also had to defend himself, particularly after certain comments to Romelu Lukaku in a heated exchange in January's derby with Inter Milan.

For his part James has faced criticism for his political activism before. He clashed with then President Donald Trump over the act of kneeling to protest against systemic racism. Fox News journalist Laura Ingraham told him to "shut up and dribble".

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 39, is an ex-Sweden international who has played in the top division of seven countries in a career that started more than two decades ago. He has won more than 30 trophies, scored more than 500 career goals and is still going strong in the top leagues at 39 - now back with AC Milan. Before that he was with the Galaxy in Los Angeles – James's current home town.

LeBron, 36, is widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history.

He has won the NBA title with three different franchises - the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers - and has been the finals MVP for all of them.

Birmingham 2022 released the latest version of the competition schedule for the Commonwealth Games, the biggest multi-sport event to be staged in the UK for a decade with new information including the start and finish times for all 286 sessions of the Games, plus information about when the 283 gold medals that are up for grabs will be won.

The sporting action will start in style on Friday 29 July with medal sessions on the first day confirmed for swimming, track cycling, gymnastics and triathlon, all sports in which the host nation has reigning Commonwealth champions.

Last year organisers confirmed that more medals will be awarded to women than men for the first time ever at a major multi-sport event and Sunday August 7 will be a showcase for women’s team sport in particular, with the medal matches for women’s hockey, cricket T20 and netball all taking place on the same day.

Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage said: "There will be a series of stand-out sessions in this exciting sports programme, not least the fantastic showcase of women's team sport with hockey, netball and T20 cricket gold medals all being won on the same day. The Birmingham Commonwealth Games will provide some of the most memorable moments in what is set to be an incredible year of celebration for the UK in 2022." The final day of competition will be held on Monday 8 August when gold medals will be awarded in diving, table tennis, badminton, squash and hockey – also sports where Team England has previously excelled, so it could be a magic Monday finish for the home nation.

The ceremonies team will be most in demand on Tuesday 2 August when nine sports will award medals and Sunday 7 August when the medallists in eleven different sports will be decided. The new schedule, which has been finalised following detailed conversations with Games Partners, international federations and broadcasters, has been added to the Birmingham 2022 website, with a dedicated new section allowing eager sports fans to start planning their visit to the West Midlands for the Games.

Chief Executive of Birmingham 2022, Ian Reid, said: “We’re on track to stage a magnificent edition of the Commonwealth Games and we have seen huge interest in tickets in recent weeks. Now more than ever, people are searching for something to look forward to and that is certainly what we will deliver. There are millions of sports fans out there who, because of the pandemic, have not been able to attend events for 12 months and with things moving in the right direction, and vaccines being rolled out, we are anticipating a huge amount of interest when our tickets go on sale later in the year.”

Ama Agbeze, Team England gold medallist and Chair of the Birmingham 2022 Athletes’ Advisory Committee, explained what the new schedule means for the 4,500 athletes that will be looking to compete in Birmingham: “The competition schedule for the Games is really taking shape – not only do we now know which sports will take place on each day but we also know the number of sessions and when those all-important medals will be decided.

“This will make the Games even more real for all of the athletes looking to compete at Birmingham 2022, plus it provides the teams with key information to help them plan and prepare.”

Birmingham 2022 will be the first time that women’s cricket T20 has featured at a Commonwealth Games and Edgbaston, one of the world’s greatest cricket grounds, will host matches at 11am and 6pm during the early stages of the tournament. Smithfield in the centre of the city, which is being transformed for the Games will come alive in the afternoon and evening with beach volleyball sessions starting at 2.30pm and 7pm and with basketball 3x3 and wheelchair basketball 3x3 matches from 3.30pm and 7.30pm.

Leader of Birmingham City Council, Councillor Ian Ward, said: “The publication of this version of the competition schedule really does illustrate how much will be going on in the city during the 11 days of action. It also highlights the breadth and variety of amazing venues we have including the world-famous Edgbaston Stadium, the city centre showcase at Smithfield, the beautiful surrounds of Sutton Park and the redeveloped Alexander Stadium. Birmingham will provide a brilliant stage for the best of Commonwealth sport.”

