Sports News

Every year over 60,000 visitors make the journey to Horse of the Year Show at the Genting Arena, Birmingham’s NEC for five days of edge-of-your-seat action, world-class competition, lavish shopping and celebrity rider signings. With something on offer for every member of the family, it really is the most elite and exclusive event in the equestrian calendar. Luxury is a given with the unrivalled ring-side views which the hospitality seating beholds, serving exquisite lunch time and evening meals and champagne reception in a black tie ambiance. Champions Bar offers a more sociable and relaxed atmosphere providing panoramic views of the arena and complimentary tea and coffee; the perfect environment for networking and catching up with friends.

There’s a spectrum of supreme entertainment this year, including: National Showing and Showjumping Championships, International Showjumping Competition and two never seen before displays as Atkinson Action Horses present LIMITLESS and the Caspian Horse Society demonstrate The Story of the Caspian Horse. Taking place each day will be the Virbac 3D Worming Pony Club Mounted Games as they compete for the Prince Philip Cup and the Osborne Refrigerators Double Harness Scurry Championship. Thursday’s Dressage Masterclass will be delivered by double Olympic Gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin and the Saturday night highlight is the world famous HOYS Puissance. Sunday’s Gala evening is a party not to be missed with a celebration of everything equestrian. This year the crowd will be treated to a musical performance like no other as the Red Hot Chilli Pipers play their way into the HOYS Finale with their ground-breaking fusion of traditional Scottish music and rock/pop anthems which they proudly call ‘Bagrock’.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) have opened sign-ups for Tennis for Kids 2017 – the second year of its biggest ever grass roots initiative, in partnership with Highland Spring.

After a hugely successful first year, the initiative will be bigger and better in 2017 with 20,000 free courses and rackets available to children aged five to eight years old all over the United Kingdom.

The ‘Tennis for Kids’ initiative in 2016 aimed to inspire 10,000 children aged 5-8 to pick up a racket and play tennis for the first time. It was so successful that the 10,000 places were filled within a week, prompting the LTA to release a further 5,000 places. The fun, six week course also resulted in almost half of those who took part continuing to play after completing the lessons.

The course is aimed at children who have never played before, so focuses on fun and getting kids active, combining basic hand eye co-ordination with rudimentary tennis skills. Beyond the practical side of the sport, the sessions will be teaching children how to work with a partner, become a valuable member of a team and through our partnership with Highland Spring, establish healthy hydration habits – all in a fun and relaxed environment. Parents are also encouraged to join for the final session when 20,000 children will be gifted their first racket.

Tennis for Kids was launched after the historic victory of the Davis Cup team in 2015 to establish greater accessibility into tennis, with a view to creating a new generation of tennis loving children. The free six-week course is led by 1,000 specially trained coaches, who have been trained at sixteen sessions all over the UK by Davis Cup captain Leon Smith, former British number one’s Greg Rusedski and Annabel Croft, and 2016 Wimbledon Wheelchair Doubles champion Alfie Hewett. Local venues are in charge of their own timings, but courses are now running all the way through the summer.

Alastair Marks, LTA Director of Participation, said: “Following the fantastic success of Tennis for Kids in 2016 we’re thrilled to bring it back for a second year, even bigger and better.”

Former British No.1, Annabel Croft, said: “Programmes such as this one are a brilliant way of encouraging children to pick up a racket for the first time, and fulfil the legacy of our current British Tennis talent.”

Les Montgomery, Chief Executive, Highland Spring, adds: “Our partnership with the LTAs ‘The Tennis for Kids’ initiative will continue to bring more children into tennis and empower families to get the water habit at the same time.”

“We‘ve been working with our brilliant Tennis For Kids coaches to make sure we’re delivering a programme that engages, excites and inspires the kids and look forward to welcome the class of 2017 to the game we all love,” says Marks.

With one year to go until the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Games England (CGE) has announced that Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford are the first athletes to qualify to represent Team England at the 2018 Games.

