A total of 24 British athletes feature on the Europe squad for the event in Minsk

The Europe and USA teams set to compete at the inaugural edition of The Match in Minsk, Belarus, on September 9-10 have been announced.

Six reigning world champions and 15 reigning continental champions have been named on the Europe squad, while the USA team includes eight Olympic medallists and 11 world championships medallists.

Recently-crowned national champions Adam Gemili, Eilish McColgan, Ojie Edoburun, Ben Williams and Jodie Williams, who goes in the 400m rather than the 200m in which she won her title, are among the 24 British athletes on the Europe team.

That team also includes world champions Pawel Fajdek, Ramil Guliyev, Mariya Lasitskene, Sandra Perkovic and Katerini Stefanidi, plus European champions Mondo Duplantis, Paulina Guba, Michal Haratyk, Elvira Herman, Wojciech Nowicki, Paraskevi Papahristou, Thomas Rohler, Lea Sprunger, Justyna Swiety-Ersetic and Miltiadis Tentoglou.

Reigning Olympic champions on the American team include Michelle Carter and Brianna McNeal, alongside multiple global gold medal winners Allyson Felix and Brittney Reese.

Their team-mates include Michael Cherry, Queen Claye, Jarret Eaton, Inika McPherson, Sharika Nelvis, Katie Nageotte and Shannon Rowbury.

The Match will see four athletes from each team contest each individual event, while each squad will also field two teams in the relays.

Full team lists are available via the links below.

TEAM EUROPE | TEAM USA

“I am thrilled that so many of our continent’s top stars have accepted the invitation to defend Europe’s honour next month and that our rivals Team USA has selected a strong squad to make this a truly memorable encounter,” said European Athletics president Svein Arne Hansen.

“Both teams feature many, many world class stars of our sport and The Match will be compelling watching.

“I am confident that The Match will become a regular fixture on the international athletics calendar but I want people to always remember the spectacle that was the first edition. I am sure they will thanks to all these great athletes.”

FIELDS, Ore. – Off-road racer and television personality Jessi Combs was killed Tuesday after crashing while making a land-speed record attempt in Southeastern Oregon.

Combs was driving a jet-powered land speed car when the accident occurred in the Alvord Desert. She was gunning to break her own land-speed record, set at the same site in 2013 after she recorded runs of nearly 393 mph in the 52,000 horsepower North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger.

In 2016, Alvord cracked the 440-mph threshold, and she recorded a 483.227 mph shakedown run in Alvord last year before mechanical issues forced the abandonment of that session.

Tuesday’s crash remains under investigation, and while the Harney County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately release the victim’s identity, Combs’ partner and team member Terry Madden posted a confirmation of her death via Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

So I don’t know how to say any of this but it all needs said. I have never loved or been loved by anyone as much as this amazing woman @thejessicombs she was truly my unicorn and I enjoyed every single minute that I had with her. She was the most amazing spirit that I have ever or will ever know. Unfortunately we lost her yesterday in a horrific accident, I was the first one there and trust me we did everything humanly possible to save her!! I’m not ok, but she is right here keeping my going-I made her a promise that if this didn’t go well that I would make sure and do good with it, please help me with that, you are all going to see things on news please believe non of them.. we the family have drafted a release and it will come out today with more proper info, but I was just woke up by the media tracking me down and I need everyone of her true friends to do what she would want “take a deep breath, relax” and do good things with this. Please donate to nothing, I know there will be people try, we are finishing the documentary as she wished and the world will know the truth and her foundation will use those funds to do amazing things in this world and make her legacy live on properly. In the coming days her family and I will get the proper channels put together that you can then donate to that foundation but until you hear it from me wait please-I don’t want some asshole profiting off this (all ready had one try to sell us a video)… . . Love you all and thank you all for being such amazing friends to her, she dedicated her life to helping support others dreams and I promise I will continue that.