The busiest venue during the Games will be the brand-new Sandwell Aquatics Centre with 66 medal events in swimming, para swimming, and diving being held in the state-of-the-art facility. The venue which is on track to be completed in spring next year, will be in use for all 11 days of competition.

Dame Louise Martin DBE, CGF President said: “This is another significant milestone as we move closer to Birmingham 2022. We are fortunate to showcase two full weekends of world-class sport, with the event featuring the largest para sport programme in Commonwealth Games history with an unprecedented platform for women’s sport.

“It is a huge source of pride for everyone in the Commonwealth Sport Movement that Birmingham 2022 will be the first major multi-sport event to have more medals for women than men, providing a huge boost for women’s sport. After such a difficult period, I am delighted Birmingham 2022 is unveiling this exciting schedule today, to give Commonwealth athletes and fans a spectacular competition to look forward to.”

Team England Chef de Mission for Birmingham 2022, Mark England OBE, added: “Today’s announcement of the Birmingham 2022 session schedule is incredibly exciting for us as the host team. We plan to be medal competitive from Day 1 and deliver inspiring moments throughout the 11 days of competition. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Team England athletes to perform on their home stage in Birmingham will, I’ve no doubt, provide countless memorable moments for the home support.”

British Athletics can confirm six athletes have been added to the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships, Toruń, Poland (4-7 March) following European Athletics’ acceptance of nominations for unqualified field event athletes.

Emily Borthwick [high jump], Joel Khan [high jump], Morgan Lake [high jump], Charlie Myers [pole vault], Jazmin Sawyers [long jump] and Amelia Strickler [shot put] all join the British team.

However, Elliot Giles has withdrawn from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team. Following team selection, Giles and his coach have decided to withdraw from the Championships to focus on his next training block to prepare for the start of the outdoor season and the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.

Emily Borthwick and Morgan Lake join the women’s high jump field. Lake moved to joint third in the 2021 European rankings after clearing 1.96m in Belgrade on Wednesday, which doubled as an Olympic qualifying standard.

Borthwick cleared a personal best of 1.87m at the British Athletics European Indoor Selection Trials in Loughborough at the weekend. She will make her debut in a senior British team in Poland.

In the men’s equivalent, 2020 British champion Joel Khan also earns his first call-up to a senior British squad. The Worcester athlete improved his PB by 5cm at the British Athletics event last weekend, clearing 2.23m, and will look to continue that form as he takes on the best in Europe next week.

The women’s long jump will have double British representation following the acceptance of Jazmin Sawyers’ nomination. Abigail Irozuru was selected on Monday and will now be joined by her compatriot in the line-up for Toruń. In Belgrade, Sawyers achieved her longest leap indoors since 2017; 6.50m.

Amelia Strickler earns a call-up for her second European Indoor Championships in the women’s shot put. Additionally, Charlie Myers takes his place in the team for the men’s pole vault. Unfortunately, British Athletics’ nomination for Scott Lincoln in the shot put was not accepted.

The Manchester Met Mystics put on a perfect performance on defence and offence this evening, as they beat the Newcastle Eagles by 23 points to reach the WBBL Trophy Semi-Finals.

The Eagles led 6-2 two minutes into the first quarter, but after two consecutive shots made by the Mystics to tie the game, the home side did not lead again throughout the entire game as the visitors pulled away.

Ebony Horton started off the bench for the Mystics, but that did not stop her from dropping a joint game high of 19, while the visitors’ captain Georgia Jones managed 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in a dominating performance which definitely inspired her team to victory.

Sophia Song and Nicolette Fong Lyew Quee also reached double-figures for scoring, dropping 11 and 10 points respectively and getting five rebounds each, while Hannah Shaw’s eight points and seven rebounds also proved crucial in helping the Mystics control the game.

