Following another round of complex negotiations, FIFA can confirm that it has supported Qatar with the evacuation from Afghanistan of a second group of refugees linked to women’s football and basketball. A total of 57 individuals, mostly women and children, safely landed in Doha on Wednesday, 20 October, on a Qatar Airways charter flight. Last Thursday, 14 October, FIFA and Qatar successfully evacuated almost 100 members of the football family from Afghanistan to Doha, including female players. FIFA would like to express its sincere thanks to the government of Qatar for its support in facilitating extensive discussions and ensuring the safe passage of these individuals, deemed to have been at the highest risk.
- New study finds worse cognitive function in players aged 75+ with a history of multiple concussions
Retired male elite rugby union players aged 50+ who suffered three or more rugby-related concussions during their career have no worse average cognitive function than those who had experienced no, one or two concussions, according to a new study in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
Published Monday, 18 October 2021.
The partnership will amplify UNICEF’s global campaign #OnYourMind which calls for commitment, communication and action to promote good mental health for every child.
The National Football League (NFL) and the Premier League held a joint medical conference in London today to discuss their latest advancements in player health and safety and to share best practices for analyzing, treating, and preventing injuries among elite athletes. Led by a diverse group of the leagues' world class physicians, injury prevention specialists and epidemiologists, the day-long conference was an opportunity to ensure each leagues' efforts are informed by the latest scientific and medical information available in pursuit of a joint commitment to continuous improvement of player safety. The leagues discussed strategies for reducing soft tissue and knee ligament injuries, innovation in field surface materials, concussion prevention and treatment and the importance of prioritizing athletes' mental wellness. Held as part of the annual NFL London Games, the conference was attended by a delegation from the NFL Player Health & Safety team and Premier League physicians, certified athletic trainers/physios and sports science specialists, with representation from its clubs.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and its partners have lent their support and help to the Afghan Cycling Federation. After the events which occurred in the country in August 2021 and the consequences that they have had on certain members of the population, in particular women, the UCI has reached out to members of the cycling family, the Olympic movement and also other members of the population whose lives and safety has been under threat, to enable them to leave Afghan soil.
Today is World Mental Health Day, an international day to raise awareness of mental health issues and mobilise support efforts.
Welcome to LawInSport’s weekly News Roundup. This recap highlights this week’s news pieces from across the world of sport. For further updates, please visit our news section.
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The Rugby Football League is today celebrating the impact of the Tackling Inequalities Fund, which it was awarded to support communities disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic and reduce the widening inequalities in sport and physical activity.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The NFL Players Association is excited to announce that All-Pro running back and Super Bowl champion Marshawn Lynch will serve as the union’s first ever chief brand ambassador. In this role, Lynch will support the development of players past, present, and future both on and off the football field.
Former United States Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates has been appointed by US Soccer to lead an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Action Alert! On October 7th, World Day for Decent Work, UNI Global Union and unions on every continent will call upon the ILO to designate occupational safety and health as a fundamental right. Find UNI's Action Toolkit here.
We will draw attention to the lifesaving measures that unions have taken to protect all workers during COVID-19 and demand that workers everywhere have a right to a union and to independently elected safety and health committees.
FIFA is deeply concerned by the recent reports in the US made by several players. Due to the severity and seriousness of the allegations being made by players, we can confirm that FIFA’s judicial bodies are actively looking into the matter and have opened a preliminary investigation.
A major review into non-elite transgender sport in the UK has concluded that current policies are outdated and require amending.
THE INTERNATIONAL TESTING AGENCY (ITA), LEADING AN INDEPENDENT ANTI-DOPING PROGRAM FOR THE OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES BEIJING 2022, HAS SUPPORTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW INTERACTIVE EDUCATION COURSE FOR ATHLETES AND COACHES AIMING TO ATTEND THE UPCOMING WINTER GAMES. THIS CLEAN SPORT COURSE WAS DEVELOPED BY THE WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY (WADA) IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ITA AND THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (IOC) AND IT LAUNCHES TODAY ON WADA’S EDUCATION PLATFORM ADEL. THE ITA IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR A PRE-GAMES EDUCATION PROJECT DESIGNED TO ENABLE CODE SIGNATORIES TO EDUCATE THEIR DELEGATIONS BEFORE THEY HEAD TO BEIJING.
Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Medical Committee continued its commitment to expand the network of world-class medical centres in Asia by recognising The Kitchee – Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Sports Medicine Clinic as the latest AFC Medical Centre / Clinic of Excellence at its fourth meeting held virtually today.
The International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) report on systemic sexual harassment and abuse within the Mali Basketball Federation (FMBB) vindicates the victims of abuse, survivors, whistleblowers, and activists who took enormous risks to bring this abuse to light, the Sport & Rights Alliance said today.
FIFPRO’s division in the Americas has made organisational changes with a view to strengthening the representation of professional footballers across the region. The division is also taking another step towards becoming more diverse and inclusive after two women were elected to its regional board.
Welcome to LawInSport’s weekly News Roundup. This recap highlights this week’s news pieces from across the world of sport. For further updates, please visit our news section.
We hope you find this useful. If you have any related questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Published Friday, 24 September 2021.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a ban and a substantial fine on the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) in relation to the racist behaviour of numerous supporters during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifying match between Hungary and England on 2 September 2021.
FIFA has reached out to its member associations and other stakeholders (representatives of the players, clubs, leagues, confederations) marking the beginning of a new phase of consultation around the International Match Calendar for women and men, set to expire at the end of 2023 and 2024 respectively.
The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) is proud to announce a new two-year relationship with Cleveland Clinic through the 2022-23 season. Bringing extensive Sports Medicine and Orthopedic expertise in both the United States and Canada, Cleveland Clinic will support the Federation with consultation on various initiatives by providing strategic guidance and expertise as the Official Medical Team of the PHF.
FIFPRO today stresses once again that any plans to change the men’s or women’s International Match Calendar must address the players’ concerns such as an expanding workload at the top of the game, the need to protect and improve jobs for the majority of our members around the world and protecting the promising advancement of the women’s professional game. Proposals isolating further expansions such as a biennial World Cup – as well as other competition reforms under discussion – are inadequate in the absence of solutions for existing problems. Without the agreement of the players, who bring all competitions to life on the pitch, no such reforms will have the required legitimacy.
Following several allegations of systemic sexual harassment within the Mali Basketball Federation (FMBB) received on June 10, the report of the independent Integrity Officer has been delivered to FIBA.
In addition to the suspension on June 14 of coach Amadou Bamba, coach Oumar Sissoko, official Hario Maiga and on July 23 of FMBB President Harouna Maiga, after carefully reviewing the document and following the recommendation of the Integrity Officer, FIBA will be issuing additional suspensions against three other members of the FMBB, pending the opening of disciplinary proceedings: coach Fanta Diallou, Secretary General Seydou Maiga and Vice President Amadou Traore. Further decisions will be taken in due course by the competent FIBA bodies.
he health and safety of all participants at FIS Events including the athletes, team members, officials, volunteers, service providers, broadcasters, media and spectators has highest priority. The organisers and medical services are sincerely thanked for their engagement to enable the safe organisation of FIS competitions. The Covid-19 pandemic still requires the integration of additional measures to keep everyone safe in connection with an event.
The Welsh Government and The Football Association of Wales (FAW) have launched a joint educational programme which will look to tackle online abuse of women and girls.
The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) takes note of FIFA’s plans to change the football competition schedule and to hold the World Cup every two years. A number of International Federations (IFs) of other sports, national football federations, clubs, players, players associations and coaches have expressed strong reservations and concerns regarding the plans to generate more revenue for FIFA, mainly for the following reasons:
FIFA can confirm, following complex negotiations, it has, with the support of Qatar, evacuated almost 100 members of the football family from Afghanistan, including female players.
Tomorrow, on the day when the Tour de France 2022 will be officially presented and the rebirth of the Tour de Femmes will be celebrated, a criminal trial will be held in Brest against the spectator who caused a group crash on the first stage of the 2021 edition Brest-Landerneau on 26th June.
ChildFund Rugby’s partnership with World Rugby in the build-up to and during Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan created an outstanding legacy for the region where thousands more Asian girls and women are active in the sport in a safer and more inclusive environment.
Jon Gruden resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders following articles published in The Wall Street Journal and New York Times detailing the use of racist, homophobic and misogynistic terms by Jon Gruden in emails reportedly dating back to 2010, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.
The National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced today that goalie Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens will be away from the team while voluntarily taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.
Football Australia has established an independent complaints process following recent allegations of abuse by former international Lisa De Vanna.
The amount of back-to-back matches in elite men’s professional football has increased over the last three years, with some footballers spending 70 to 80 percent of their playing time in a two-game-a-week rhythm, according to a new FIFPRO report.
Competing members of England Boxing and their coaches are encouraged to study the newly-released 2022 List of prohibited Substances and Methods produced by the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA).
The proposed plans by FIFA to stage both the men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments every two years will have profoundly detrimental sporting, economic, societal and many other impacts that will fundamentally alter the course and development of the women’s game. The fast-paced nature of the (so far) very selective consultation process and all-but agreed proposals have not allowed a careful reflection on what is in the best interests of the future development of women’s football or adequately assessed the possible irreversible consequences such a change might entail.
FIFA is deeply concerned by the recent reports in the US made by several players. Due to the severity and seriousness of the allegations being made by players, we can confirm that FIFA’s judicial bodies are actively looking into the matter and have opened a preliminary investigation. As part of this, FIFA will be reaching out to the respective parties, including US Soccer and NWSL, for further information about the various safeguarding concerns and allegations of abuse that have been raised.
With the start of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 scheduled for February 2022, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announces the launch of a new interactive education course on its Anti-Doping Education and Learning Platform (ADEL) for athletes and coaches aiming to attend the Olympic Winter Games.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) held an Executive Board (EB) meeting today, in the presence of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Beijing 2022 informed the EB of the principles that will help deliver safe and successful Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as scheduled.
The NBA has denied Andrew Wiggins’ request for a religious exemption from the San Francisco mandatory requirement for all attendees at indoor gatherings to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
UK Anti-Doping’s (UKAD) Clean Sport at the Front Line (CSFL) took place on 14 & 15 September 2021 online.
The event was tailored towards practitioners in sport and was free to attend. More than 100 delegates attended on each day of the virtual event.
This year’s CSFL2021 looked at the importance of clean sport education for athlete support personnel and coaches. The forum presented recent research studies into coach and athlete support personnel anti-doping knowledge. UKAD introduced their new Insight and Innovation Team, who will be leading the development of research into prevalence studies, drug detection, monitoring & evaluation and data analytics.
In light of the range of predisposed decisions and communications made by FIFA recently in amending or planning future reform of the International Match Calendar (IMC), in direct and unilateral breach of certain legal obligations, ECA – as the voice of professional football clubs of Europe – feels compelled to issue the following.
- Best-practice contact training load guidelines aim to reduce injury risk while maintaining or improving performance
- New guidelines set out advised weekly limits for full contact training (15 minutes), controlled contact (40 minutes) and live set piece (30 minutes) training
- Guidelines follow global consultation, including feedback from almost 600 players across elite men’s and women’s competitions, and input from leading strength and conditioning, medical and performance experts
- They will be underpinned by a review and research programme to drive continuous learning and improvement, and to encourage consistent application across the professional game
- Guidelines and follow-up research welcomed by players, national unions, global competitions
- Elite teams, including Leinster, Clermont Auvergne and Benetton Treviso, have signed up to a trial measuring their training and match contact using instrumented mouthguards to monitor effectiveness and inform future advancements
- Two out of three professional footballers are not sure what they will do when they stop playing
- Brussels University surveyed 282 footballers in 33 countries as part of the 'Mind the Gap' campaign
- FIFPRO's Jonas Baer-Hoffmann says findings are a 'wake-up call' to the industry to assist young players
Welcome to LawInSport’s weekly News Roundup. This recap highlights this week’s news pieces from across the world of sport. For further updates, please visit our news section.
We hope you find this useful. If you have any related questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
FIFPRO is appalled by the employment situation of professional footballers in Romania and the lack of urgency shown by the country’s football association (FRF) to find adequate solutions for this disturbing situation.
Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles is set to testify with other gymnasts before the Senate Judiciary Committee for the investigation into former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar who was imprisoned for sexually assaulting hundreds of athletes.
- New programme forms key head injury prevention initiative within World Rugby’s six-point player welfare advancement strategy
- All coaches at all levels will have access to a five-stage framework for coaching effective technique that promotes prevention
- World Rugby and national unions currently examining tackle height limits in key closed trials to aid welfare outcomes
