Category: 6. Sports

The changes are measurable but their most important impact is the one that can’t be easily quantified: a growing sense that athletes are no longer alone. “Every time we’re able to help an athlete with a concern, it’s super rewarding,” explains Viseras. “You can see a policy being developed and implemented, but there’s nothing like actually helping a person face-to-face with an issue, as we do at the Olympic and Youth Olympic Games.”

From sport to society

The IOC’s work on safeguarding has always been rooted in the needs of athletes. But in recent years, its focus has expanded – from preventing harm in sport to contributing to safer systems across society.

One of the clearest examples of this shift is the development of Safe Sport Regional Hubs, a new initiative designed to build stronger, community-led safeguarding networks in partnership with local stakeholders. Supported by a quadrennial USD 10 million fund and developed in collaboration with experts, survivors and public agencies, the hubs aim to meet the needs of athletes and others who have been harmed in sport – not just during competitions, but across their full sporting journey.

Two pilot hubs are now underway – one in Southern Africa and another in the Pacific Islands. Each is being shaped by regional consortia, including civil society organisations, safeguarding practitioners, government bodies and academic institutions. These hubs are intended to support reporting and response, as well as prevention, education, referral systems and survivor services that reflect local realities.

“Rather than just setting up an office and planting an IOC flag, we’re taking a localised, community-driven approach,” explains Burrows. “Each hub will be different because it’s by the region, for the region.”

The hubs are part of a broader rethinking of how the IOC sees its role – not just as a convenor of sport, but as a partner in global safeguarding efforts. Increasingly, the IOC is working with organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to develop cross-sector approaches that support athletes and strengthen child protection systems more broadly.

“Sport doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” Burrows says. “We’re not just strengthening safeguarding in sport – we’re recognising that sport can be a vehicle for protection at a much wider level.”

To support this wider ambition, the IOC has helped establish an International Safe Sport Steering Committee, bringing together intergovernmental organisations, NGOs, athlete representatives and sport bodies. The committee is guiding the development of global tools, including an International Safe Sport Framework, a classification system for interpersonal violence in sport and guidelines for trauma-informed investigations.

JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) – This city welcomed yet another basketball legend as the Hakeem Olajuwon flew in on Thursday to watch the ongoing FIBA Asia Cup 2025 at the King Abdullah Sports City.

The FIBA Hall of Famer is in town to support Jordan, where two of his sons, Abdullah and Abdul Rahman, have made their FIBA debuts – just like their brother Aziz with Canada in the recent FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.

“My wonderful two boys, my sons, they’re playing for the Jordan team. I was in Switzerland Under-19, one of my sons played there,” offered the 62-year-old, beaming, of course, with so much pride.

Olajuwon is filled with excitement to witness his children compete in the international arena, something that he himself had done during the course of his illustrious career that spanned for 18 long years.

The two-time NBA champion is an Olympic gold medalist, winning one as part of the ‘Dream Team II’ that ran roughshod over the competition in 1996 in Atlanta to give the United States their second title in a row.

For the younger Olajuwons to be suiting up and playing for a national team this early in their careers makes him all the more proud, as he believes that they earn a ton of valuable experience in this kind of setting.

“I’m just so happy for them because they have the opportunity to play for the national team. It’s a great game totally. They will gain a lot of experience,” said the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2016 inductee.

Because he has seen, too, how much the global game has grown from his time.

In fact, Olajuwon even cited the recent Olympics in Paris, in which the Americans ultimately struck gold but not before overcoming major threats along the way that further amplified how much basketball has risen.

The ‘Dream’ is simply in awe with the state of the game right now.

“The skill level is rising,” Olajuwon said. “If you saw the Olympics the U.S. barely won, so they’re catching up.”

“It’s amazing how basketball globally,” he added, “is in high, high standards.”

FIBA

A former soccer player for the Palestinian national team has allegedly been killed by Israeli gunfire in the Gaza Strip, according to the sport’s local governing body.

Suleiman al-Obeid, 41, known as the “Palestinian Pele,” was killed Wednesday when Israeli forces “targeted people waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip,” the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) claimed in a statement.

With Gaza in the throes of a hunger crisis, the UN rights office said last month that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,300 Palestinians trying to get food aid in the territory since late May.

There was no immediate Israeli response to the statement. Israel has denied shooting at people waiting for aid, but says it has fired warning shots at those who come too close to troops.

An ex-star of the Khadamat Al-Shati club in Gaza, Obeid played 24 international matches for the Palestinian national team, the PFA said.

“During his long career, Al-Obeid scored more than 100 goals, making him one of the brightest stars of Palestinian football,” it added.

The midfielder also played for the Al-Amari Youth Center Club in the West Bank.

While living there in 2010, Obeid was among six players on the national team from Gaza who were turned back by Israeli officials at the Jordanian border while on their way to a friendly match in Mauritania, citing security reasons.

An Israeli security official said at the time that the players had failed to renew special permits allowing them to play in the West Bank. Israel had previously allowed the six players to travel with the team.

Born in Gaza City, Obeid was married and had five children.

The war was sparked by the Palestinian terror group Hamas’s onslaught on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 251 were taken hostage, of whom 49 remain in captivity, most of them no longer alive.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 60,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.

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Several designs caught our eye, but it was one used in the 1980/81 season – with its distinctive circular photo – that we decided to revisit. There were no words added to the cover in the early Eighties version, and there might not always be this season, but for the visit of Fiorentina we felt a message was appropriate as we set the scene for the campaign ahead.

The background colour for the Fiorentina issue of the programme is red, as it will be for domestic cup competitions in 2025/26. But from next weekend, when we welcome Arsenal to M16 for our enticing Premier League curtain-raiser, the background colour will be white – as it will for all 19 league programmes. 

