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Check out our key concepts here, which will help you to apply a critical thinking lens to this topic, and articulate your ideas about it. These concepts are highlighted.

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A Conversation article, exploring why chance plays such a big part in the game of ice hockey.

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A Conversation article, exploring why chance plays such a big part in the game of ice hockey.

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The luck of the puck in the Stanley Cup – why chance plays such a big role in hockey

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With low-scoring games and a preponderance of deflected shots, randomness is much more likely to color NHL teams’ records than those of squads in the other four major US pro sports leagues.

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A CNN article, weighing up the pros and the cons of the Enhanced Games - which will allow athletes to make free use of performance enhancing drugs. 

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A CNN article, weighing up the pros and the cons of the Enhanced Games - which will allow athletes to make free use of performance enhancing drugs. 

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A doping free-for-all Enhanced Games calls itself the answer to doping in sports. Opponents say it poses a danger to health | CNN

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The 2024 Olympics are fast approaching and as athletes gear up for one of the world's most prestigious sporting events, one entrepreneur has a different idea of what "faster, higher, stronger" - the former motto of the Games - might represent.

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A BBC article, exploring the racism debate in Spain, as a result of the treatment of Vinicius Jr. 

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A BBC article, exploring the racism debate in Spain, as a result of the treatment of Vinicius Jr. 

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Insults aimed at Real Madrid soccer player Vinicius Jr have triggered a fierce debate about racism in sport and whether Spanish society has a problem with the issue.

Spanish police have arrested three people in connection with racist abuse directed at Vinicius Jr, who confronted fans of Valencia football club in the Mestalla stadium who he accused of directing monkey chants at him. After the match, the Brazilian international said the Spanish football league "belongs to racists".

In the wake of the incident, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, warned against allowing "fascism and racism" to dominate football stadiums and his government issued a statement saying it "deeply regrets" the lack of action by Spanish authorities to fight the problem.

As the lights illuminating the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro were dimmed as a show of solidarity with the player on Monday, the issue has transcended the borders of Spain and of sport.

Spain's left-wing government and its sports institutions have been unanimous in condemning racism in football. However, claims that Sunday's incident reflected a broader malaise have proved to be more contentious.

"La Liga has a problem," Real Madrid's Italian coach, Carlo Ancelotti, told an interviewer after the game. Vinicius Jr went further, saying that "in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists".

The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, rejected such claims. He tweeted in Spanish, Portuguese and English: "Neither Spain nor La Liga are racist, it is unfair to say this."

He also said that La Liga has denounced nine cases of racist insults so far this season, eight of them against the Brazilian.

Others have taken a similar line, suggesting that Valencia, or even Spain, is also a victim because of the reputational damage this episode has caused.

While describing racism and sport as "incompatible", the leader of the opposition Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, warned that the controversy was giving "a distorted image of a city like Valencia".

"Spain is in no way a racist country," he said, speaking on the campaign trail ahead of Sunday's local elections.

The Socialist president of the Valencia region, Ximo Puig, insisted that Valencia fans "are not at all racist", while attributing the extremist attitudes of a few to the far right, which is the third-largest presence in Spain's parliament in the form of the Vox party.

But Mr Puig also seemed to apportion some blame to Vinicius Jr, who on leaving the pitch on Sunday had appeared to taunt Valencia fans about the possibility their team might be relegated.

"Players need to be good professionals and they shouldn't behave in an arrogant way," he said.

Others have also drawn Vinicius Jr's character into the debate. Toni Freixa, a former member of the board of Barcelona football club, said that the Brazilian "provokes during every game" and wondered why Real Madrid's other black players were not targeted with racist abuse in the same way.

The writer and social commentator Manuel Jabois took issue with such analysis, warning that blaming the victim of the abuse was part of the problem.

"Because he's black... he doesn't have the right to behave badly, to get angry or respond to a provocation without getting called a monkey," he said.

The fallout from Sunday's game echoes events in 2004, when many Spain fans in Real Madrid's Bernabéu stadium aimed monkey chants at England's black players during a friendly game. The ensuing international outrage triggered a national debate about the racism which had long been present on Spain's football terraces.

In an editorial, El País newspaper underlined the fact that it had been necessary for a foreign leader, Lula, to denounce the issue in order for it to be discussed in depth. It also called for both La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation to take tougher action to stamp out racism in the sport.

"La Liga has a problem and that problem is not Vinicius," it read.

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Vinicius Jr case opens wider racism debate in Spain

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Spanish police have arrested three people in connection with racist abuse of the Real Madrid player.

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An Independent video, featuring Vinicius Jr breaking down in tears as a result of racist abuse by La Liga fans. 

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An Independent video, featuring Vinicius Jr breaking down in tears as a result of racist abuse by La Liga fans. 

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Vinicius Jr cried as he spoke about the racist abuse he faces as a football player during a press conference on Monday, 25 March.

It came after the Brazilian forward's club side Real Madrid filed a complaint against a referee who handled their game at Osasuna for not including alleged racist insults aimed at the player in his match report.

"I just want to play soccer, do everything for my club and for my family", an emotional Vinicius Jr told reporters.

Brazil face Spain in a friendly on Tuesday.

The match is being held as part of an anti-racism campaign in support of Vinicius Jr.

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Watch: Vinicius Jr breaks down in tears when asked about racism he faces in football

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Vinicius Jr cried as he spoke about the racist abuse he faces as a football player during a press conference on Monday, 25 March. It came after the Brazilian forward's club side Real Madrid filed a complaint against a referee who handled their game at Osasuna for not including alleged racist insults aimed at the player in his match report.

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An Aeon article, exploring the moral dimension of fandom - and whether it undermines our ability to behave in a moral way.

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An Aeon article, exploring the moral dimension of fandom - and whether it undermines our ability to behave in a moral way.

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UNPACKING THE SOURCE What kind of ‘ethical judgements’ do fans sometimes have to make about sportspeople? In what way is sports fandom like a form of love, and what implications does this bring in terms of how we view the world? What might being a fan of a particular club indicate about someone’s ethical commitments? What does it mean to be a ‘critical’ fan - and why is it important to be one? To wrap up: “Sometimes the only way to be a true fan is to walk away.” What does this mean? Would you be able to ‘walk away’ from your team if it infringed an ethical rule?

KEY TERMS Ethical judgment, Compelling evidence, Identity, Neutral perspective, Imagined communities, Bonds of loyalty

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In August 2023, Manchester United had to make a decision. Should their talented winger, Mason Greenwood, play for the club again? More importantly for our purposes, fans faced a choice, too: would they accept him back? He had been out of the team since his arrest in January 2022, on suspicion of rape, assault and coercive control; he was later charged, but the charges were eventually dropped.

Alas, it is not unusual to see top footballers accused of sexual offences, even if those charges are dropped and the player remains (officially) anonymous. Often, with little publicly available evidence, fans can't assume that the player in fact did anything wrong; even though we know that sexual assaults are rarely successfully prosecuted, absent further information we cannot conclusively judge people just on statistics. Other times, like in the case of the Spanish forward Santi Mina, there is a legal conviction.

What makes Greenwood's case striking is that fans are left with an ethical judgment to make. There was no conviction, but - although charges were dropped - football fans had the leaked audio and images that provided seemingly compelling evidence that he had abused his partner. Manchester United and Greenwood both claimed there was an exonerating explanation, but without hearing such an explanation, fans are left with some disturbing evidence on one hand, and some weak assertions on the other.

In American football, fans of the Cleveland Browns face the prospect of cheering for the accused serial-harasser Deshaun Watson. Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs must contend with being pressured into the popular 'Tomahawk Chop' - a piece of racist cosplay that is a central part of their show of support. The New Zealand rugby league player Dylan Brown, who plays for the Australian team Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League, was convicted of sexual touching and was banned for several games, on top of the community correction order handed down by the courts. Brown, who showed contrition and was punished, has since returned to play for the Eels.

There are many other such examples. Players - or coaches, or team owners - do bad things, or terrible things, across sports. The question is, should any of this matter for fans, and what can they do about it?

To answer this question, we should first consider the nature of sports fandom. If we were to ask people what kind of issues they think philosophers spend their time thinking about, sports fandom is unlikely to be top of the list. But sports fandom raises a number of interesting and important philosophical issues such as the connection between sports fandom and identity, and whether it is better to be a committed fan of a particular team or to appreciate the sport from a more neutral perspective. We are especially interested in the issue of the nature and value of sports fandom. While sports fandom might seem like a trivial waste of time to people who don't watch sport, we think that being a sports fan can be a valuable way of finding meaning in one's life and building community with others.

As we understand it, sports fandom is a form of love. Fans of sports teams care passionately about their teams in similar ways to how lovers care about each other. They want their team to succeed, in much the same way that lovers want each other's lives to go well. Just as a lover may spend much of their time thinking about their loved one, so do sports fans spend large parts of their lives thinking about their teams - which players they should select, which formation they should deploy, and so on. Just as a lover may be particularly well attuned to their loved one's qualities, so too are sports fans especially well placed to recognise what it is that makes their team so special. Both lovers and sports fans are also likely to view the object of their love through rose-tinted glasses, leading them to an overly positive view of these qualities.

Of course, loving a sports team is not exactly like loving another human being. In some ways, loving a sports team is more like loving a country or loving a city, as loving a sports team involves loving a community of which one is a member. Indeed, community is a crucial aspect of sports fandom and a large part of fandom's appeal. The historian Benedict Anderson coined a memorable phrase when he argued that nations are 'imagined communities'. By this he meant that nations are communities built around a loosely shared understanding of what it means to belong. This shared understanding is developed imaginatively. It is, for example, through shared stories of the past - such as the glorious military triumphs and groundbreaking inventors - that a sense forms of what a nation represents and what it means to belong to it. These stories make it possible for a farmer in Idaho and a lawyer in New York City to feel like they belong to the same community, despite being strangers who lead very different lives.

Sports fan groups are also imagined communities, built around stories of the heroic triumphs and tragic defeats of the past. Fans of Manchester United, for example, can identify each other as being part of the same community, of having the same set of interests in common, the same shared heroes (eg, Paul Scholes, Eric Cantona, Sir Alex Ferguson) and the same rivals (eg, Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Kenny Dalglish).

When fans sing racist songs, they are sending a message that these values are those of the community

Sports fandom also influences people's values, their sense of who they are, and what they find important. It places people in ethical communities, which involve a sense of being part of a collective with distinctive values and norms, that pursues common goals, conferring a stable sense of group identity and trust. Sports fandom has such a central impact on how people think of themselves and the world that, in their book Quest for Excitement (1986), the sociologists Norbert Elias and Eric Dunning describe fandom as one of the main ways in which people form a sense of collective identity in modern societies.

These ethical identities can be linked to that of the club - which in turn is shaped by, and shapes, the fans. Sporting success is not the only common goal fans pursue, sports clubs are not just names attached to a kit, a stadium, or a team; instead, many of them have a more robust identity, based on a specific history or a commitment to deeper principles. For instance, Bayer Leverkusen were founded by the workers at the pharmaceutical company Bayer AG; the Argentine football club Boca Juniors are the working-class club of Buenos Aires, while their rivals River Plate represent the middle-class residents of the city; the London club Tottenham Hotspur have historically had a large contingent of Jewish fans - the same is true of AS Roma, whereas their local rivals have a history of antisemitism and a proud contingent of Right-wing fans; FC Barcelona have become tied to Catalan nationalism; FC St Pauli are avowedly Left-wing. Sometimes, these identities are inherent in the club itself, other times they may be tied more closely to the fans - or to particular groups of fans, like ultras.

So being a fan of a particular club can tell us about somebody's ethical commitments or values. The St Pauli fan is likely Left-wing; the Barcelona fan might be a Catalan nationalist - they might even become a Barcelona fan because the club is such a symbol of this nationalism. (We need to leave room, though, for fans who are fans of a club despite its sociopolitical characteristics!) This helps us understand the problems that arise for fans when those involved with the club they love do wrong. When fellow fans sing racist songs, they are sending a message that these values are those of the community. This message implicates those who identify with the community, even if they do not share these values. The implication runs deeper when these songs go unchallenged, since putting up with them sends a further message that even fans who don't share these values are happy to tolerate sharing a stadium with people loudly expressing them.

What if it is the players, not the fans, who have done wrong? Here we see the ways in which loving a sports team is not exactly like loving a country or a city. As the author and football fan Nick Hornby describes this relationship in his novel Fever Pitch (1997), the players are the representatives of the fans. They stand in for the fans on the pitch and embody the community for the duration of the match. In continuing to support a team with players who are accused of violent acts of assault, fans seem to send the message that they share the values of the players representing them.

But what should fans do about this? As we have argued in our book Why It's OK to Be a Sports Fan (2023), fans need to be critical fans. This requires recognising that there are moral risks to fandom, refusing to give in to the idea that sport is somehow insulated from politics. We think very few of our hobbies should be insulated from ethical considerations. We can have a little light immorality in our lives; we are allowed to escape from ethical considerations sometimes. But that does not mean we can ignore major moral problems - and we think sports fans face important moral problems.

