Category: 6. Sports

Held from 11 to 14 August in Kimberley, the course represents a significant advancement in SA Rugby’s commitment to broadening and diversifying its educator base, in line with the objectives of the Destination 2027 Strategic Plan.

The course was facilitated by a team comprising Hilton Adonis (World Rugby Master Trainer), Neville Heilbron, Selvyn Colby, David Dobela, and Bongani Qumbu.

“This course directly supports our ‘Destination 2027’ goals to broaden the educator base across all 15 unions, standardise training methodologies in line with global best practice, and create aspirational pathways for coaches and educators from grassroots to elite levels,” said Adonis, SA Rugby’s Senior Manager for Training and Education.

“We are building a system that reflects the full spectrum of South African rugby, ensuring that our educator pool is as diverse, skilled, and representative as the players and communities they serve.”

Participants explored modules covering educator delivery styles, understanding client populations, learning and assessment strategies, facilitation techniques, and risk management. The course placed strong emphasis on reflective practice and competency-based learning – cornerstones of SA Rugby’s evolving training and education ecosystem.

The participants were Marlene Adams, Sherwin Carelse, Henley du Plessis, Aschin Klein (all Free State), Mortan Coetzee, Jacques Mew, Joseph-John Molale, Andre Wait (all Griquas), and Laurence Christie (Golden Lions).

“By investing in educator development, SA Rugby is laying the foundation for a more inclusive, sustainable, and high-performing rugby environment,” added Adonis.

“The Kimberley course exemplifies how strategic training initiatives can drive change, elevate standards, and foster a rugby culture that is truly reflective of South Africa’s diversity.”

Gavin Drysdale still remembers the first time he ran. Using a metal frame called a frame runner, the five-year-old Drysdale fell in love with running instantly. 

“I can remember falling in love with the sense of freedom and speed that frame running gave me. It was the first time I had run independently without any support from others,” Drysdale said. “The feeling never gets old.” 

Now he is a two-time world champion, and in three years, he will see his event shine at the Paralympic Games.

For the first time in Paralympic history, the LA28 Paralympic Games will include the men’s and women’s 100m T72 events. The LA28 Paralympic Opening Ceremony will take place on 15 August 2028 at the Stadium in Inglewood.

For many athletes including Drysdale, it is a dream come true. 

“It will be amazing to see frame running on the biggest stage of all,” said Drysdale, who communicates using an electronic device. “I’m trying to not get too carried away with myself. 

“There is a lot of hard work to be done between now and LA28, but I would love to be there. I will play a part in Paralympic history and most importantly help to showcase frame running to the world.” 

What is frame running?  

In the new Paralympic event, athletes with coordination impairments use a three-wheeled frame to run on an athletic track. 

“The sport gives people the opportunity to run independently, who otherwise would not. It’s a very fun and exciting sport to watch, and I promise I’m not being biased saying that,” Drysdale said. 

The LA28 Paralympic Games, which take place from 15-27 August 2028, will feature more than 4,000 athletes competing in 560 medal events across 23 sports. Para athletics action will take place at the iconic LA Memorial Coliseum, which hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984.

Though new to the Paralympic programme, frame running made its World Championship debut at Dubai 2019. Drysdale and Kayleigh Haggo became the first-ever world champions in frame racing, winning the 100m RR3 events. At the Paris 2023 World Championships, Drysdale won the men’s 100m T72, with his teammate Rafi Solaiman taking silver and Brazil’s Vinicius Marques taking bronze. Australia’s Maria Strong won gold in the women’s event, followed by Magdalena Andruszkiewicz of Poland and Judith Tortosa Vila of Spain. 

The men’s and women’s 100m T71 and T72 events will also be held at this year’s World Championships in New Delhi, India. 

To the Paralympic spotlight

Five years after discovering frame running, Drysdale won his first medal at the Scottish Disability Sport Junior Championships in Grangemouth, Scotland. He topped the podium at the World Para Athletics European Championships, a year before taking historic gold at the 2019 World Championships.

Off the athletics track, Drysdale works as a Project Officer at World Abilitysport. In June, he attended the International Paralympic Committee Athletes’ Forum in Germany, representing the organisation.