A post shared by Terry L. Madden (@terry_madden) on Aug 28, 2019 at 5:51am PDT

In addition to her land-speed exploits, Combs was a respected off-road racer, known as the first female to place at King of the Hammers. She also boasted a Class 10 podium at the Baja 1000.

Away from the race track, Combs was a host, builder and technical consultant on TV shows including Xtreme 4×4, Overhaulin’, All Girls Garage and Mythbusters.

DUQUOIN, Ill. – Tanner Thorson, the 2016 USAC National Midget Series champion, has been tabbed to drive the Chris Dyson Racing No. 9 in Sunday’s USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series Ted Horn 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.

Thorson has made just one career start in his Silver Crown career, back in 2015 at Eldora Speedway’s 4-Crown Nationals.  The drive came in a last-minute substitute role for Michael Dutcher Motorsports, where he started 19th and finished 17th.

Thorson does have previous experience at the one-mile dirt oval in DuQuoin. He started third and finished 17th with the ARCA Menards Series in 2017.

Dyson’s car has appeared in four Silver Crown events this season, all with team owner and driver Chris Dyson behind the wheel. Dyson finished a best of ninth in the opener on the pavement at Memphis in March. He was 19th on the dirt mile at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in May after riding out a wild turn two accident late in the 100-miler.

One year ago at DuQuoin, the No. 9 charged from 26th to 13th with Dyson in the seat.

Dyson, a two time American Le Mans Series titlist who sits second in the Trans Am Series standings with two victories, is unable to compete at Du Quoin due to a racing conflict.

Dyson maintains his support of the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series by entering his car in as many races as possible even when he’s not driving himself.

Thorson, of Minden, Nev., has made his name with USAC in the midget division, where he owns 13 career NOS Energy Drink National Midget wins – including the Turkey Night Grand Prix in 2015 and the Gold Crown Nationals in back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016.

The latest of his USAC midget victories came in spectacular fashion during Indiana Midget Week in June, where he charged from 15th to first at Lincoln Park Speedway to grab the win.

The triumph came just three months following a multi-car highway accident in California that left him with a broken left arm and right foot, a cracked sternum, broken ribs and a punctured lung.

United States manager Gregg Berhalter said he is "a little bit disappointed" at MLS teams that opted to play during the upcoming FIFA international window.

Berhalter announced his 26-player roster on Wednesday ahead of friendlies against Mexico on Sept. 6 and Uruguay four days later. During a conference call with reporters, he disclosed that MLS scheduling issues impacted his roster decisions.

In particular, the Toronto FC trio of Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez remained with their club, in part, because TFC has road games against FC Cincinnati and New York City FC scheduled during the window.

MLS teams can opt out of playing league matches during international windows if they have the flexibility to schedule games on other dates. That means scheduling more midweek games, which can result in fixture congestion during other parts of the year, and are less desirable given that teams typically draw better on weekends.

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All of that can make the life problematic for the U.S. manager, a former MLS manager with Columbus Crew himself, even though FIFA requires that clubs release players during international windows.

"We're in a difficult position because we're only allowed to play games during a certain time of year," said Berhalter. "One thing I've been a little bit disappointed in is MLS teams opting to play in FIFA windows. I think it's [infringing] on the time we have with players.

"I understand their situation of not wanting to play midweek games during the year, but it also puts us in a difficult spot where we have to make decisions that are difficult for both the player and the club."

Toronto is currently in the seventh and last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, with the three teams in the chasing pack all within four points of the Reds. TFC also had three players get called into Canada's squad as it begins play in the CONCACAF Nations League, creating additional stress on its roster.

"With Michael, Jozy and Omar having two games with Toronto FC, we had to weigh that," said Berhalter. "Part of it was Toronto is in the position they're in, fighting for a playoff spot. We know that some of the other teams have games as well, like Seattle, San Jose, the Galaxy and LAFC and [NYCFC] during this time.

"But we felt that taking three players from one team would severely handicap them, and in this particular case, Michael, Jozy and Omar are some of the more veteran players that have been in games like this before and played in games like this before, and we thought that it would be a good opportunity to get other players involved."

