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While sports participation has increased significantly since Title IX’s enactment, there is still an underlying issue of gender discrimination. In fact, women from marginalized sections of society see far less opportunities to participate in sports. This is a result of gender stereotypes and perceptions and lack of access to facilities and equipment, among other factors.

Gender equality is crucial in all fields, including sports. Women’s sport needs the same attention as men’s to prevent the stigma against female athletes and improve gender attitudes. This can be done by advocating for equal pay, creating social media platforms for women’s sport and supporting programs that train journalists to cover all events.

UNESCO is currently working to develop and implement measures for the prevention of discrimination and violence in sports. These will include establishing transparent and anonymous abuse reporting systems; training sports educators, coaches and other professionals on the principles of inclusion, gender equality and respect for diversity; and setting up judicial infrastructure to facilitate investigations and hold perpetrators accountable.

Another way to promote gender equality in sports is by encouraging people to support women’s sport by attending their games and watching them on TV. This can also help change societal perceptions of sports. For example, if more people watch women’s sports, they will stop thinking of men as superior athletes and realize that men and women are equally good at different sports.

Research shows a direct relationship between sports participation and support for gender equality in sport. This is consistent with the findings that the #MeToo and #SeAcabo movements have raised awareness of gender discrimination in sports. A study analyzing data from the Special Eurobarometer 525 used Fuzzy-Hybrid TOPSIS to create a synthetic indicator of Europeans’ Attitudes Toward Gender Equality in Sport (ATGEQS) and Latent Profile Analysis to cluster respondents based on their attitudes. Results show that political ideology has a significant influence on attitudes, with left-wing citizens showing more support for ATGEQS than right-wing citizens. This is in line with previous studies, which suggest that conservative religiosity and older socio-political structures have been key drivers of resistance to progressive gender equality initiatives (104).

From performance analytics and AI-powered training tools to eSports, immersive technologies, smart stadiums, and more, sports technology is expanding the sport industry and improving athlete performance, team-audience interactions, and fan experiences. Discover the top 20 sports technology trends that are transforming the sport world.

Athlete performance-boosting technologies like wearables and sensor-enabled equipment capture real-time biometric and data-driven information, enabling coaches to optimize their training regimes. Advanced athletic injury prevention tools use granular data to identify potential injuries in advance, such as knee damage or concussion. Meanwhile, crowd sentiment analysis is enhancing sports marketing and promotion via social media.

Smart stadiums are leveraging IoT technologies to deliver personalized and interactive fan experiences. For example, a digital wayfinding system can help fans find the concession stand or restroom quickly. And asset tracking helps teams keep track of expensive equipment, like defibrillators or groundskeeping carts. It uses small tags that send real-time location updates to a central dashboard. If a piece of equipment gets lost, the system can alert staff and provide a map showing its last known location.

Enhanced sports broadcasting solutions are also transforming the game, with video-based playback and high-speed streaming allowing audiences to experience the game at home. Additionally, over-the-top (OTT) sports apps offer a curated and personalized sports viewing experience. And smart sports apparel incorporates woven sensors that can measure the force of physical impact or determine what area of the body strikes a ball, eliminating the need for bulky data relay packs.

The Champions League has defined football for over seven decades, immortalizing great clubs that managed to break logic and overcome giants to win the coveted trophy. Real Madrid is the most dominant club with 15 titles, but other historic clubs like AC Milan, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool have all been part of this competition that consecrates the best teams in Europe.

Starting with the 2024-25 season, the tournament underwent a substantial overhaul. It was expanded to 36 clubs from all over the world and moved from a group-based format to a knockout phase where each club plays a total of eight matches, four home games and four away. The round of 16 features two matches, or legs, where the team that scores more goals over the two legs advances. The draw is random with association protection, meaning that teams from the same country cannot be drawn against each other.