Now, with LA28 on the horizon, Drysdale is excited about what is to come. 

“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” Drysdale said. “The inclusion of frame running in the Paralympic programme has been a dream of mine and my fellow athletes for a long time. To now be able to see it as a reality is absolutely amazing.” 

He hopes to be part of history at LA28, and he says he is ready. He even shared the key to success. 

“Without giving away all my secrets, I will say it’s very similar to all Para sports. I would not have achieved what I have done without a great team around me, not only on the track but also off the track,” he said.

“I need to make sure I am being consistent with my efforts in the same way all those working in frame running have done to allow myself and others to have this Paralympic pathway today.”

And when it comes down to it, Drysdale believes success starts with joy. 

“Most importantly, you need to make sure you’re enjoying what you’re doing. One of my coaches always used to say, ‘A happy athlete is a fast athlete.’”

Discover more about the LA28 Paralympic Games
 

Zurich, Switzerland – (14 August 2025) – The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is proud to announce its new strategic partnership with Wiz-Team, which will become the federation’s Official Event Management & Accreditation Platform Provider. This collaboration aims to bring enhanced digital tools and innovative solutions to the planning and execution of IIHF events worldwide. 

As part of this multi-year partnership, the IIHF will leverage Wiz-Team’s integrated technology solution, ‘Event-Works’, to manage the logistical and operational complexities of its events – from registration and accreditation to guest management, including travel and accommodation.  

The centralised and integrated Event Management System will streamline the IIHF’s operational workflows and elevate participant experiences across its event portfolio. 

The partnership officially kicked off with an Observer Program during the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Stockholm, offering Wiz-Team first-hand insight into the IIHF’s unique event landscape. The next major milestones in this collaboration include the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in Nice (2025), the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, and the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland. 

Luc Tardif, President of the IIHF, commented: 

“This collaboration will allow the IIHF to significantly enhance its event operations, ensuring smoother internal processes and supporting the federation’s commitment to continual innovation. In an ever-evolving digital landscape, maintaining competitiveness means staying agile and tech-savvy. This partnership aligns perfectly with the IIHF’s ICE26 strategy, and we’re thrilled to be part of this journey.” 

Tim Goethals, Wiz-Team’s Chief Operations Officer, said: 

“We are excited about this new partnership with the IIHF, which will play a crucial role in the digital transformation of its event operations. By equipping the IIHF events team with innovative, flexible, scalable, and configurable event management solutions, we will not only streamline operations but also enhance the participants’ journey through a global user-friendly platform. We are proud to support the IIHF in this transformation.”

Howard Webb believes there is no way back to refereeing for David Coote, saying the scandal-hit official would find it “really difficult” to return, even as Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) seeks to improve its approach to mental health.

Coote was this week handed a suspension by the Football Association over derogatory remarks he made about Jürgen Klopp on a video recorded during lockdown and leaked online. A number of other claims, which also led Coote to admit to drug use during his time as a referee, prompted his sacking by PGMO late last year and a Uefa ban.

Webb said the outcome of the Coote affair had been a “sad” one but the outcome was likely irreversible. “I think it’d be really difficult for David to come back, I’m afraid to say,” Webb, the chief referee officer, said. “He is somebody that we stay in contact with, somebody who was part of our refereeing family for a long time and served the game as well for a long period of time and I’ve known him personally for many years. So it’s sad what happened with David, but I would think it would be a challenging thing for him to come back.”

Webb said the scandal had caused PGMO to try to understand what had caused Coote to behave in the way he had, and to start having conversations around mental health which “we probably haven’t had previously”.

“It became apparent that David had made some bad choices away from the football field,” Webb said. “He was an employee of ours. So obviously we had to care for him and we had to try to understand why he made some of those choices and where they connected to the job that he had.

“We spoke to all of our officials as well other officials and said: ‘How are you feeling about all of this?’ And there was some feedback that came back from them about the support that they think they need. And then it was a good time for us to reflect on the services that we do provide within our own staff expertise.”

Webb said PGMO had subsequently sought to “beef up” its mental health provision, with increased referral to outside support, including sports psychologists. “We wanted to really emphasise to them that doing that was a sign of strength and not weakness,” he said. “And I think we’ve made good ground over the last few months in that respect because we’ve probably not had those conversations previously.”

