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On the back row of an old team photo, chest puffed out with pride, stands Sione Tuipulotu.

Now a Lion, back then Tuipulotu, born and brought up in Melbourne, was representing Victoria’s Under-12 state team.

The ready smile and hefty build make him easy to pick out more than 15 years on.

The boy standing in front of him is less readily recognisable though.

The hair is shorter, the frame is slimmer, but Rob Valetini, the Wallabies’ great second-Test hope, stares out of the same frame.

Had a few sliding doors lined up, Valetini and Tuipulotu could have been on the same side this weekend.

One side of Valetini’s family, like Tuipulotu’s, has Scottish ancestry. Captain William Sinclair, a diplomat, was dispatched to Fiji in the 19th century and is his great-grandfather.

On his father’s side, a route to Britain and Ireland opened up more recently though.

“I was supposed to come to England to play for Bath,” Valetini’s father Manueli tells BBC Sport.

Manueli was a fast, strong runner, capable of playing in both the back row and centres, long before Levani Botia pulled the same trick.

He had played against the Wallabies for one of Fiji’s regional teams and was on the fringes of the national team when, in 1985, Bath offered to sponsor a move to the other side of the world.

“It was very close to happening, but my dad told me ‘no, England is too far, you had better go to Australia or New Zealand’.

“I think I made the right choice to come to Melbourne.”

The ISO 20121 certification demonstrates LIV Golf’s commitment to meeting the highest standards of sustainability in event management

LIV Golf is the first Golf league, tour, or major body to achieve this certification across its global operations and events

Through the league’s impact and sustainability commitments, LIV Golf continues to drive golf forward with impact on and off the course

JCB GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB, UTTOXETTER AND NEW YORK – As a driving force in golf sustainability, LIV Golf has been officially certified to ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management by BSI (British Standards Institution), the leading global body for standards certification for sustainable event management. LIV Golf is the first golf league, tour, or major body to achieve ISO certification across its global operations and events

To achieve ISO 20121 certification, LIV Golf undertook a rigorous 18-month audit, demonstrating the underpinning of sustainability practices across all functions within the organisation.

The international standard is awarded to organizations that demonstrate a robust and proactive approach to managing the social, environmental, and economic impacts of their events in a sustainable way.

LIV Golf has successfully demonstrated that it operates a Sustainable Management System that ensures environmental responsibility, social impact and continuous improvement across business and event operations.

LIV Golf holds environmental standards as a priority. This year’s LIV Golf UK by JCB tournament will be powered by 100% renewable energy, 10,000 shuttle bus journeys will be powered by electric vehicles, flooring will be donated to social housing post event, and school and university students are job-shadowing throughout the event, gaining vital work experience. Further to LIV Golf’s tournament at JCB Golf & Country Club, it upholds a consistent standard of environmentally conscious standards across all its 14 events each season:

• Branding, signage, and temporary infrastructure are designed for reuse across multiple tournaments, reducing single-use materials and minimising resource demand.
• Waste is separated on-site for recycling, with event teams working to reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as possible to minimise what goes to landfill.
• All catering aligns with LIV Golf’s Sustainable Food Charter, prioritising local sourcing where possible, offering plant-based menu options, and using compostable or reusable service ware.
• Hydration stations are provided across all events to reduce reliance on single-use plastics for staff, players, and fans.
• Environmental site risk assessments are completed for every venue, ensuring habitat and biodiversity protection, spill prevention measures, and responsible site management.

LIV Golf joins an exclusive group of global organisations in world sport, including the Olympics, Formula 1, the EPL’s Liverpool FC, and the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, to have its sustainability management system certified to ISO 20121.

Jake Jones, Senior Vice President of Impact and Sustainability at LIV Golf added: “Achieving the ISO 20121 certification is a significant milestone for LIV Golf. Being awarded this prestigious certification follows a rigorous, company-wide effort to integrate sustainability principles into our operations, strategy, and event delivery. From procurement to planning and on-site implementation, every part of our business has played a role in reaching this global benchmark and continuing this progression for years to come. ISO 20121 is one of the most respected sustainability standards in the world – and we’re proud to be golf’s global standard bearer.”