Aside from recognising that there are moral issues, what should critical fans do? Well, they shouldn't just give up on their fandom on a whim. If you have a mere hobby, something you do just to pass the time, then you should abandon that hobby if it is badly morally compromised, and you could easily replace it with another equally valuable hobby. Suppose someone enjoys collecting ivory pieces simply because they like collecting objects. When they find out that ivory does major harm to animal conservation, they should start collecting something else instead. But sports fandom is so often not like that - it is a form of love that shapes people's very identities.

One lone voice against a sea of Tomahawk Chops isn't likely to achieve very much

How one responds to a loved one - a lover, a friend, a family member - is a good starting point in thinking about how fans should respond to immorality. You might drop a new acquaintance if you learn they did something awful, but you shouldn't so easily drop a dear friend; likewise, if fandom really matters to you, you shouldn't just abandon it so easily. But if you find out a dear friend has done something reprehensible, you should probably do something. You might protest against them - not with placards, just by telling them that their behaviour is not appropriate, or by not inviting them on a night out. If none of this works, or if your friend slides into utterly reprehensible behaviour, you might withdraw from the friendship.

So, too, with fandom. But while a stern word to a friend might be effective, one lone voice against a sea of Tomahawk Chops, or one fan walking away, isn't likely to achieve very much. It might help you maintain your moral integrity, but it won't stop the team you love, or the fans you identify with, descending into immorality.

There are cases where fans have banded together and successfully made a stand against wrongdoing. When news broke that Manchester United were planning to reintegrate Greenwood into their team, domestic violence charities criticised the decision, staff members apparently considered resigning, and the reaction from many fans was also intense. The British TV presenter Rachel Riley - a life-long fan of Man United - said she would stop supporting the team if Greenwood played for them. A group of female fans put out a statement excoriating the decision to bring back Greenwood, pointing out the moral failings such a decision would exhibit. Eventually, the club decided - albeit with a statement that was disturbingly supportive of Greenwood - not to allow him to return.

When the Scottish football club Raith Rovers signed David Goodwillie, who had previously been found by a civil court to have committed rape, many of those involved with the club protested the decision strongly. The crime writer Val McDermid, a major sponsor of the club, threatened to withdraw her financial support and many of the players for the Raith Rovers women's team resigned, together with several club directors and volunteers. This unified protest eventually succeeded and the club agreed that they would not field Goodwillie.

In both these cases, fans were able to take collective action and protest these decisions together. They made use of the existing fellow-feeling that supporters have for each other to mobilise protests and to campaign for these decisions to be reversed. What can sharpen these protests is the simultaneity of fandom. Fans naturally come together at the same time, in the same place. Notably, they gather in the stadium, but they also watch the game from home at the same time, or they might all go to the same bar or to a friend's house. Although it might not be noticeable if one fan boos, it is obvious when thousands of them do so - or when hundreds of thousands switch off their TVs.

Crucially, it seemed that some fans were willing to abandon their team if they did not make the right choice.

Critical fans who take these issues seriously are likely to face two kinds of critics themselves. On the one hand are those critics who do not care about sport, who will question why fans would ever consider maintaining their support for a team that is implicated in immorality. For these critics, sports fandom amounts to the trivial activity of passively watching other people play sports. There is no dilemma here, then, as the fans would lose nothing if they simply decided to support a different team. On the other hand are the diehard fellow supporters who cannot contemplate ever abandoning support for their team. These fans view those who can imagine walking away - or those who are deeply critical of their team - as traitors whose commitment is half-hearted at best.

Those who dismiss fandom as trivial fail to recognise the importance of these ethical communities, the way they shape the identities of those involved, and the bonds of loyalty that are forged among their members. The diehard fans who could never consider withdrawing their support make a related error. These fans fail to recognise the importance of the values embodied by these communities. When a community strays too far from these values, staying true to the ethical values of the community - being a good fan - requires standing up for these values. If Barcelona abandoned their nationalism, or if St Pauli switched to fascist principles, it would be starkly clear to fans that the club they loved was no longer what it once was. Manchester United and Raith Rovers fans might not have had any such explicit political commitments, but the fans who protested saw their club as one that stands up for certain moral standards. They had to be open to the possibility that theirs was no longer the club they loved - and, had their protests not worked, they may have had to abandon their team.

Sometimes the only way to be a true fan is to walk away.

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What should a sports fan do when their team lets them down? | Aeon Essays

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Players, coaches and team owners sometimes do terrible things. What, if anything, should their fans do about that?

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An Observer article, looking at the challenges for Formula One to hit carbon zero. 

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An Observer article, looking at the challenges for Formula One to hit carbon zero. 

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ere a reminder needed - and surely it is not - Formula One having to cancel the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last week was definitive evidence that the climate emergency is no abstract inconvenience but very real and now close to home in the sport's European heartland.

F1 comes with a carbon cost that contributes to the rising floodwaters that put paid to the Imola race weekend and the sport has long been a conspicuous polluter as it crisscrosses the globe. Now boasting a comprehensive plan to address it, climate experts are asking the question of F1: is it enough?

F1 rightly decided to cancel the race at Imola last Wednesday. The region has suffered from a devastating period of severe weather in May. Eight people died and 5,000 have been forced to abandon their homes. A local official described the volume of rainfall as a "catastrophic event that has never been registered before".

F1 pulled the meeting, unwilling to add to the demands on the already stretched emergency services. With a history of avoiding at all costs cancelling a grand prix, this was a welcome move, bolstered by a €1m donation to the Emilia-Romagna relief fund.

The severe weather - relentless, heavy rain leading to flooding and landslides - is believed to have been induced by the climate emergency. To which F1 knows it is a major contributor. It undertook an assessment of its carbon footprint in 2018, concluding that it had emitted 256,551 tons of carbon across the season. However, only 0.7% was from the racing itself. The vast majority came from logistics: air, road and sea freight amounted to 45% and personnel travel to 27.7%. Two-thirds of an immense footprint is effectively the price of keeping the show on the road.

In 2019, F1 committed to a net zero carbon target by 2030 and has vigorously pursued it. It has committed to developing a 100% sustainable fuel that can also be used in road cars to service the 1.2bn expected to still be running internal combustion engines in 2030, a potential gamechanger for global emissions. It has also committed to a minimum 50% reduction in its own carbon emissions by 2030.

To that end, steps have been made. F1 and the teams have shifted their offices and factories to renewable energy. The sport has reduced the number of staff travelling, shifting much of its broadcasting operation to operate from Kent rather than at race meetings. It uses lighter and more efficient air freight methods and modern aeroplanes and has increased the use of sea freight and local hubs for storage of equipment. Contracts with promoters are being worked through to rationalise the calendar and reduce the number of flights required.

Yet for many climate change experts the elephant very much remains in the room looming ominously over that 2030 goal. As things stand if F1 reaches its aim of reducing emissions by 50% the sport admits it will have no choice but to offset what would remain a very significant level of carbon.

Flooding at the Imola paddock after the nearby Santerno river burst its banks. Photograph: Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters

Toby Miller is a visiting professor at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and has studied and written extensively on sport and the environment. His 2018 book Greenwashing Sport was critical of the claim of reaching net carbon zero while using offsetting.

"I am concerned it will be a displacement," he says. "The advances made in jet fuel transformation are nowhere near what is required in order to make air travel of the kind that F1 engages in any sense manageable, feasible or credible. Even if they manage to reduce massively the other parts of their carbon footprint, travel is always going to be the problem.

"The real nettle to be grasped is international travel and not just of people but of heavy machinery across the globe for a season that lasts almost 10 months a year. That needs to be the headline question."

F1 has not shied away from addressing the problem and Ellen Jones, F1's head of environment, social and governance, conceded that it was a major issue facing the sport. F1 was considering that at a certain point it could still only offset emissions, yet their form and credibility remain a still undecided fixture for the future.

"When it comes to unavoidable emissions after we have finished our investment in reduction, that is really important," she says. "My response to offsets is clear. We are focused on carbon reduction, we understand that as we get closer to 2030 that offsets the balance to zero of unavoidable emissions will need to be reviewed.

"So we are watching it to ensure there is credibility when we make those purchases, but F1 can also give back and support the development of technical offsets through technology. It's a really important point that people focus on reduction first. For unavoidable emissions we will have to look at what credible carbon removal looks like."

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Just what that looks like remains a notoriously contentious subject, but it should be noted that this is an issue far from confined to F1. As a global sport that consumes fossil fuels as part of its process of competition it is a lightning rod as a contributor to climate breakdown. Yet it is far from the worst offender. Climate scientists have long railed against greater villains.

Conservative estimates put the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 as having a carbon footprint of 2.3m to 3m tons and last year's Qatar World Cup ranging from the widely discredited Fifa claim of 3.6m tons to up to the 10m tons cited by environmentalist academics. Either event easily surpasses more than 10 years of F1. In both cases the figures are endlessly muddied because of the use of offsetting to balance the books.

Just as it is for F1 this, it is argued, cannot be considered a means of reaching net zero carbon. Asher Minns, a longtime academic and now executive director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, praised F1's efforts but was unequivocal that it still faced a profound problem.

"I really welcome that F1 is strategising what it can do about its significant emissions," he says. "The first step in anything is realising your impact, you can't manage what you can't measure. They look to have done some really very good in-depth analysis, as you would expect from engineers their plan is a serious proposition.

"But the question on offsetting is, does it genuinely reduce emissions and store them away from the atmosphere forever? The answer for nearly all offsetting is, no it doesn't. Then there is the moral dilemma of offsetting. There is only no emissions. Putting emissions in the atmosphere and then saying you have sucked them out is not the same as not having emissions. You either polluted or you didn't, offsetting is not a get-out-of-jail-free card."

Pollution remains pollution then is the existential quandary facing F1 and every sport at this vital moment. Jones, however, insists F1 is fully committed to doing it properly, albeit with a methodology that remains as yet undecided, the big question mark now hanging over the sport as it counts down to 2030.

"We will need to invest in offsets and we will review those very closely," she says. "The market itself is very immature and we will continue to monitor it so when we do invest in it we ensure it is the outcome we want which is a true carbon removal."

These are difficult times that pose difficult questions for all sports and as the climate scientists have shown, with emissions there is as yet no comfortable solution as succour for the cost of continuing competition. F1's approach shows there are no easy answers.

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After the flood, storms lie ahead for Formula One in race to hit carbon zero

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F1 made right call in cancelling the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix but major obstacles remain in order to reach target by 2030

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A Guardian article, in which paraolympian Hannah Cockroft says that Britain is 'incredibly scary for disabled people'.

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A Guardian article, in which paraolympian Hannah Cockroft says that Britain is 'incredibly scary for disabled people'.

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Britain is an "incredibly scary place for disabled people right now", according to the leading Paralympian Hannah Cockroft who says the government is "failing to listen" to the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in society.

The wheelchair racer and seven time Paralympic gold medal winner will be favourite to retain her T34 100m and 800m titles in Paris this year. But between now and her fourth Games a series of challenges remain for the 31-year-old and not all of them are on the track.

Cockroft says the recognition achieved by Paralympians in the decade since London 2012 has meant that public perception has become one of overcoming adversity, when the truth is that the struggles disabled people face have only grown in that time.

"You see us go out on the track and field and you see us do incredible things and suddenly our disability disappears in people's eyes," said Cockroft. "We come across as massively independent and that we can conquer the world but we can't. I still can't get on a train on my own I still can't catch a bus. I still depend on Personal Independence Payments.

"The segregation between Paralympians and every other disabled person is damaging. Britain is an incredibly scary place for every disabled person right now. You feel targeted with every announcement that comes out, you feel unsupported."

Last week the chair of ParalympicsGB, Dave Clarke, wrote an open letter to Rishi Sunak calling on the prime minister to reverse the decision to downgrade the role of minister for disabled people within government.

"I think Dave wants the disability community to know that Paralympics GB is representing you as well, we're having the same fights, the same struggles," Cockroft said. Asked if she thought the government were listening to the disabled community, she replied: "No, not recently."

Cockroft believes Paris will be "huge" in terms of returning the spotlight to disability sport and activism, but argues that the momentum for change commonly accepted to have sprung from London 2012 long ago fizzled out.

"I had a really unrealistic view of the Paralympics because London was my first Games. I've spoken to other athletes who made their debut in London and it was almost like we were naive in thinking that was the support Paralympic sport got. Between London and Rio every world championship, every European championship was televised, well attended, well supported and I just got this sense of promise which didn't last.

"I think I really noticed it in the journey between Rio and Tokyo. That was when I noticed the TV coverage fall away, we didn't get the crowds any more, we didn't get integrated as much as we had been the previous four years. Everything started to disappear and the more you spoke to athletes who've done a few games they would say: 'Oh yeah this is more like it, this is what being a Paralympian is.'"

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Hannah Cockroft celebrates her T34 800m win at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. Photograph: John Walton/PA

British success has continued to grow during this period, with ParalympicsGB finishing second in the medal table in Tokyo three years ago. Cockroft has been at the forefront of these achievements, currently holding the world records at no fewer than five distances (100, 200 400, 800 and 1500m). But the West Yorkshire native, speaking as an ambassador for Dreams as part of their partnership with ParalympicsGB, says that the gap British athletes have held over their rivals has diminished, particularly in the flagship women's T34 100m sprint.

"Investment into our sport is making the 100 so hard," she said. "Even though we're really advanced in our team we're a little bit behind in terms of the support we get in the actual equipment. Now everyone has the intel as to what is the best chair set up, what's the best wheel, what is going to make us the most aerodynamic. And there's so much new equipment coming out.

"I went in a wind tunnel for the first time about two months ago. That's the first time in 16 years, where other countries have been doing it for years and years. Then there is the Sauber race chair that Marcel Hug pushes, a lot of people have moved over to that. I don't have a spare 40 grand so I'm not making that switch."

Cockroft says she starts the year "with a lot of apprehension" but she does so with a smile and her attitude could simply be understood as the determination of a champion. She admits to studying her rivals' Instagram Stories for details on their training and equipment. Pledges to reduce the number of distances she competes in look likely to be deferred again.

With a world championship, two grand prix and a potential Diamond League appearance before the Games begin, more world records could well fall between now and Paris. For those who might come fresh to Hurricane Hannah this August, she likes to put it this way: "If you enjoy watching Dina Asher-Smith I promise you'll enjoy what I do, too."

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Britain is 'incredibly scary for disabled people', says Hannah Cockroft

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Paralympian Hannah Cockroft said the UK government is failing to listen to the vulnerable, making Britain a 'scary' place for disabled people

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A Conversation article, arguing that although Paris 2024 will be gender-balanced, inequality will still be an issue at the Olympic Games. 

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A Conversation article, arguing that although Paris 2024 will be gender-balanced, inequality will still be an issue at the Olympic Games. 

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With one year to go until the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, fans around the world have been following their teams' performances at the FIFA Women's World Cup.

For fans whose national teams didn't advance as much as they had hoped, they can look forward to seeing those same teams play at the Paris Olympics.

But the same is not true for the men's national teams that competed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. At the Olympic Games, men's national teams are limited to 23-year-old and younger players, with three exceptions for overage players. There are no age restrictions for the women players.

This is only one of the many gender-based differences in how men and women athletes compete at the Olympic Games.

Olympic Games sport programme

My research examines how the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has promoted gender equality at the Games. My book Gender Equality and the Olympic Programme focuses on the sport programme - all the sports and events included at the Games - because it is the most visible aspect of the Olympic Games.

According to the IOC:

"the Olympic programme is the fundamental core of the Olympic Games as decisions regarding the programme have an impact on virtually all other areas of the Olympic Games and Olympic Movement."

The inclusion of specific sports and events, as well as how women and men athletes play those sports (and what they wear to play them), sends important messages about how the IOC and other international sport federations define and attempt to achieve gender equality.

In addition, the sport programme is highly contested. International sport federations, athletes, Games Organizing Committees, broadcasters and the IOC all have interests in its composition. And, sometimes, those interests conflict.

IOC's quest for gender equality

Most of the IOC's claims about gender equality achievements at the Games are focused on the sport programme. The IOC has announced that at the 2024 Games, for the first time, there will be an equal number of men and women athletes, and the same number of events (opportunities to win a medal) for men and women.

In 2014, the IOC released a strategic plan for the future of the Olympic Games. Among the 40 recommendations is one about fostering gender equality. Including an equal number of men and women athletes at the Games is one strategy the IOC identified to "foster gender equality."

Claims about achieving "gender balance" have been an integral part of all the IOC's statements about Paris 2024. It is crucial to critically examine what these claims mean and how they relate to achieving gender equality.

Ensuring gender parity - the same number of men and women athletes and men's and women's events - is important for gender equality at the Games, but it does not address the conditions of men's and women's participation.

Gender differences in sporting events

The IOC's aim to achieve gender balance reveals an incomplete, numbers-focused commitment to gender equality.

When men and women compete in the same sports, international federations continue to enforce differences between men's and women's events. These differences include: the length of races; weight categories; the height, weight, size and spacing of equipment; the size of venues; and differences in judging, rules and uniforms.

For example, in artistic gymnastics, the differences between the men's and women's competitions include age requirements (18 years old for men and 16 for women); different apparatus (e.g., parallel bars for men and uneven parallel bars for women); the number of apparatus (six for men and four for women); and uniform requirements (long or short pants for men, leotards or unitards for women).

On the floor and vault - apparatus on which both men and women compete - women's floor routines are set to music and include dance elements, while the men's do not. When performing the same skills, men's eligible scores are lower than women's.

What the audience sees is women's gymnastics performed in ways that emphasize stereotypical femininity and minimize strength and power. In contrast, men's gymnastics events are organized to emphasize the athletes' strength and power.

These gender-based differences are examples of gender inequality.

Complete gender equality

In cases where sports are gender-differentiated, women's sports are designed to be a lesser version than the men's. Women's races are shorter, there are fewer weight categories, equipment and venues are lighter and smaller and women wear more revealing uniforms.

Differences in men's and women's conditions of participation are the result of decisions made by those who control Olympic sports - decision-makers who continue to be predominantly men. The differences are not naturally occurring, nor are they universal.

In fact, there are several sports and events on the Olympic programme that are not gender-differentiated. For example, men and women athletes competing in archery and badminton use the same venue, equipment and rules.

This is evidence of internal contradictions in the Olympic programme; some events are constructed to be different for men and women athletes, while others are not. This reinforces the need to identify and explain the remaining examples of gender-based differences.

These internal contradictions also require further attention from the IOC and the adoption of a more complete definition of gender equality - one that includes opportunity and status.

The IOC needs to look beyond the numbers and work with international federations to address athletes' conditions of participation in the same sports.

Crucially, embracing and enforcing gender equality should not mean using men's sports as the standard (e.g., increasing the length of women's races to be the same as the men's distance). Rather, this is an opportunity for international federations to determine the best possible conditions for all athletes in their sports.

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Gender inequality will still be an issue at the Paris 2024 Olympics - despite the Games being gender-balanced

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The IOC needs to look beyond gender parity and work with international federations to address athletes' conditions of participation in sports to achieve true gender equality.

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A Sky sports article, which looks at the conclusion of an ICEC report concluding that racism in English cricket is 'deep-rooted'. 

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A Sky sports article, which looks at the conclusion of an ICEC report concluding that racism in English cricket is 'deep-rooted'. 

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English cricket is deep-rooted with widespread institutional racism, sexism and class-based discrimination, a report has found.

The England and Wales Cricket Board issued an unreserved apology for the failings highlighted in the report and to the victims of discrimination in cricket, and will work over the next three months on a package of reforms based on the 44 recommendations within the report.

The ECB must commit to being an anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-classist organisation and encourage all other cricketing organisations to do the same.

Within the next six months, it must put in place mandatory, specialist, high-quality training to support the development of racial literacy amongst its leadership and the most senior leadership of the wider game.

Within the next 12 months, it must undertake an in-depth examination of the decline of cricket in Black communities in England and Wales and develop a targeted action plan to reverse that decline.

The ECB must increase, at pace, the levels of investment in the core infrastructure and operations of the women's and girls' game. There must also be a fundamental overhaul of the professional women players' pay structure with equal pay at domestic level by 2029 and at international level by 2030.

"We certainly apologise to anybody that has felt excluded or discriminated against," ECB chairman Richard Thompson told Sky News. "Reading those lived experiences clearly was very shocking to read what people have experienced in a way that they should never have had to have done."
More than 4,000 people provided evidence to the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket which found:
*Half of respondents experience discrimination;

*Racism is entrenched in cricket;

*Women are marginalised and routinely experience sexism;

*Little to no focus on addressing class barriers;

*Complaints systems are confusing and not fit for purpose;

*Equity, diversity and inclusion requires significant improvement.

It was the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and global outrage over institutionalised racism that sparked the ECB into commissioning a report from Cindy Butts.

Around the same time, Azeem Rafiq called out racism within cricket in England.

"All the stories that Azeem Rafiq talks about, that all happened to me," a former player of Pakistani heritage told the investigators.

"All the abuse, the isolation, the hatred. [Team-mates] poured alcohol on me. They threw bacon sandwiches at me. I have lived with all that and never spoke to anyone about it."

The frustrations faced reporting abuse were clear in the account of a recreational player of Indian heritage.

"Myself and a fellow player were called terrorists after a game," he said. "We complained to the opposition Chair and, after an initial apology, the Chair decided that he wanted to defend the person who made the remark and that we were attempting to defame the club and they were the victims."

The ICEC report now runs to more than 300 pages - highlighting issues that were not adequately addressed after a previous ECB racism report 24 years ago.

"I think it's absolutely disgraceful," Ms Butts told Sky News. "It was really difficult to find evidence to show that has been properly dealt with. That's really disappointing. And it needs to be dealt with now."

The report says: "Our evidence shows that elitism alongside deeply rooted and widespread forms of structural and institutional racism, sexism and class-based discrimination continue to exist across the game."

But Ms Butts does not believe a new national governing body is required.

"I believe that they are committed to making the changes that are necessary," Ms Butts said. "We haven't shied away from saying that the ECB itself needs to substantially reform in the way that it carries out its regulatory role shows its commitment to issues of equity.

"There are training needs. We talk about the lack of racial literacy, for example, within the ECB.

"So there are a number of things that I think point to ways in which we have recommended that the ECB can improve. I don't think at this stage, disbanding the ECB will help to deliver all of the really important things that we think now need to happen."

A statement from Azeem Rafiq in response to ICEC's report on equity in cricket read: "I welcome the report's findings and acknowledge the extraordinary work that has been put into this inquiry.

"There is no doubt now that the game we all love has suffered from institutional discrimination, including racism.

"This report is an opportunity to fully reflect on what has happened and for the sport's governing structures to work out a way forward to ensure that cricket is a game for everyone and that they feel supported, no matter their background."

ECB's Thompson: We apologise and need to address concerns | 'We want to be country's most inclusive sport
ECB chairman Richard Thompson speaking exclusively to Sky News' sports correspondent Rob Harris...
"We certainly apologise to anybody that has felt excluded or discriminated against. And reading those lived experiences clearly was very shocking to read. People have experienced in a way they should never have had to have done.

"We've been given by ICC three months to look at each of the recommendations carefully. There are 40 principle recommendations and a whole series of sub-recommendations.

"And in those three months, we will look at the whole collective basket presented to us and then come back at the end of three months, or before, to see what and how we can go about addressing them and implementing them.

"These things exist in all sports. Cricket was brave enough to show real leadership and commission this report the first time.

"No one asked cricket to commission this report. This is why it's taken two-and-a-half-years to bring this report about.

"It's an extraordinary report: 350 pages, 100 recommendations in total. And this is something I'm sure other sports will look closely at as well, to, as the report is entitled, hold a mirror up to themselves.

"Sometimes when you look in the mirror, there are things there you don't like the look of, and certainly we need to address this now.

"We could look back or we could look forward. Now we have a predominantly independent board, the structures are very different to the structures that existed then. I think we can focus now with real optimism in our ability to bring about real change.

"When I became elected 10 months ago, I made a very clear and unambiguous recommendation that I wanted cricket to become the country's most inclusive sport.

"This report, I think, will help that happen now. It will accelerate that change, where I believe cricket reaches communities that no other sport does. That should be our superpower and not become a weakness. So I believe now we really go about that change with real gusto.

"I don't know [is this English cricket's biggest day of shame?]. I mean, I think it's the start of a new beginning. And I think we will use this report to create a start and the all-inclusive game that I certainly want for English cricket."

Gould: Report shows English cricket faces "existential threat"

Cricket in England and Wales faces an "existential" issue if it fails to address the failings highlighted by a new report, England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould has said.

Gould said: "It is an existential issue for the sport. This is a report that the ECB specifically asked for two and a half years ago, and deliberately did not set narrow parameters.

"The game wants to understand, we want to understand, the seriousness of the issues and that's why we're grateful to the commissioners.

"You talk about direct language - we wouldn't want it in any other way because then it leaves us in no doubt as to the state of the game and what needs to be done in order to drive forward.

"This report is a seminal moment for us. It helps us to fully understand the scope of the issues within the game, it allows us to understand the apologies that we quite rightly make to those people that suffered discrimination.

"We are determined to be able to act on this report and deliver on its intent in the coming months.

"This report will contain lots of information which will come as a shock to many and many people will be disappointed by. But there's also a huge amount of determination throughout the game, throughout the country, to make sure that cricket can deliver and in only a way that cricket can."

Stokes: We must go further

In a statement on Tuesday, England men's Test captain Ben Stokes said: "To the people involved in the game who have been made to feel unwelcome or unaccepted in the past, I am deeply sorry to hear of your experiences. Cricket is a game that needs to celebrate diversity on all fronts because without diversity this game would not be where it is at today.

"As a sport we need to learn from past mistakes and do all we can to make people feel safe and be themselves at every level. I have been an England player since 2011 and I feel very fortunate to be part of some incredibly diverse teams and love how everyone has a different story to tell.

