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Andy Murray reveals taunts from three-year-old son during Nottingham Open final
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Andy Murray looks ahead to a possible Wimbledon return after winning the Nottingham Open - as he discusses how shocked he was to see his children at the final.
READ MORE: Kyrgios a Wimbledon doubt after Halle withdrawal
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Mahdi Ahmadian: A Refugee’s Journey of Resilience and Olympic Dreams
On this World Refugee Day, we celebrate the indomitable spirit of individuals who have overcome adversity and found solace in the power of sport. Among them is Mahdi Ahmadian, a 27-year-old table tennis player and IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holder. With dreams set on qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and making history becoming the first-ever table tennis player in the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, Ahmadian’s path to success has been far from easy.
Born in Iran to a family deeply entrenched in the world of sports, Ahmadian was captivated by table tennis at a tender age. His father, a national-level competitor in Iran’s prestigious table tennis Super League, became his greatest source of inspiration.
Growing up, Ahmadian’s childhood dream was to qualify for the Olympics one day. At just eight years old, he embraced the sport, drawn to its exhilarating pace and technical finesse. Reflecting on that, he shares, “I have been thinking about the Olympics since I was a child. Sometimes I would sleep and dream that I was representing my nation in the Olympics.” His interest in table tennis was further kindled by his family, as both his father and brother are players. Together, they immersed themselves in the world of table tennis, watching countless matches together. Ahmadian added, “We definitely watched more table tennis than cartoons while growing up!”
By the age of 16, Ahmadian’s talent led him to train alongside his national team, where he had the opportunity to refine his skills among some of the country’s finest players. However, circumstances shifted, and the national team ceased selecting him. Undeterred by this setback, he made the courageous decision to leave his country in pursuit of his sporting aspirations.
His journey towards a brighter future began with a crossing to Türkiye and then Greece. “I was on a tiny plastic boat with my three-month-old baby and around 45 other refugees. When the motor failed and waves threatened to sink us, we had to lighten the load. I tossed my backpack, but saved my table tennis racket. Eventually, we reached one of the GReek islands. That table tennis racket remains a cherished reminder of our survival and a symbol of hope.”
Determined to find a place where he could nurture his talent, Ahmadian embarked on a remarkable journey on foot, enduring hardships along the way until he reached Austria, his current host country.
In Austria, with the assistance of local refugee support organisations, he found a table tennis club, Badener AC, and actively participated in the Austrian Bundesliga. There, he not only found a haven to further develop his skills but also achieved a diploma in table tennis coaching, becoming a beacon of hope and inspiration for others. Ahmadian is now also a recipient of the With Future in Mind Scholarship, providing the beneficiaries with the best possible opportunities to achieve their goals through identifying additional training opportunities and increasing the number of events the athlete can participate in.
For Ahmadian, the road to the Olympics had been laden with obstacles and challenges. However, he remained resolute in his determination to make a difference and inspire others who find themselves in similarly difficult circumstances. The desire to set a positive example for his children also drove his unwavering commitment to the sport he loves. He firmly believes that dreams should never be abandoned, as hard work and unwavering faith can lead to remarkable achievements. “I want to prove to other refugees who are also caught in difficult situations that we should never stop dreaming. We should always work hard while looking for the light from God and just keep doing our jobs well to achieve our dreams,” he added.
Today, as a recipient of the prestigious IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship, Mahdi Ahmadian is steadfast in his pursuit of a place on the IOC Refugee Olympic Team in Paris 2024. With the IOC’s support, his Olympic dream edges closer to reality. Additionally, the ITTF Group, recognising his talent and dedication, will support him on his quest to an Olympic qualification, as well as an invitation to a specialised training camp.
As we commemorate World Refugee Day, we are reminded of the profound impact that sport can have in transforming lives and providing hope. Ahmadian’s story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of dreams. Let us rally behind him and others like him, supporting their aspirations and fostering a world where opportunities are not limited by circumstances.
Registration now Open for ITTF World Masters Championships Rome 2024
Registrations are now open for the ITTF World Masters Championships 2024, which will be taking place from 6 to 14 July in Rome, Italy. Scheduled to be held at the Rome Expo Center Fiera di Roma, the event will mark a significant milestone as it welcomes para-players for the first time, exemplifying the commitment of the ITTF to promote diversity and equal opportunities within the sport.
The ITTF World Masters Championships Rome 2024 will feature exciting singles and doubles competitions for men and women across various age categories, starting from 40 years old and beyond. Participants can expect to compete against some of the best table tennis players from around the world in their age group, as well as enjoy the sights and culture of Rome.