New Wales boss Steve Tandy said he screamed in shock and told his daughter to pass him her phone after she read Louis Rees-Zammit was returning to rugby union.

Rees-Zammit has spent the last 18 months in the NFL after announcing in January 2024 that he would retire from rugby in order to pursue his American Football dream.

The 32-times capped Wales wing signed an active roster deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2025 season after being part of their practice squad in 2024 — but Tandy now looks set to have the 24-year-old flier at his disposal after he announced his rugby return on social media.

“My oldest daughter told me, that was a bit worrying,” Tandy said at his first news conference as Wales head coach.

“She said ‘Zammit’s coming home!’ And I was like ‘Aaaaaargh. Give me the phone!’ That was how I found out.

“As a coach, you daydream. Coming back, you’re obviously looking at what you’ve got. And then you look at what you could have.

“It’s obviously a great boost for him, the game and the fans. It’s great.”

Tandy, the first Welshman to coach the national team for 18 years, starts his role on Sept. 1.

Wales play Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa in Cardiff in the autumn — and Rees-Zammit could now be involved.

“You can kid yourself that was my impact,” Tandy said of Rees-Zammit’s return. “I think you wouldn’t rule anything out.

“Zammo brings a big effect and excitement by coming back. I think it’s great for the game.

“He’s gone away to experience something new, which is class. I’m sure he will be in outstanding physical condition.

“The more players we have available to represent our country the better. That’s exciting and makes our jobs easier.

“It will also make our calls on selection a lot more challenging in terms of selection as we’ve already got some very good back three players.”

– Wales’ Steve Tandy: No ‘magic wand’ to fix country’s rugby woes
– Four Springboks, several England players sign R360 deals – reports
– Andy Farrell’s case to return as British and Irish Lions coach

Rees-Zammit has said there is a “a load of interest” in his services but his rugby future remains unclear.

Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney said: “I’m over the moon Louis is coming back to rugby because it gives us him for the national team.

“The challenge we’ve got is we’re starting the season in September. You can have a look at what different teams are doing with their salary caps and their players.

“Are we in touch with Louis and trying to find a way in which we can make something work?

“Of course it would be fantastic. But I’m sure he’ll have lots of other offers as well.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said he would be prepared to force the sale of land needed for a major redevelopment of the Old Trafford stadium.

Burnham, who has been supportive of Manchester United’s plans to demolish its 74,310-capacity stadium in favour of a £2bn 100,000-seat replacement.

But United would need to buy nearby land which its owners, Freightliner, have valued at £400m – 10 times the club’s valuation for it.

Burnham said discussions were in their early stages, but that his office would be able to use compulsory purchase powers “if needed”.

“The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has approved the establishment of a mayoral development corporation (MDC) to oversee a masterplan of the area to facilitate some of the land assembly,” he told BBC Radio Manchester.

“But there’s plenty that can be done if an agreement cannot be reached.

“The real action is only going to get going in the autumn with the MDC,” he added.

Manchester United has said the entire project has the potential to create 92,000 new jobs, will involve the construction of 17,000 homes, and bring an additional 1.8 million visitors to the area annually.

It add that the project will be worth an additional £7.3bn per year to the UK economy.

Freightliner has said it is open to moving operations out to ILP North, a new depot planned for the border of Warrington, St Helens, and Wigan 17 miles away.

Selected transfers in: Liam Delap (Ipswich), Joao Pedro (Brighton), Jamie Gittens (Borussia Dortmund), Jorrel Hato (Ajax),

Previously agreed deals gone through this summer: Dario Essugo (Sporting), Estevao Willian (Palmeiras)

Selected transfers out: Kepa Arrizabalaga (Arsenal), Joao Felix (Al-Nassr), Djordje Petrovic (Bournemouth), Mathis Amougou (Strasbourg)

Money spent: £249m

BBC Sport reporter Nizaar Kinsella: “Chelsea’s 3-0 win in the final of the Club World Cup against European champions Paris St-Germain was a statement that they are a force to be reckoned with.

“Manager Enzo Maresca has united a group of players who cost up to £1.4bn, according to the club’s own accounts, and although the starting XIs were the youngest ever to play out a Premier League season last year, they appear to be good enough to win titles.

“Among the star players are Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella but the Blues have also added Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, Estevao Willian and Jorrel Hato this summer to cope with the increased workload of returning to the Champions League next season.

“Internally, Chelsea have again set a top-four finish in the league as the main target, but defender Levi Colwill is among those who suggest they are ready to win the Premier League or Champions League as early as next season.”

Pakistan batsman Haider Ali is under criminal investigation in England, his country’s cricket board said, while the Greater Manchester Police said an arrest had been made following a rape allegation.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said an investigation “involving cricketer Haider Ali” stemmed from “an incident that reportedly occurred during the Pakistan Shaheens’ recent tour of England.” The PCB did not specify the nature of the investigation into the 24-year-old Ali.

The Greater Manchester Police said that on Monday they had received a report of a rape and that “we have arrested a 24-year-old man”. “It’s alleged that the incident occurred on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Manchester,” the police statement added. “The man has since been bailed pending further inquiry.” The police in Britain typically does not name suspects at this stage of investigation.

The Shaheens team represents Pakistan in second-tier international cricket. Their 15-day tour started on July 22.

The PCB suspended Ali “effective immediately, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation”. “The PCB fully respects the legal procedures and processes of the United Kingdom and acknowledges the importance of allowing the investigation to run its due course,” it said.

Ali has played two one-day internationals and 35 T20s for Pakistan since making his international debut in 2020.

The PCB said Ali was provided appropriate legal support.

“Once the legal proceedings are concluded and all facts have been duly established, the PCB reserves the right to take appropriate action under its Code of Conduct, if necessary,” it added.