The International Olympic Committee voted today to add five events (really six because baseball and softball are different sports, just not to the IOC) to the summer Olympic slate, beginning in Tokyo in 2020. Baseball, softball, karate, skateboard, sports climbing, and surfing will all take their place at the Olympics. The IOC is pitching the vote as a move to appeal to the world’s youth, because skateboarding and surfing, brah, and will vote again at some point to determine whether the additions will be permanent. As of now, the sports are currently slated to appear only in 2020. IOC President Thomas Bach offered the the following statement in the official press release. “We want to take sport to the youth. With the many options that young people have, we cannot expect any more that they will come automatically to us. We have to go to them. Tokyo 2020’s balanced proposal fulfills all of the goals of the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendation that allowed it. Taken together, the five sports are an innovative combination of established and emerging, youth-focused events that are popular in Japan and will add to the legacy of the Tokyo Games.” Baseball and softball were excised from the Olympics after 2008 and failed to garner enough votes to be reinstated in the past two Games; thanks to loud support from baseball and softball enthusiasts and officials, the sports will have a second chance at becoming an Olympic mainstay. The games are being held in Japan, so the home crowd’s excitement for the return of both baseball and softball will likely help the sports, at least aesthetically. Japan captured the last gold medal in softball by downing the USA squad 3-1 in 2008, ending the Americans’ run of three consecutive first-place finishes. And, of course, let there be rejoicing that all of the added sports are single-species events…for now.
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The struggling giants have flourished with their counter-attacking pace but have come unstuck against teams defending deep – beaten by Crystal Palace, West Ham, Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Watford.
United have also been held by Wolves, Southampton, Sheffield United, Aston Villa and Everton, leading Lingard to question the club s mindset ahead of the Boxing Day clash with Newcastle.
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It was the second time he had left Chelsea after a three-year spell came to an abrupt end in 2007 with reports suggesting it was the result of a falling out with the club s billionaire owner.
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It had an instant success that revolutionized the sports betting industry.
Soon, other big companies followed this trend, and with the advancement of technology, online betting became today the most popular and easiest way to place a bet on your favorite sport or game.
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In-play or live football betting simply means wagering on sports during the relevant event, as opposed to before it starts. It’s one of the ways in which the advancement of online sports betting has managed to innovate the gambling scene.
Picture it this way – you’re watching your favorite game and placing the bets as the action unfolds. It’s…
Frank Lampard questioned why Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk avoided a red card in Saturday s Merseyside derby after the Dutch defender s late tackle on Amadou Onana.
The centre-back went into referee Anthony Taylor s book for the 76th-minute challenge, when Van Dijk got his timing all wrong and caught Onana just above the ankle.
A gripping match finished goalless, but a red card at that stage of the game could have lifted hosts Everton for the closing minutes.
Manager Lampard could not understand why Taylor was not called to look at the incident again by the video assistant referee.
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France entertain Germany at the Stade de France, Paris, on Wednesday as both teams continue to prepare for their next World Cup qualifiers.
Germany are a model team, Deschamps said.
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Jermaine Pennant came off the bench to score a late free-kick as Stoke City recorded a 1-0 Premier League win at West Ham on Saturday.
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West Ham did improve after the break but Pennant curled in a delightful free-kick with eight minutes to play for the visitors.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce made 11 changes to the side that beat Cheltenham Town in the League Cup on Tuesday, recalling key men Jaaskelainen, Kevin Nolan and Matt Jarvis among others.
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And Howe was quick to praise the former Republic of Ireland international, who joined Bournemouth from Reading in 2013.
He was a leader every day and I can t give him a bigger compliment than that, and I don t even need to talk about his left foot, Howe said of the 37-year-old, who started his career at Leeds United.
I only just heard the news, and I was surprised because I thought he still had a lot to offer in a footballing capacity.
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Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed Kingsley Coman has sustained a muscle injury, and he is unsure how long the France international will spend on the sidelines.
Bayern host Stuttgart on Saturday in the Bundesliga after a 2-0 win at Inter in their opening Champions League group stage game.
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The Spanish La Liga season has thrown up many twists and turns up to this point, and while it may not be quite on the same level of the English Premier League in terms of regular chaos, there are definitely plenty of talking points to get through as this bizarre campaign ventures on into the month of February. Today, we re going to take a look at a game between two sides in very different positions this season Real Madrid and Getafe.
Real Madrid
Zinedine Zidane has often been hailed as a genius and a hero for what he s been able to accomplish since turning from player to coach, but for whatever reason, things haven t quite panned out for him and Real Madrid so far this season. Both on the pitch and o…