Webb said he had a “thick skin” as a referee and it was a given in the job. “But I think over time it can weigh you down”, he said. “Our only intention is to make sure the officials go out there in the best frame of mind and feeling confident. I think that [the Coote affair] opened our eyes to the need to have those conversations on a human level with our officials. Traditionally you just always say: ‘I’ve got a show strength, I’ve got to show resilience. I’ve got to show that they’re not nobody’s getting to me.’”

To mark just seven days to go until England v USA kicks off the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, we have gone daily! 

From now through to the final on 27 September, a rundown of everything you need to know will drop right here at 10:00 BST every day. Mark your calendars. 

Here we go: 

1. Pick your Fantasy team now

It is not only the world’s best coaches who are busy working out the best combinations ahead of next Friday’s kick-off, there are also fans all over the world scouring the recent team announcements as they get ready to play the Fantasy Women’s Rugby World Cup. 

And you can join them right now, with the game now live. 

Free to play and with great prizes on offer, get involved and show off your knowledge. Set up a private league and beat your family and friends and/or dive into the global leaderboard. 

First question, will you pick the reigning World Rugby Player of the Year…

2. Listen to latest edition of RWC 2025 Podcast 

Talking of Ellie Kildunne, England’s irrepressible full-back is the subject of the brand new edition of the Official Rugby World Cup 2025 Podcast. 

The subject? Well, hosts Betty Glover and Anne Onwusiri do raise the question as to whether Kildunne could be the best player in the universe… but the blushing back is quick to move the conversation on to hopes for the next eight weeks, painful memories of RWC 2021 and much, much more. 

Check it out now: 

3. Woodman-Wickliffe reacts to being named No.1

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, the woman whose crown Kildunne may well be targeting, has revealed her delight at being named the world’s best by RugbyPass. 

“It’s honestly amazing, you don’t go out looking for these accolades or these moments, you just play a game of rugby, and you just love playing alongside your mates, and to be recognised by RugbyPass is amazing and really means a lot,” Woodman-Wickliffe said after toping the Top 50 countdown. 

Among a whole host of subjects, the RWC record try scorer turned her attentions to what is coming in the next few weeks:

“It’s going to be the biggest World Cup that women’s rugby has ever seen, and to be a part of it is going to be amazing,” she said, before imagining a possible final versus the hosts and current world No.1s, England.

“Obviously we’ve got a lot of work to get to that point but this World Cup is going to be out the gate- the talent, the actual legends that are still playing in the game, the atmosphere, the crowds.”

Check out the full exclusive interview here. 

4. Sevens stars set to light up RWC 2025

The crossover between the 15-a-side game and its quickfire cousin has never been tighter, with a host of sevens converts poised to shine on the biggest of stages. 

Here are 10 of the best to look out for. 

5. Check out the medals they are all vying for

On 27 September one set of players and coaches will not only get to lift the brand new Women’s Rugby World Cup Trophy, they will also get the below gold medals draped around their happy necks: 

Plated in Birmingham by a master goldsmith, there are silver, bronze and participation medals on offer too. But most have eyes only for the golden ones. 

Get the full lowdown here. 

6. Flashing mouthguards indicate next stage of player welfare

For the first time on the global stage, RWC 2025 will see flashing led-lit mouthguards highlighting high-impact collisions as they happen. 

It is the latest phase in concerted efforts to identify suspected concussion incidents, as the game prioritises player safety. 

Full details here. 

7. ‘This one is for the girls who were told this game wasn’t for them’

England’s Red Roses, the world No.1 ranked team who are unbeaten since losing out in the RWC 2021 final, have released a spine-tingling video that we just had to highlight in our first Daily edition. 

Enjoy it and bring on the action! 

Laura Wienroither has joined Manchester City on a permanent transfer.

Laura joined us from Frauen-Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in January 2022 and made her debut as a substitute against Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the League Cup later that month.

The Austrian full-back suffered a long-term injury at the end of the 2022/23 season, but returned to action in April 2024 after a successful period of rehabilitation.

In total, Laura made 51 appearances for Arsenal, scoring one goal. She won two League Cup titles during her time at the club, and made four appearances in our run to UEFA Women’s Champions League glory last season.