Eagles forward Alison Gornell was the other player to reach 19 points, and she also put up five rebounds and five assists for her team, while Maddy McVicar also reached double figures as she dropped 10 and added four rebounds and three assists.

Orieoma Chukwu-Etu managed a game-high for rebounding with 12 to accompany her six points on her stat-line, with Deborah Rodriguez Perez the closest Eagle to reaching that tally of rebounds, managing six.

England succumbed to a 10-wicket defeat against India inside two days of an astonishing third Test in Ahmedabad.

On a scarcely believable day when both sides collapsed and 17 wickets fell in two sessions, India completed the quickest Test win since 1935 not long into the final session.

England began the day with a thrilling fightback, turning India's overnight 99-3 into 145 all out. But, faced with a first-innings deficit of 33, England were bowled out for 81 as India's spinners ran riot once again.

In a frenzied start to their second innings, England lost Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow within three balls - both bowled by Axar Patel. Ben Stokes and Joe Root briefly calmed the raucous atmosphere but their dismissals in consecutive overs sparked a sorry procession to England's lowest Test total in India.

Spinners were responsible for every wicket to fall on the day - and 28 of the 30 in the match - Joe Root taking 5-8 in the first session, Axar 5-32 and Ravichandran Ashwin 4-48, including his 400th Test scalp. India cruised to their target of 49 inside eight overs, an incredible game wrapped up before the floodlit conditions of a day-night Test could have an impact.

A victorious India captain Virat Kohli said: "The result went our way but the quality of batting wasn't at all up to standard by both teams. We were 100-3 and hoping to get more than we needed. There was a lack of application from both sides." England captain Joe Root said: "We won the toss and batted first, but we didn't capitalise on that. We could have got 250, which would have been a good total. We don't define ourselves on a performance like that."

Victory give India, who lost the first Test, an unassailable 2-1 lead in the series with one match to play and ended England's hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final this summer.

The world’s sports media have cast their votes and the nominees for the 22nd annual Laureus World Sports Awards have been revealed. The greatest sportsmen, sportswomen and teams will discover in the next few months if they have won a prestigious Laureus Statuette. This year the Laureus Awards will not be presented at an open ceremony, but individually to winners due to the continuing global pandemic. The winners will be announced in May as part of a ‘Virtual’ Awards event.

The Awards will reflect a unique year of sport when athletes used their platforms to instil hope, influence change in society and prove that sport can change the world for the better. While celebrating the highest sporting achievements, this year’s Laureus Awards will also honour those whose actions have transcended the court, track or field of play.

Former winners Lewis Hamilton and Rafael Nadal have been nominated again for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award. In 2020 Hamilton won a record-equalling seventh Formula One World Championship and Nadal won his 20th Grand Slam to tie Roger Federer. Also nominated are NBA super star LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich, winner of the Best FIFA Men’s Player award, and two hopeful Olympians – Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, who broke both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres world records, and Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, who created new outdoor and indoor pole vault world records.

Reflecting on his nomination, Lewis said: “It’s an honour to have been nominated for ‘Sportsman of the Year’ alongside some truly incredible athletes. When I look back at the award ceremony last year, it’s hard to believe just how much has changed. 2020 was a difficult year for so many people, for many different reasons and of course the world of sport was hugely affected. I was fortunate enough to be able to race and I’m so proud of what we, as a team, were able to achieve together. I’m even prouder of the journey we began towards making the motorsport industry more diverse and inclusive. Nelson Mandela was the inspiration behind Laureus and I’m sure he would support everything we can do, to use sport to achieve a greater good.”

On his nomination, Robert Lewandowski said: “I have been working so hard for many, many years to reach the point I did in 2020 and I am grateful that the world’s media acknowledged that. I was honoured to win the FIFA Best Player Award and now to be nominated for this Laureus Award is special. I know that Lionel Messi is the only team player to win, and he had to share it with Lewis Hamilton, so maybe I can go one better. Thank you to the hundreds of members of the international sports media who voted for me. It is a great honour for me.”