Paul Drinkhall, 27, is the reigning Commonwealth mixed doubles table-tennis champion with four Commonwealth medals in total and Liam Pitchford, 23, has a total of five Commonwealth medals to his name.

Team England will send a team of around 600 athletes and staff in what will be England’s largest ever team to represent the nation in an overseas sporting event. The team will compete in 18 sports, including 38 para medal events.

Sarah Winckless, Chef de Mission for Commonwealth Games England said: "With only one year to go until Gold Coast 2018, preparations are well advanced and we are confident of sending the best prepared English team to the Gold Coast. We have an excellent team of staff working hard to ensure that when we get out there, Team England will have everything in place for the perfect performance environment.

“Having Paul and Liam as our first athletes to qualify for Gold Coast 2018 is great news. They have both been to the Commonwealth Games before, experienced it, know what is required and will be able to lead from the front, supporting younger athletes at the Games.”

Commonwealth table tennis champion Paul Drinkhall said: “I am delighted to qualify to represent Team England at Gold Coast 2018. The Commonwealth Games is one of the world’s best sporting events and Team England is the country’s most successful team. I know that Commonwealth Games England is working tirelessly to ensure we have the best prepared team and facilities available to give us the very best chance of delivering more success for the nation at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

While Commonwealth table tennis champion Liam Pitchford said: “It is a very proud moment to qualify for Team England. The 2018 Commonwealth Games will be outstanding and I am looking forward to going to the Gold Coast with the aim of returning as Commonwealth champion. Glasgow 2014 was fantastic for Team England athletes and it was vital in terms of my development. The Games has helped me progress to where I am today and I am excited for what next year can bring.”

As part of its plans to send the best prepared team to the Gold Coast, CGE will hold a Team England 10-day preparation camp in Brisbane, create a dedicated performance centre inside the Commonwealth Games Village, and offer a full programme of support services.

Team England’s preparation camp for the Gold Coast will include a number of specially selected high-performance sports and support facilities that will enable athletes to continue training and complete their final preparations prior to entering the Commonwealth Games Village.

The dedicated performance centre will be at the heart of Team England’s headquarters inside the Commonwealth Games Village. It will provide an enhanced environment in the Village for athletes, coaches and support staff, where the team will have access to dedicated doctors, physios and a full range of clinical, rehabilitation, preparation services, kit, equipment, stretching and R&R areas.

A new partnership is set to inspire triathlon participation through the support of youth hostelling charity, YHA (England and Wales).

On the back of a historic and hugely successful year for Britain's athletes at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, British Triathlon has teamed up with YHA, to support the delivery of its world class success, as well as provide opportunities for more people to get involved in the sport.

YHA is now the nominated accommodation partner for British Triathlon. YHA's 160-strong network of properties will also to be used to host British Triathlon's GO TRI events throughout England and Wales, encouraging new communities to take their first steps in the sport in some of the county's most beautiful settings.

As part of the partnership, British Triathlon and its affiliated clubs will benefit from subsidised use of meeting rooms in Youth Hostels, along with heavily discounted YHA membership, accommodation and related products and services.

At its core, the YHA / British Triathlon partnership aims to inspire young people and their families to participate in sport and get active outdoors.  Both parties are committed to enabling children to become more active, not only improving their health, but also developing social skills, increasing self-esteem and nurturing good habits such as commitment, discipline and respect.

The primary vehicle for encouraging participation will be British Triathlon's GO TRI programme, designed as a low-cost, enjoyable way to access triathlon and multisport for the first time. Both GO TRI training and events are available locally and are tailored towards complete novices, with low-cost entry and manageable distances.

Already a number of GO TRI events have been held at YHA sites in the Lake District and Liverpool City Centre, with a further 20 events planned at YHAs throughout 2017.

