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Some sad news for the diving (and knitting) fans amongst us - British diver Tom Daley has announced his retirement from the sport after winning his fifth Olympic medal in Paris. This actually isn’t the first time Daley has said he is stepping away from diving - he didn’t compete for two years after winning gold in Tokyo in 2021, only returning to the pool when his son, now six, said he would like to see his dad compete in real life.

He retires as Great Britain’s most decorated diver in history, but perhaps more importantly, an outstanding craftsman with an Instagram following of over four million.

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Stat of the day

21
The number of years since an Australian tennis player has won an ATP Masters 1000 title. That streak ended overnight when 25-year-old Alexei Popyrin beat Andrey Rublev to take out the ATP Montreal, 6-2, 6-4. 

Quote of the day

“We’re already working to create jobs by expanding our public transportation system in order for us to have a no-car Games… And that’s a feat for Los Angeles, as we’ve always been in love with our cars. We’re working to ensure that we can build a greener Los Angeles.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass speaking in Paris, after the Olympic Flag was officially transferred ahead of the 2028 Games.

Random fact of the day

According to the IOC, 3,680 microphones were used across all international broadcasters in coverage of the Paris Games. Over half the world’s population engaged with Olympic coverage at some point.

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USA Gymnastics has announced that the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) won’t consider new evidence regarding bronze-medal-winning gymnast Jordan Chiles.

After the women’s floor final, Romanian gymnasts complained to the CAS that Chiles’ coach had submitted an appeal of her score outside of the allowed time. The appeal was successful, meaning Chiles’ score was increased enough to secure her the bronze.

The CAS ruled in the Romanians’ favour this week.

Yesterday, USA Gymnastics said it had formally submitted “time-stamped” video evidence to the CAS, claiming Chiles’ coach’s appeal was filed on time.

In a short statement, the body said it "was notified by the CAS on Monday that their rules do not allow for [a decision] to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented”.

The bronze medal will be re-issued to Romania’s Ana Bǎrbosu.

Room for appeal

USA Gymnastics has channels to appeal the CAS decision further, including an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal ( equivalent to Australia’s High Court). The body said it would “pursue every possible avenue and appeal process” to let Chiles keep her medal.

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Essendon’s ex-captain Dyson Heppell has become the latest AFL veteran to announce his retirement at the end of 2024, joining a long list of experienced stars choosing to end their careers. Here’s a full list of AFL players who have retired or announced their retirement in 2024.

Tom Hawkins (Geelong Cats, 18 seasons, 359 games)

Hawkins is only four goals shy of 800 career goals, including 12 seasons of kicking over 45 goals, and has remained at Geelong for nearly 20 years. He’s been part of three Premiership-winning sides and five All-Australian teams. A serious foot injury has prevented Hawkins from playing a major role in Geelong’s 2024 season, and it’s uncertain if he’ll take the field again this year.

Dustin Martin (Richmond Tigers, 14 seasons, 302 games)

Martin is one of Richmond’s greatest-ever players, winning three Norm Smith Medals (the award given to the best player in a Grand Final), a Brownlow Medal (awarded to the best player across the season) and picked in the All-Australian team (a symbolic team formed of the best players in each position) in four separate years. 

Andrew Gaff (West Coast, 14 seasons, 279 games)

The skilled midfielder is a two-time All-Australian and played a key role in the Eagles’ 2018 premiership season. Gaff has only played three matches in 2024, but has been granted a berth in the final two games of the season, including a farewell game in Perth in the last round of the AFL’s regular season.

Rory Sloane (Adelaide Crows, 16 seasons, 255 games)

The former Adelaide Crows captain and one-time All-Australian announced his retirement in April this year after undergoing a second surgery for a detached retina which left him unable to play without protective glasses. 

Dyson Heppell (Essendon Bombers, 14 seasons, 252 games)

Heppell captained Essendon for five seasons, and played his milestone 250th game earlier this year. He is an All-Australian and won Essendon’s first-ever Rising Star Award, given to the best first-year player across any AFL club in a season. 

Brandon Ellis (Gold Coast Suns and Richmond Tigers, 13 seasons, 251 games)

Ellis won two premierships with Richmond and moved to the Gold Coast to reunite with former coach Damien Hardwick this year. Ellis announced his immediate retirement from the AFL at the end of July, just after his 250th game. 

Sam Reid (Sydney Swans, 15 seasons, 181 games)

The tall forward won a premiership with Sydney in 2012. He’s struggled since the Swans’ 2022 Grand Final loss to Geelong, his last game at AFL level, sustaining a string of injuries over the two seasons since. Reid made the decision to retire after a new hamstring injury this season.  

Angus Brayshaw (Melbourne Demons, 9 seasons, 167 games)

Brayshaw retired just before the start of the 2024 season due to ongoing concussion symptoms, with the last following a highly controversial bump from Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard in the 2023 Qualifying Final. The 28-year-old won a premiership with the Demons in 2021, ending a 57-year drought for the club. 

Three players have been forced to retire due to concussion: 18-year-old Western Bulldogs player Aiden O’Driscoll, and Collingwood duo Josh Carmichael and Nathan Murphy (both 24 years old). 

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How major sporting events are trying to attract Gen Z audiences

According to a recent study, Gen Z are more likely to tune into Netflix and TikTok over live sports. Though it remains important, Gen Z watches a lot less sport compared to older generations, like Boomers.

Deakin’s Dr. Josh McLeod highlights how Gen Z’s ‘digital nativity’ influences their sports consumption, with young people preferring online or shorter format content and following individual athletes over teams.

Major sporting organisations like the Olympics have tried to combat this by appealing to young audiences – partly through the appeal of celebrities and influencers.

“Snoop Dogg at the Olympics is a perfect illustration of the buzz and interest that he can create and bring into sport,” Dr. McLeod says.

There’s also the inclusion of new events, like Breaking, Bouldering and Skateboarding.

“Skateboarding is a sport that is played and performed by young people,” Dr. McLeod says. “The Australian gold medalist is a perfect illustration of that – the people who are performing at the highest level in Skateboarding are very young, and that's leading to young people watching those sports, too.”

Who knows what the 2080 Olympics will look like?

Think beyond the field. Study sport at Deakin.

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