Aaaand, the cricket is back. As this email goes out, the Australian men’s ODI team are taking on Sri Lanka in the first of two matches.

Also in cricket news, Australian spin bowler Matt Kuhnemann has been reported by match officials for a suspected illegal bowling action. Kuhnemann took 16 wickets in Australia’s recent two-Test series against Sri Lanka.

127.7 million 
The average number of viewers across all platforms in the U.S. for the Super Bowl earlier this week. That figure makes it the single most-watched TV event since the moon landing. Audience numbers spiked at 133.5 million during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show.

"I am absolutely sure that she gave me her permission... I asked her: 'Can I give you a little kiss?' She said: 'All right.' That’s what happened."
Former Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales in court in Madrid. Rubiales is accused of sexual assault and coercion after kissing player Jenni Hermoso following Spain’s 2023 Women’s World Cup victory. If found guilty, Rubiales could face up to two and a half years in prison.

At the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014, Switzerland's Dominique Gisin and Tina Maze of Slovenia made history as the first-ever alpine skiers to share an Olympic gold medal. Both skiers clocked 1 minute 41.57 seconds. 

🏀 The Perth Wildcats have won the first match of the NBL Finals, beating the South East Melbourne Phoenix 122-105 in the Seeding Qualifier. Keanu Pinder and five-time MVP Bryce Cotton were the Wildcats’ best, recording 35 and 27 points respectively. The Wildcats advance to a semi-final series against Melbourne United. Meanwhile, the Phoenix will play the winner of tomorrow night’s match between the Adelaide 36ers and Sydney Kings for a spot in the other semi-final against the Illawarra Hawks. 

🏊‍♀️ Five-time Olympian Melissa Wu has retired from diving. The five-time Olympian won silver as a 16-year-old at Beijing 2008 and bronze at Tokyo 2020. In a statement, Wu said: “I'm fortunate because while I'm retiring, I feel as though I didn't leave any stone unturned. It’s a great way to walk away.” 

🎾 The US Open has announced a revamped mixed doubles tournament, in a bid to attract the world’s best singles players to take on the different format. To help incentivise singles stars, tournament organisers have moved the draw to the week before the main singles draw and are offering a $1 million prize for the winners. The draw will also be reduced to just 16 teams and take place over two days between Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York.

🏉 Melbourne Storm prop Christian Welch says persistent injury has forced him to retire from rugby league. The 30-year-old played 163 games in the NRL, all for the Melbourne Storm, and won a premiership with the side in 2020. He also represented Queensland in six Origin matches between 2019 and 2021. Welch told AAP: "It's just been the best time — I know I've had some injuries and we've lost some grand finals, but it's seriously been the greatest joy".

🚴‍♂️ 🏉 ⚽ 🏐 🏒 🛹 ⛳ 🏎️ 🏟️ ⚾ 🏀 🎾 🏊 🏈 🏃‍♂️ 🏆 🏅 ⏱️ 🏄‍♂️ 🏏

Matildas star Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment against a British police officer.

A jury unanimously reached its decision after about four hours of deliberation in a UK court. After handing down the verdict, Judge Peter Lodder said: “I take the view her own behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation... I don’t go behind the jury’s verdict but that has a significant bearing on the question of costs.” The Judge said he’d still need to rule on costs.

Kerr, who has been sidelined from football since January 2024 with a knee injury, said she is “focused on getting back on the pitch".

The charges brought against Kerr related to an incident on the evening of 30 January, 2023. Kerr and her partner Kristie Mewis were taken to a police station by a cab driver, who claimed asked the couple had refused to pay a vomit cleaning fee. Once inside the station, the Matildas captain was arrested after calling Constable Stephen Lovell, "f---ing stupid and white".

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The world’s best video gamers will have the chance to compete for Olympic gold at the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2027. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the event will be hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in an announcement on Tuesday. The IOC said Olympic qualification events will begin as soon as this year.

In July 2024, the IOC announced it would facilitate the creation of the Esports Games. To help with the organisation of the event, the IOC has partnered with the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC). The IOC has also named the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) as the founding partner of the Esports Games.

The IOC’s decision to invest in an Esports Games is part of the governing body’s push to engage younger audiences. This has already been seen at the Olympics with the introduction of more contemporary events including breaking, surfing, and speed climbing, to name a few.

The growing popularity of Esports makes it an attractive investment area for the IOC, with the market expected to reach 869 million users by 2029.

Saudi Arabia's partnership with the IOC to host the Games expands on the region’s growing investment in international sporting events. For example, the 2034 men’s soccer World Cup will be hosted by Saudi Arabia. Critics have accused Saudi authorities of ‘sportswashing’ as part of efforts to redirect attention away from its poor human rights record.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “There is now a very clear roadmap to the historic first-ever Olympic Esports Games. With the Road to the Olympic Esports Games starting this year, the Games are becoming a reality. This is further evidence of the strength of the partnership between the IOC and the SOPC in many areas.”

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