British Triathlon will also be using YHA's sites for its own performance camps and meetings, utilising the surrounding landscapes of rural Youth Hostels to enable its athletes, including Rio 2016 medalists, Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee and Vicky Holland, to combine the required daily training with team meetings.

Commenting on the partnership with British Triathlon, Caroline White, Chief Executive of YHA England and Wales, said: “This is an extremely exciting opportunity for YHA to work with an organisation that can really influence the impact we have on the lives of young people and their families. The partnership will enable more people of all ages, abilities and from all backgrounds to experience an enhanced triathlon experience.”

Jack Buckner, CEO British Triathlon, added: “We believe this partnership will open up many doors for both British Triathlon and the YHA. With the support of a fantastic organisation, we will have the ability to grow the sport of triathlon by offering even greater participation opportunities across England and Wales to brand new communities.

“The YHA boast venues in some of the county's most stunning locations and we couldn't be more excited to begin this journey alongside them.”

On the pitch many look on him in admiration, but in his hometown, Christiano Ronaldo is ‘looked on’ more with miff and curiosity.

The Real Madrid star was in his place of birth, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, to witness the unveiling of a statue at a ceremony to name the island's airport after him. But as the star stood by his bust at the unveiling he had to put on a brave face at the outcome as many questioned the resemblance to the World Footballer of The Year.

Portugal's president and the prime minister flew to the island to unveil the tribute to the player outside the terminal entrance.

President Rebelo de Sousa said Ronaldo "projects Madeira and Portugal across the world far more than anybody else."

The 32-year-old local hero saw the funny side, though as he already has a museum about him in his hometown of Funchal.

The bust was unveiled at the renamed Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport

Beat the Street has got off to a flying start with people travelling 26,000 miles in the first five days of Wolverhampton’s giant walking and cycling game. More than 17,800 people are taking part and have already walked and cycled the equivalent of travelling to London and back over 100 times since the launch of Beat the Street.

The free competition continues until Wednesday 3 May, 2017, and challenges people to see how far they can travel across Wolverhampton in return for points and prizes. Players score points and miles by tapping special sensors called Beat Boxes which can be found on lampposts around the City.

Tapping one of the 191 Beat Boxes at the start of the journey, and others en route or at the end, calculates the distance that the player has travelled. This is recorded against the card and added to the player’s individual total, their team total and the city’s overall score.

Councillor Paul Sweet, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “The response to Beat the Street has been incredible with thousands of people visiting libraries, Wolverhampton Art Gallery and our WV Active leisure centres to pick up a card and get involved.

“The game has really caught people’s imagination and it is fantastic to see everyone, young and old, playing along. In doing so, they are not only improving their health and wellbeing but also having great fun at the same time.”

Laura Page from Wolverhampton Art Gallery said: “We have been completely overwhelmed in the past week with people coming in to Wolverhampton Art Gallery to pick up their game cards so they can play Beat the Street. From the conversations we have been having with visitors it is clear that the game has got everyone excited.”

More than 130 schools and teams in Wolverhampton are also competing against each other to see who can journey the furthest and win up to £750 worth of sports and fitness equipment supplied by Decathlon.

In addition to the team prize, participants in Wolverhampton are also playing for a good cause with £1,000 being donated to Compton Hospice if the city travels 196,000 miles – the distance reached during last year’s game.

Beat the Street is being delivered by Intelligent Health on behalf of Sport England, The National Lottery and the City of Wolverhampton Council.

Walsall College’s SLDD Sport Academy football team are celebrating after receiving silver medals in the first round of FA People’s Disability Cup Competition and qualifying for the regional semi-finals.

The FA People’s Cup is a 5-a-side competition run in partnership with BBC Get Inspired. There are 16 competition categories and first round tournaments take place in over 150 different venues across the country with more than 6,000 teams registered.

The SLDD team reached the semi-finals of the Premiership disability competition at Portway Leisure Centre in Oldbury last weekend without losing a game, but narrowly missing out on a place in the final.