In the current window, LAFC, the LA Galaxy, New York City FC, Real Salt Lake, the San Jose Earthquakes and the Seattle Sounders each had a player called up even though they have games scheduled during that period.

Berhalter has been on the other side of the tug-of-war as well during his six seasons with the Crew, but he admitted that there were instances where he had to insist on certain players being made available.

Berhalter said: "Having worked in MLS, we try to be somewhat accommodating to try to work together with the clubs, but sometimes there's not perfect solutions, and we have to say, 'Okay, this is the way it is.'"

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts had free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler in for a visit Tuesday, a source tells ESPN's Field Yates.

The Colts are looking for a veteran backup quarterback to play behind starter Jacoby Brissett following the surprising retirement of Andrew Luck last weekend.

The only other quarterbacks on the Colts' roster are Phillip Walker and Chad Kelly. Walker has never played a snap in a regular-season game and Kelly is suspended for the first two games of the season for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

Colts coach Frank Reich gave the indication earlier this week that they would look to upgrade the backup spot.

"Those are all really good things to consider -- that we are considering very strongly," Reich said Monday. "Phil [Walker] has been here for a while so we have a lot of belief and confidence in Phillip. He knows our offense. He knows this locker room. Those are going to be the decisions that we have to make in the next week to 10 days."

Osweiler, 28, went 2-3 as a fill-in starter for the Miami Dolphins last season when Ryan Tannehill was injured. He gave the fan base hope in a period dubbed "Brocktober," which began with him throwing for a career-high 380 yards in an upset overtime victory against the Chicago Bears, but his play leveled off in the following games.

What Osweiler did do, however, is re-establish his career from disappointing starter to reliable backup quarterback. He signed a one-year, $880,000 contract with Miami and competed to make the roster as a backup. Despite a rough training camp, the Dolphins kept Osweiler as their No. 2 QB and he kept them afloat when Tannehill got hurt early in the season.

In 2018, Osweiler completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,247 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions.

Osweiler's biggest NFL contribution came in a similar role. He went 5-2 as a starter in place of an injured Peyton Manning for the 2015 Denver Broncos, helping them earn the AFC's top seed en route to a victory in Super Bowl 50.

That season led to a $72 million contract with the Houston Texans, who traded him to the Cleveland Browns after one difficult season as the Texans' starter. The Browns released Osweiler just before the 2017 season, when he was again picked up by the Broncos and started five games.

Osweiler, who is entering his seventh season, was drafted by the Broncos in the second round (57th overall) of the 2012 draft.

ESPN's Cameron Wolfe contributed to this report.

Kobe Bryant says he has "no beef" with Shaquille O'Neal after comments came to light that Bryant thought he could have won 12 NBA titles if the dominant big man had Bryant's legendary work ethic.

Bryant tweeted Wednesday that their old feud remains in the past and there's "nothin but love" between him and his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate.

There is no beef with @SHAQ I know most media want to see it but it ain't gonna happen. Ain't nothin but love there and we too old to beef anyway #3peat

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) August 28, 2019

The duo that won three consecutive championships together were trending after a quote that Bryant made during an appearance at the PHP Agency convention in Las Vegas surfaced this week. On July 29, Bryant said he could have had "f---ing 12 rings" and that O'Neal would be "the greatest" had he spent more time in the gym.

"He'd be the greatest of all time, for sure," Bryant said. "He'd be the first to tell you that. This guy was a force like I have never seen. It was crazy. A guy at that size, generally guys at that size are a little timid and they don't want to be tall, they don't want to be big.

"Man, this dude was, he did not care. He was mean. He was nasty. He was competitive. He was vindictive. He was ... yeah, I wish he was in the gym. I would have had f---ing 12 rings."

When the video was posted by lakers24ever on Instagram, O'Neal chimed in twice.

"U woulda had twelve if you passed the ball more especially in the finals against the pistons #facts," O'Neal commented.

