Category: 6. Sports

‘You all gonna watch me play’

I remember the last World Cup. I watched all the games on television. The game that they (Fiji) won against South Africa (Fiji’s first ever RWC win, recorded in the pool stage) Fiji was happy, Fiji was proud. 

I was watching with my family and my father was telling my siblings, ‘One day I am going to watch you playing there’. He meant it for the boys but I was like, ‘One day I’m gonna play there, and you all gonna watch me play’.

That’s been my biggest motivation. My dad said that to the boys, not us girls, because, no gender equality, girls stuff was for the girls.

So, I joined the Navy, the Fiji Navy, and and I started playing with them.

And last year I made the promise (again) to my dad that he’ll watch me on the TV here. 

He’s told me to enjoy the tournament and make Fiji proud. He’ll be telling all the villages, ‘My daughter is playing, so you have to watch’. 

People in Fiji are excited. They are fully, fully supporting us girls, and yeah, they are the backbone of this squad.

My brothers, yeah, they are they are jealous. They play volleyball now. 

Being Fiji’s youngest ever captain

It’s really hard for me, because I just joined the national side last year. Playing the Wallaroos (Australia on 3 May 2025) was my first lineup as captain. It was really tough starting the game and leading the girls. 

I was shocked and speechless (when asked to be captain) because I was expecting other old players, Olympic medalists and yeah the other old players in the team to be named. I was asking them, ‘Why me?’. I had just joined the team.

My family, my mum and my dad have been fully supporting me and encouraging me, day by day. The way they raised me, I have a lot of learnings and I have been showing that to the other girls, the dos and don’ts. 

Gearing up for first RWC match

England is nice, but it’s cold. We’re just trying to adjust. The food is really nice. Back at home we only have certain kinds of food to eat, lots of fish and chicken soup. Here we have so much to choose from. 

We’ve been training hard, training at the best of our ability to perform and have a good match with Canada (Saturday, 17:30 at York Community Stadium). We are excited and we are up for that match. 

Nothing is impossible. I feel pressure but I am positive that we can out out a good performance. 

I am nervous because I just had my first big crowd, in the US (19 July). That was really big. But we won’t play on the crowd, we will just play to the best of ability. We know Fiji is watching. 

We will play Fijian rugby. We will play freestyle rugby. We don’t play by books or structure. It helps us to be ourselves. 

Ever since the schedule was confirmed last month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has faced significant criticism for agreeing to play against Pakistan. The controversy was heightened by the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this April, which further strained the already fragile political situation between the two countries. At one point, speculation was rife that the Asia Cup could even be cancelled if India withdrew, before the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) ended the uncertainty with an official announcement in late July.

The criticism intensified after the Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions side withdrew from facing Pakistan twice in the World Championship of Legends last month, including the semifinal.

More recently, at a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday, India captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked whether his team would participate in the September 14 clash. The Indian media manager swiftly intervened, instructing reporters to restrict questions to team selection.

Speaking on the Stick With Cricket podcast, Akram urged calm, stressing the importance of keeping politics away from sport.

“Asia Cup schedule is out, there is backlash. But we in Pakistan are calm. We will be fine whether we play or don’t play. The game must go on,” he said.

“Politics apart, I am not a politician. They are patriotic about their country, we are patriotic about ours. Let’s not go below the belt. Talk about the triumphs of your country; the same goes for Pakistan, and the same goes for India. It is easier said than done.”

Akram added that while he respected the sensitivities around the rivalry, he still hoped to see India and Pakistan contest at least one bilateral Test series in his lifetime. The two neighbours have not played a bilateral series since 2012.

“I hope to see a Test series between India and Pakistan in my lifetime.”

When the White House posted a picture of US President Donald Trump meeting with world leaders in the Oval Office at the White House this week, eagle-eyed football fans spotted an unlikely piece of silverware in pride of place.

The Club World Cup trophy, which Chelsea beat Paris St-Germain to win in July in New Jersey, can be seen on display, external in the president’s office in Washington DC.

The image led many on social media to question why ‘Chelsea’s trophy’ resides in one of the most important offices in the world weeks after Enzo Maresca’s side lifted it at Metlife Stadium.