After the knockout phase, the top eight clubs advance to the final, which is now held in Paris. The remaining teams are divided into two paths: the Champions Path and the League Path. The Champions Path contains teams that qualify as champions of their domestic league, while the League Path includes runners-up, third-placed, and fourth-placed clubs from their respective leagues. The top four clubs from each path enter the knockout phase. The other slots will be filled using a system whereby the nine teams finishing ninth through sixteenth are placed into pots based on their five-year club coefficient. A computer will then draw the pairings for each match, ensuring that all teams play an equal number of games.

The 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship concluded with South Africa clinching the title at Lord’s, winning a dramatic final against defending champions Australia. Aiden Markram’s unbeaten century and a crucial partnership with Temba Bavuma helped the Proteas overcome a deficit of 69 runs, earning them their first ICC trophy in 27 years.

The World Test Championship was launched in 2019 as a means to add significance to bilateral Test series across a two-year cycle. Its format reflects the same principles as the annual World Cups for one-day and T20 international cricket, with countries ranked on their performance in each competition. The top two teams book a place in the final, and the winners receive the coveted ICC Test mace.

But the WTC has been subject to criticism – including a scathing assessment by Wisden, cricket’s ‘bible’, in which its editor described this week’s showpiece at Lord’s as a “shambles masquerading as a showpiece”. The ICC has been accused of adopting a sticking-plaster approach to the sport’s oldest and most endangered format.

In order to address some of these concerns, a number of changes have been suggested to the competition’s structure. This includes adding the three Test-playing nations that are currently omitted, and creating two six-team divisions with teams being promoted and relegated each year. There are also calls to change the points system, which currently deducts a point for each over that is bowled at an over rate below 90.

Formula 1 is a sport of intense engineering, precise strategy, and dazzling speed. Twenty drivers (two per team) battle it out over a demanding calendar of Grands Prix and shorter Sprint races for championship points that can make the difference between success and failure. Those who achieve the most championship points are crowned champions of both the Driver and Constructor Championships. To ensure that F1 fans are fully aware of who’s in the driving seat, the F1 standings – updated after each race – offer a real-time snapshot of how each driver and team are performing throughout the season.

F1 driver standings:

Those who finish in the top 10 of each race earn points for themselves and their teams. At the end of the season, the driver with the most points is crowned World Champion. If two or more drivers have equal points, the championship is decided by countback of results. If this doesn’t decide the outcome, it is then awarded to the driver who has won the most races.

It is not uncommon for the title fight to come down to a single point. In 2007, for example, Kimi Raikkonen won the title by just one point over Lewis Hamilton.

Combat Sports are a growing field of popular sports and fitness activities that offer individuals a unique way to develop physical strength, mental fortitude, and social connectivity. While many people are drawn to the thrill of fighting and the sense of accomplishment that comes with winning, research has identified significant health benefits associated with participating in combat sports such as boxing, MMA, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu.

Athletes who participate in combat sports face a unique set of challenges that require a high level of psychological resilience. To prepare themselves for competition, athletes undergo rigorous training regimens that are designed to enhance their physical performance and technical prowess. They also learn to manage the heightened emotions and adrenaline that accompany competitive environments.

In addition, combat sport practitioners are required to abide by a strict code of ethics and mutual respect that ensures that the sports are fair and that participants’ physical and moral integrity is maintained. This code of conduct includes greeting each other before and after competitions, accepting referee decisions, and recognizing the skills and efforts of one’s opponent.

For many, practicing martial arts is not only a form of self-defense, but it is also a means to connect with one’s cultural heritage and honor traditions. In addition, training across disciplines helps one become more aware of their surroundings and to better predict the actions of others. In a world that is increasingly uncertain and dangerous, these skills may prove useful in real-life situations.

Athlete endorsements are a key intersection point between sports and commerce, leveraging athletes’ personal image to build brand trust and boost sales. Endorsement partnerships can shape cultural trends, spark conversations, and inspire societal movements. To maximize the impact of athlete-branded campaigns, brands must ensure that the athlete’s values align with their own ethos and message to foster authentic connection with consumers.