Australian Open champion, Naomi Osaka, winner of the Laureus Breakthrough Award in 2019, is nominated for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, after her second US Open win in September. Also short-listed are Holland’s Anna van der Breggen, who won both road race and time trial at the World Cycling Championships, Italy’s Federica Brignone, skiing’s World Cup winner, Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei, winner of the London Marathon, Wendie Renard, captain of Lyon who won a fifth straight Women’s Champions League, and basketball’s Breanna Stewart, who led Seattle Storm to the WNBA Championship.

Reacting to her nomination, Osaka said: "It is an honour to once again be nominated for a Laureus Award by the world's media. For me this is special because Laureus sees the big picture – not just sport on the court or the pitch, but how it can help young people around the world. This is a time that sport can make a big difference in so many ways and really help to change the world."

Football’s Bayern Munich, winners of the Champions League, and Liverpool, who won their first English Premier League title for 30 years, are nominated for the Laureus World Team of the Year Award, along with NBA champions the Los Angeles Lakers, Formula One constructors’ champions Mercedes AMG-Petronas, the Kansas City Chiefs, who won the 2020 Super Bowl, and the Argentina Men’s Rugby Team.

The nominations for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award include some of the most incredible young sporting talent to make an impact in 2020. Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, 21, became the youngest rider in a century to win the Tour de France, Barcelona’s Ansu Fati, 17, is Spain’s youngest ever goalscorer, while his fellow Spaniard Joan Mir, 23, won his first Moto GP World Championship. Poland’s Iga Swiatek, 19, won the French Open to become the youngest women’s singles champion at Roland Garros since Monica Seles in 1992, while Austria’s Dominic Thiem, 27, won his first ever Grand Slam at the US Open. Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl win in 50 years.

The Laureus World Comeback of the Year Nominees personify the true spirit, determination and tenacity of athletes who have overcome hurdles to return to action. Top women’s skier Mikaela Shiffrin came back from a break following her father’s death to start winning again, Japan’s Kento Momota, badminton’s world No 1, returned to competition after surviving a serious car crash, Canada’s Max Parrot recovered from cancer to win two X-Games snowboarding gold medals, Alex Smith came back to play for Washington in the NFL 728 days and 17 operations after a leg injury, baseball’s Daniel Bard returned to top level pitching after a seven-year hiatus due to ‘yips’, and US football star Alex Morgan made her debut for London club Tottenham just 184 days after giving birth.

For the first time ever, three Sport for Development programmes have been shortlisted alongside the Nominees for the Laureus Awards, reflecting the outstanding contribution made by grassroots sports organisations throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic. In contention for the Laureus Sport for Good Award are; Boxgirls Kenya, a programme using boxing to empower at-risk girls in underserved slum communities in Nairobi; Fundación Colombianitos, a Colombian organisation using football and rugby to promote education and bridge gender gaps and KICKFORMORE, a football organisation that encourages participants to make positive contributions in their communities in Germany.

As well as recognising the most memorable sporting performances to have taken place in 2020, despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, this year there will be additional special Laureus Awards acknowledging the wider impact on society made by athletes.

The Awards will tell the inspirational stories of people who have worked tirelessly to combat the pandemic, and will highlight the advocacy of sportsmen and sportswomen who have used their positions of influence to make a powerful impact on issues and conflicts which transcend sport.

Sean Fitzpatrick, Chair of the Laureus World Sports Academy, whose 68 members vote for the winners of the Awards, said: “After a challenging year, we are more determined than ever to ensure that Laureus honours the men and women who made such an effort to return to sport, in many cases in a very different environment and without spectators. They gave everybody an emotional lift at a difficult time.

“As Academy Members, we are also proud to see the three shortlisted Sport for Good Award programmes among these high achieving athletes. Working in often challenging circumstances in disadvantaged communities around the world, these programmes showcase the best of sport, and they have all done so well to continue using sport as a tool for social change in the face of adversity.”

In view of the significantly reduced amount of activity which took place in some sports in 2020, the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award and the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award will not be presented, although sports from these categories will be recognised elsewhere in the Awards show.