Rome, with its impressive architecture and rich cultural heritage, serves up the opportunity for participants and visitors to immerse themselves in the beautiful city while exploring iconic landmarks such as the Colosseum, Vatican City, and the Trevi Fountain. The vibrant streets of Rome are deeply steeped in history and offer a unique blend of culinary delights, artistic masterpieces, and a warm Mediterranean ambiance.
Register now on the official website to participate in the ITTF World Masters Championships 2024 and do keep a lookout for further information about this landmark event.
Special Olympics and ITTF Foundation Sign MOU at World Games Berlin 2023
“At the core of this collaboration lies the profound belief in the power of inclusion and diversity. Inclusion goes beyond just giving everyone a seat at the table; it means actively embracing differences and celebrating them. Today, we are embracing the diversity within the Special Olympics community, and uniting it with the global table tennis family. Together, we can break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create a more inclusive society for all. Through this partnership, we will strive to improve lives through the transformative power of table tennis. By providing increased access to the sport, we aim to enhance the physical, mental, and social well-being of individuals within the Special Olympics community.” – Petra Sörling, President, ITTF and ITTF Foundation
The ITTF Foundation and Special Olympics have set out to use table tennis as a way to foster development through sport and ultimately continue to grow the inclusivity of the world-wide table tennis community. The increase in opportunities for individuals with intellectual disability to partake in sport, such as table tennis, will increase the physical and mental well-being of athletes while providing them with opportunities to meet new people and expand their horizons outside of the realm of sport.
Nyasha Derera, Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger, spoke on the need of inclusion in sport, “Inclusion in sport is important because it gives me the confidence to network and interact while being a part of something that allows me to express my confidence and not be afraid to be looked down on. It is because of sport I have a sense of belonging.”
The signing of the MOU is an official proclamation by the ITTF Foundation’s to support of Special Olympics as it continues to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. These trainings and competitions continue to expand the opportunities for athletes to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and their community.
Special Olympics CEO, Mary Davis, shared her encouragement of the newly penned agreement, “We’re thrilled to be formalizing a partnership with the International Table Tennis Federation Foundation. Table Tennis is a lifetime sport enjoyed by thousands of Special Olympics athletes of all ages and abilities around the world, and we are excited to celebrate this inclusive sport, and continue to elevate the quality of training and competition for Special Olympics table tennis athletes around the world.”
Follow the full coverage of the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 here.
Bay of Plenty set to benefit from World Squash Team Champs
The Bay of Plenty, New Zealand is set to stage one of the largest sporting events in the region when the WSF Men’s World Team Championships take place in Tauranga at the end of the year.
Twenty-four teams have been confirmed for this December’s event at Mercury Baypark Arena, and the Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre, Tauranga, from December 11-17. The last time the Kiwis held the event came in 1983.
The biennial event hasn’t been played since 2019 due to the pandemic, while the large entries from competing nations for the 2023 event is set to bring in a host of economic benefits to New Zealand and, say organisers, around 4,000 visitors.
This year’s event will see the Philippines make their debut, while Brazil return for the first time since 1997, with Japan and the Netherlands competing for the first time since 2013.
Tauranga has emerged in recent years as a hotbed of top-class squash, with last year’s ‘Festival of Squash’ well received by squash fans around the world.
“I’m really stoked to get the chance to play this tournament at home,” said world number five Paul Coll.
“Most of the top 10 male players in the world will be competing so there will be a really high level of aggressive squash on display. It’s always a really fun tournament and it’s great to watch so I’m sure we’re going to have a great crowd cheering us on.”
Tourism Bay of Plenty General Manager Oscar Nathan says the world championship offers a fantastic incentive for players and their supporters to travel to the Coastal Bay of Plenty.
“We know that they’ll enjoy the outstanding competition venue and I’m sure they’ll want to make the most of what our region has to offer whenever they take a break away from the courts.
“This will give our local economy a significant boost, with positive flow-on effects for accommodation, hospitality, retail, and tourism operators. It will also give our region valuable exposure through the championship’s global media coverage,” he says.
2023 WSF Men’s World Team Championship entries:
Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, China, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Scotland, South Africa, Switzerland, USA, Wales
Tickets for the 2023 WSF Men’s World Team Championship go on pre-sale on 4 July. Fans wanting to attend can do so by visiting www.festivalofsquash.co.nz
Exeter hooker Dan Frost has signed a new two-year contract.
The 26-year-old, who moved to Exeter in October following the collapse of former club Wasps, has gone on to score four tries in 13 appearances.
The former Cornish Pirates player was first choice towards the end of last season and started all three of Exeter's Champions Cup knockout games.