Laura spent the second half of the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Manchester City, making eight appearances.

Everyone at Arsenal would like to thank Laura for her efforts during her time with us and we wish her well for her next chapter.

It might as well have been the tech industry’s latest grudge match.

On one side: OpenAI’s reasoning-tuned o3 model. On the other, Elon Musk’s flagship AI model, Grok 4.

In an AI chess tournament hosted by Google’s Kaggle, the two met in a final that put their skills — and their makers’ reputations — to the test.

o3 swept the board 4—0 and took the AI chess crown.

The third-place playoff went to Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, which defeated o4-mini 3.5—0.5

Tech companies have long used chess to measure a computer’s progress and capabilities, and today’s specialist engines are virtually unbeatable, even for the best human players.

In 2016, AlphaGo — a program developed by Google’s DeepMind to play the Chinese strategy game Go — made headlines when it defeated world champion Lee Sedol.

But this competition pitted general-purpose AI programs against each other to see which model would come out on top over the chessboard.

OpenAI, xAI, and Kaggle did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

How the showdown unfolded

The tournament ran from August 5 to August 7, in a knockout format featuring eight large language models: OpenAI’s o3 and o4-mini, xAI’s Grok 4, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro and Gemini 2.5 Flash, Anthropic’s Claude 4 Opus, DeepSeek’s DeepSeek R1, and Kimi’s k2.

Grok 4 impressed early, cruising through its bracket to reach the final. o3 did the same, dismantling every opponent along the way.

When the two met in the last match, it wasn’t close.

“Up until the Semifinals, it seemed like nothing would be able to stop Grok 4 on its way to winning the event,” wrote Pedro Pinhata, a writer for Chess.com, which provided coverage for the tournament.

“Despite a few moments of weakness, X’s AI seemed to be by far the strongest chess player,” he added.

But once the final began, that prediction fell apart. “The chatty o3 simply dismantled its mysterious opponent with four convincing wins,” Pinhata wrote.

“Grok’s play was unrecognizable, blundering soon and often. And for the most part, o3 showed no mercy.”

Former world champion Magnus Carlsen didn’t hold back during a livestream of the final on YouTube Channel “Take Take Take.”

He likened Grok to “that one guy in a club who has learnt theory and literally knows nothing else.”

“It just makes the worst blunders,” he said.

Altman vs Musk

OpenAI’s win over Grok is another chapter in an increasingly public feud between its cofounders.

Musk on Monday threatened to sue Apple, alleging App Store favoritism toward OpenAI. Altman shot back by pointing to Musk’s control of X.

Musk posted a ChatGPT 5 Pro exchange on Tuesday in which the bot deemed him “more trustworthy” than Altman.

Back in May, Altman tried the same trick with Grok, asking who should lead the AI race if humanity’s fate was at stake.

“If forced, I’d lean toward Musk for his safety emphasis, critical for humanity’s survival, though Altman’s accessibility is vital,” Grok said in response to Altman’s query. “Ideally, their strengths should combine with regulation to ensure AI benefits all.”

Carlos Baleba is unlikely to remain at Brighton for the long-term amid interest from Man United in the Cameroonian.

Manchester United are prepared to delay a move for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba until next year.

United have not completely given up on signing the 21-year-old before the transfer window closes on September 1 but senior sources concede a deal is unlikely.

External sources have suggested a deal this summer is “too difficult”. Baleba is under contract at Brighton until 2028, with the option of another year, and the club sold midfielder Moises Caicedo to Chelsea in 2023 for a then-British record £115million.

Baleba would be keen to join United but he is valued at around £100m by Brighton. United have already invested more than £200m on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko this summer.

United still intend to reinforce their midfield as Toby Collyer is set to join West Bromwich Albion on loan. Collyer would prefer to stay but United want him to play regularly in the Championship.

There was some surprise that United did not move for midfielder Joao Palhinha before he joined Tottenham Hotspur on loan from Bayern Munich. Palhinha, 30, played under United head coach Ruben Amorim at Sporting, excelled in the Premier League with Fulham and United have recruited three players from Bayern within the last three years.