List of nominees for Laureus World Sports Awards 2021:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award

Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) Athletics – broke both 5,000 and 10,000 metres world records in 2020
Armand Duplantis (Sweden) Athletics – broke outdoor and indoor pole vault world record in 2020
Lewis Hamilton (UK) Motor Racing – won record-equalling seventh Formula One World Championship
LeBron James (USA) Basketball – LA Lakers star, won his fourth NBA title and fourth Finals MVP award
Robert Lewandowski (Poland) Football – 55 goals as Bayern Munich won Champions League, Bundesliga
Rafael Nadal (Spain) Tennis – won 13th French Open; his 20th career Grand Slam to equal Roger Federer

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award

Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) Cycling – won both road race and time trial at World Championships
Federica Brignone (Italy) Skiing – first Italian woman to win Overall World Cup; also Combined and G. Slalom
Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) Athletics – won rescheduled London Marathon by more than three minutes
Naomi Osaka (Japan) Tennis – won second US Open in 2020, her third career Grand Slam, at age 22
Wendie Renard (France) Football – captain of Lyon who won a fifth straight Women’s Champions League
Breanna Stewart (USA) Basketball – led Seattle Storm to WNBA Championship; won Finals MVP award

Laureus World Team of the Year Award

Argentina Men's Rugby Team - first ever win over three-time world champions the All Blacks
Bayern Munich (Germany) Football – won Champions League, Bundesliga, German Cup under Hansi Flick
Kansas City Chiefs (USA) American Football – won the Super Bowl for the first time since 1970
Liverpool (UK) Football – under Jurgen Klopp won first English Premier League title for 30 years
Los Angeles Lakers (USA) Basketball – inspired by LeBron James, won their 17th NBA Championship
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team (Germany) – record 7th consecutive Constructors’ Championship

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award

Ansu Fati (Spain) Football – at 17, became youngest scorer for Spain and in El Clasico for Barcelona
Patrick Mahomes (USA) American Football – at 24, led Kansas City Chiefs to first Super Bowl win in 50 years
Joan Mir (Spain) Motor Cycling – at 23, won his first Moto GP World Championship
Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia) Cycling – at 21, became the youngest rider in a century to win the Tour de France
Iga Swiatek (Poland) Tennis – at 19, became the youngest French Open winner since 1992
Dominic Thiem (Austria) Tennis – won first ever Grand Slam at US Open; reached final of Australian Open

Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award

Daniel Bard (USA) Baseball – successful return to top level after not pitching for seven years because of ‘yips’
Kento Momota (Japan) Badminton – world No 1 returned to competition after surviving serious car crash
Alex Morgan (USA) Football – debut for London club Tottenham just 184 days after giving birth
Max Parrot (Canada) Snowboarding – recovered from cancer to win two X-Games gold medals in 2020
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) Skiing – came back from break following father’s death to start winning again
Alex Smith (USA) American Football – back for Washington 728 days and 17 operations after leg injury

Laureus Sport for Good Award

Boxgirls Kenya Boxing – supports and empowers at-risk girls in underserved slum communities in Nairobi
Fundación Colombianitos (Colombia) Football & Rugby – bridges gender gaps and promotes education through sport
KICKFORMORE (Germany) Football – empowers youth to make positive contributions in their communities

The planned eight-match series between India and South Africa women is likely to be held from March 7, which will mark the return of the home team to competitive cricket after almost 12 months. The series, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, is likely to be held in either Lucknow or Kanpur in a bio-bubble, a BCCI official told PTI on Monday. A 22-member Indian team has been picked for the contest.

The planned eight-match series between India and South Africa women is likely to be held from March 7, which will mark the return of the home team to competitive cricket after almost 12 months. The series, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, is likely to be held in either Lucknow or Kanpur in a bio-bubble, a BCCI official told PTI on Monday. A 22-member Indian team has been picked for the contest.

With the fixtures of the series yet to be announced, a Cricket South Africa (CSA) source confirmed that their team is soon set to travel to India.