Matt Page, Senior Vice President, Assurance Services EMEA at BSI, said: “There is a fantastic opportunity to harness the power of golf and its many supporters to collaborate to reduce our collective carbon footprint, as well as energy, water usage and waste.

We are delighted to congratulate the LIV Golf League on achieving certification to ISO 20121, the internationally recognized standard for sustainable event management. This milestone reflects the organization’s strong commitment to embedding sustainability at the heart of their operations and delivering positive social, economic, and environmental outcomes. We’re pleased to have supported LIV Golf through this process and look forward to seeing the continued impact of their sustainability journey across the global sporting landscape.”

ISO 20121 is the internationally recognized standard for sustainable event management, helping organizations improve environmental, social, and economic performance across their events.

The certification furthers LIV Golf’s efforts to expand the game and its societal impact on a global level. This achievement is part of the league’s Impact & Sustainability program and wider impact initiatives that aim to enable and inspire a better tomorrow—on and off the course.

The announcement of LIV Golf’s achievement of ISO 20121 Certification for Sustainable Event Management comes ahead of the final international event of the 2025 League season at JCB Golf & Country Club from 25 – 27 July.

Excitement for the event has been building following the Open Championship at Portrush in Northern Ireland last weekend, where a record number of 19 LIV Golf League players took part in the final major of the year, the most since the formation of the league in 2022.

Fans in the UK can look forward to seeing Jon Rahm, Captain of Legion XIII, prepare to defend his individual and team event wins from 2024, with world golf’s biggest names – including two-time major winner Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers GC), Lee Westwood (Majesticks GC) and golfing hall of famer Phil Mickelson (Hyflyers GC) – in action at the JCB Golf and Country Club.

Click here to learn more about LIV Golf’s Impact and Sustainability efforts from the last several years.

Tickets are now on sale for the upcoming edition of LIV Golf UK by JCB, the final international event of the 2025 season, at LIVGolf.com.

ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management certified by BSI under certificate number SEMS 816245.

The first WTA 1000 stop of the North American summer swing is about to take over Montreal. The Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers begins this weekend, launching a 12-day run that features a 96-player draw, record prize money and a deep field of contenders.

This year’s tournament marks the event’s debut in an expanded format, with main-draw play starting Sunday, July 27, and concluding with a Thursday night final on August 7. Fans will see over $5 million in total prize money awarded, alongside 1,000 ranking points for the champion.

Jessica Pegula arrives as the two-time defending champion. She won both Toronto (2024) and Montreal (2023). Pegula, the World No. 4, owns a 17-2 record at this tournament and will look to fend off challenges from Roland Garros winner Coco Gauff, who leads the field as the No. 1 seed, and Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek, who is seeded second.

Amanda Anisimova, who reached her first WTA 1000 final here last year, returns as a Top 10 player after a breakthrough season, while past champions Belinda Bencic, Elina Svitolina and Bianca Andreescu will add firepower to the draw.

For Canadian fans, Eugenie Bouchard’s farewell appearance will be one of the week’s most notable moments as the 2014 Wimbledon finalist closes her career on home soil.

Think you know your Montreal tennis history? Test your knowledge with our trivia challenge.

By Ryder Cup Europe On July 25, 2025 13:55 UTC

Camiral welcomed guests from across Catalunya and Spain at launch event on Friday to celebrate the announcement that it will host the 2031 Ryder Cup.

More than 330 people attended the event which took place three days after Ryder Cup Europe formally announced that Camiral, in Costa Brava, near Barcelona, will be the setting for golf’s greatest team contest in six years’ time.

Guy Kinnings, the Chief Executive of the European Tour Group, took the famous Ryder Cup trophy to Camiral as he took part in a press conference with the institutions who helped bring the biennial contest back to Spain.