Agency sources said United would prefer to permanently sign a midfielder rather than bring one in on loan. Spurs have an option to buy Palhinha for £27m.

An obstacle to United bolstering their midfield remains Casemiro. The MEN previously reported that four different figures were given a mandate to sell the 33-year-old but he is set to see out the final year of his contract.

United have not received any concrete offers for Casemiro, who would have to be sold for £15m to avoid a loss under the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules.

Casemiro’s contract expires next year and United have the option of an additional year but will almost certainly ignore it.

United recruited Manuel Ugarte on transfer deadline day last year with the intention of him becoming their long-term defensive midfielder. However, the £50.75m signing has underwhelmed and lost his place to Casemiro towards the end of last season.

Ugarte, 24, had a mixed pre-season, shining against West Ham United in New Jersey before struggling against Everton in Atlanta. Ugarte started in two of United’s five pre-season games.

Amorim has to decide whether to play Bruno Fernandes with Ugarte or Casemiro in United’s opening Premier League fixture against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package

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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.

Below is ticketing information for our Premier League fixture against West Ham United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, October 4 at 15:00 pm TBC.

This time and date of this match may be changed due to TV broadcast selections.

This will be a Category B fixture (pricing and information on match categorisation).

BALLOTS

Ballot price range
£44.80 – £84.00

Ballots open: Friday, August 22, 12pm
Ballots close: Tuesday, August 26, 10am

Current status

To ensure fairness and equal opportunity, tickets for home fixtures will be sold via a ballot system exclusively for Arsenal Members.

Members will have a designated window to enter the ballot. You can choose to register individually or as a group of up to four members, if all supporters meet the necessary requirements. You can enter at any stage during the registration window, and your odds of success will remain the same.

For the Silver and Red ballots, you can register your interest for your group to be balloted into our family-oriented area, which are in blocks 28, 29 and half of block 30. This is dependent on availability and requirements, and your group can be balloted into any of the other areas selected in your application.

If you are eligible, you can select up to two preferred price bands during the registration process. You can also choose to be balloted into any remaining areas if you are not successful in either of your preferred price bands.

Please note if your payment card is declined, your application will be unsuccessful. 

Ballot Notification

Whilst we make every effort to notify you of the ballot results via email, it remains your responsibility to check your purchase history for this information. The results can be found in the booking history of your online Box Office account.                                 

Useful links 

Ticket Exchange & Ticket Transfer

Access to the Ticket Exchange service will be limited to members who were unsuccessful in the ballots. This service may also open to other members, and these details will be communicated on a match-by-match basis via the relevant ticket information page.

Once the Silver ballot has concluded, any unsuccessful Silver Members will have priority access to the Ticket Exchange service. Once the Red ballot has concluded, all unsuccessful members will have access.

Arsenal season ticket holders can transfer their tickets to family and friends from the Ticket Hub in the Arsenal app.

Both Ticket Exchange and Ticket Transfer services will close three hours before kick-off, unless stated otherwise and recipients of tickets via the Ticket Transfer service must accept the ticket transfer before the deadline. If recipients do not accept a ticket, it will be automatically accepted on their behalf. 

Please see more information for Ticket Exchange and Ticket Transfer.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Matchday Hospitality

Please visit our official matchday hospitality page to view availability for our hospitality packages, or call 0345 262 0001 and select option 2 for more information.

Digital Tickets

Any tickets purchased by members for the 2025/2026 season, will be loaded onto their digital membership pass via the official Arsenal app.

Once the digital pass has been added to an Apple or Android wallet, any purchased tickets will automatically show on the digital pass approximately one week before the relevant fixture.

Any tickets accepted via the Ticket Transfer service will be available in the Ticket Hub.

My Network

If you are purchasing tickets for other Arsenal members, please ensure that each additional member is assigned to your Network prior to your transaction 

How to manage your network

Disability Access

Find out much more ticketing information for Disability Access members

Information on balloting for disability access members will be available via our Help Centre.

Under-14s

Children aged 13 and under must be accompanied and seated within reaching distance to an adult aged 18 or over when attending fixtures at Emirates Stadium. 

Any bookings which do not meet our safeguarding regulations will result in the ticket being cancelled and a full refund issued.