"The COVID tests have been done, the team is ready to leave anytime," the source said. Both teams will have to undergo a six-day quarantine which means they will get a week of training before the series opener. South Africa played recently but India have not played since the T20 World Cup in March last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indian players' only outing since that final in Melbourne was during the exhibition Women's T20 Challenge in Sharjah in November last year. Since the series will have to be played in a bio-bubble, the team needs to assemble at least two weeks before the first game with six days reserved for quarantine.

The BCCI official said: "Getting match ready will be a challenge for Indian players but the most important this thing that the series is finally happening. The players needed this badly."

The series was earlier supposed to be held at the Greenfield Sports Hub Stadium in Thiruvanthapuram but Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) expressed its inability to stage the matches as stadium owners had a booked an Army recruitment drive on the same dates.

Blockbuster T20 all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite is heading to Edgbaston this summer after committing to Birmingham Bears men's team for this year's Vitality Blast.

Braithwaite (32) became one of the biggest stars in T20 cricket after his incredible four back-to-back sixes, and 34 runs off 10 balls, took West Indies to glory in the ICC T20 World Cup final in Kolkata in 2016. The Barbadian all-rounder is currently playing in the Pakistan Super League with Multan Sultans and has played in all premier T20 tournaments, including the Vitality Blast with Kent in 2018, the Indian Premier League, the Big Bash, the Caribbean Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League.

Bears Director of Cricket Paul Farbrace said: "Carlos is an outstanding addition to our team. He's a game changer who adds vital firepower to our middle order, but his variation with the ball gives us another strong seam bowling option.

"I was part of the England coaching team in 2016 when Carlos' four successive sixes changed the ICC T20 World Cup final, so I'm well aware of his capabilities. I'm just glad that we'll have the benefits of his qualities now that he's signed for the Bears."

Carlos said: "It's very exciting to join the Bears and to make Edgbaston my home this summer. I've heard a lot about the atmosphere and the big T20 crowds that come to Edgbaston to watch the Bears. I can't wait to get started this summer in the Blast.

"I know that the team went very close to reaching the quarter finals last year, but we've got a lot of young talent in this squad and I'm hoping that we can push on further this year. Getting to Finals Day at our home ground would be fantastic."

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.

Over 500 members and supporters from Camp Hill Rugby Club have completed a mammoth Lockdown 3 Challenge to virtually travel the distance from Solihull, West Midlands, to Eden Park stadium in Auckland, New Zealand - a total of 11,374 miles - by walking, running, cycling or swimming.

The challenge, sponsored by Make UK, saw 11 teams and 242 players from the clubs Mini and Juniors sections (ages 5-19) take part, smashing the six-week target by half, logging a final mileage of 11,940 miles. The team award went to the under 9s, who recorded an impressive 1,631 miles between them.

Each team logged their own mileage, with any distance cycled counting for half of that for running, walking or swimming, to ensure no unfair advantage. A special online diary and map tracked the teams’ virtual progress across the globe.

The challenge has proved so popular that it has become a circumnavigation of the globe, taking in Fiji and Samoa before crossing the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans via the USA - a further 14,435 miles.

Russell Beale-Burchell, Minis lead at Camp Hill Rugby Club, commented: “The idea behind the Lockdown Challenge was simply to get members active; we had a disastrous season last year due to flooding, and lockdown has badly affected this season. We also wanted to keep everyone engaged - it’s been brilliant to see how competitive the young players have been.

“There was some confusion with one of our senior club members, however, who thought the youngsters were actually walking and running to New Zealand; when he heard they’d reached Baden-Baden in Germany, he did query if we’d got permission to travel out of lockdown!”

Engagement Manager at Make UK, Fiona McGarry, added: ““Make UK were thrilled to sponsor an initiative to get young people out and about and improve their mental wellbeing through a challenging period. We have actually been inspired by Camp Hill to set a lockdown challenge for our manufacturing apprentices.”

Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation, is the representative voice of UK manufacturing, with offices in London, Brussels, every English region and Wales.

British Athletics can announce that 41 athletes have been selected to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland between 4-7 March.