"We must go further and be more inclusive and diverse because the game I love and the millions worldwide love should be enjoyed without fear of discrimination or judgement whether that be due to your upbringing, race or gender.

"As I said earlier, everyone has a different story to tell. I am Ben Stokes, born in New Zealand, a state-educated pupil who dropped out of school at 16 with one GCSE in PE. I need help with the spelling and grammar in this speech and I am currently sitting here as the England Men's Test captain.

"It is clear there is so much more the game has to do and as players we really want to be part of that to ensure that this is truly a sport for everyone."

Rafiq: Report 'embarrassing' for cricket | No knee-jerk reactions

Azeem Rafiq, who spoke out about his own experience of racism within cricket, has said the report is an "embarrassing read" for all those involved in the game.

He is, however, glad to see the ECB is putting a three-month plan in place rather than rushing to a solution.

"It has been incredibly tough. It felt like I have been called everything possible really and attacked in every way possible because the people knew it would get to the reality of the game and this is the reality of the game," Rafiq told Sky Sports.

"I like how the ECB is going to take three months to create a strategy. It is important there are no knee-jerk reactions.

"It is important for cricket to understand it has put people through a lot and it is for cricket to make sure it goes out and undoes that and builds trust back which takes time.

"It can't be through PR initiatives and box-ticking exercises, it has got to be thorough.

"They have got to understand what they are trying to achieve, what does change look like, and who is going to drive it.

"People want this to be just Azeem Rafiq's experience and it just isn't. It isn't just my experience it is the experience of a lot of people and even now, last week I had phone calls about discrimination in cricket.

"There is a lot that still needs to be resolved and I just want leaders in sport to get away from going out there and telling the world how great they are within two weeks just because they did an event.

"They need to understand these small things matter, they will help, but they are not going to stop what happened to me happening again.

"Until these leaders grasp that we are going to be battling these things. Ultimately it is all down to priorities. We have heard the talk before and we are hearing it again.

"This is an opportunity for us all to come together and make sure we can be proud of our game. What we have seen today on that paper should embarrass us all and is the true reality of our game.

"Those it hasn't discriminated against need to play a bigger part. But it shows where cricket people are."

Cricket Scotland: We remain determined to make change

Following the release of the report, Cricket Scotland released the following statement, reaffirming their commitment to "leading on ensuring the required change takes place".

"Cricket Scotland reaffirms its desire to tackle racism, discrimination, and inequalities within the sport in our own country.

"While today's ICEC report is completely separate and distinct from last year's "Changing The Boundaries" report, which highlighted institutional racism within this organisation, there are many findings and messages contained within in it which echo the issues faced by cricket in Scotland.

"Cricket Scotland is fully committed to carrying out all the recommendations of the "Changing The Boundaries" report, and together with sportscotland and our partners, support the ongoing independent investigative process.

"We remain conscious that many people have endured considerable suffering as a result of this process, and the organisation is committed to supporting all involved through to its conclusion and beyond.

"We are in no doubt that much work still needs to be done to change cricket to the point where it can be considered an inclusive sport that is free from racism and discrimination. We remain absolutely determined to lead on ensuring that the required change takes place."

Report confirms 'deep-seated issue' - Dinenage

Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, chair of the House of Commons' Culture, Media and Sport Committee, hopes the report prompts significant change in the sport.

She said: "Today's report confirms the Culture, Media and Sport Committee's finding 18 months ago that there is a deep-seated issue of racism in cricket.

"The volume of evidence, not only of racial discrimination but also of sexism and elitism, is unacceptable in a sport that should be for everyone, and must now be a catalyst for change.

"The test now for the new leadership of the ECB is to ensure the whole sport is a welcome and inclusive place for all. We welcome their recognition of the need to reset, and look forward to making sure they follow through on their commitments."

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English cricket 'deep-rooted' in racism, sexism, and classism, report by ICEC finds

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Report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket says racism is entrenched in English cricket; women are marginalised and there is no focus on addressing class barriers; more than 4,000 provided evidence. Warning: This article contains content which users may find distressing

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A BBC article, which looks at accusations that Fifa mislead the public about Qatar 2022 being carbon-neutral.

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A BBC article, which looks at accusations that Fifa mislead the public about Qatar 2022 being carbon-neutral.

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Fifa made false statements about the reduced environmental impact of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a Swiss regulator has said.

Football's world governing body the tournament would be the first "fully carbon-neutral World Cup".

Advertising regulator the Swiss Fairness Commission (SLK) has upheld complaints from five European nations.

"Fifa was not able to provide proof that the claims were accurate during the proceedings," the SLK said.

In its decision, which is not legally binding, the SLK added: "The SLK has advised Fifa to refrain from making unsubstantiated claims in the future. Particularly the claim that the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar was climate- or carbon-neutral."

Fifa, based in Zurich, said the World Cup had a footprint of 3.6 million tonnes of equivalent carbon waste, which was offset by a number of initiatives, such as offsetting every ticketholder's flight emissions, along with several other schemes such as electric mobility for public transport around the tournament.

The United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands all challenged the statement with the SLK upholding each complaint "following an arduous and complex process".

In November, BBC Sport reported how environmentalists called Fifa's carbon-neutral claim "dangerous and misleading" and warned the tournament could have a carbon footprint three times greater than stated.

The complaints centred on the argument that Fifa's claim of a carbon-neutral World Cup is false because of an underestimation of emissions and a lack of credibility in its offsets, which, say campaigners, means consumers and fans are being misled.

"The SLK concluded that it should not be claimed that sustainability goals have been achieved if there are no definitive and generally accepted methods for measuring sustainability or ensuring sustainability measures have been implemented," the regulator added.

It said it could not judge whether Fifa's estimation of carbon waste was "realistic or accurate".

"In addition, the football body has repeatedly promised to fully offset emissions that will be definitively calculated at a later date," it added.

"However, it did not prove that the emissions stated in the ex-ante report had been offset and did not set out a plan to define how it will further offset emissions."

In response to the ruling, Fifa said it is "fully aware that climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time and believes it requires each of us to take immediate and sustainable climate action".

It continued: "Fifa is also fully aware of the impacts that mega-events have on the economy, the natural environment and on people and communities, and has been making substantial efforts to tackle those impacts and, at the same time, to use opportunities to maximise the positive effects of its most iconic tournament, including Qatar 2022. It remains committed to continuously improve its approaches in collaboration with key stakeholders.

"In reference to the recommendation by the Swiss Commission for Fairness in Advertising, Fifa is analysing the reasons for its recommendation, which may still be appealed."

Andrew Simms, director of the UK-based environmental group New Weather Institute - the organisation that submitted the UK's complaint - says more needs to be done to eliminate greenwashing.

Greenwashing is where the public is deceived into thinking an organisation's products, aims and policies are environmentally friendly.

"Fifa has been found out for using false green claims as a substitute for real climate action," said Simms.

"Regulators are slowly waking up to the scale of the issue and the threat it poses by sowing confusion to genuine efforts to tackle climate change. Big polluters are realising they are on borrowed time.

"But to protect people and nature, there's an urgent need for more robust and proactive regulation to stamp out greenwashing and cut the harm done by high-carbon advertising.

"Sport continues to be used as a giant billboard by some of the biggest climate culprits to promote polluting products and lifestyles, threatening the future of athletes, fans and the sport itself.

"It's time that sport, and its governing bodies like Fifa, used their power and position to accelerate the low-carbon transition, instead of delaying it and misleading the public in the process."

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Fifa 'misled' public over carbon-neutral World Cup

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Fifa made false statements about the reduced environmental impact of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a Swiss regulator has said.

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A Guardian article, asserting that global football is "riddled with inequality... a mirror of our age"

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A Guardian article, asserting that global football is "riddled with inequality... a mirror of our age"

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Nadine Dorries or Jacob Rees-Mogg? Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk? Uefa or the European Super League? Yes, sometimes life seems like a succession of Hobson's choices.

Last week the European court of justice (ECJ) ruled that Uefa, which oversees European football, and the game's global body, Fifa, acted unlawfully in threatening sanctions against players and clubs that joined the European Super League (ESL) in 2021. In April of that year, 12 of Europe's biggest clubs announced the creation of the ESL, a lucrative new competition to rival Uefa's Champions League, promising clubs even more riches but also freedom from the possibilities of relegation, thereby making those riches permanent.

Six English clubs were part of the original ESL cohort - Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs. Within days, a huge backlash from fans, national governments and existing football organisations, forced all but three to pull out. The three remaining clubs - Barcelona and Real Madrid from Spain's La Liga and Italy's Juventus - brought a court case against Uefa and Fifa. Last week they largely won.

The ECJ did not suggest that "a competition such as the Super League project must necessarily be approved". But Uefa and Fifa had to allow competition rather than "abusing a dominant position". The possibilities of an ESL-like body are in play again. Indeed, straight after the ruling, the ESL published plans for a new, even more ambitious form of the Super League.

The dilemma facing fans is that while the ESL is an execrable money-spinning exercise, the current system is barely any better

Such a league is unlikely to happen, unless with the participation of Uefa. But were it to do so, most fans would abhor it. The ECJ ruling exposes how the demand for market competition and the mantra of "choice", often promoted as being in the interests of the fan or the consumer, is in reality a weapon wielded by those with power and resources to attack existing power structures, but rarely to benefit ordinary people.

Nevertheless, the dilemma facing football fans is that while the ESL is an execrable money-spinning exercise detached from any organic sense of sporting history or rivalry, the current system is barely any better. In responding to the ECJ ruling, Uefa's president, Aleksander Ceferin, insisted that " football is not for sale". Yes, and Michelle Mone insists she has " done nothing wrong ". Football has long been for sale and often in the most corrupt of ways.

As David Conn maps out in his book The Fall of the House of Fifa, the commercialisation of football, and its corruption, began in the 1970s. João Havelange, the Brazilian businessman who became Fifa president in 1974 and ran it as his personal fiefdom for almost a quarter of a century, recognised the potential of commercial sponsorships and TV rights to garner vast riches. Teaming up with Horst Dassler, the son of the Adidas founder Adolf Dassler, he organised global sponsorships for the World Cup and other Fifa tournaments, beginning with Adidas and Coca-Cola, before mining an even richer seam by selling off television rights.

Havelange turned Fifa from a one-room operation in a private house into a global empire, "able to command the allegiance, interest and engagement of more people in more places than any other sport", as David Goldblatt puts it in his The Age of Football. He also created a global empire of corruption and greed, as millions were expended in kickbacks and bribes to procure contracts, win the right to host the World Cup and to secure posts inside the Fifa hierarchy.

The choice of Qatar as host for the 2022 World Cup brutally exposed how football most certainly was for sale; a country with no football history, few stadiums and unplayable summer temperatures, but with bags of riches to spread around. Fifa's growing partnership with Saudi Arabia, the world's new sporting financial powerhouse, including the likelihood of it becoming the host of the 2034 World Cup, is the latest manifestation of this trend.

Over the past half century, Fifa helped create, in the words of the former FBI director James Comey, unveiling bribery indictments against football officials and corporate executives, " a culture of corruption and greed" in which "undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks and bribes became a way of doing business". Eventually that culture helped bring down Sepp Blatter, Havelange's protege and the inheritor of his Fifa crown in 1998, and Michel Platini, one of France's greatest players, who became in turn Blatter's protege within the governing body, both banned from football for eight years by Fifa's own ethics committee, though both were later cleared in a court case.

The ESL may be a competitor to Uefa, but it is also the creature of that "culture of greed" that football's governing bodies have spawned, a product of the marketisation of the game that they have encouraged. And yet, for all that we may detest the transformation of the game into a commodity like cars and computers, and the corruption that has accompanied it, few fans would want a return to football as it was in the 1970s.

For all that we may detest the transformation of the game into a commodity, few fans would want a return to the 1970s

As Havelange and Blatter helped create a global empire of corruption and greed, they also helped globalise the sport, moving it beyond its original heartlands of Europe and South America. In many African, Asian and Caribbean countries, Fifa largesse has helped build stadiums, construct training fields, launch development programmes and nurture the women's game.

At the same time, in another of the ironies, the globalisation of the game has also concentrated power within Europe. Every member of Senegal's squad at the last World Cup played for European clubs. And even for a traditional powerhouse such as Argentina, only one member of the squad played in its domestic league.

Football today may be more cosmopolitan, but the cosmopolitanism is not equally spread. As with much else in our consumer culture, the market has opened new possibilities - and closed them down at the same time.

All this should matter even to those for whom sport doesn't matter, who don't care to know the byzantine laws governing offsides and handballs, who look upon football fandom as a strange, inexplicable obsession. The major themes in the transformation of football, from marketisation to globalisation, from inequality to corruption, from the marginalisation of fans in the decision-making process to the consolidation of power in new elites, reflect in a more concentrated form much wider political, social and economic developments.

Football shadows the dynamics of our age. We should pay attention.

Kenan Malik is an Observer columnist

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A culture of greed, riddled with inequality. Global football is a mirror of our age | Kenan Malik

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The ECJ Super League ruling lays bare how demand for market competition is a weapon wielded by those in power

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A Guardian article, reporting on how a young black gymnast in Ireland was badly let down. 

