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Brisbane Broncos NRLW captain Ali Brigginshaw has been suspended for three weeks by the league’s judiciary for a dangerous tackle she made in last week’s win over the Bulldogs.

Perhaps the most remarkable part of the story, though, is that the suspension will end Brigginshaw’s record streak of 61 straight NRLW appearances.

The 36-year-old has played in every single Broncos match since the league began in 2018. She will be eligible to return in Round 9 when the Broncos face the Eels.

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Stat of the day

$US30 million ($AU43 million)
The loss the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) took on Freedom 250, its first fight card at the White House in June. Around 4,300 guests were invited to the event and no tickets went on public sale, so the promotion could not recoup the estimated $US60 million ($AU86 million) it spent on the night. Parent company TKO still called the event a success. According to a report from The Hill, President and COO Mark Shapiro said it had helped the UFC sign 25 new marketing partners and generated over $US1 billion in exposure. 

U.S. President Donald Trump and UFC boss Dana White (Getty)

Quote of the day

"Would I love to be coach of England one day? Absolutely."
Former England Test captain Ben Stokes speaking on the For The Love Of Cricket podcast, his first interview since retiring from international cricket in June. The all-rounder still plays domestic cricket for county side Durham and has ruled out a return for next year's home Ashes.

Former England captain Ben Stokes (Getty)

Random fact of the day

Austria’s Peter Salzmann holds the world record for the fastest wingsuit speed from a BASE jump. Jumping off a cliff in Switzerland in 2025, Salzmann reached a top speed of 347 km/h before deploying his parachute and landing safely.

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In case you missed it…

🎾 World number two Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Cincinnati Open as he continues to recover from a wrist injury. The Spaniard has not played since April, missing Wimbledon and the defence of his French Open title. He won both Cincinnati and the U.S. Open last year, so his withdrawal has cast fresh doubt over his title defence at the New York major at the end of this month.

Carlos Alcaraz has not played since April due to a lingering wrist injury (Getty)

Former FIFA vice-president Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, now head of Jordan's football federation, has accused the global football governing body of "blackmail". In a post to X, he alleged Jordan is still owed prize money for reaching last year's Arab Cup final, and that he was told endorsing FIFA president Gianni Infantino for re-election next March would help sort it out. The accusation adds to the pressure on Infantino, who last week scrapped a plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors after a global backlash.

🚴 Swiss cyclist Marlen Reusser won the fourth stage of the Tour de France Femmes on Tuesday, a 21km time trial into the French city of Dijon. The stage victory lifted Reusser into the overall lead, 14 seconds ahead of 2023 Tour winner Demi Vollering in second. The stage was run with extra clothing checks after some teams raised concerns that riders were padding their sports bras to reshape their bodies and gain an aerodynamic edge, which cycling's rules prohibit.

Tour leader Marlen Reusser during last night’s time trial (Getty)

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Nuhu Batte is one of several athletes who have not returned home after Glasgow 2026 (Getty)

Scottish police investigate missing athletes after Commonwealth Games

Scottish police are investigating reports that several athletes failed to return home after competing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last Sunday, with some allegedly seeking asylum. 

Athletes are required to leave within days of the Games ending.

Here’s the latest.

What happened

Local media has confirmed the missing athletes are from Uganda and Pakistan.

Ugandan outlet NBS Sport says four members of the country’s six‑person boxing team didn’t show up for their scheduled flight home on Tuesday. They are Nuhu Batte, Angel Katushabe, Ibrahim Kemis and Emily Nakalema.

One of the boxers anonymously told the outlet he plans to seek asylum and asks Ugandans for understanding. Team Uganda told the BBC it had no comment. 

Pakistan Today also reports one boxer missed his flight, was last seen in his room at 2am, and was gone by the 9am team departure (local time).

The BBC reports the UK Home Office tightens checks before major events with organisers, assessing asylum claims individually.

Again?

It is not the first time athletes have sought to stay behind in a host nation after the Commonwealth Games. 

In 2014, two Ugandan rugby players vanished after the previous Glasgow Games and were found playing for a Cardiff club after claiming asylum. Weightlifter Cyrille Tchatchet II also fled Cameroon, rebuilding his career in the UK.

In 2018, at least 190 athletes and officials lodged asylum claims after the Gold Coast Games.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.

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Melbourne Demons coach AFL Steven King (Getty)

AFL coaches push back on league’s warning before finals

Several of the AFL's senior coaches have pushed back after the league warned clubs against resting players in the last round before finals. 

The dispute stems from a new finals system that will give some teams an extra game to play while others take the week off.

The memo

On Monday, AFL football boss Greg Swann wrote a memo to clubs, part of which read: "While legitimate player management of player fatigue or injuries is permitted, the AFL will scrutinise club team selection decisions in the lead-up to AFL finals."

The memo demonstrates a concern of the AFL’s as it approaches its first-ever finals series with the newly added ‘wildcard round’. Three rounds remain in the AFL's regular season.

New finals format

The wildcard round is the most significant change to the finals format in decades.

The extra round means that the top 10 teams after the regular season will play finals; previously it was eight. The top six will advance straight to the second week of finals, while seventh to 10th play off in the wildcard round for two spots.

As a result, clubs locked into a wildcard spot coming into the final round of the regular season have little reason to play that match at 100%, and would be incentivised to rest their star players ahead of a crucial knockout match the next week.

This is why the worry is sharper this year. The AFL brought in the ‘pre-finals bye’ in 2016 to stop clubs resting players before September, giving every finalist a week off between the regular season and finals. That break is now gone for the wildcard sides, so the incentive has returned.

Response from coaches

The response from coaches has been one of dispute. Melbourne Demons coach Steven King, whose side currently sits sixth, said on Fox Footy: "I'll make any decision that's best for our football club and best for the management of our players."

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson argued the decision should sit with players, medical staff and clubs. Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, whose side looks set for the wildcard bracket, added that the memo questioned the integrity of coaches and club medical departments.

Adelaide forward Tex Walker told Triple M: "The AFL can send out a memo, but the good clubs have been doing it for years… You've got to do it to manage your list."

Looking back…

Canadian Open (men's)

Who: Alexei Popyrin v
Roman Burruchaga
Result: Popyrin won in three sets

Who: Alex de Minaur v
James Duckworth
Result: De Minaur won in straight sets

Who: Adam Walton v
Jensen Brooksby
Result: Brooksby won in straight sets

Canadian Open (women's)

Who: Talia Gibson v
Maja Chwalinska
Result: Gibson won in straight sets

Who: Daria Kasatkina v Wang Xinyu
Result: Kasatkina won in three sets

Who: Maya Joint v
Yuliia Starodubtseva
Result: Joint won in three sets

Looking forward… (All times are AEST)

Tour de France Femmes (Stage 5)

Who: The world's best cyclists
What: 140km hilly stage
Time: From 10pm tonight

Where to watch: SBS, SBS On Demand

Canadian Open (men's)

Who: Alexei Popyrin v
Raphael Collignon
Time: 3:20am Thursday

Where to watch: beIN Sports

Canadian Open (women's)

Who: Daria Kasatkina v
Elena Rybakina
Time: 2:30am Thursday

Who: Maya Joint v Sorana Cîrstea
Time: 6am Thursday

Where to watch: Stan Sport, beIN Sports

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