Following the final in July, President Trump said he was told he could keep the trophy in recognition of the United States hosting the month-long tournament.

“I said, ‘When are you going to pick up the trophy?’ [They said] ‘We’re never going to pick it up. You can have it forever in the Oval Office, we’re making a new one’,” he said in an interview with DAZN.

“And they actually made a new one. So that was quite exciting, but it is in the Oval [Office] right now.”

But, according to Fifa, that is not quite the case. There are in fact three Club World Cup trophies in existence.

The original engraved version is in Zurich, Switzerland, at Fifa’s headquarters, as is the custom with all Fifa trophies – including the World Cup.

One replica belongs to Chelsea and the holders paraded it during a pre-season friendly against AC Milan.

It is the third version that lives in the Oval Office in “recognition of the 2025 tournament’s exceptional hosts”, Fifa told BBC Sport.

What’s the story

England are set to tour Sri Lanka ahead of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The tour will kick off with three ODIs from January 22 and would be followed by a three-match T20I series, starting January 30.
This will be England’s maiden limited-overs tour to the Island Nation in over seven years and is seen as crucial preparation for their third T20 World Cup title bid.

The races are coming thick and fast as the 2025 WTCS enters its crunch phase. Two weeks after WTCS French Riviera, the Series will turn to the Czech Republic to test the world’s best on the iconic Karlovy Vary course for the first time. With 1000 points on the line, this could be the race that swings the Series ahead of the finale in Wollongong. Find out which women will be starting and some of the stories to watch below.

Who’s there?

Current Series leader and 2023 world champion Beth Potter is the headline act of the field. Potter has already claimed medals in Yokohama and Hamburg this year however she was shut out on a similarly hilly Alghero course. As such, while she is possibly the favourite, she is only so by a slender margin. Also racing under British colours are Olivia Mathias, Kate Waugh, Sian Rainsley and Jessica Fullagar.

Two direct rivals to Potter come from the French team with Leonie Periault and Emma Lombardi set to start. Periault memorably struck gold in Hamburg last month with a sumptuous performance and her form makes her hard to overlook. Might this be the first time she wins multiple WTCS medals in the same season?

On the German team, WTCS medallists Lisa Tertsch, Annika Koch and Nina Eim will be racing alongside Franka Rust, Selina Klamt and Julia Bröcker, making up the largest squad on the start list. Tertsch, the winner in Abu Dhabi, will have another race winner for company as Jeanne Lehair, the star of WTCS Yokohama, is entered for Luxembourg alongside Eva Daniels.

A four-woman contingent will also be in attendance for Italy with recent WTCS medallist Bianca Seregni leading the way. Ilaria Zane, Alice Betto and Verena Steinhauser comprise the rest of the Italian quartet.

Several countries have three women slated to start. Netherlands are one such team with last year’s Karlovy Vary World Cup winner Maya Kingma pencilled in alongside Babette Rosman and Barbara De Koning. Team USA will have an experienced trio through Taylor Spivey, Summer Rappaport and Gina Sereno; notably the latter two have medalled in Karlovy Vary before.

Spain will send Miriam Casillas Garcia, Anna Godoy Contreras and Sara Guerrero Manso to the Czech Republic; Switzerland will be represented by Alissa Konig, Leanna Bissig and Nora Gmür.

Sophie Linn and Emma Jeffcoat are entered for Australia, while Slovakia (Romana Gajdošová and Diana Dunajska), Poland (Magdalena Sudak and Zuzanna Sudak) and Finland (Helena Knaapi and Iida Reini) have two women apiece on the start list.

Jolien Vermeylen (BEL), Djenyfer Arnold (BRA) and Tilda Månsson (SWE) head up the group of athletes that are the lone entrants for their respective countries. Finally, the home team will be roared on by large expected crowds. Tereza Zimovjanova, Alzbeta Hruskova, Michaela Sterbova and Heidi Juránková are the names that will look to make the most of the home support.

Who’s not there?