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A Guardian article, reporting on how a young black gymnast in Ireland was badly let down. 

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Ireland's sports ministry has said that a young gymnast at the centre of a racism row was "badly let down", as it emerged that the head of the country's sporting authority told the family last year that the girl's treatment wasn't racist.

Una May, the CEO of Sports Ireland, said the judge who ignored the only black gymnast in the competition lineup had got the medals "tangled up", in comments witnessed by at least two people outside the family.

Video of the event in March 2022 shows a judge handing out medals for participation to a line of young gymnasts, but ignoring the only black girl. A photographer, coach and other officials fail to intervene. A mediation settlement reached with the family involved the judge taking anti-racism training

May's remarks are likely to deepen concerns about systemic racism in Irish sport. By the time she met the family, at the SportsFest event in Dublin organised by campaign group Sport Against Racism Ireland (Sari), in September 2022, major international figures in gymnastics and sports ethics had already reached out to support the girl.

Gymnastics great Simone Biles, respecting a family request for privacy, sent the girl a private video message. Other supporters included Harry Edwards - the sociology professor who inspired the iconic protests at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics by founding the Olympic Project for Human Rights.

But at home in Ireland, institutions tasked with promoting sports and keeping young athletes safe had not tackled the incident with the same urgency.

"[May] said it wasn't a racist incident at all, the medals just got tangled," said Ken McCue, who was co-founder of Sari and has been helping the family.

"I said to her: 'That's disgraceful, you want to change your mind on that one,' and she just walked away."

Perry Ogden, the CEO of Sports Against Racism Ireland, also witnessed the conversation, and confirmed McCue's recollection of her comments.

Asked if that still represented May's position, Sports Ireland did not directly respond. It said the organisation contacted Gymnastics Ireland after receiving a report of the incident, and remained in contact throughout the investigation.

"Sport Ireland's position throughout was that the incident in question should not have happened and should be investigated by Gymnastics Ireland," the statement said, adding: "Sport Ireland condemns any form of racism whatsoever."

The girl's family contacted the ministry for sport, Sports Ireland, the Olympic Federation and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission after the incident.

In her initial emails the girl's mother was clear that she was worried about systemic racism and the safety of all young athletes in the sport, and was not only seeking a response to the distress and pain her daughter had endured.

"We want to know what Gymnastics Ireland are going to do about this. We are concerned for the next black family who join gymnastics," she wrote to Gymnastics Ireland and Sports Ireland immediately after the incident.

"Is this the reason there are not more black families involved? What is the anti-racism policy for Gymnastics Ireland?"

Her mother is not being named to protect the privacy of the girl, who is a minor, and because of concerns the family could become targets of racist abuse.

None of these organisations made any public comment on the girl's treatment at the time and it would be another year before the family got an apology from Gymnastics Ireland, after the video went viral internationally.

That lack of response was particularly shocking given how powerful the video was, Ogden said. "We were extremely surprised that nobody would engage with us. And so we could only make the assumption that they were hoping it would just go away."

The Department of Tourism, Culture, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media said it had asked for an investigation as soon as it heard about the incident and condemned the slow response from Gymnastics Ireland.

"It is unfortunate that this process took so long," the ministry said in a statement. "The child was badly let down, and it is right and proper that Gymnastics Ireland have issued an apology. We understand that they have committed to put measures in place to ensure that a similar incident does not happen again."

"The department is committed to a zero-tolerance approach to racism in sport".

McCue said the apology from Gymnastics Ireland did not go far enough, and the executive staff needed to attend anti-racism training sessions to understand the harm such incidents did and protect young athletes.

"Some women have come along to me in the meantime and said that they pulled their kid out of gymnastics because of racism," he said.

Ogden also said the official response to the video in Ireland, which has largely focused on the behaviour of the individual handing out medals, failed to capture systemic issues. A photographer and coach were among adults also watching the ceremony who didn't intervene.

"It's [also] shocking that none of the other people around did something," he said, calling for a rethink of anti-racism policy in sports in Ireland. "This should be a wake-up call."

"Every sports body should have a diversity and inclusion policy. And they should have people out there, training coaches, training their members, talking to parents, and have more people from ethnic minority backgrounds engaged in that training."

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Black girl at centre of Irish gymnastics race row 'badly let down', says ministry

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Statement comes as it emerges that head of Ireland's sporting authority told family girl's treatment was not racist

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A BBC article, reviewing the film Copa 71, the 'unofficial' women's World Cup that took place in Mexico. 

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A BBC article, reviewing the film Copa 71, the 'unofficial' women's World Cup that took place in Mexico. 

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In 1971, an unofficial women's football World Cup attracted crowds of more than 100,000, but was quickly erased from history. Now a new film tells the remarkable story of the tournament, and the disappointment that followed.

For the English players, landing in Mexico was like being "launched into a parallel universe", captain Carol Wilson recalls.

She and other female footballers were used to being obstructed, overlooked and ridiculed at home. They played on park pitches to handfuls of spectators. A ban on the women's game had only just been lifted by the Football Association after 50 years.

So the players were unprepared for the reception they received in the tournament's host country.

Treated like superstars

Hundreds of Mexican fans were waiting, as were photographers. "We went from nothing to flashlights that blinded you once we got off the plane," Wilson recalls. "And it didn't stop for the whole five weeks that we were there."

They were treated like superstars, with crowds waiting for autographs, camping outside their hotel and mobbing their team coach.

"The public took us straight to their hearts," Wilson continues. "They just followed us everywhere. We were so welcomed by everybody. I can't personally put that into words to make you understand how that really was."

The story of England's "Lost Lionesses" was told in a BBC article in 2019. Now, a documentary called Copa 71 shines a light on the tournament. The film's opening is narrated by tennis legend Serena Williams, who is an executive producer alongside sister Venus.

The pair are "two of the greatest female athletes of all time and are both heavily involved in activism and in wanting to promote stories which deepen our understanding of the history of women's sport", the film's co-director Rachel Ramsay says.

Ramsay echoes the idea that the film shows a glimpse of a "parallel universe" in which women's football had not been suppressed.

"When we started researching the story and started speaking to the women, you realise that they have so much to say, and that they've had their voices taken away from them for 50 years."

Women from the different nations all recount similar stories of being told football was not for girls. So it's sweeter for them when the Mexico tournament offers a taste of equality and popularity.

Although no official attendance figures exist, estimates suggest the final was watched by more than 100,000 people - which would make it the best-attended women's sporting event in history.

Ironically, the tournament owed its success to the fact that world football's governing body Fifa tried to block it.

The documentary says Fifa's ban forced organisers to find stadiums that were not controlled by the Mexican football federation. So the games ended up being played in the country's two biggest venues, which were controlled by the country's dominant media group - and the company heavily promoted the event in order to sell tickets.

The matches were shown live on Mexican TV. Ramsay and her team have tracked down that footage, which has not been seen for more than 50 years, as well as home movies shot by fans.

The result is not a typical sports documentary, she says. For one thing, viewers don't root for a particular team or player. For another, it's about women.

"There are whole films, series and books written and made about single men's tournaments, matches, goals and players - and they're done multiple times," Ramsay says.

"We hope that this film is the start of a whole genre of women's sports films. Because when we started making this, it was very hard to find comparisons, to find other films that were similar, especially films told from the perspective of women in their 70s.

"It was difficult to convince people at some points that these women should be on screen and should be telling their story." That was a "deal breaker" for Ramsay, however.

"The number of times I was told, 'You can't have a sports film where you don't have one winner that you want to win'. I said, 'Well actually I think we can because I think the winner is the tournament itself, the fact that it happened, and the shared experience of those women together is a huge part of the film'.

"So being able to play with the genre, and tell stories in a different way and not feeling like we have to go with a cookie-cutter version of what people think sports film looks like, that was really important."

Once the tournament was over, however, the participants came back down to earth with a jolt.

The English team's manager, Harry Batt, was blacklisted by the fledgling Women's Football Association, which was in the process of putting together the first official England team. Some players were also banned.

Mexico 1971 had shown that women's football could be popular and commercially viable, but the male footballing authorities saw that as a threat, the documentary claims. The memory of the event, and the potential for women's football, were buried for decades.

"The women involved themselves didn't speak much about it, especially the England team," Ramsay says.

"When they came back after the tournament, they believed quite rightly that the world had shifted and that women's football was here to stay. They saw a whole new dawn for women's sport.

"And then it was violently taken away from them. They lived with that trauma and that disappointment and that feeling of being gaslit by society.

"And on an establishment level, a wildly successful record-breaking women's football tournament did not work with the narrative of the international and national football associations around the world.

"I think there was an understanding that it would dilute the power of men's football to have women playing the same game. That is something that we're only just recovering from now.

"The growth in the women's game has been extraordinary in the last couple of years. But we're still playing catch-up."

Emotional memories

The documentary received glowing reviews after its premiere at last year's Toronto Film Festival, with Screen International's Fionnuala Hannigan calling it "a crowd-pleaser, like those record-breaking matches".

The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg said it "exposes an obscured chapter in history and thrusts its heroes into a well-deserved spotlight".

He wrote: "I got teary at several points because the sense that these are stories that have been waiting for an outlet for decades is so very palpable."

For Wilson, watching the film was "very emotional".

"It took me straight back to 1971. I felt like I was there. I was transported, if you like."

Recent World Cups and Euros have started to fulfil the potential for women's football, but "we could have been a lot further a lot sooner", she says.

Another English player, Chris Lockwood, agrees that it was "so good" to see the film.

The memories it brought back are tinged with sadness, though. "The sadness of Harry being banned for life, and the sadness that the story was hidden.

Copa 71 is released in UK cinemas on Friday, 8 March.

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Copa 71: Film shows record-breaking women's World Cup

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The story of huge crowds at the 1971 event is told in a new documentary backed by the Williams sisters.

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A Big Think article, which looks at how video games have changed us as story-tellers, via an analysis of The Last Of Us. 

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A Big Think article, which looks at how video games have changed us as story-tellers, via an analysis of The Last Of Us. 

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UNPACKING THE SOURCE According to Adam Frank, why does The Last Of Us game deserve to be regarded as ‘high art’? How effectively has it been adapted for television? Why does he assert that the game is “brilliant and compelling, but you cannot say that it’s fun”? Overall, how can “technological and artistic development [in this case, video games] can reshape the way we satisfy our ancient need for stories”? Answer with reference to video games - and other forms of art.

Key terms Depict the world through narratives, New dimensions in storytelling, High art, Compelling, Emotional resonance

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“The Last of Us” shows how technology has changed humans as storytellers

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Video games matter. Their continued technological and artistic development is reshaping the way we satisfy our ancient need to tell stories.

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A Guardian article, in which Sloane Stephens says that racist abuse of athletes is getting worse. 

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A Guardian article, in which Sloane Stephens says that racist abuse of athletes is getting worse. 

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Racism directed at athletes is getting worse, and software designed to protect them from abuse has little impact, former US Open champion Sloane Stephens said on Monday.

Stephens, speaking after her straight-sets victory over Karolina Pliskova in the French Open first round, said she has had to endure it her whole career.

"Yes, it's obviously been a problem my entire career," said Stephens, who is Black and turned professional in 2009. "It has never stopped. If anything, it's only gotten worse."

Stephens did not go into specific details but said even software designed to block racist comments could not stop it.

"I did hear about the software [which is available at the French Open]. I have not used it," she said. "I have a lot of obviously key words banned on Instagram and all of these things, but that doesn't stop someone from just typing in an asterisk or typing it in a different way, which obviously software most of the time doesn't catch."

Athletes in all sports are regularly confronted with racist comments and behavior, with Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior the most notable recent case.

Vinícius was on the receiving end of racist chants at Valencia's Mestalla stadium last week, and his complaints about Spain and LaLiga not doing enough to fight racism sparked a worldwide wave of support and national debate in Spain.

In the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur worked this month with the Metropolitan Police to investigate an allegation of racial abuse toward South Korean forward Son Heung-Min.

Stephens said the racism had reached a worrying level.

"I mean, obviously when there is FBI investigations going on with what people are saying to you online, it's very serious," said the 30-year-old American.

Stephens did not say whether she was referring to a specific case.

"Obviously it's been something that I have dealt with my whole career," she said. "I think that, like I said, it's only continued to get worse, and people online have the free rein to say and do whatever they want behind fake pages, which is obviously very troublesome.

"It's something I have had to deal with my whole career and something I will continue to deal with, I'm sure. That's that."

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Sloane Stephens says racist abuse of athletes is getting worse

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Racism directed at athletes is getting worse, and software designed to protect them has little impact, the former US Open champion said on Monday

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A Big Think article, looking at how some video games - such as The Last of Us II - qualify as great art because they give us a profound insight into the human condition. 

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A Big Think article, looking at how some video games - such as The Last of Us II - qualify as great art because they give us a profound insight into the human condition. 

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UNPACKING THE SOURCE This is a useful article to prompt a discussion of both great art in general, and whether (some) video games belong in this category. Focus on the paragraph in which the writer talks about the way TLOU2 “shifts the experience of perspective in a story”. What effect does that have on us as knowers? How does that mirror what goes on when we participate in other art forms? Do you agree that this is what characterizes ‘true art’?