Spain will become the first country in continental Europe to host the Ryder Cup twice, having previously done so in 1997 when the legendary Seve Ballesteros led Europe to victory against the United States.

Kinnings was joined by Albert Dalmau, Minister of the Presidency, Generalitat; José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, President of Consejo Superior de Deportes; Juan Guerrero-Burgos, President of the Real Federación Española de Golf, Miquel Noguer, President de la Diputació de Girona and Mateu Hernández, Director General de Barcelona Turisme.

Also on the top table was Denis O’Brien, the Owner of Camiral, whose long-term vision to host the Ryder Cup will be realised in 2031.

Estrella Damm were also represented following the announcement they will be the Official Beer of the 2031 Ryder Cup and the title sponsor of the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship for the next five years.

Kinnings paid tribute to the collaboration between the various organisations from the public and private sector and reflected on the impact Tuesday’s announcement has already had in Catalunya and Spain.

“I am delighted to be joined here today by our distinguished guests who sit alongside me, who have been so crucial in bringing Ryder Cup here to the Catalunya, back to Spain for a second time and to this world class venue, Camiral, in 2031.

“Our announcement earlier this week was the culmination of many months of diligent discussions and close collaboration to deliver a shared vision.

“The Ryder Cup is a truly global event which is watched and loved by hundred of millions around the world. But it is also an event for the host region – this will be your Ryder Cup as much as it will be ours.

“We aim to leave a lasting legacy that runs deeper than just the week itself. We’re six years out, but that process very much begins today.”

A panel discussion also took place with some guest Catalan speakers from sport, culture hospitality and business. Berni Álvarez, Conseller d’Esports de la Generalitat de Catalunya, joined the panel which also featured Pau Gasol, NBA basketball legend, Joan Roca, chef of the three Michelin star El Celler de Can Roca – a symbol of Girona’s culinary excellence; Cristina Cabañas, leading hotel entrepreneur and a key voice in Costa Brava tourism industry; and Lidia Masllorens, a visual artist whose bold and expressive work embodies the creativity of Girona.

Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty stormed into the men’s doubles semi-finals at the China Open 2025 badminton tournament with a comfortable win over Malaysia’s Yew Sin Ong and Ee Yi Teo on Friday.

Playing at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou, the People’s Republic of China, Satwik and Chirag won 21-18, 21-14 to make it to their fourth semi-final of the 2025 badminton season.

They previously made the last four at the India, Singapore and Malaysia Opens.

Satwik and Chirag made a confident start, racing to a 4-1 lead in the opening game. Though the Malaysians clawed back to make it 19-18, the Indian badminton players held their collective nerves to close out the game.

In the second game, the world No. 12 Indian pair kept their noses ahead before pulling away from 15-14 with six unanswered points to seal the match in 40 minutes.

Chirag and Satwik will next face familiar opponents in world No. 2 Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia. The Malaysian badminton players had beaten the Indian pair in the quarter-finals of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Meanwhile, Unnati Hooda’s inspiring run at the BWF Super 1000 tournament came to an end in the quarter-finals. The 17-year-old tennis player, 35th in the badminton rankings, lost 21-16, 21-12 to Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, the world No. 4 and a two-time world champion.

Unnati had stunned two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu in the pre-quarterfinals after opening her campaign with a confident win over Commonwealth Games medallist Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland.

The teenager was the last remaining Indian in the singles draw.

Unnati matched her opponent early on and even led 6-5 in the opening game, but the Japanese ace strung together five consecutive points to wrest control.

The second game followed a similar pattern, with Unnati level at 8-all before Yamaguchi accelerated and wrapped up the match in just 33 minutes.

India’s campaign in men’s singles ended on Thursday, with HS Prannoy losing to sixth seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the round of 16. Lakshya Sen, a Paris 2024 semi-finalist, was knocked out in the opening round on Tuesday.