Coldplay is a hot topic in the office at the moment as the band tours Australia. Of course, being English, they are all football (soccer) fans.

I love the idea that there are Exeter City fans out there who aren’t fans of Coldplay but could sit down and have a chat with Chris Martin about their fellow love for the club.

22
The age of Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen, the youngest person to qualify for the WTA semi-finals since Petra Kvitová in 2011. Zheng, who became an Olympic champion in Paris, beat Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini in straight sets (6-1, 6-1) to secure her place in the final four. She is the second Chinese woman to make the WTA semi-finals after Li Na in 2013. 

"I’m not going to compete any more, no. I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now to approach a battle. Yeah, I mean I still dance, and I still break. But, you know, that’s like in my living room with my partner.”
Olympic breaker Rachael Gunn (aka Raygun) on Sydney radio station 2DayFM. The 36-year-old has decided she won’t compete again after she was widely mocked following her performance at the Olympics in Paris. Breaking will not feature at the Los Angeles Games in 2028. 

The longest tennis rally in a professional tournament lasted 29 minutes and saw the ball go over the net 643 times. The rally happened during a 1984 match between Americans Vicki Nelson and Jean Hepner at a tournament in Richmond, Virginia. Nelson won the point and ultimately the match, which lasted six hours and 32 minutes. She said afterwards: “I thought I was going to go crazy. No matter what I did with the ball, she kept getting it back.”

🏏 Josh Inglis has been named Australia’s captain in the third One-Day International against Pakistan. The 29-year-old wicketkeeper will take over from incumbent captain Pat Cummins, as he and fellow stars Steve Smith, Marnus Labushagne, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood step aside to prepare for the upcoming Test series against India. Inglis will be the 30th to captain Australia’s men’s ODI team. Cummins will remain in the leadership role for the second ODI tomorrow.

⚽ A UK employment tribunal has found former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy is entitled to "the majority of his unpaid salary" from the club. Mendy was not paid between September 2021 and June 2023 after he was charged with rape and sexual assault. The French player was cleared of all charges last year. The tribunal judge ruled the club had the right to withhold his pay while he was in custody for five months, but that the two parties must reach an agreement as to how much the club will pay Mendy. 

🏉 The All Blacks have made two changes to their side to face Ireland on Saturday morning (AEDT). Five-eighth Beauden Barrett and hooker Cody Taylor both showed signs of concussion after the Kiwis’ win over England and were ruled out earlier this week. Damian McKenzie has been called up to replace Barrett, while Asafo Aumua will take Taylor’s spot in the starting XV. New Zealand and Ireland have not played each other since the 2023 World Cup quarter-final, when the All Blacks won 28-24 and knocked the Irish out of the tournament.

🏉 Gold Coast Titans star AJ Brimson has been cleared of any wrongdoing after he posted a photo of a gambling payout on social media. The photo was intended to highlight a $10,000 win on Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice, but also showed the owner of the account had seemingly placed bets on NRL matches. The account depicted in the photo was Brimson’s mother’s.

Former test cricketer Ed Cowan has accused Cricket Australia of not properly investigating an incident during a match between Australia and India’s second-grade sides last week.

Australia and India’s second-grade teams played each other last week in Mackay, Qld. Australia won the match by seven wickets. The umpires changed the ball before the commencement of the fifth and final day due to irregular scratches that had appeared on the ball’s surface while India was bowling. India was unhappy with the decision and a heated exchange followed between wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan and umpire Shawn Craig.

After Craig told the players the ball was being changed, Kishan said: “That is a very stupid decision”. Craig then threatened to put Kishan on report for dissent, which he ultimately did not do.

Speaking to the ABC Cricket podcast this week, Cowan suggested that Cricket Australia had tried to squash the incidents to avoid upsetting India ahead of the scheduled Test series.

Cowan said: "I'm in a bit of shock actually that an actual press release would come out and say… that it's like nothing more to see here, we're going to keep on moving to this Test series that hopefully go to fixing the hole in our balance sheet.”

A Cricket Australia spokesperson said: "The correct process was followed for the replacement of the ball. The officials then determined on the information available no further action was required."

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Algerian boxing gold medallist Imane Khelif is taking legal action over French media reports.

Last week, a French magazine leaked medical records appearing to show the 25-year-old boxer has XY chromosomes, typically found in people assigned male at birth. The International Olympic Committee described the records as “unverified documents whose origin cannot be confirmed.” The documents have not been independently verified.

Khelif’s participation in the competition was a major talking point at the Paris Games after an opponent in the heats withdrew from the match, saying she had “never felt a punch like this”. It sparked claims that Khelif is not a woman and did not meet participation criteria —- which the IOC strongly refuted.

The 25-year-old became Algeria’s first gold medallist in 12 years across any sport and told media after the win: “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I am a woman like any other woman… There are enemies of success – this is what I call them. That also gives my success a special taste because of these attacks.”

Khelif began competitive boxing in 2018.

Partway through the 2023 World Championships, hosted by the International Boxing Association (IBA), Khelif and another boxer, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, were disqualified for failing a “gender eligibility” test. It’s since said the two “did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognised test”.

IBA President Umar Kremlev told Russian state media in 2023 that the two boxers failed the test because they had XY chromosomes; this has not been supported by the IBA or by any official documentation. The IBA has not offered any further details of the test.

The IOC does not recognise the IBA due to financial issues. It declared Khelif and Lin eligible to compete in women’s events at the Paris Games. The IOC said the IBA's disqualification of the two athletes in 2023 was “sudden and arbitrary”.

A spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee told the media: “We understand that Imane Khelif has taken legal action against individuals who commented on her situation during the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and is also preparing a lawsuit in response to the latest reporting”.

“The IOC is committed to protecting the human rights of all athletes who have taken part in the Olympic Games… The IOC is saddened by the abuse that Imane Khelif is currently receiving.”

ICYMI: TDA Sport has a new game on Instagram called Blurdle. IYKYK.
Today’s answer: Aryna Sabalenka
Useless clue: Year of the Tiger (Get it? Email me if you do.)

Boosting Athletic Performance with AI: Insights from Deakin’s Dr. Lyndell Bruce

As a key partner at the recent Sport Tech World Series (STWS) during Australian Sport Innovation Week, Deakin University is leading the charge in harnessing data to revolutionise athletics.

Dr. Lyndell Bruce, a sport scientist at Deakin, believes that real-time data integration is the future of sports technology. This approach empowers coaches with insights that enhance decision-making during training and competitions.

Recent initiatives at Deakin have involved developing tools that combine AI analysis with human intuition. Dr. Bruce emphasises that while technology plays a crucial role, the true advantage comes from blending data-driven insights with the expertise of coaches. This fusion allows teams to adapt strategies on the fly and optimise performance.

Looking ahead, Dr. Bruce envisions user-friendly platforms that streamline data access for all sports professionals, making valuable insights readily available. By fostering this synergy between technology and athletic expertise, Deakin is setting the stage for a new era in sports performance enhancement

Think beyond the field. Study sport at Deakin.