10 teams from across the Black Country took part in the first round.

Their hard work has also been rewarded with a place in the next round, the regional semi-finals, which will take place on Sunday 26th March.

The students are part of the college’s SLDD Sport Academy, which launched in September to provide supported learning students with opportunities to gain accredited qualifications and progression routes to the higher level sport courses at college or employment.

SLDD Sports Co-ordinator and Lecturer at Walsall College, Andy Higgins, said: “The students gave a magnificent performance and have done incredibly well considering they have only been playing together since September.”

One member of the team, Samuel Kayode, has also been scouted by the college’s mainstream football academy to play competitive games for the 1st team.

The SLDD academy is helping him to improve his functional skills and work towards progressing on to a mainstream sports qualification.

Andy added: “This is fantastic news for Samuel and shows how much progress he has made with the Academy.”

Olympian Chris Bennett and British indoor shot put champions Scott Lincoln and Rachel Wallader headline the British team for the European Throwing Cup to be staged in Gran Canaria across the weekend 11-12 March. Bennett enjoyed one of the best seasons of his hammer throwing career in 2016, reaching the European final in Amsterdam before earning selection for the Olympic Games in Rio last summer.

Following the overwhelming success of the London schools ticket offer for the World Para Athletics Championships, double Paralympic champion Libby Clegg has today launched the nationwide roll out to give all schoolchildren across the UK the opportunity to attend this summer’s biggest sporting event. More than 1,000 schools from every single London borough applied for over 90,000 tickets during the initial window of the ticket offer.

Barcelona's famed academy is the envy of the footballing world for developing talent, and youngsters can discover just what it takes to be the best by taking part in the Official Barcelona Junior Football Camp at Spain's La Manga Club this summer. Five-time World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas are just three of the players to have used the Spanish champions' illustrious academy on their way to global stardom, and budding stars can follow in their footsteps at the camp, which will be staged at La Manga Club for the fourth year running.

The world’s best Para athletes will be supported by at least 90,000 school-aged spectators this summer with London schools taking advantage of the unique ticket offer supported by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. More than 1,000 schools from across the capital will provide their students with the trip of a lifetime to the World Para Athletics Championships that take place 14 – 23 July.

With just days to go before the first ball is bowled in the eighth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, the dates have been announced for when the trophies for the two events will take to the streets of the host cities. Sponsored by Nissan, the Trophy Tour will see both the ICC Champions Trophy and ICC Women’s World Cup spend 31 days travelling around the seven cities. They will start in Taunton on Tuesday 2 May and finish at The Oval on Thursday June 2 for England v Bangladesh.

Hot on the heels of Birmingham’s staging of the Müller Indoor Grand Prix, the world’s top indoor athletics meeting, USA Track & Field, the governing body for athletics in the US, have confirmed that their training camp will be based in the city ahead of this summer’s IAAF World Championships in London. Councillor Ian Ward, Deputy Leader for Birmingham City Council said: “I am delighted that USATF are returning to the city and we look forward to supporting their final preparations ahead of the IAAF World Championships in London.

International skating superstar Tony Hawk dropped in on Stockton Sand Dunes prior to defending his Masters title at GENERAL PANTS BOWL-A-RAMA which took place at Bondi Beach last weekend. During Tony's time at Stockton Sand Dunes he had the opportunity to sand board down some of the largest sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere with local tourism operator, Sand Dune Adventures. Sand Dune Adventures is a not-for-profit enterprise owned and operated by the Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council (WLALC).

Back-to-back defeats have seen Cheshire Phoenix fall further off the pace in the battle for the top eight.  Robbie Peers has brought back former guard, Mike DiNunno, for a second spell at the club and they face a tough double-header in the quest to get back on track. Firstly, they visit the Emirates Arena - the scene of their last league victory - having beaten Glasgow Rocks in the last game of 2016, before hosting Plymouth Raiders tomorrow.