Key terms Perspective, Transcendence, Reframing, True art

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There are basically two kinds of people in the world: those who play (or played) video games and those who don't get video games at all.

Okay, I admit this might be an oversimplification. But for a 58-year-old guy who didn't start playing until about ten years ago, this bifurcation explains why so many people miss what is truly revolutionary in these revolutionary technologies. I find myself spending a lot of time explaining to my non-gamer friends (both young and old) that in the midst of all the alien shooters, battle royales, and side-scrolling melee fighters - FYI, these are game genres - there lies a radically potent new method for storytelling. And it's storytelling that provides one path by which a great video game can become great art. To illustrate this point, let me introduce The Last of Us Part II.

Released during COVID-19, The Last of Us Part II (TLOU2) tells a story in a world fallen to a pandemic. The subject matter certainly seems timely, but by itself, that doesn't mean much. Post-apocalyptic pandemic video games are a dime a dozen. There are a zillion titles out there that will let you spend 20 or 30 hours of game time mowing down zombies of one form or another while upgrading your weapons, health, and skills.

The sublime art of TLOU2

Now, don't get me wrong. The mowing down of zombies and the upgrading of skills common to many video games are just fine. Not every game has to be great art, just like not every movie you watch or novel you read has to be great art. There is, most definitely, a place in this world for mindless escape, entertainment, and fun. That's because - if you are into it - sneaking around some last-outpost-of-humanity while trying to take out dangerous zombies can be a delicious waste of time at the end of a hard day. But with TLOU2, there is all that and more.

The creators of TLOU2 take players on a difficult, exhausting journey through the consequences of violence.

Given the "Part II" in its title, TLOU2 is obviously the continuation of a story laid down in The Last of Us. That game followed Joel, a survival-hardened middle-aged smuggler who's been tasked with shepherding teenaged Ellie across the country 20 years after the pandemic outbreak. Ellie is immune to the infection that turns people into zombies. Joel is given his mission by a resistance group that hopes to use Ellie to find a final cure. The journey of Ellie and Joel (who lost his own teenaged daughter two decades earlier in the outbreak) is harrowing and makes The Last of Us almost universally recognized as one of the greatest video games ever made. I've written before about how TLOU's innovative use of game-playing mechanics redefined what was possible for storytelling. In TLOU2, creator Naughty Dog Studio manages to make lightning strike twice, finding an entirely new path to transformative innovation.

Warning! From here on there are serious spoilers. If you think you want to play these games STOP.
Credit: Naughty Dog
You've been warned

TLOU2 takes place four years after the end of the original game. The story is set in motion with the brutal murder of Joel as Ellie is forced to watch. It's an act of vengeance, a retribution for Joel's own choices at the end of the first game. So, what does TLOU2 do to make this game rise above a thousand other stories of vengeance and retribution? The answer lies in the most basic mechanics of game play: perspective.

When you play a video game like TLOU2, you take on the role of the character. This means you literally take control of their actions, seeing through their eyes (or over their shoulder) as you navigate them through the world and the story. This is where the digital technologies of video games take storytelling into new domains. In the hands of lesser creators, the possibilities of that power are lost, and you just get another ho-hum shooter with a weak story. That's not what happens in TLOU2.

The first half of the game follows Ellie as she tracks down Joel's killer and seeks her own vengeance. Her quarry is Abby, the daughter of a doctor that Joel killed at the end of the first game. Abby is now part of a paramilitary group in Seattle, and you, playing as Ellie, must work your way through the city to find her over the course of three days. Using stealth and combat, fighting both the infected (really terrifying zombies) and Abby's compatriots, the effort is unnerving and exhausting. Unlike most games, TLOU2 does not let you off the hook in its depiction of violence. The brutality of what you are doing cannot be avoided. Characters struggle for their lives and call to each other by name if you take one down. They are friends, and you are the one ending that friendship forever.

The big plot twist

Which you are doing because, in a stunning design choice, TLOU2 switches that all-important perspective on you right in the middle of the game. With an impressive narrative mechanism, the clock gets reset to three days earlier, and you are now Abby, greeting one friend after another at the stadium that serves as the paramilitary group's base of operations. You get breakfast at the commissary and chat with folks in the line. You check out gear for the upcoming patrol and take responsibility for a playful guard dog named Alice.

As you move Abby through these often intimate interactions, you come to realize that these are all the people that you just murdered (including the dog) in the first half of the game when you were Ellie. It's a terrible, harrowing shift that colors the rest of the game as it goes on to unpack deeper issues about the strictures of our tribalism, our capacities for choice, and the possibilities of forgiveness. In the end, I was just blown away.

What matters for our discussion today is that the immense power of TLOU2 - namely, its ability to haunt me months after I finished the game - is due to the medium. Yes, a novel or film can force a change in perspective and that can be arresting. But it's the immersion, the agency, and the appearance of choice (even if limited) in video games that radically shifts the experience of perspective in a story. And in that shift comes a transcendence, a reframing, and a learning that are all the reasons why we turn to art. Ultimately, one reason we create art, one reason we participate in art, is an effort to learn something. Through it, we hope to find something deeper, something more about this mystery of being human.

That is what TLOU2 accomplishes. Through the medium of video games, the creators of TLOU2 take players on a difficult, exhausting journey through the consequences of violence. Given that medium's usual careless treatment of violence, making such a journey possible was not a small thing. It was revealing, and that is what we can, and should, ask from true art.

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Sometimes, moral lessons can be learned from blowing away zombies.

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A Vox video, looking at how Fortnite is being used as the venue for live music concerts. 

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A Vox video, looking at how Fortnite is being used as the venue for live music concerts. 

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UNPACKING THE SOURCE How is technology supporting the way in which the arts are expressed?

Key terms Livestream, In-game concert

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In 2020, you likely either play Fortnite or you don't. The expansive multiplayer shooter video game attracted massive media attention in 2018 for its popularity with more than 250 million players of all ages.

All those eyes on Fortnite helped the game grab the attention of people with more clout than the average teen. Celebrities like Joe Jonas, Josh Hart, and Drake got in on the Fortnite craze, livestreaming with some of the most popular players in the game's community.

Eventually, developer Epic Games started incorporating some of its famous fans into Fortnite itself, hosting live concerts and album listening parties inside different areas of the game's world. Most memorably, DJ Marshmello's live concert in Fortnite set the record for the highest number of people playing at the same time, with almost 11 million people checking it out in February 2019.

Travis Scott's live Fortnite shows, however, are very different from the previous musical experiences the game's had to offer. The rapper, also known as Kylie Jenner's partner, is a big fan of Fortnite, and he's celebrating the release of a new single. With everyone stuck inside right now, he's probably been playing a lot more Fortnite than usual lately. So why not combine the music drop with the game?

Scott has hooked up with Epic Games for a unique virtual concert tour within the game. Since the night of Thursday, April 23, and through the night of Saturday, April 25, a giant avatar based on Scott is appearing in one of Fortnite's areas (called "Sweaty Springs") to perform his newest song, "The Scotts," and a few hits from 2018's album Astroworld. (Yes, everyone's favorite, "Sicko Mode" was on the setlist.)

Travis Scott's Fortnite concert experience is 10 minutes of beautiful surrealism

The event is billed as Astronomical, probably both in reference to Astroworld and the size of Scott's avatar in-game. He towers over any player who gets the chance to enter the Sweaty Springs area to watch his character lip sync to the songs as psychedelic visuals play. (It's good to note here that Epic Games temporarily removed the ability for players to kill each other or cause damage to the "concert venue" during the show.)

Anyone who shows up is treated to a surreal, 10-minute show, where Giant Travis Scott suddenly gains godlike powers to fling players into outer space, underwater, and a colorful series of dimensions. Fortnite fully becomes an Astroworld of its own during this special show, and it looks beautifully and shockingly immersive. And for every Fortnite fan who gets to see it in-game together at the same time, it seems like quite the unforgettable event.

All of these visuals are timed to the music, so Scott isn't actually playing his songs live. But players who tuned in during his first show Thursday night could watch Scott experience his Fortnite show at the same time as everyone else over Instagram Live. (His 2-year-old daughter, Stormi, even briefly interrupted the stream.)

Fortnite is a free-to-play game that's available on all computer and smart device operating systems, as well as every video game console. So if you're a Travis Scott fan but also a Fortnite newbie, you should still be able to check out the show. A lot of people have already made the effort to turn out, with the first show setting the new all-time player record, as 12.3 million players logged on to watch the Travis Scott experience inside Fortnite.

But what's most fascinating about Scott's Astronomical experience in Fortnite is how it contributes to the growing genre of virtual, live " quarantine concerts." Musical artists are unable to play live shows or embark upon planned tours due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, so they've been finding creative ways to bring their music to fans. Instagram Live and YouTube have both been popular streaming platforms, but musicians are increasingly turning to multiplayer games to host a special type of live show. There was a music festival in Minecraft, a listening party in Club Penguin, and now a show in Fortnite with visuals rivaling the trippiest Cirque Du Soleil performance.

There are just a few more chances to check out Travis Scott's Astronomical show. The remaining dates and times are listed below - as is an archive of the first performance.

April 25 - Midnight ET

April 25 - 11 am ET

April 25 - 6 pm ET

We're nearly there!
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This weekend's coolest concert is happening in Fortnite

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In 2020, you likely either play Fortnite or you don't. The expansive multiplayer shooter video game attracted massive media attention in 2018 for its popularity with more than 250 million players of all ages. All those eyes on Fortnite helped the game grab the attention of people with more clout than the average teen.

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A Conversation article, applying mathematical knowledge to the Euro 2020 Panini sticker album. 

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A Conversation article, applying mathematical knowledge to the Euro 2020 Panini sticker album. 

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UNPACKING THE SOURCE How important is an understanding of statistics in helping us to make sense of the world?

Key terms Probability, Statistics

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Euro 2020 stickers. REUTERS/Andrew Boyers

Some of my earliest football memories come from the 1994 World Cup, when my dad helped four-year-old me complete the tournament sticker album. Romario, Gheorghe Hagi and Roberto Baggio were the stars, but names like Marco Etcheverry, John Harkes and Marco Pascolo are every bit as memorable to me - since they helped me complete that book.

Now, almost 30 years later, many children around the world will be collecting stickers during the Euro 2020 tournament.

Sticker albums are a curious yet enduring part of football fandom, often holding nostalgic value for supporters like me. When a major football tournament rolls around, fans buy books with spaces for stickers of the players. The aim is to fill every space. But stickers are sold in packs of six, all randomly chosen.

Fans can easily end up with ten copies of one sticker while others remain difficult to track down. Fans start to associate the tournament as much with these tricky stickers as the top goal scorers.

I like to think sticker collecting played a small part in leading me to become a statistician. It is, after all, based on statistical probability.

The Euro 2020 album has a whopping 678 stickers to collect - including pictures of the players from all 24 competing nations plus photos of the trophy and official mascot. Each collector hopes to reach the full set, and it isn't as simple as just buying the ones you need.

Statistics can help us work out the cost of finding every sticker. To get 678 you'd need to buy 113 90p packets, which comes in at £101.70. But the chances of having no duplicates is so slim it can basically be considered impossible.

Read more: European Super League failure was a lucky swerve for women's football

It's guaranteed our first sticker will be a new one, making the probability of success 1. For our second sticker the probability is 677/678, since there are 678 possible stickers and 677 would be new.

To calculate the probability of completing the album without duplicates, we multiply (678/678) by (677/678) by (676/678), and so on until (1/678). This gives us a 1 in 4.33 x 10²⁹² chance (4.33 followed by 292 zeroes), which is an unimaginably tiny number.

Now we know 113 packets isn't going to be enough, how many packets do we need to buy? There's no exact answer, but statistics can help us work out the probability of completing the album if we buy a certain number of packets.

The likely cost

We want to answer the question: "if we take a given size of sample of stickers from a set of 678 possible stickers, what is the probability of finding each of the 678 stickers at least once?".

A formula exists to compute this probability, but it's not simple. It contains something called the factorial of 678 - which is 678 multiplied by 677 by 676, and so on until one. Unfortunately, this number is so large even a powerful computer can't calculate it. This is very common in statistics, and there are techniques for estimating probability when this happens.

One approach is a simulation, using a computer to repeatedly recreate the sticker collection process by virtually opening packets and working out whether we reach all 678 stickers. If we repeat this process often enough - I did it 100,000 times in this example - we'll get a very good estimate of the true probability.

The outcome of my simulation makes for eye-watering reading for sticker collectors.

If you want a 50% chance of completing the album you need to spend £702 on 780 packets of stickers. To raise your probability to 75%, it'll cost you £790.20 (for 878 packets) and a 90% chance of success will set you back £893.70 (for 993 packets). The probability of success will never be 100%, but you'd be exceptionally unlucky not to find them all if you bought around 2,000 packets.

