On the 4th of July, the world will turn its eyes to New York as one of sport’s most dominant athletes returns to centre stage. 

Joey Chestnut, the world’s foremost competitive eater, is set to make his return to Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest after a one-year hiatus. Chestnut has won the event 16 times and owns the contest record of 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, which he set in 2021.

Chestnut missed last year’s event because of a conflict of interest with Nathan’s after he signed a brand deal with Impossible Foods, a company which makes plant-based sausages. 

If you don’t understand the hype, this video should help.

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The number of concussions Roosters lock Victor Radley has had in the past four seasons of his NRL career. Radley was taken off the field in the 36th minute of the Roosters 12-8 win over the Knights on Saturday after hitting his head in a tackle. He failed the subsequent head injury assessment (HIA) and was not allowed to return to the field. This week, the 27-year-old will reportedly see an independent specialist this week to assess the danger of continuing to play football.

“It’s lovely to have the opportunity to continue with the Sixers. The club means so much to me, especially having been here since the inception of the WBBL.”
Australian cricket star Ellyse Perry after she signed a three-season extension with the Sydney Sixers. The Sixers are one of eight teams in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), Australia’s premier T20 competition for women’s cricket. Perry was the club’s first ever signing in 2015, has since won two titles as captain, and holds the club record for most runs scored. The news come ahead of the WBBL and BBL draft this Thursday.

On this day in 2010, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers won the franchise’s 16th NBA title. The Lakers beat the Boston Celtics by four points (83-79) in the seventh and final game of the series. Bryant was named Finals MVP.

🚴‍♂️ Cycling world champion Tadej Pogačar is the favourite for the Tour de France after winning the Critérium du Dauphiné, an eight stage race in France which finished on Sunday. Over the eight stages, Pogačar had the better of his Danish rival and two time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard by a margin of 59 seconds. The Slovenian will begin his campaign for a fourth Tour de France title (and second consecutive) when the race begins on 5 July. 

🏉 Rugby Australia has unveiled a new domestic competition called Super Rugby Aus, which will begin in September. The four-week competition has been devised as a way keeping Australian players active after the relatively short (14 rounds) Super Rugby Pacific season. It will be a round robin style competition featuring the four Australian teams in Super Rugby Pacific (Brumbies, Reds, Waratahs, Force), with a final between the top two sides on Sunday 5 October. An under-19 competition will be run at the same time. Rugby Australia’s Ben Whitaker said the competition will “support the ongoing growth and development of the players and high performance staff, and give rugby fans more opportunities to watch their favourite Super Rugby teams in action.”

🏀 Jalen Williams scored 40 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 120-109 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The Thunder now lead the best of seven series 3-2 and are one win away from securing Oklahoma City’s first NBA title. Historically, teams with a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals have gone on to win the championship 40 of the previous 49 times. The Pacers will host Game 6 on Friday morning (AEST).

Gjert Ingebrigtsen, the father of Norwegian athletics champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, has been found guilty of hitting his daughter Ingrid. 

Ingebrigtsen was cleared of charges relating to the physical and verbal abuse of Jakob,  one of the world’s premier middle-distance runners, having won the 5000m at the Paris Olympics and 1500m at the Tokyo Olympics. 

For the Ingebrigtsen children growing up, Gjert was both their father and professional running coach. Not only is Jakob an Olympic champion, but his two brothers, Henrik and Filip, are also Olympic middle-distance runners. 

In 2019, Gjert told BBC Sport: "I stand out from other parents. I am very demanding and it is a kind of contract between me and the boys to help them be the best they can be — but they have to endure me following them every day all year." 

Jakob has described his upbringing as one “characterised by fear”.

The trial began in March this year after Gjert was accused of hitting Ingrid with a towel in the face in September 2022. 

Following that accusation, Jakob also claimed that he had been the subject of routine physical abuse, such as being hit over the head and kicked in the stomach for incidents like being late to a race or receiving a poor mark at school. Gjert and his sons ended their working relationship as coach and athletes that year.

The court found Gjert guilty of hitting Ingrid but did not support Jakob’s claims, citing insufficient evidence. 

For the incident involving Ingrid, Gjert was handed a 15-day suspended prison sentence and a fine of 10,000 Norwegian kroner ($AU1,546). 

Gjert is still coaching another Norwegian athlete named Narve Gilje Nordas, while Jakob will continue to compete at the highest level.

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Four men have been handed suspended jail sentences after being found guilty of a hate crime against Real Madrid and Brazilian football star Vinícius Júnior. 

According to Real Madrid, 14 people have now been convicted for the racial abuse of its players.

Vinícius Júnior debuted for Real Madrid in 2018 and has made 316 appearances for the club since then. He was the winner of the 2024 FIFA men’s Player of the Year award.

In January 2023,  four men were charged over hanging an effigy of Vinícius from a bridge near Real Madrid’s training ground, in the lead-up to a domestic quarter-final between the team and crosstown rival Atletico Madrid. 

A banner on the bridge read: “Madrid hates Real”. In that phrase, Madrid refers to Atletico Madrid.

Three of the men received 14-month prison sentences for their involvement in the act. One other received a 22-month sentence because he had distributed images online. 

All four of the men’s sentences were suspended after they signed an apology to Vinícius and the relevant sporting organisations involved.

The club  said in a statement: "This criminal conviction comes in addition to the several already handed down in recent months for racist insults received by Real Madrid players…   [We] will continue to work to protect the values of our club and to eradicate any racist behaviour in the world of football and sport."

Racism has been a persistent problem for LaLiga, Spain’s top professional soccer league, particularly in regard to  Vinícius. 

Overall, Real Madrid has said14 people in total have been convicted for the racial abuse of its players. 

In June last year, three fans of the team Valencia were sentenced to eight months in jail after Vinícius called them out in the stands for racially abusing him before and during the game. It was a landmark case in Spain as it was the first conviction issued by a court for racism at a match. 

At the time, he said: "I'm not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists. This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It's for all black people. May other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows… Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping with this historic conviction."

In March this year, Vinícius broke down during a press conference because he has continued to face racial abuse since calling out the now-convicted Valencia fans. 

Then, in May, another group of fans, this time of the team Valladolid, were handed suspended sentences for an incident of racial abuse against Vinícius in December 2022. 

In 2023, LaLiga launched an initiative called ‘LaLiga VS’ which “aims to eradicate hatred inside and outside football by promoting a respectful and inclusive society on all levels.”

It has also launched the Monitor for the Observation of Hate in Sport (M.O.O.D.). 

In 2024, M.O.O.D. monitored over 21 million social media conversations and found a 90% drop in racist conversations about LaLiga football, compared to when the tool first came into use.