In case you missed it, the annual UK Wife Carrying Race was held in England on Sunday (local time). Yes, the competition is pretty much what it sounds like. 

One member of the team has to carry the other (who must be at least 50kg but doesn’t have to be their wife) across an obstacle course, which features a hill, hay bales, and buckets of water being thrown at them along the way. If that doesn’t make sense, the photo below may help.

Finnish couple Teemu Touvinen and Jatta Leinonen took out the top prize. As a reward, the pair won a barrel of ale. They will presumably now look to build on their success at the World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland in July.

£210,000 ($AU395,000)
The joint-record fee paid for a player in The Women’s Hundred after Australia’s Beth Mooney was snapped up by the Trent Rockets at the competition’s latest auction. The wicketkeeper-batter will enter the tournament as a joint-highest earner alongside New Zealand’s Sophie Devine. Mooney’s deal is more than three times the top salary allowed under the competition’s previous rules, £65,000. The Hundred is England’s city-based professional cricket league in which teams face 100 balls per innings.

"These were appearances I am grateful for. However, upon reflection, they do not reflect where my heart, my heritage, and my deepest sense of belonging truly lie."
Part of a written statement from Newcastle Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga as part of his successful application to switch his international allegiance from Australia to New Zealand. The International Rugby League approved the change this week after eligibility rules were updated to allow players representing New Zealand to remain available for State of Origin. Ponga, whose parents are from New Zealand, will now be eligible to represent the Kiwis at this year’s Rugby League World Cup while still being eligible for Queensland.

Before yellow and red cards existed, football referees disciplined players verbally, which was often confusing when teams spoke different languages. After watching a chaotic 1966 World Cup match between England and Argentina, English referee Ken Aston proposed a clearer system inspired by traffic lights: yellow for a warning and red for a sending off. The card system was first introduced at the 1970 World Cup.

🏀 The Sydney Kings have taken a 1-0 lead in their NBL playoff series after edging the Perth Wildcats 105-104 in Game 1 last night. Kendric Davis starred for the Kings with 35 points, hitting two late three-pointers, while one-time league MVP Xavier Cooks delivered crucial free throws down the stretch. Perth nearly stole the game through Kristian Doolittle, who scored 31 points, including 27 in the second half, but his final drive at the buzzer fell short. The two sides will meet again on Saturday for Game 2 of the best-of-three series. 

🎾 Australia’s Rinky Hijikata has been eliminated from Indian Wells, tennis’ unofficial fifth major, after losing to 27th seed Cameron Norrie in the Round of 16. Great Britain’s Norrie won in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) and will face Spanish world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals. Hijikata was the last Australian in the men’s singles draw. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Talia Gibson is the only Australian remaining in the women’s singles and will face Czechia’s Linda Nosková in the quarter-finals tomorrow.

🏟️ Hobart’s $1.13 billion stadium is now expected to host its first AFL matches in 2031, according to Macquarie Point Development Corporation chief executive Anne Beach, who spoke to ABC Hobart. The venue had originally been linked with the Tasmania Devils’ planned entry to the league in 2028, with hopes that games could begin there by 2029 or 2030. However, Beach says construction is now targeting completion late in 2030, meaning the stadium is unlikely to be ready for play until the 2031 AFL season.

🎿 Australia has continued to build momentum at the Milano Cortina Paralympics, with Lauren Parker, Dave Miln, and Matt Brumby all competing in the 10km cross-country sit-ski event. Parker finished eighth, her best result of the Games so far, after also placing ninth in the biathlon. Miln placed 20th in a field of 31, while Brumby came 31st after bouncing back from a crash in the sprint race earlier in the week.

🇩🇪 German Paralympian Linn Kazmaier and her guide Florian Baumann are under investigation after protesting during a medal ceremony. The pair kept their hats on and turned away from the flags while the Russian national anthem played after Russia’s Anastasiia Bagiian and guide Sergei Siniakin won gold in the women’s vision-impaired sprint. For the first time since 2014, Russia is competing under its own flag and anthem at these Paralympics after being invited by the International Paralympic Committee. The decision has drawn criticism from several nations.

AFL player Dylan Moore has revealed he and Hawthorn teammate Connor Macdonald spent a night in jail in the U.S. last November. 

Moore told 7 News the pair were arrested for alleged trespassing in the state of Arizona during the AFL pre-season break.

Here’s what to know.

Moore and Macdonald were detained by police after climbing onto a scissor lift while out drinking. 

The pair were arrested for alleged trespassing and spent the night in custody.

A separate charge relating to drug paraphernalia was later dismissed, though both players still have pending court dates in the U.S. later this year. 

Moore described the incident as a serious lapse in judgement.

“It’s something that I’ll always regret,” he told 7 News. 

“I was in the U.S, I was out having a few drinks and made a foolish mistake. I decided to get on a scissor-lift and next thing I know, the cops are there telling me to get off”.

Hawthorn fined Moore and Macdonald, required them to complete alcohol counselling and community service, and Moore lost his role as vice-captain.

Both players are eligible to play this weekend.

Iran has signalled it will not compete at the men’s FIFA World Cup, with Iran’s sports minister saying the team cannot travel to the U.S. while there is conflict between the nations.

This year’s men’s FIFA World Cup is being hosted by the U.S, Canada, and Mexico from 11 June.

Here’s what to know.

The U.S, Canada and Mexico launched their joint bid to host this World Cup in 2017, during Donald Trump’s first presidency. They were confirmed as hosts at a FIFA meeting in 2018, winning over Morocco’s bid. Only one nation voted for ‘none of the bids’: Iran.

The Middle Eastern nation was also one of the first to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The U.S. and Israel struck Iran last June, which the countries said was targeting nuclear facilities. Following widespread internal protests in Iran, on 28 February (AEDT), the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, killing the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei. Since then, Iran has carried out strikes across the Middle East. The U.S. and Israel have continued to strike Iran.

Last week, head of Iran’s Football Federation Mehdi Taj said the team’s place was unclear but did not confirm a boycott.

Iran’s sport minister Ahmad Donyamali told state television on Wednesday that the team cannot take part in the World Cup.

All of Iran’s group stage matches are scheduled to be played in the U.S.

Donyamali said: “Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist”.

“They have forced two wars on us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people,” he added.

In a post to Instagram before Donyamali’s comments, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he had met with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss holding the tournament during the conflict.

According to Infantino, Trump said the Iranian team would be welcome to compete in the World Cup.

Infantino said: “We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support”.

On Thursday, after Donyamali’s comments made headlines, Infantino posted a photo of himself with Trump. He captioned it: “The [World Cup] always brings people together and President Trump shares our excitement for what promises to be a truly wonderful global celebration. Thank you very much… for your constant support and spirit of cooperation.”

Under FIFA regulations, any team that withdraws with more than 30 days to go until the opening match faces a minimum fine of 250,000 Swiss francs ($AU448,000). If a team withdraws with fewer than 30 days to go, they face a fine of 500,000 francs.

Iran has already been preparing for months at a base camp in Tucson, Arizona.

There is also uncertainty for fans who bought tickets to Iran’s matches, with any withdrawal likely to push those seats onto the resale market.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.

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