My simulation showed the median number of packets you had to buy to complete the album was 778, at a cost of £700.20. The cheapest cost across 100,000 simulations was £406.80 (452 packets) while the most expensive was £1,961.10 (2,179 packets).

Make it cheaper

Getting the final few stickers is the most costly part. If you still have 51 left, the odds of finding one of them is 51 out of 678 (or 7.5%), whereas if you have one left to find the chances are 0.15% (one out of 678).

Collectors can buy up to 50 named stickers, for 28p each. This means you only have to find 628 stickers to complete your album.

With this in mind, you only have to buy 295 packets (at a cost of £265.50) for a 50% chance of completing the album, 304 packets (£273.60) for a 75% chance and 313 packets (£281.70) for a 90% chance. Once you've bought around 350 packets you'd be extremely unlikely not to complete the album. Even adding on the £14 to buy the remaining 50 stickers, you can make an enormous saving.

Another way you can reduce the cost is swapping stickers. Trading costs nothing - you're giving away a duplicate you've already paid for. If you're very shrewd about how you trade, you shouldn't need to buy more than the 113 packets.

Sticker collecting can be a very expensive habit, setting you back over £100 for a tournament - and more if you don't have anyone to swap with. But, it can introduce children (and adults) to the concept of probability.

From my own experience it can also be a great way to build an emotional connection with a wonderful sport. You can't put a price on education or the chance to create shared memories and a lifelong obsession with football. As soon as she is old enough, I will be collecting stickers with my daughter.

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What the Euro 2020 Panini sticker album can teach us about probability

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We used probability to find out what collecting all 678 stickers might cost you.

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A fun Vox video, explaining how Data scientist Pablo López Landeros set out to determine the best place to aim a penalty kick. 

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A fun Vox video, explaining how Data scientist Pablo López Landeros set out to determine the best place to aim a penalty kick. 

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UNPACKING THE SOURCE How did Pablo Lopez use data analysis to research this issue? What are frequentist and Bayesian approaches, and which seems to offer the better method? Why might the fact that penalties are a ‘head game’ interfere with using statistics to answer this question? Overall, to what extent can statistical analysis help us to understand real-world issues?

Key terms Data, Frequentist vs. Bayesian approaches, Head game

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An Art Newspaper article, looking at how Germany has officially declared that nightclubs are ‘cultural institutions’. 

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An Art Newspaper article, looking at how Germany has officially declared that nightclubs are ‘cultural institutions’. 

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UNPACKING THE SOURCE What are the characteristics of ‘cultural institutions’?

Key terms Cultural purpose

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The Art Newspaper - International art news and events

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German federal parliament voted today to reclassify its clubs and live events venues as "cultural institutions". Previously considered entertainment venues, alongside brothels and casinos, they are now granted the same legal status as museums and opera houses and accordingly will be afforded protections that will make them less vulnerable to gentrification.

Today's vote, which approved a motion passed almost unanimously on Wednesday by the federal housing and urban development committee, is the result of a 15-month-long campaign launched by Clubcommission, a collective of club owners and supporters. It lobbied parliament last year to fight against rising incidences of clubsterben, or club death in Germany.

Arguing for the vital role clubs play in German society, the commission found that last year Berlin alone drew in an estimated 3 million tourists who came to visit its clubs, generating €1.5bn for the local economy. Around 100 Berlin clubs have closed in the past decade and a further 25 are "under threat" due to urban development and noise complaints.

The reclassification will now help safeguard them from further displacement, allowing them to operate in more parts of the city and entitling them to tax breaks. According to a document released by LiveKomm (the Federal Association of Music Venues in Germany), these protections will only be granted to nightclubs that can prove they have a "cultural purpose".

In November, Germany's highest financial court ruled to lower the amount of value added tax (VAT) paid by Berlin clubs-including Berghain, which transformed itself into an art gallery over the pandemic- from 19% to 7%.

Caren Lay, a politician for the left-wing party Die Linke who spearheaded a cross-coalition campaign in parliament to ratify the bill, says in an Instagram post that this is an "important first step" to enshrining club culture alongside the country's other art forms such as visual art and theatre. But she adds there is still "a long way to go" to ensure Germany's nightlife can survive the "pressures of rising rents and development".

Pamela Schobeß, the chief executive of LiveKomm says in a statement: "Music clubs are cultural institutions that shape the identity of city districts as an integral part of cultural and economic life. Now an outdated law is to be adapted to reality. This helps to keep cities and neighbourhoods alive and liveable and to protect cultural places from displacement."

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It's official-Germany declares its nightclubs are now cultural institutions

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German federal parliament voted today to reclassify its clubs and live events venues as "cultural institutions". Previously considered entertainment venues, alongside brothels and casinos, they are now granted the same legal status as museums and opera houses and accordingly will be afforded protections that will make them less vulnerable to gentrification.

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A France24 article, analyzing whether Doha’s claim to be the first ever carbon-neutral World Cup stands up to scrutiny. 

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A France24 article, analyzing whether Doha’s claim to be the first ever carbon-neutral World Cup stands up to scrutiny. 

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UNPACKING THE SOURCE What claims is the Qatari government making about the World Cup? Why do some experts feel these promises are “absolutely not credible”? What examples does the article provide to support this view? What does this indicate about the difficulties evaluating whether organizations are really carbon neutral - or just greenwashing? Overall, to what extent should we accept the environmental credentials claimed by governments, businesses, and other organizations? What evidence should we use to evaluate these?

Key terms Greenwashing, Credible, Transparency

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‘Greenwashing’ mars Qatar’s carbon-neutral World Cup promise

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When Qatar was awarded hosting duties for the biggest event in football, the Gulf nation promised to host “the first carbon neutral World Cup”. While organisers have introduced several green initiatives,…

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A Guardian discussion between a doctor and a former rugby player, on the evidence that contact sports can cause permanent brain damage. 

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A Guardian discussion between a doctor and a former rugby player, on the evidence that contact sports can cause permanent brain damage. 

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UNPACKING THE SOURCE What does the interview reveal about the interest groups involved in contact sports, and why they make it harder to access the truth? To what extent do we base our understanding of ‘truth’ on what we want to believe, rather than what we have evidence for? How typical is this issue of the difficulties of understanding scientific issues? How important is it to focus on “shared common humanity” in order to access the truth?

KEY TERMS Misrepresenting the science, Scientific fact, Alternative truths, Blunt truths, Denial

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Alix Popham The Hollywood version of Omalu's story was told in the Will Smith film Concussion. Omalu is an outspoken campaigner against collision sports

The Hollywood version of Dr Bennet Omalu's story was told in the Will Smith movie Concussion. Photograph: Dpa Picture Alliance/Alamy

and a controversial figure within the community of doctors, scientists, and academics working in this area. Many experts believe that he misrepresents the science of CTE, and the risks involved in collision sports. But he remains an influential advocate. And Popham, who has recently set up a new foundation to advance research into neurodegenerative disease in the UK, was keen to talk to him about his experiences. The Guardian sat in on their conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity. , 41, played for Newport, Leeds, Llanelli Scarlets and Brive, and won 33 Wales caps between 2003 and 2008. He is one of a group of retired rugby players

Alix Popham playing for Wales against England in the Six Nations in 2007. Photograph: Matt Impey/REX/Shutterstock

who have been diagnosed with probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated blows to the head. CTE, which can only be fully diagnosed postmortem, was first observed in boxers in the 1920s, who were labelled "punch drunk". In 2005 the pathologist Dr Bennet Omalu found the first evidence of it in the brain of a former NFL player, Mike Webster, and in the years since

Alix apologises for having to refer to his mobile phone for questions during the discussion, because of his memory issues. Photograph: Guardian TV

it has been diagnosed in retired athletes from a range of collision sports, including ice hockey, Australian rules football, and now, rugby union.
Omalu: The issues we are dealing with are cultural, and culture is not objective. But we know there is no such thing as a safe, violent blow to the human head. That is a scientific fact. But because of culture, we develop alternative truths to serve our convenience. Modern society is enraptured with violence in sports. Some of the most popular sports in America and in Europe - rugby, football, mixed martial arts, wrestling - these are very violent sports. These are games where in every play there is exposure to traumatic brain injury.

Popham: And how long have we known that this was a problem?

Omalu: Hippocrates was the one who first described concussion. They used to call it commotio cerebri. By the Renaissance, European doctors had already established that when you suffer brain trauma it is permanent. They had different names for it, at some points they call it traumatic encephalitis, and they called it traumatic neurosis, and traumatic psychosis. So this has been established for centuries. But as we got into the 20th century, sports became big business, there was a conflict between the health of the players and the money the investors make. And like in everything in life, money prevailed.

I'll tell you the truth, the blunt truth, the radical truth: we don't have any cure for your disease. All medicine can do for you today is help you to manage your symptoms. What I've noticed, personally, is that retired players who have good family support generally do better. Players who have good nuclear families, who have support from their wives, children, parents, brothers and sisters, they do much better than others who don't have such support.

Popham: I've got a good family.

Omalu: What else can people like you do? What you can do is engage with the culture. I believe culture is like a big plane that needs turning, it may take time, it may take one generation, or two. But as long as people like you and I, no matter how unpopular it may be, stand firm in that truth, and pronounce it without any fear of failure, it will gradually begin to impact people's lives, one person at a time. I remember when I said for the first time I do not think any child under the age of 18 should play any of the high-impact, high-contact sports. I was called all types of names. I'm not popular in the sports industry, or even in the medical industry, because I say it as it is.

We don't let a child smoke a single cigarette. But we'll take a child to the field on a Saturday and let him receive tens of blows to his head. Which is more dangerous? A single cigarette? Or repeated blows to the head? But society seems to believe that yes, a child can receive repeated blows to the head, but a child can't drink a glass of fine wine. That is paradoxical. I don't get it. So for the love of mankind, you could use your platform to instigate the discussion.

Popham: And that's what we want to do.

Omalu: Knowing what we know today, there is no reason whatsoever a child under the age of 18 should play rugby. We also need to modify soccer for children. There is no reason a human being should use his head to stop a ball travelling at high speed. So remove heading from soccer! Soccer will still be a very fun sport for children without heading. Adults have the liberty, freedom and free will to do whatever they want, but not children. So we must make such modifications for younger children, they must not play soccer the way it's played now. But there are some very powerful interests that are making billions of dollars all over the world, and they will do anything within their means to uphold the status quo. It's all about power and money. And then they sacrifice less powerful people, like the players.

Popham: It's just a conveyor belt. So when I finished when I was 31, I was off the conveyor belt and the next player was in. And you're not thought of afterwards, despite all the injuries and other problems that have resulted from playing rugby. I have a question on American football, and the changes that they've made by reducing the amount of contact in training: an American football player now will be involved in 30 days of contact per year, a rugby player could be in over 150 days of contact per year, just because of the amount they train. What are your thoughts on that?

Omalu: I'm also an epidemiologist. I study risk. And in risk management, what you do is you mitigate the risk exposure as much as you can. When it comes to contact sports, an analogy is fire: fire is dangerous. Even if you apply technology and reduce fire to a cigarette lighter, that fire is still dangerous. So: contact for 30 days a year is still significant, it's still significant, but it is better than contact for 150 days. So the rugby industry needs to accept and recognise the dangers of rugby. Enough of the denial.

It's happening in America today: participation in football has dropped drastically. In California, high schools are beginning to close their football programmes, because parents are no longer letting their kids play. Football is beginning to adopt the epidemiology of sexually transmitted disease: something that has happens to the lower socioeconomic class, because of lower education. So now lawyers, doctors, judges, engineers, their kids aren't going to play. Like my son. I'm a physician, on a Saturday morning my son is on his computer learning how to code, OK? But some other black kid from a lower socioeconomic class, he will be out on a field damaging his brain.

Popham: I was worried that I was losing a lot of my memory. A lot of my career I only know things happened because I've got a jersey or a photo or a video of the game. I speak regularly with a neuropsychologist, and he said to me that my brain was so inflamed that I wasn't storing any memories. Like I was taking the pictures, but there was no film in the camera. I met Nelson Mandela before one of the games I played for Wales. And I had a big concussion in the game. My temple hit a South African player's hip and I was out on the pitch, I swallowed my tongue and I had to have that taken out, and I woke up in hospital. And I've got no recollection of being in that stadium in front of 80,000 people or even meeting Mandela.

Omalu: Amnesia, memory loss, is a very well-established symptom of brain trauma. But these [initial] symptoms were not incapacitating symptoms, so you did not really recognise them to be symptoms. And because it's a progressive disease, as time goes on there is a point where they begin to affect your daily living. And that is when you start to notice what is going on.

Popham: Yes. And I know that when I first started having the testing done, there were 12 or 13 boys similar to me. Now there's over 200 players in the UK, in New Zealand, in Australia, and the numbers, unfortunately, are growing every day.

Omalu: In the UK you need a settlement whereby the league should set aside a certain proportion of their profits to take care of the retired players. Rather than a one-time settlement, I would prefer an annual or monthly payment until the player dies. Almost like an injury pension.

And they also take care of the healthcare expenses of the players, some type of specialised health insurance for the retired players. And then secondly, you need to establish one or two centres of excellence for the treatment of people like you, because this is outside the area of expertise of the average general practitioner.