O'Neal added: "You don't get statues by not working hard"

But Bryant tweeted his clarifying remark and also retweeted a comment noting that he was complimentary of O'Neal throughout his appearance.

Bryant and O'Neal won three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002 and played together from 1996 to 2004 before O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. Bryant wound up with five titles before retiring after the 2015-16 season.

O'Neal also chimed in on Twitter, though his comment may just stir up trouble with former and newly-signed Lakers center Dwight Howard.

It's all good bro, when I saw the interview, I thought you were talking about Dwite, is that how u spell his name lol

— SHAQ (@SHAQ) August 28, 2019

The first 16 IAAF Diamond League champions of 2019 will be crowned in Zurich

IAAF Diamond League action heads to Zurich’s Weltklasse meeting on Thursday as the first of the two finals takes place, with 16 champions to be crowned.

The annual Swiss test is set to become the sole venue for the final in 2020 and 2021 but for now it shares staging the showpieces with Brussels (on September 6).

READ MORE: Zurich to host single Diamond League final in 2020 and 2021

Dina Asher-Smith faces another world-class line-up in the 200m as the multiple European champion takes on Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the Bahamian athlete who won at the Diamond League in Birmingham this month, together with Olympic champion Elaine Thompson, Blessing Okagbare and Dafne Schippers.

There is big British interest in the men’s 100m, too, with Adam Gemili and Zharnel Hughes due to take on Noah Lyles, Yohan Blake, Justin Gatlin and others.

A couple of Britons also go in the women’s 1500m. Eilish McColgan and Jemma Reekie take to the Swiss track in a line-up that is
headed by world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba, Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Jenny Simpson.

British 5000m champion McColgan will be hoping to attack the four-minute barrier with Reekie also in fine form lately after her European under-23 double victory and runner-up result from the British Championships behind Sarah McDonald.

Another British 5000m champion, Andy Butchart, goes in his specialist event against Selemon Barega, Joshua Cheptegei, Hagos Gebrhiwet and Yomif Kejelcha.

It is perhaps the strongest 5000m line-up of 2019 and Butchart will be aiming to crack the 13-minute barrier for the first time.

Laviai Nielsen, the British 400m champion, is in a tough one-lap field that includes Salwa Eid Naser – the Bahrain athlete who has run 49.17 this year.

The 400m hurdles promises a great clash, too, with world record-holder Dalilah Muhammad up against fellow American Sydney McLaughlin.

A tasty clash looks likely in the men’s long jump with Miguel Echevarria facing Luvo Manyonga, Thomas Montler, Ruswahl Samaai, Zarck Visser and Miltiadis Tentoglou.

In the men’s high jump Mutaz Essa Barshim is entered, while Yulimar Rojas leads the women’s triple jump field.

There is a great field in the men’s pole vault, meanwhile, with Sam Kendricks, Piotr Lisek, Renaud Lavillenie and Mondo Duplantis.

The men’s javelin sees Birmingham Diamond League winner Cheng Chao-tsun up against Germans Thomas Röhler, Andreas Hofmann and Johannes Vetter plus Estonian Magnus Kirt.

In the women’s shot put, Lijiao Gong faces Christina Schwanitz among others.

The men’s 800m features Kenyans Wycliffe Kinyamal, Ferguson Rotich and Emmanuel Korir, plus Nijel Amos of Botswana.

Beatrice Chepkoech, the world record-holder, leads the women’s steeplechase entries but world champion Emma Coburn is among her rivals.

Finally, Karsten Warholm, Kyron McMaster and Rai Benjamin are set for a cracking 400m hurdles clash in the last major event on the programme.

The action got under way the evening before the full programme, with the women’s pole vault competition taking place at Zurich’s main train station.

Anzhelika Sidorova won with first time clearance of 4.87m to break the meeting record and set an indoor personal best.

British record-holder Holly Bradshaw finished fifth with 4.72.

Entry lists can be found here.