Category: 6. Sports

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — A French journalist has been sentenced to seven years in prison in Algeria over an interview with a soccer official accused of ties to a banned separatist movement, in a case rights groups say criminalizes routine reporting.

Christophe Gleizes, a 36-year-old freelance sportswriter, was arrested and placed under judicial supervision more than a year ago for entering Algeria without a proper visa, “glorifying terrorism,” and “possessing propaganda publications harmful to the national interest,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement on Sunday.

He was tried and convicted, although prosecutors have not publicly announced the charges and Algerian officials have not commented on the case.

However, authorities have in the past faced criticism from rights advocates who say Algeria uses anti-terrorism laws to target political speech.

Thibaut Bruttin, Reporters Without Borders director general, called authorities’ decision to hold Gleizes for 13 months before sentencing an example of “absurd judicial control” and called the seven-year sentence “nonsensical.” The press freedom group said Gleizes planned to appeal the sentences on Monday.

The charges against Gleizes, the group said, stemmed from contact he had with the head of a soccer club who was also a member of a political movement that Algeria designated as a terrorist group four years ago.

Gleizes, had contributed to the magazines So Foot and Society, had gone to Algeria last year to report on JS Kabylie, Algeria’s most historically dominant soccer team.

JS Kabylie and its successes are deeply enmeshed in the movement to win cultural recognition for Algeria’s Amazigh minority in the mountainous Kabylia region. The region has for decades been an epicenter of rebellion in Algeria. Authorities have in recent years clamped down on the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia, a separatist group whose leader has been sentenced to death in absentia for “attacking national unity.”

The French journalist’s sentence comes as relations between France and Algeria reach new levels of hostility. The two countries are sparring over migration, extradition, trade and France’s change in position over the status of the disputed Western Sahara.

France’s Foreign Affairs Ministry called Gleizes’ sentence harsh, saying it planned to provide consular support and had applied to visit him in prison.

While the case was received with shock in France’s media, few in Algeria were aware of Gleizes’ detention before the sentence was announced.

“This is a murky affair,” said Karim Adli, a sports journalist based in the city of Tizi Ouzou.

LONDON — There were twists and turns. There were net cords and underarm serves. There was physical distress and an unfortunate charge straight into the net. And after 2 hours and 41 minutes, at the end of a wild three-set ride, there was only one winner: Madison Keys, who held off Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-5 to reach the Wimbledon second round.

Wimbledon: Scores | Order of play | Draw

It was the second time in a Grand Slam this year that the No. 6 seed had survived a stern examination from Ruse — and despite coming so close to defeat, the déjà vu could be positive for Keys. She trailed Ruse by a third-set break in the second round of the Australian Open in January, before escaping 7-6(1), 2-6, 7-5. Less than two weeks later, she had gone on to lift her first major trophy.

In the rematch, Ruse came out swinging as though she had unfinished business. The Romanian led throughout the first set, and despite Keys twice pegging her back from a break down, snatched it in a tiebreak. But Ruse began visibly ailing in the second set, calling for a medical timeout after the third game and collapsing to the ground in the ninth game.

The match only got wilder from there. Ruse battled on, levelling at 5-5 from 5-3 down despite her issues — only for Keys to close the set out anyway. In the decider, Keys had to navigate all manner of unexpected obstacles as she sought to protect another early lead. At 2-0, holding two points for a double break, Keys was denied by a Ruse underarm serve that caught the outer edge of the line. Serving for the match at 5-4, she was broken back as, chasing down a short Ruse ball, the American charged straight into the net.

In light of that, Keys’ resilience in shaking off the setbacks to make one last push for victory was remarkable — and the scream of relief she let out after Ruse ballooned a return long on match point was possibly the only predictable aspect of the match.

More to come…

Javelin throw world champion Neeraj Chopra may possess his own sporting superpowers but given a chance, he would borrow one from cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar.

The 27-year-old Neeraj Chopra, who won gold at Tokyo 2020 and silver at Paris 2024, expressed his admiration for the legendary Indian batter’s ‘calm mindset’ when it came to dealing with challenges.

“He represented our country so well for so many years and made so many records for us,” Neeraj told Star Sports, when asked which cricketer’s superpower he would like to borrow.

“The way he faced challenges from many great bowlers and still performed exceptionally. I would want that superpower and try to do the same. It would help me handle challenges that come my way with a calm mindset.”

Neeraj, who joined the elite 90m club earlier this year after a personal best 90.23m throw at the Doha Diamond League, was speaking ahead of the NC Classic – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event – which will be held in Bengaluru.

The two-time Olympic medallist also drew an interesting parallel between his discipline and cricket, finding common ground between the javelin throw and MS Dhoni’s trademark batting shot.

“I feel MS Dhoni’s helicopter shot is quite similar to a javelin throw in terms of power and technique,” Chopra noted.

Asked which cricketers he believes could make good javelin throwers, Neeraj said former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee would be a natural choice.

“I have heard that Brett Lee was a javelin thrower. I think he could throw the javelin well, especially when he was in his peak years,” he said.

Neeraj also expressed his desire to learn a few tricks of the trade from Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

“I would like to try javelin with Jasprit Bumrah too and hope he teaches me some bowling skills. While bowling and javelin are both throws, they are very different. I would like to learn from Bumrah.”

Neeraj Chopra will next be seen in action at the NC Classic 2025 in Bengaluru on July 5. The Indian star clinched victories at the Ostrava Golden Spike and Paris Diamond League events earlier this season.

This feature is the second in a five-part series sharing the stories of refugee athletes Farida Abaroge, Seyd Taha Ghafari, Omar Hassan, Emmanuel Kiruhura Ntagunga and Seyfu Jamaal Tahir as they seek selection to the Athlete Refugee Team (ART) at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. 

After taking on work that put his life in danger, Seyd Taha Ghafari was forced to flee Iran, leaving everything he knew behind. 

Ghafari was unable to see his family for five long years. When he arrived in the UK with no certainties, he found strength and connection through running. 

Running became his lifeline, helping him to navigate a new world, build a community and regain hope.

“I continued to run, because it gives you good feeling – mentally and physically,” explains the 30-year-old, who ran for the Athlete Refugee Team at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst in 2023.

“I saw my family briefly. That was a very sad moment. You don’t only leave your family, you leave your friends and everything you’ve built, just like that.

“A big motivation for me when I arrived was that I saw so many people running in the parks and on the roads in the UK. I felt really good. I felt like I knew all of them. I started running again and it felt like home.

“As marathon runners, we have lots of long runs. Many things in your mind come and go. I’m always thinking about my past, and what a great opportunity I have.”

View the full video feature on World Athletics Watch.

Video features on Farida Abaroge, Emmanuel Kiruhura Ntagunga and Seyfu Jamaal Tahir will be published on World Athletics Watch during the next few weeks. The feature on Omar Hassan is already available.

Interview and video production by Christel Saneh for World Athletics