"With the way things went last season it was a pretty easy decision to make when they asked me to stay," he said.
"It's a young squad we have here, but it's also an exciting one," Frost told the club website.
"At the same time, there is still a decent core of senior players who have stayed and that's what we will use to blend everything together moving forward.
Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter added: "We're delighted that Dan has decided to extend his stay with us.
"Moving forward, I can only see Dan improving and getting better in all aspects of his play."
Andy Robinson: Former England and Scotland head coach goes back to Bath
Former England and Scotland head coach Andy Robinson has returned to Bath as head academy coach.
The 59-year-old spent three years as Bath head coach from 1997 to 2000, leading them to a Heineken Cup win in 1998 before joining the England set-up.
He will also work as contact coach with the first team and will take charge of Bath's Premiership Rugby Cup side.
He was forwards coach with England before succeeding Sir Clive Woodward as head coach for two years in 2004.
After a spell in charge at Edinburgh, Robinson became Scotland head coach from 2009 to 2012 before taking on head coach roles with Bath's local rivals Bristol, followed by Romania.
"I'm glad to be back at Bath and I'm looking forward to making a change on the pitch," said Robinson, who made 249 appearances for Bath as a player.
"There's a great group of players here and I'm excited to see what I can achieve with the team."
Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan told the club website: "I'm excited to have Andy with us and I couldn't think of a better man to coach here at Bath.
"Andy has achieved a tremendous amount in both his playing and coaching career and is a well-known face in the city.
"It'll be great for all of us here to have someone so deeply connected to Bath's professional rugby history."
Bath have also announced the appointment of former Scotland hooker Stevie Scott as their new scrum coach.
Scott has worked with Edinburgh and Sale and was an assistant coach with Scotland.
The Montreal Canadiens are retaining forward Sean Monahan on a one-year, $1.985 million contract.
Monahan, 28, could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The Canadiens acquired Monahan and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft in an August 2022 trade with the Calgary Flames for future considerations.
In his first season in Montreal, Monahan appeared in 25 games and registered 17 points (six goals, 11 assists). His season ended Dec. 5 because of a lower-body injury.
The Flames selected Monahan with the No. 6 overall draft pick in 2013. In 681 regular-season games with the Flames and Canadiens, he has scored 479 points (218 goals, 261 assists).
NHL offseason dominoes: How trades for Karlsson, Saros, Dubois could alter the landscape
In the NHL, one thing always leads to another. Trades, signings and draft picks are never made in a vacuum. One move has reverberations leading to others, like a stone tossed in the water or dominoes tumbling into each other.
Please recall last summer, when the Pittsburgh Penguins traded defenseman John Marino to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Ty Smith and a 2023 third-round pick. That was to open up a roster spot and salary space so GM Ron Hextall could trade for 34-year-old Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry.
The dominoes kept falling. Marino was great for the Devils, helping to make Damon Severson expendable, who then signed a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets after the Devils traded him there earlier this month. Hextall, who made the Petry deal, is now the Penguins' former GM.
This offseason will bring more chain reactions, some in close proximity to each other and others down the line.
The following five scenarios are presented for maximum chaos. Take them under consideration as possible outcomes in the multiverse of madness that is the NHL offseason, rather than firm predictions. In each case, the fallout will be as interesting as the catalysts.
Here are some offseason dominoes we'd like to see fall in the NHL:
Tom Watson writes open letter to PGA Tour commissioner asking for answers to PIF alliance
Tom Watson has some questions. Lots of them. In a lengthy open letter to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, the Tour's policy board and Tour players, the eight-time major winner posed question after question, most of which remain unanswered after the Tour's announced alliance with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to create a new, for-profit entity.
"What does acceptance of this partnership mean to the Tour? What do we get? What do we give up? Why was this deal done in such secrecy and why wasn't even one of the players who sits on the Tour's policy board included?" Watson asked.
He also brought up Saudi Arabia's ties to 9/11 and its human rights abuses, writing, "I ask the Tour, how is a non-negotiable point for us one day one we negotiate around the next?"
The Tour announced a "framework" deal with the PIF on June 6, shocking the golf world. Last Friday, it was announced that a motion to dismiss all legal cases between the two (and LIV Golf) had been filed with prejudice, meaning they could not be reopened.
A player meeting is slated for Tuesday at the Travelers Championship.
Here is the full, unedited version of Watson's letter:
An open letter to Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour's Board, and to my fellow players:
First, I wish Jay Monahan a complete and speedy recovery. I respect the leadership he has shown in the past for our Tour. It can't be an easy job. With the recent high hurdles in dealing with LIV poaching Tour players and the legal battles presented as a result, I have a sense of the complexity of the issues which he presently faces as a leader.