But here in the United States what they did was more or less just a one-time settlement.

It was like they wanted to wash their hands and get it done with. And I don't blame them. Players need to realise that these associations, the NFL or whoever, are not in business to provide healthcare. They are not in business to take care of people like you. We need to be honest with ourselves. Their business is to provide entertainment, and make money. That's their business. To tell them now that their players are suffering the health effects of playing, that's not their business.

Popham: We want to sit down with the governing bodies and work this out, to protect the game, protect the players who are still playing, and the future generations, and make the game as safe as possible. Ninety‑nine per cent of the people who are involved in rugby, the media, the current players, the retired players, can see what we're doing.

Omalu: Don't be afraid. They are going to come after you, they are going to call you all types of names, don't worry about it, just speak your truth quietly and clearly and respectfully, and let people know you are not against rugby, you just want to improve the quality of life for your fellow human beings. That is what this is all about. People respect retired players, but you need to realise they are going to come with a counter-narrative to counter whatever you are doing, so you need to develop your own strategy. In my interactions with the NFL what I did was focus on the angle of a shared common humanity: that if I wouldn't let my son play, why would I let someone else's son play? We all are one, we want to see the upliftment of everybody, of all rugby players, they can't beat that. All right."

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'They are going to come after you': a doctor's advice on rugby's battle over brain injuries

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Alix Popham The Hollywood version of Omalu's story was told in the Will Smith film Concussion . Omalu is an outspoken campaigner against collision sports and a controversial figure within the community of doctors, scientists, and academics working in this area. Many experts believe that he misrepresents the science of CTE, and the risks involved in collision sports.

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A Euronews report, looking at the challenges facing female athletes.

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A Euronews report, looking at the challenges facing female athletes.

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This article was originally published in French

Despite the progress made in women's sport, major challenges remain, particularly regarding equal pay, visibility and training conditions.

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As the FIFA Women's World Cup kicked off last week, women's football finds itself at the centre of the world stage. Despite the progress made in women's sports, major challenges remain, particularly in terms of equal pay, visibility and training conditions.

"The European Commission is monitoring the situation closely" explains Ligia Nobrega, senior analyst at the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). In 2018, the institute was commissioned by the Council of Europe to collect data on gender equality and sport in the EU Member States and check whether countries are applying the quota policy established in 2022.

According to this policy, by mid-2026, at least 40% of non-executive seats on boards of directors must be held by women, as well as at least 33% of executive and non-executive seats. This means female presidents, vice presidents, members and managers within the European sports confederations.

"We have tried to follow and monitor this initiative and we find that countries that have implemented quotas are achieving a more balanced representation of the sexes more quickly than countries that have not [...] And the best-performing countries are Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom", explains the expert. "But we are still a long way from having 40% women represented in these organisations", she adds.

Equal pay: A match yet to be won

Despite considerable progress, equal pay remains a major challenge in women's sport. Unlike the United States women's national team - which, through its fight for parity, succeeded in obtaining a collective agreement guaranteeing equal pay for male and female players in the national team - many international federations continue not to offer fair pay to their female athletes.

Although some improvements have been made, women's salaries are still significantly lower than those of their male counterparts.

"We have huge pay inequalities. If I just tell you, for example, that the average salary of a female WNBA player was 110 times less than that of a male NBA colleague, that gives you an idea of the inequalities involved," comments Julian Jappert, director of the Think Tank Sport et Citoyenneté.

In a move aimed at closing the pay gap, FIFA has announced a 300% increase in bonuses for the 2023 Women's World Cup, bringing the total to €135 million. While this is a positive step, there is still a significant gap between the bonuses awarded to men and women at major tournaments. Indeed, at the last Men's World Cup 2022, FIFA allocated around - in performance bonuses to the federations of the participating teams.

According to a recent report by FIFPRO (the International Federation of Professional Footballers' Associations) on the qualifying conditions for players at the World Cup, of the players taking part in the 2023 World Cup, only 40% considered themselves to be professional footballers. While 35% said they were amateurs, 16% said they were semi-professionals and 9% were unsure of their status.

"Among the 362 players we interviewed from six continents around the world who had taken part in the 2023 World Cup qualifiers, there were huge disparities in their salaries," explains Alex Culvin, Head of Women's Football Strategy and Research at FIFPRO. "29% of players received no pay at all for this competition. This means that 66% had to take unpaid leave - or time off from their other professional activities - in order to take part in the World Cup qualifiers," she continues.

These figures are echoed by former French national team player Mélissa Plaza, who is now a sports psychologist: "For all the teams playing in the D1, we're talking about an average monthly salary of between €1,300 gross and €1,600 gross [...] When you're well below €1,300 gross a month, that means one thing, it means that you're not a professional, that you're not being paid exclusively to play football and that you need to have a job on the side," she explains.

Women's training: a field strewn with obstacles

According to Mélissa Plaza, training conditions for female football players are problematic and inadequate compared to the preparation of their male counterparts:

"We often pick up the scraps left over from the boys. All the equipment that's left over from the boys and that's too big or too small, for example, that's what we pick up. So typically, I've got girlfriends who used to play for FC Nantes not so long ago and they used to collect the size 43 socks left over from the boys. And obviously, a size 43 when you're a size 38 doesn't make sense. Often, they were forced to buy their own socks in their own size".

She adds: "When you're a female footballer today when you're playing in the D1, you can regularly find yourself in situations where you find yourself with the last time slot left free by the boys for training, i.e. the 8 pm / 10 pm slot..."

These obstacles are confirmed by the data collected by FIFPRO.

"We have received reports from dissatisfied players who feel that each confederation needs to make significant improvements to its infrastructure, training pitches, accommodation, transport when travelling, as well as outfits and footwear," explains Alex Culvin. What the data tells us, and what we hear repeatedly from players, is that they are not treated or valued as they should be, either by their club or their federation, and that they often have insufficient and random access to infrastructure and facilities.

From the pitch to the screens: in search of popularity

The media play a key role in perpetuating these inequalities, often giving insufficient coverage to women's sporting events compared to their male counterparts. Greater visibility for women's sports has the potential to inspire future generations to take up the sport. Higher attendance at Women's Super League (WSL) matches, with clubs such as Arsenal Women outnumbering the attendance of men's teams, is a testament to the growing interest and commitment of fans. Such visibility plays an essential role in the popularity of these sports.

As Julian Jappert confirms: "There are huge inequalities between the broadcasting of women's sport and men's sport, even though studies show that viewers are interested and that when the channels finally broadcast and take this financial risk and also in terms of ratings, they get results.

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But the popularity of a sport is built up from childhood, according to Cécile Locatelli, a former football player who is now a coach: "Clubs need to make the effort to put competent people in the right place to be able to motivate and bring these young girls into the sport.

Stefan Bergh, President of the NGO ENGSO, which promotes guidelines for grassroots sport across Europe, is optimistic: "What I've noticed over the last four or even six years is that there are higher and stronger expectations at local level too, on the part of every individual practising sport", explains the analyst. "We are_not only seeing women but also many young men expressing themselves on gender issues in a way that we did not see ten years ago".

According to the President of ENGSO, those in positions of authority should raise society's awareness of gender issues: "People in positions of leadership like myself, as President of ENGSO and also Secretary General of the Swedish Sports Confederation, must set an example in terms of achieving gender parity, but also in terms of ensuring that funding is equal between men and women".

More sexism

Sexism in women's sports is a persistent problem that hinders the progress and equality of women athletes. Despite some progress in the recognition and visibility of women's sports, prejudice and gender stereotypes continue to have a negative influence on the perception of women in sports. Sexist comments and unjustified criticism of women athletes' performances persist, helping to devalue their achievements and talents.

A recent example from Italy illustrates the problem.

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During the broadcast of a women's diving event at the World Swimming Championships being held from 23 to 30 July in Fukuoka, Japan, two sports commentators, Lorenzo Leonarduzzi and Massimiliano Mazzucchi, made degrading and inappropriate comments about the physical appearance of the women divers, live on the national public broadcaster RAI:

"The Dutch girls are fat, like our Vittorioso", "They're big, aren't they", "But in bed, they're all the same", "This one is called Harper, she's a harpist, how do you play the harp? Do you...? "Do you touch it? Do you pinch it".

These degrading comments sparked a wave of indignation among viewers and led to the suspension of the two journalists.

Mélissa Plaza recounts how she too witnessed episodes of sexist violence within her team: "I witnessed the prevailing misogyny in this environment. We 'only' won 3-0 at half-time. The guy who coaches us is extremely unhappy with the score and ends up clearly threatening to rape us" "He tells us 'Do you want to be sluts with me? I'm going to fuck you all one by one."

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Gender inequality in sport: The challenges facing female athletes

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Despite the progress made in women's sport, major challenges remain, particularly regarding equal pay, visibility and training conditions.

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A Guardian article, looking at the first official women’s blind football world championship amid an ongoing fight for Paralympic status.

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A Guardian article, looking at the first official women’s blind football world championship amid an ongoing fight for Paralympic status.

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The growing attention towards women's football worldwide has inspired many women to play. Representing their country is a source of pride and a significant achievement. However, there are still gaps in the process. At the Paralympic Games in Paris this year, only men will take to the pitch, fighting for a medal in five-a-side blind football.

Men's blind five-a-side football made its Paralympic debut in 2004 but the women are still waiting to make their entrance. There is some hope, however, that this will change for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) is awaiting a decision by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) on the presence of women's blind football in the programme. "Having women's football as a Paralympic sport means that it will be supported by sponsors all over the world", says Elias Mastoras, IBSA's blind football chairperson. "I hope the IPC will be open-minded because women's blind football is developing all over the world."

Mastoras is right: women's blind football is continuing to grow. Its first official world championships was held in Birmingham last August. Argentina won the eight-team tournament and Las Murciélagas (the Bat Girls) are now preparing to host the the first women's grand prix in October.

Gracia Sosa, the 33-year-old captain of the Argentina team and voted best player at the world championships, hopes the sport will be accepted for the 2028 Paralympic Games and that her national team will get more support. "Sports have always enchanted me," she says. "It has been a beautiful experience with the girls. It is a very nice group and we are really united. Support from the fans is a bit difficult but since last year's championship people know that in Argentina we have a team and they support us."

Sosa, who has also competed for Argentina in athletics and rowing, fell in love with football as a child and played for years alongside men before moving to other sports because there were no blind girls' teams in her home city of Córdoba. In 2016, she joined Las Murciélagas and has been with the team since, coached by her childhood teammate, Gonzalo Abbas. For her, one of the highlights of the world championships was being able to enjoy the international atmosphere with her team.

Gracia Sosa enjoys the moment after being voted the best player at the 2023 world championships, in which Argentina beat Japan 2-1 in the final. Photograph: Richard Hall/IBSA

"My English was terrible," she laughs. "But we managed to communicate and connect with the German team. After the match we took photos and stayed there, together. It was a great feeling. They gave us those kinds of hugs that you feel in your heart, you know? They have never met you before, but were happy to be there.

"I always say that the pitch is freedom for someone who doesn't see. Those who know how to appreciate it can enjoy it to the fullest. Even if you lose, draw, and even when things don't go well, it's where you can be free. That's how I see it: and never mess with my football or my mate, or I'll be mad."

Five-a-side blind football is played on a 40x20-metre pitch. Players can be either totally blind - B1 category - or partially sighted (B2 and B3) to compete in women's football, allowing for more inclusivity. The football must contain bells or another system that ensures the ball makes a noise when it is moving on the pitch or through the air. There are records of the sport being played since the 1920s, but the rules were not recognised internationally until 1996. Until last year only men had been able to play in official tournaments.

"What we saw in Birmingham was amazing," says Mastoras. "It was a clear signal that women around the world can participate in the sport and we are here to listen to their voices."

Nearly 15 years ago, women's blind football teams that already existed in many countries got together in Marburg, Germany, to play an unofficial international tournament. Brazilian club Urece, based in Rio de Janeiro, won it. Years later, in 2017 and 2019, two camps hosted about 60 players from nine countries in Vienna, Austria. The first world championship was due to be played in 2020 in Enugo, Nigeria - but was postponed because of the pandemic.

"In Paris blind football will be played in front of the Eiffel Tower and all of the media will be there so it is like a turning point for the sport," Mastoras says. "It would have been amazing to have women's football there too. But now it will hopefully be in another iconic set up, in the United States, a country where women's football is very important, very popular."

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Sosa, who competed in athletics in the 2008 Games in Beijing, now dreams to return to the Paralympics 20 years later. "I was only 18 years old then, I was really young. To be able to feel that adrenaline in a different sport would be amazing," she says. "Football is so beautiful and having women's football in the Paralympics would be very important because it is another door for women to continue playing this beautiful sport."

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If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email moving.goalposts@theguardian.com. And a reminder that Moving the Goalposts runs twice-weekly, each Tuesday and Thursday.

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Argentina's Gracia Sosa: 'The football pitch is freedom for someone who can't see'

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The Bat Girls won the first official women's blind football world championship amid an ongoing fight for Paralympic status