Cassandre Beaugrand has decided against starting in Karlovy Vary. She already has a gold and a silver from her two appearances this season and it appears she will be counting on another big performance at WTCS French Riviera to hit her three-race quota ahead of the Series finale. WTCS Abu Dhabi bronze medallist Laura Lindemann is not racing while her teammate, Tanja Neubert, has also chosen to skip the race. With Neubert currently ranked 10^th in the Series, she risks losing her spot as the second highest ranked German woman.

Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal, ranked 8^th in the Series, will not be starting. Diana Isakova and Gwen Jorgensen are the only other athletes missing from the WTCS top-20.

Four talking points

Send it again

Last year, Maya Kingma delivered an absolute clinic at the Karlovy Vary World Cup. She was at the front of the race in the water before breaking clear on the bike with Márta Kropkó (HUN). After putting minutes into the field over 40km, Kingma promptly ran clear to a dominant win.

In the first look at the WTCS French Riviera start lists, we discussed Kingma’s recent ventures into cycling and there is little need to rehash how strong she is on two wheels or how this course is virtually tailor-made for her. The key point to note here is that this will be the first time Kingma and Kropkó will race together since Karlovy Vary last year. With their tried-and-trusted formula, look for them to explode out of T1 once again in an attempt to decimate the field.

Tight at the top

The women’s WTCS leaderboard currently sits on a knife’s edge. Halfway through the campaign, no athlete has managed to win multiple races and this instability is reflected in the tight points difference between 1^st and 2^nd. Potter leads on 2360.08 points but Periault is right behind with 2325.68 points.

As fewer than 35 points separate the pair, whoever finishes ahead in Karlovy Vary will likely carry the Series lead into the final regular season race in Weihai (assuming they can hold off Beaugrand in the French Riviera). Intriguingly, Periault has won in Karlovy Vary before in 2022, however the WTCS and World Cup levels are radically different.

The likes of Potter, Periault and more will therefore have to decide whether to guard against one another in a tactical race and risk being left behind by more aggressive racers, or to launch an all-out offensive and face the danger of wilting on Karlovy Vary’s brutal climbs.

Arnold’s power

One athlete that has largely passed under the radar in the Series this year is Djenyfer Arnold. Finishes of 15^th in Yokohama and 21^st in Hamburg have not made a big dent on the standings, but that could all change in Karlovy Vary.

In a similar manner to Kingma, the course is perfect for Arnold. She is a fantastic swimmer but it is her power on the bike that could make the difference. Back in April she broke the South American Ironman 70.3 record, logging the 5^th fastest time ever. For someone so strong, Karlovy Vary will not be a daunting course. Rather, it will be an opportunity for her to bury her opponents. After the runners’ paradise of Hamburg last month, this time Arnold could deal out some revenge.

A long time coming

Karlovy Vary has been synonymous with triathlon ever since it first held an international race back in 1999. The European Championships were brought to the city in 2001 and from 2008 it has become a fixture of the international calendar. Indeed, in 2020 it was one of the few races to take place.

A World Cup venue since 2017, Karlovy Vary now has the chance to showcase itself on the highest stage, a reward for the sustained excellence in both racing and organisation. It will be a special moment for the city, and, having seen the loaded women’s start list, a fitting race seems set to follow.

The start lists can be found here and you can catch the racing live on TriathlonLive on 14^th September. Until then, be sure to stay up to date with the latest across all World Triathlon channels.

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) is reportedly set to revive domestic competitions, with its flagship tournament, the National Challenge Cup, likely to get the initial nod for a window between October 15 and 30 in Multan, as the federation looks to balance the calendar amid a hectic run of international fixtures.

According to Nukta, a senior PFF official has confirmed the tentative plan, stressing the need to wrap up the competition by the end of October.

Pakistan is set to face Syria in a crucial AFC Asian Cup Qualifier at Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad, on November 18, leaving little room for delays. Before that, the men’s national team will play back-to-back qualifiers against Afghanistan on October 9 (away) and October 14 (home). With the squad fully occupied during that period, the Challenge Cup will only be possible once those matches conclude.

A circular inviting entries from all participating units is expected soon, giving departments and clubs time to mobilize their squads.

