'Grotesque spectacle'? Rio has a long way to go to become more accessible
Sep 19, 2016 00:47 am UTC| Insights & Views Sports
It was quite a reality check. With one phrase, Espetáculo grotesco (grotesque spectacle), Portuguese journalist Joaquim Vieira created a major controversy with his denigration of the Paralympic Games. Through his...
Black and white anti-doping fight nears stalemate – here's how to break it
Sep 15, 2016 15:02 pm UTC| Sports
The world of anti doping in sport sometimes feels like a battle between opposing forces on the same side. The debate has become polarised between those advocating zero tolerance and those who want to accept performance...
Bio-banding is football's big idea for developing young talent – and why it might not work
Sep 09, 2016 10:20 am UTC| Sports
Now that the summer football transfer window has closed, a new record has been set for spending in England. A total outlay of more than 1 billion on Premier League players sounds astronomical when you think that Trevor...
Why UEFA's approach to flags in football matches needs a rethink
Sep 03, 2016 09:59 am UTC| Sports
Two European football ties involving Israeli teams in France and the UK in the second half of August have thrown an uncomfortable spotlight on how UEFA handles politics. The first was Celtics Champions League qualifier...
Rio 2016 was just the latest round in the long-running doping arms race
Aug 27, 2016 12:36 pm UTC| Sports Law
Doping was already generating international headlines in the run-up to the Rio 2016 Games, when the Russian athletics team was banned for systemic, state-sanctioned drug-taking. And it became something of a theme for the...
The price of victory: comparing the cost of Olympic gold to an elite arts prize
Aug 22, 2016 10:13 am UTC| Insights & Views Sports Entertainment
The Olympics is almost over now for another four years, and beyond the glorious highs and heartbreaking lows of participants and spectators, theres the ritual of the cost-benefit wash-up where we calculate the public cost...
Faster, higher, stronger: science shows why triple jumpers may be the ultimate Olympians
Aug 16, 2016 13:25 pm UTC| Science Sports
No athletes arguably embody Pierre de Coubertins Olympic motto faster, higher, stronger more fully than those competing in the triple jump. This dynamic track and field event comprises an approach run, followed by three...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects