Carlton coach Michael Voss accuses media of bullying after Elijah Hollands incident

Embattled Carlton coach Michael Voss has defended his staff and accused the media of bullying as the spotlight intensifies on the club for allowing Elijah Hollands to play last week during a mental health episode.Hollands behaved erratically in the match against Collingwood and is now in hospital, and speculation has focused on how Voss’s staff had allowed the young player to take the field given his struggles were obvious even from the stands.Fronting a large press pack on Thursday at Princes Park ahead of Saturday’s match against Fremantle, Voss said he wanted to respect the AFL’s investigation into the club’s actions on the night and “we accept that we need to look at process”.But he said that in a “complex situation that has history and background” his staff deserve praise.“I’m proud of my people, and the process itself will take care of itself, and we need to put our support behind that,” he said

Bournemouth 2-2 Leeds, Charlton 1-2 Ipswich: football clockwatch – as it happened

Time to sign off; I’ll leave you with Sam Cunningham’s match report from the Vitality Stadium. Thanks for joining me.Jamie Jackson watched as Manchester City won at Burnley to go top of the league …Ed Aarons was at the Valley to see Ipswich dig out a vital win:Championship table: Ipswich edge back into second place but Millwall, Southampton and Middlesbrough can all still claim automatic promotion. Oxford are not quite down after Charlton failed to take a point from their game tonight.Premier League table: Manchester City are top on goals scored, Bournemouth climb above Chelsea, and Burnley are relegated

‘For billionaires, not boxers’: De La Hoya warns over Ali Act overhaul in Senate hearing

A US Senate hearing on the future of boxing laid bare a sharp divide over the sport’s direction on Wednesday, as longtime boxing figures including Oscar De La Hoya warned of proposed changes that could erode fighters’ rights while executives aligned with an Ultimate Fighting Championship-backed push for a centralized model argued they would bring structure and investment.“When one system controls access, choice becomes theoretical, not real,” professional boxer Nico Ali Walsh told lawmakers, framing the stakes of a debate that could dramatically reshape boxing’s economic model. “When that happens, you fight who you’re told to fight or you don’t fight at all.”At issue is a House-passed overhaul of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act that would allow the creation of centralized “Unified Boxing Organizations” (UBOs) operating alongside the current fragmented system. Supporters say the approach would simplify matchmaking and attract investment

Lando Norris backs Max Verstappen to stay in F1 after drivers win rule changes

Lando Norris has said he believes Max Verstappen will continue to race in Formula One but that it would be “a miss” for the sport if the four-time world champion did decide to leave owing to his dissatisfaction with the way this season’s new regulations have affected how drivers race.Verstappen has been outspoken in his dislike of the new regulations and their focus on electrical energy management that now makes up almost 50% of the car’s power output. He has intimated he might leave the sport but, with the rules having been adjusted by the FIA in an effort to address concerns of all drivers this week, Norris felt the Dutchman would remain in F1.“Hopefully things get better and I just saw that he said he wants to win the fifth world championship at the minute, so I’m sure he’ll stay longer than people say,” Norris said.The McLaren driver, who is the defending world champion, noted, however, that it would very much be F1’s loss if Verstappen left because he was disenchanted

Lewis Moody ‘picking up baton’ left by Doddie Weir with MND fundraising cycle ride

The former England captain Lewis Moody has said he is “picking up the baton” left by Doddie Weir after announcing plans to lead a 500-mile, seven-day cycling challenge this summer to raise funds for the fight against motor neurone disease.Moody will be joined by many of his fellow 2003 World Cup winners, including Jonny Wilkinson, Mike Tindall and Ben Kay, as well as his teenage sons on a journey from Newcastle to the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, with all proceeds going to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.The former Leicester, Bath and British & Irish Lions forward became the latest retired player to be diagnosed with MND, which he revealed last October, with the disease having claimed the lives of Weir and the former rugby league international Rob Burrow in the past four years.The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation has raised more than £23.5m to fund MND research, and Moody has committed to continuing the former Scotland international’s legacy in fighting a disease that results in six new diagnoses each day in the UK alone

South Africa struggling to secure UK TV deal to screen England Test series

Cricket South Africa has yet to secure a UK television rights deal for England’s marquee Test series next winter with Sky Sports declining an offer to renew a long-term contract that expired last year.Sky’s apparent reluctance to extend a relationship that began more than 30 years ago has left CSA searching for alternative broadcast partners so that the three Tests over Christmas and three one-day internationals in January are televised in the UK.The decision is all the more surprising as South Africa also hosts Australia in a three-Test series in October in a time zone that is convenient to British audiences, and reflects the dwindling value of bilateral international cricket.TNT Sports has made a habit of buying rights rejected by Sky in the past, including last winter’s Ashes and those for Test series in India and Pakistan, but are unable to commit at present due to budget pressures and uncertainty over its long-term ownership. Paramount Skydance has agreed a $110bn deal to buy parent company Warner Bros Discovery but it has yet to be approved by United States regulators, leaving TNT in a holding pattern

‘Tennis is about being fluid’: how Iga Swiatek is drawing on her time with Rafael Nadal to regain No 1 spot

Iga Swiatek had little interest in tennis as a teenager, but the one exception was Rafael Nadal. She spent her formative years idolising the Spaniard, who won 22 majors and, from afar, soon became one of his most avid students.His influence is evident in the heavy topspin the Pole generates with her forehand, still a singular weapon on the women’s tour, proof of the intensity she demands of herself on every point and her four French Open titles earned by the time she was barely 23.After a youth spent following Nadal’s career, Swiatek’s success allowed her to build a friendly rapport with him away from the court. Their friendship then came full circle this month as she found herself being coached by Nadal at his academy in Mallorca alongside her new full-time coach Francisco Roig, Nadal’s former coach of 18 years

‘Two are stronger than one’: Boston Marathon duo praised for helping struggling runner cross finish line

A pair of Boston Marathon runners who teamed up to help a fellow athlete across the race’s finish line have been praised for their “beautiful moment” of sportsmanship.Ajay Haridasse, a 21-year-old university student from Wakefield, Massachusetts, found himself stumbling after passing the 26-mile mark in Monday’s race. After falling for a fourth time, he was “getting ready to crawl” to the finish line, Haridasse told the Boston Herald.As he attempted to regain his strength, Aaron Beggs, a 40-year-old from Northern Ireland, appeared on his left side and pulled Haridasse to his feet. Haridasse stumbled again, only to be caught from behind by another runner, Robson De Oliveira, a 36-year-old of Brazil

London Marathon organisers believe two-day event could bring £400m economic boost

London Marathon organisers have revealed more details about plans to stage a two-day event next year which they say would be an “incredible celebration” that would raise more than £130m for charity and bring in £400m in social and economic benefits.As the Guardian revealed last month, advanced talks are under way for the one-off event which would allow around 100,000 people to take part, nearly double the number running on Sunday.Speaking on Wednesday, Hugh Brasher, the event director, confirmed that one of the two days would be devoted to faster women, with the women’s elite race, women’s championship and good-for-age runners and a mixed mass participation race all taking place. The other day would then focus more on the men’s races while also having a second mass participation race for men and women.Brasher also promised those still holding up the deal that 2027 would be a one-off “double” as the London Marathon did not want to “lose the love” it has from runners, fans and people living in the capital