Unfortunately, in the wake of recent news, I also understand the cries of hypocrisy. Because he is a smart man, I know Jay does too. In my opinion, the communication has been mishandled and the process by which the Tour agreed on a proposed partnership with PIF was executed without due process. As a group of players and stakeholders who represent the face and the brands of the Tour, what are our choices?
Clearly, the Tour's traditional business model was threatened by LIV. The upstart tour created unprecedented obstacles and battles of both moral and financial consequence.
While I wasn't in the player meeting on Tuesday, June 6th (ironically on the anniversary of D-Day), for Jay's PIF partnership/Tour announcement, I've watched enough to know that it was certainly unlike any of the player meetings I've been involved with in my 50 plus years as a member of the Tour. The Commissioner and the PGA Tour Board, on which five Tour players sit, are going to have to do a lot of firsthand explaining to comfortably coax acceptance with our membership on this partnership with the PIF. The Tour's stakeholders: the Players themselves, the broad span of global media, as well as the tournament sponsors and independent Tour partners, require an explanation of the benefits of forming this partnership.
There are many unanswered questions to date, which I hope will be addressed with the players by Tour management at this week's Traveler's Tour event. What does acceptance of this partnership mean to the Tour?
What do we get? What do we give up? Why was this deal done in such secrecy and why wasn't even one of the players who sits on the Tour's Policy Board included? A matter this profound deserves thorough vetting by a representative group of stakeholders which include those, who in the end, define the public image and emotional connection with the PGA Tour.
I have a basic understanding of the role Saudi Arabia's PIF plays in the world's economy and that PIF money is invested in US brands and businesses which are part of our everyday lives. I realize the United States has diplomatic relations with the Saudis and they have occasionally been allies of ours in the Middle East. It is my further understanding that many businesses, including some professional sports leagues have strict guidelines on the percentage of investment they will accept from sovereign funds. Before this agreement is finalized, I wonder, does the PGA Tour have guidelines?
Have we, as a body, defined an acceptable percentage of PIF funding in the proposed partnership?
These questions are compounded by the hypocrisy in disregarding the moral issue; a position which for a long time was publicly highlighted by Tour leadership. While it is accepted that players on all levels would value the opportunity to make more money, it has also been illustrated that not all of our players are in search of money at all costs. Those who stayed true to the Tour for whatever personal reason or position of moral conscience are more than a few outliers. There are widespread rumors on the Tour offering financial reparations to these players who rejected offers from LIV and remained loyal to our Tour. Surely, that alone misses the larger issue of context here? And in a related question, what if any, are the plans to reinstate Tour players who defected and now want to return to the PGA Tour?
I still await Saudi acknowledgement of their role in the attacks of 9/11, which resulted in the loss of the innocent lives of 3000 of my fellow American citizens. I support 9/11 Families United and their efforts to release supporting exculpatory US Government documents (See 9/11Families United.org/KeyDocuments). That day, forever among the darkest in our nation's history, is sadly not alone among the human rights violations we have seen employed by Saudi Arabia. I ask the Tour, how is a non-negotiable point for us one day one we negotiate around the next?
The reversal does appear to indicate a more desperate financial situation than has been previously revealed by the Tour. While last week I learned the significant news that litigation around the Tour/LIV conflict would be terminated with prejudice, that only solves one significant financial problem. It is important to understand how all of this has impacted the Tour's Reserve Fund and the Tour's overall financial solvency.
Have funds been depleted to the point where the Tour needs an unprecedented capital injection to remain solvent now or for the future? Policy Board independent director Jimmy Dunne, (who helped broker the deal), has said the PIF is not investing money into PGA Tour, Inc. but rather into a newly formed for-profit commercial entity under the banner, PGA Tour Enterprises. Will PIF funds be invested only in PGA Tour Enterprises, not PGA Tour, Inc? What does that mean? What present and/or new assets go into this new partnership? What assets will be sold?
My overarching questions remain. Is the PIF the only viable rescue from the Tour’s financial problems? Was/is there a plan B? And again, what exactly is the exchange? We need clarity and deserve full disclosure as to the financial health of the PGA Tour and the details of this proposed partnership.
My loyalty to golf and this country live in the same place and have held equal and significant weight with me over my lifetime. Please educate me and others in a way that allows loyalty to both and in a way that makes it easy to look 9/11 families in the eye and ourselves in the mirror.
I am very grateful for our country, its abundant opportunities, and the wonderful life made possible by the PGA Tour.
Sincerely,
Tom Watson
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
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