European leading athletes Keely Hodgkinson, Elliot Giles and Tiffany Porter are among the leading names who will compete next month. The 2018 World Indoor 60m hurdles champion Andrew Pozzi, 2019 European Indoor silver medallist Holly Bradshaw and Marc Scott, who has moved to second on the UK all-time list over 3000m in the last few weeks and ran 27:10.41 over 10,000 metres at the weekend, join the squad.

Giles has been in supreme form during 2021, breaking the long-standing British indoor 800m record previously held by Sebastian Coe. His time of 1:43.63 was the second fastest indoor time in history over the distance, and elevated Giles to the top of the world rankings this year. 2019 European Indoor silver medallist, Jamie Webb joins Giles in the 800m having moved to second on the UK all-time indoor 800m list with his time of 1:44.54 set in the same race last week. Guy Learmonth, who has improved his indoor PB this season, completes the line-up in the men’s 800m.

Hodgkinson smashed the U20 record in Vienna last month, lowering her best to 1:59.03. The 18-year-old – who is also on the British Athletics Futures Academy Programme - also moved to the top of the British U20 all-time standings in the process. Next month the 2019 European U20 bronze medallist will make her senior debut for GB & NI. In the women’s 60m hurdles, Porter is leading the European standings in 2021 after clocking 7.89 in Arizona earlier in the month. Ten years ago, she won silver on her GB & NI debut at the European Indoors in Paris, clocking the British record of 7.80 which still stands.

After clearing her highest bar in nine years in Rouen earlier this month, Holly Bradshaw will be among the favourites for the women’s pole vault. Her 4.85m clearance was just two centimetres shy of her personal best. She claimed silver at the 2019 edition of the Championships in Glasgow and won the title in 2013.

Following a lifetime best score of 4557 points in the Pentathlon at the weekend, Holly Mills has been invited to compete in the women’s pentathlon. Her series included personal bests in the shot put (14.03m) and 800m (2:12.07), which contributed to a score which moved her to fifth on the UK all-time list.

Sophie McKinna threw an indoor shot put personal best at the European Indoor Selection Trial events in Loughborough at the weekend. The mark of 18.54 metres is a sign of the strong form the Great Yarmouth athlete is currently in.

As per selection policy, due to the limited qualification opportunities as a result of Covid-19, European Athletics (EA) have amended their qualification process to allow nomination of unqualified field athletes for selection to the Technical Delegates. British Athletics have notified the athletes who have been nominated under this rule and European Athletics will confirm on February 25 whether or not the nominations have been accepted and these will be published soon after. There was no expression of interest from eligible athlete’s in the women’s 60m.

Olympic Head Coach at British Athletics, Christian Malcolm, said: “I’m pleased to be selecting such a strong Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the European Indoor Championships next month. It has been a challenging time for all athletes and coaches recently, but we have seen some incredible performances.

“Of course, we are looking to maximise the number of opportunities to win medals, but it is also about providing opportunities for developing athletes as well as established athletes to achieve a GB&NI vest. We have a real mix in the squad with several young athletes demonstrating their potential in really challenging circumstances. I am really looking forward to seeing how the team perform in Torun.

“We are awaiting decisions from European Athletics on several field event nominations that we have put forward, so we hope to add several other athletes to the team later.”

The British Athletics team for the European Athletics Indoor Championships

Women

400m: Jessie Knight, Ama Pipi and Jodie Williams

800m: Ellie Baker, Isabelle Boffey and Keely Hodgkinson

1500m: Holly Archer and Katie Snowden

3000m: Amy-Eloise Markovc, Verity Ockenden and Amelia Quirk

4x400m Relay: Zoey Clark, Beth Dobbin, Jessie Knight, Yasmin Liverpool, Ama Pipi and Jodie Williams

60m Hurdles: Emma Nwofor, Tiffany Porter and Cindy Sember

Pole Vault: Holly Bradshaw

Long Jump: Abigail Irozuru

Shot Put: Sophie McKinna

Pentathlon: Holly Mills

Men

60m: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Oliver Bromby and Andrew Robertson