Long-term relationships offer the opportunity to deepen integration into brand identity, with athletes being involved in ongoing campaigns and product development. The enduring nature of these partnerships also creates more profound engagement with the athlete’s audience and deeper loyalty to the brand.

Endorsement contracts must clearly articulate the athlete’s specific duties, including in-person appearance and digital content production requirements. These contracts must also specify the geographic scope and product category limits, to prevent ambiguity that could expose both parties to risk. In addition, attorneys should advise clients to include authenticity clauses that require product use and verification of promotional claims, reducing exposure to false advertising claims or breaches of exclusivity clauses.

Licensing agreements provide athletes with control over their image and likeness, granting brands permission to use them under defined terms for limited marketing campaigns. In these types of arrangements, the athlete typically receives compensation based on a flat fee or performance bonus. Attorneys should help clients set realistic expectations and negotiate fair remuneration structures. Additionally, they should encourage clients to use documented checklists and digital contract dashboards to monitor fulfillment of contractual deliverables. Failure to meet these obligations can result in breach of contract, forfeiture of payments or damages, and reputational damage for both the brand and the athlete.

Whether they’re yelling at a blind referee or still crying over the Brangelina break up, every sports celebrity has to deal with some sort of gossip from time to time. This week, Eagles tight end Travis Kelce switched up his look by sporting wavy bangs, golfer Scottie Scheffler’s baby boy Bennett stole the show on the green and World Championship Wrestling alum Marcus Bagwell opens up about his choice to amputate a leg in a car accident. Plus, WNBA star Suni Lee and NBA player OG Anunoby make it official and a lung transplant survivor explains how his life changed.

With the first match of the World Cup Qualifiers taking place on 11 June and the full tournament line-up not set to be confirmed until November 2022, The Independent takes a look at how the campaign is unfolding around the globe.

Qualification tournaments are broken down into zones that roughly correspond to the continents, with teams from each zone competing for a fixed number of berths in the final competition. Those spots are awarded to group winners, runners-up and, in some cases, intercontinental play-off winners.

Europe currently has 16 berths on offer, with Lionel Scaloni’s Italy leading the pack after 14 matches, while the Republic of Ireland are a further four points back in Group F. Scotland are in a similar position to the Republic, with their opponents including Greece, Belarus and the loser of the Portugal v Denmark Nations League quarter-final.

The second round of qualifiers started on Thursday, with the 54 FIFA-affiliated teams split into six groups of five. Each team plays a single round-robin with two home and two away games to determine their ranking. The top team from each group will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the best-ranked two runners-up advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.

The final qualifying stage began in September 2023 and consists of 18 teams divided into three groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group will qualify, while the best-ranked runners-up will join them in the play-offs.

The Masters leaderboard at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia after Round 2 on Friday.

One-time Masters winner Justin Rose maintained his lead in a second straight round with a 1-under 71. The Englishman will enter the final round at 8 under and is halfway to his first green jacket. Bryson DeChambeau is tied for second after a 4-under 68.

DeChambeau got off to a strong start, with birdies on Nos. 2, 3 and 5. But a double bogey at the 12th shook him, and he could not recover on the back nine. He bogeyed No. 17 after driving into the pine straw and missed a short putt at No. 18.

Meanwhile, McIlroy got off to a slow start and had a double-bogey at the 1st. But he recovered with a par at the 4th, when he ripped a 3-wood into the middle of the green and poured in the putt for a birdie to get to 12-under.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler shot a bogey-free 68 and is in a tie for second with Corey Conners after a round that included 10 fairways and 11 greens. Nicolai Hojgaard, who is making his Masters debut, has a four-under 65 and is five shots behind the leaders.

Jordan Spieth talked about not looking at a scoreboard during his round, and whether you believe him or not, it’s certainly a strategy that allows players to accomplish their own goal without outside interference. But if you are playing with someone else, wouldn’t it be nice to know their score through the holes you’ve already completed?