A 17-year-old City of Leeds swimmer has become the youngest member of Team GB’s Olympic Swimming Team for the Rio Olympics. Georgia Coates, a student at Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Otley, proved her talent throughout 2015 with a silver medal win in the 400m individual medley and a bronze medal in the 200m individual…
Special Report by Scott Moriarty The plans to potentially allow professional boxers to compete at the Olympic Games have drawn mixed views. According to the head of the international amateur boxing association (AIBA) Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, the plan is to allow professionals who have had more than 15 paid fights to compete at the Olympics. AIBA’s…
Special Report by Abbas Younas Golf is making a long-awaited return to the Olympics after being out of the games for 112 years and sponsors are already cashing in. The new qualification system for the Games is focused around the top 60 world ranked players. The system will allow countries to include as many as…
Special Report by Simon Gray With Rio’s 2015 crime rating being high, the recent Zika virus outbreak is not the only potential safety issue for the games. While the build-up to the most recent Games in London was dominated by fears over terrorism and other high-level security issues, concerns ahead of Rio involve low-level crime. There are concerns over possible…
Special Report by Sean Wilson Amateur boxers hoping to compete at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio this year may now have to face professional opponents. The current IOC ruling states that any fighter with 15 or more paid fights is ineligible for the Games, but AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu wants to do away…
Special Report by Ciaran Fletcher In football-mad Great Britain, basketball does not rank as one of the more popular sports. As the 2016 Olympics rapidly approaches, some of the game’s biggest stars will be descending on Rio looking to claim the coveted men’s gold medal. Many have predicted the competition to be…
Special Report by Ben Law Professional boxers could be allowed to compete in the Rio Olympics if a new proposal goes ahead. The Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) president Dr Ching-Kuo revealed plans to amend the qualification rules which would allow established boxers to take part. The move would be controversial as it would be…
Special Report, by Toby Bilton With the largest sporting event on the planet just months away, the International Olympic Committee will be mindful of some of the issues troubling world sport. Smiles returned to the faces of sporting fans last week when the governing body of world football Fifa promised to reform its ways under…
Special Report, by Tom Benthall Rugby sevens will feature in the Olympic Games for the first time in Rio, nearly a century after the 15-man code was last included in the programme. The Games incorporated the full 15-a-side format of rugby four times between 1900 and 1924, however it was dropped from the schedule due…
Special Report, by Charlie Liggins As well as golf, Rugby Sevens got the vote of approval to be added as a new sport at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer. Rugby Sevens was one of seven applicants to be introduced as a new sport, beating squash, softball, baseball, roller sports and karate…