400m: Joe Brier, Lee Thompson and James Williams

800m: Elliot Giles, Guy Learmonth and Jamie Webb

1500m: Piers Copeland, Archie Davis and Neil Gourley

3000m: Andrew Butchart, Jack Rowe and Marc Scott

4x400m Relay: Joe Brier, Efe Okoro, Tom Somers, Owen Smith, Lee Thompson and James Williams

60m Hurdles: Andrew Pozzi

Long Jump: Jacob Fincham-Dukes

Naomi Osaka cemented her place as the star of the women's game by beating American Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open final to win her fourth Grand Slam title. The 23-year-old remains unbeaten in major finals after a 6-4 6-3 win in Melbourne.

Japan's Osaka edged the first set when Brady, in her first Grand Slam final, paid for some glaring errors in the final game. The third seed seized control from that point, racing 4-0 ahead in the second set before sealing a deserved victory. She has now won two Australian Open titles after also triumphing at Melbourne Park in 2019, with her other Grand Slam successes coming at the US Open in 2018 and 2020.

Around 7,500 fans were allowed to watch the final on Rod Laver Arena and Osaka lapped up the acclaim after her US Open victory came behind closed doors. She said: "It feels incredible to have fans. I played the last Grand Slam without fans, to have this energy means a lot. I feel like playing a Grand Slam is a privilege."

A clear favourite in the final at Melbourne Park, Naomi is the first women's player to win her first four Grand Slam finals since Monica Seles in 1991. And, as she continues to blaze an unbeatable trail on court, off the court, she has grown into one of the world's most marketable athletes whilst finding her voice as a prominent social activist.

Despite her straight-sets victory, she said: "I feel like I have to get more comfortable on those surfaces a I didn't play juniors, so I didn't grow up playing on grass at all.

"I honestly think I'd have better luck on clay, because I think last year I didn't play bad at all. It's just something that I have to get more used to."

Now 4-time ‘Slam winner, the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) world ranked No. 3, Osaka, will see if she can now transfer her hard-court dominance onto the clay and grass surfaces.

The British Basketball League (BBL) and its women’s equivalent, the WBBL, have had significant funding confirmed in the latest round of funding from the Sports Winter Survival Package.

This is the second tranche of funding to be announced from the Government’s £300 million Sport Winter Survival Package that is focused on helping those major spectator sports severely impacted by coronavirus restrictions survive the winter.

The funding package has allowed the BBL and WBBL to undertake the 2020/ 21 season, with the leagues playing consistently since early November behind closed doors, with the outcomes of the BBL and WBBL Cup Finals, already determined. In addition, the respective Championship campaigns are already proving evidence they will be amongst the most competitive and exciting ever.

Sir Rodney Walker, chair of the BB said: “We were very pleased with the outcome from our negotiations, which will go a very long way to sustaining the top flight of our great game, and to sustaining our associated community programmes.”

“We know the Government recognizes the impact of basketball, and the work of many BBL WBBL Clubs, through their Foundations and Community Interest Companies, goes well beyond sport. These activities by our Clubs go to the heart of the challenges faced by our young people in our disadvantaged communities, including related to physical activity, healthy eating, education related, social cohesion and mental health.”

“This support will be very important in sustaining these programmes when the Covid pandemic is behind us. The BBL would also like to thank the hard work by various DCMS and Sport England staff, who we know worked tirelessly to get to a position that the funding provided could be properly justified.”

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "We are committed to helping our treasured sports through these challenging times. And today’s announcement is more evidence of our support for them. This targeted funding will enable sports to keep playing and inspire many more stars of the future.”

Sir Ian Cheshire, Chair of the independent Board, said: “Following thorough conversations with each party to assess their individual needs, the Independent Board is pleased to be able to confirm a substantial package of survival funding for netball, badminton, basketball and women’s football, totalling over £10 million.

“For those confirmed as recipients of support as part of this second tranche, this funding is vital in helping keep their respective clubs and leagues operational at this time.”