WAPDA are the current holders of the Challenge Cup after edging SA Gardens 1–0 in the 2022–23 final at Jinnah Stadium. The bigger question, however, is how many traditional departmental powerhouses—long dormant due to Pakistan’s administrative turmoil in football—will return to the fold.

Institutions such as National Bank, PIA, K‑Electric, CAA, SSGC, SNGPL, and KPT have all been urged by the Prime Minister’s office to revive their sports teams. Alongside regulars like WAPDA, KRL, and the armed forces, their participation could mark the beginning of a more vibrant domestic calendar after years of stagnation.

The Challenge Cup will also double as a talent hunt for newly appointed head coach Nolberto Solano, who is eager to identify domestic players for upcoming assignments.

Pakistan’s football has endured a decade marred by factional disputes and international suspensions. Domestic competitions were scarce, and even during the five-year tenure of the FIFA‑appointed Normalisation Committee, the game struggled for stability. The new PFF administration is hoping to remedy this situation.

The National Challenge Cup remains Pakistan’s second‑most prestigious competition after the Pakistan Premier League, which the PFF plans to relaunch later this year or early next. With the domestic structure finally showing signs of revival, October’s Challenge Cup could be a defining moment for the future of Pakistani football.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday confirmed central contracts for 30 men’s cricketers for the 2025–26 season, with no player included in Category A this year.
According to the PCB press release, the new contracts, which run from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, divide the players equally across Categories B, C, and D, with 10 cricketers placed in each group.
Compared to last year’s list of 27, the pool has been expanded to 30, featuring 12 new names. The fresh inclusions are Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, and Sufiyan Muqeem.
Five players have been rewarded with promotions following strong displays over the past year. Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan have all moved up from Category C to Category B.
Meanwhile, nine players have kept their previous slots. Among them are Abdullah Shafique in Category C, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr in Category D, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Saud Shakeel in Category C, while Shaheen Shah Afridi continues in Category B.
However, eight cricketers who were part of last year’s contracts have missed out this time. Aamer Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan, all previously in Category D, have not been retained.

The list of centrally contracted players for the 2025–26 season:
Category B: Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan and Saud Shakeel.
Category D: Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood and Sufiyan Muqeem.

Can you imagine Jackie Chan on a snowboard?

That’s the sport the superstar actor and martial arts specialist told us he would be best at in the Winter Olympics.

Speaking to the @Olympics social media team, Chan explained why: “If you watched ‘First Strike’,” he told us, in reference to his 1996 movie as part of the ‘Police Story’ film series. “At the beginning of the movie, I do the snowboard jumping to the helicopter.”

Chan made the comments on a visit to the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the International Olympic Committee is based on the shores of Lake Geneva.

The native of Hong Kong, China, is still constantly active at the age of 71, practising his moves in the halls of the IOC headquarters. “I’m ADD, I cannot sit still for two minutes,” he shared.

When asked who his biggest inspirations were, the action filmmaker named “Bruce Lee, and Muhammad Ali”, referencing his fellow Hong Kong martial artist Lee, and the American boxer and Olympic gold medallist Ali.

Chan is passionate about the Olympic Movement, having participated as a torchbearer in the official Olympic Torch Relay on multiple occasions, including the Beijing 2008 and Beijing 2022 Games. He also carried the Paralympic flame ahead of Paris 2024.

He named the Olympic Torch display as his favourite feature of the Olympic Museum – “It’s the torch, from the first edition to the last,” Chan explained.

The ‘Karate Kid’ star is looking forward to the next Winter Games, Milano Cortina 2026, which take place next year from 6-22 February. What Italian cuisine would he recommend to visiting fans? “Parma ham with a honey melon,” said Chan.

What’s the story

South Africa thrashed Australia in the 1st ODI at Cazaly’s Stadium, Cairns, on August 19.
The Proteas successfully defended 296 after restricting the hosts to 198. Notably, Australia were down to 89/6 at one stage.
Spinner Keshav Maharaj took a match-winning five-wicket haul, powering SA’s biggest ODI win over Australia Down Under.
Notably, SA also recorded their second-biggest ODI total against Australia Down Under.