125 years ago today, cricket was played for the first (and so far last) time at the Olympics. At the first Paris Games in 1900, only Great Britain and France entered teams, which only included men. Team GB beat France in a shortened Test format involving just four innings over two days.

At the next Games in LA, cricket is set to make a return in the T20 format, this time with both men’s and women’s teams. Revolutionary.

$7.1 billion
How much State and Federal Government funding has been signed off for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. The Games Venue Infrastructure Program will go towards new and upgraded venues, including a 63,000 seat stadium and new aquatic facility.

“I started playing women's rugby 30 years ago… The prospect of girls running out of the tunnel, playing to the three tiers of [Twickenham Stadium] packed to the rafters is something perhaps I never hoped or thought I would see, and it's certainly what girls’ dreams are made of.”
Women’s 2025 Rugby World Cup Chair Gill Whitehead says organisers are “very confident” that next month’s final will be the “most attended women's rugby match in history”. More than 80,000 spectators are expected at a sold-out Twickenham on 27 September, surpassing last year’s record crowd of 66,000 in Paris.

The old number 2 court at Wimbledon was known as the ‘Graveyard of Champions’ because so many tennis greats and top seeds lost on it — including Pat Cash, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Andre Agassi, Serena and Venus Williams, and Martina Hingis. Wimbledon expert and author Ben Chatfield described the court as having “an almost supernatural enthusiasm for the macabre with a series of truly remarkable seed slayings”. The court saw more than 80 years of play before it was demolished in 2009 to make way for the new number 3 and 4 courts.

🎾 World #1 Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the mixed doubles tournament at the U.S. Open, days after illness forced him to forfeit the Cincinnati Open final to Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz and partner Emma Raducanu (British #1) have already been knocked out of the mixed doubles by Jack Draper (also a British #1) and former doubles #1 Jessica Pegula. Draper and Pegula will face Wimbledon and Cincinnati Open winner Iga Świątek and Norway’s Casper Ruud in Wednesday’s semi-final (Thursday 9am AEST). The final is scheduled for the same day. A new mixed doubles format is being trialled at this year’s U.S. Open, drawing from a pool of 16 pairs (down from 32), with eight players selected based on their singles ranking, and eight wildcards. The format (and its $US1 million prize money) has drawn criticism from doubles players, including defending U.S. Open mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. The pair called the format “a profound injustice” that “disrespects an entire category of players.”

⚾ Queensland will host the 2027 Women’s Softball World Cup, bringing the tournament to Australia for the first time since its 1965 inauguration. Softball is one of the sports returning for the LA 2028 Summer Olympics, meaning the 2027 event will be an important stepping stone for athletes. The tournament will be played in Moreton Bay, marking another Olympic link, as Qld prepares to host the 2032 Games. The 2027 Women’s Softball World Cup schedule will include four daily games across six days in April. Softball Australia CEO Sarah Loh called the tournament “a powerful opportunity to inspire the next generation with Olympic dreams”. 

🏀 Australian NBA star Josh Giddey is still in contract negotiations with the Chicago Bulls, a little over a month out from pre-season training camps. According to U.S. media, Giddey wants $US30 million per year, while the Bulls are seeking to limit his contract to $US20 million per year for four years. Currently, Giddey is what’s known as a “restricted free agent,” meaning he can accept an offer from another team, but the Bulls can keep him if they match it. The 22-year-old was one of the Bulls’ best players last season, topping the team on average assists and steals, and landing in the top five for average points scored. 

🏉 Invitations have been sent out for this year’s AFLW draft combines, with players from every state and territory set to participate across the state and national levels. A draft combine invites prospective players (yet to play in the top-tier competition) to complete challenges in front of representatives from professional teams, mainly recruiters and coaches. The AFLW held its first national draft combine last year, in addition to its existing state-level tests. Challenges for prospective players will include sprints, agility tests, jumps, and an interview.

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The Australian men’s cricket team has lost the first of three one-day internationals (ODIs) against South Africa in Queensland. 

It comes on the heels of a successful T20 series against the side, with Australia winning two of three matches. 

Australia were left to chase a 297-run target after a career-best performance by but fell short by 98 runs.

South Africa set a 297 target in their turn at bat, which was a record for the Cairns pitch, though achievable for an in-form Aussie side.

Australia started their batting term strong, with Mitch Marsh and Travis Head kicking off the chase at 0-60 from seven overs.

South Africa was soon able to take advantage of a dry pitch in Cairns, however, with Keshav Maharaj in particular delivering a spin-heavy performance. Maharaj finished 5 for 33 and was named player of the match. It was a significant turnaround for the 35-year-old, who missed out on selection for the T20 series.

Marsh said: “Certainly there was a bit more spin than we expected… We’ll look at the conditions [for the next game] and make a decision based on that."

Maharaj told reporters: “It's nice to put in a performance to show that I can do it in the shorter formats of the game.”

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Adelaide Crows star Izak Rankine is set to receive a five-match suspension, ruling him out of finals, according to AFL commentator Eddie McGuire.

It comes after he used a homophobic slur against an un-named Collingwood player during their match last weekend, marking the sixth such incident in the AFL since April 2024.

The AFL has yet to make a formal announcement about Rankine’s future.

As George reported earlier this week, Rankine was referred to the league’s Integrity Unit for an alleged slur during the Crows’ Friday night match against Collingwood.

On Monday, Crows vice-captain Taylor Walker said Rankine was “very remorseful” and would accept whatever sanction was laid.

The AFL remains the only major professional male sporting code in the world to have never had an openly gay or bisexual player, past or present (there are many openly LGBTQIA+ players in the AFLW).

In April 2023, then-CEO Gillon McLachlan told ABC’s Four Corners there were gay players in the sport, but "the pressure and the weight of being that person… of being the first AFL player who comes out and plays as an out, gay man" was too much.

Rankine is considered one of the Crows’ key players. Many AFL observers say that this year has been his best season in the league.

It comes as the Crows have their best season in years as well, sitting top of the table and guaranteed to be playing in their first finals series since 2017.

The club is understood to have sought a three-game ban for Rankine, which would still leave him available for the preliminary finals and grand final.

It has argued that Rankine faced verbal attacks from Collingwood players, including in relation to an incident last year, when he was knocked out mid-match by current Dan Houston, then playing for cross-town rival Port Adelaide.

Houston now plays for Collingwood and is not believed to be the player Rankine targeted with the slur.

Crows coach Matthew Nicks was scheduled to appear at a press conference today, which has now been delayed to Friday.

The AFL is expected to announce its verdict tomorrow.