Sports

What did WADA and Sinner agree upon? The tennis world number one seems to have got off lightly with a three-month ban. He tested positive for the banned anabolic agent Clostebol in spring last year — on March 10 at the ATP Masters tournament in Indian Wells in the US and on March 18 during training — but he was not suspended. So the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) took the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanded a ban of one to two years. CAS was planning to hear the case in mid-March. But WADA has now withdrawn its appeal, saying in a statement that it accepted that Sinner "did not intend to cheat and that his exposure to Clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of [the] negligence of members ...

Balancing motherhood and work is a challenge in any profession. But for footballers, whose peak sporting years coincide with their peak fertility, the choice can feel stark. "For a woman whose sports career might last, say, 10 years at a high level, she starts thinking that getting pregnant really isn't an option," former Real Sociedad player, Larraitz Lucas, told DW. "When you are competing at a high level, all you are focusing on is the present." Until the last few years, only about 2% of footballers got pregnant during their careers, with many leaving the sport to pursue motherhood. But with increasing professionalization, organizations are starting to wrestle with the question of how to deal with players who want to have children. Binding maternity regulations were introduced to the...

Alexander Zverev has won his second Grand Slam singles title after the German top seed beat Ben Shelton in the US Open final on Sunday. Zverev beat the American, who was making his first appearance in a major final, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2. This success caps the best season of Zverev's career. Not only has he now won two of the four Grand Slams in the same season, but he has become just the ninth man to reach at least the semifinals at all four majors in the same season.Zverev has a record of 25 wins and 2 losses in major matches this yearImage: Robert Deutsch/IMAGN Images/REUTERS "We went 30 years without winning a Grand Slam title and now we've won two in three months," Zverev said on court after his second major win of the year, following his victory at the French Open in June.  "G...

What has happened to LIV golf? The breakaway golf tour, launched with much fanfare, billions of dollars of investment and a string of the world's best players, in 2021. But on Tuesday it filed for bankruptcy protection in the US. Bankruptcy protection is a way of keeping a company alive while it restructures its debts. In this case, LIV would be moving from being financed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which pulled out in April, to being supported by BC Partners, a British investment firm. "This process gives us the structure and time to pursue a landmark transaction and begin the next chapter of LIV Golf," said the chief executive, Scott O'Neil. According to documents related to the filing, LIV Golf has between $500m (€430 million) and $1bn in estimated liabilities to...

The European Union's sports commissioner has criticized world football's governing body FIFA over its controversial and now-aborted plans to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. Speaking to DW at his Brussels office, Commissioner Glenn Micallef labeled the plans "another episode in a series of poor governance decisions that excessively commercialize the sport," adding: "It's damaging to football." However, Micallef stopped short of calling on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign, amid growing pressure on him to step down. Asked whether FIFA was fit for purpose under Infantino, the commissioner insisted it wasn't for him to decide. "That's a decision that belongs to national associations and federations," Micallef said. "I hope that they will have the chance to have an...

On the football pitches of Bundesliga club Wolfsburg, the Afghanistan women's national team is training and doing exactly what is strictly forbidden in their home country: playing football. In the first session of the day, the coaches' main focus is helping the players get to know each other better and have fun. That's because, as of April of this year, these young women are now officially allowed to play football as the Afghan national team. FIFA, the world's football federation, has amended its regulations, allowing Afghan women to once again represent their country in official international matches and FIFA competitions. "This was a huge victory for us, a wonderful moment, and one of the moments we're most proud of. Because once again, the women of our country have made history and b...

On the football pitches of Bundesliga club Wolfsburg, the Afghanistan women's national team is training and doing exactly what is strictly forbidden in their home country: playing football. In the first session of the day, the coaches' main focus is helping the players get to know each other better and have fun. That's because, as of April of this year, these young women are now officially allowed to play football as the Afghan national team. FIFA, the world's football federation, has amended its regulations, allowing Afghan women to once again represent their country in official international matches and FIFA competitions. "This was a huge victory for us, a wonderful moment, and one of the moments we're most proud of. Because once again, the women of our country have made history and b...

Balancing motherhood and work is a challenge in any profession. But for footballers, whose peak sporting years coincide with their peak fertility, the choice can feel stark. "For a woman whose sports career might last, say, 10 years at a high level, she starts thinking that getting pregnant really isn't an option," former Real Sociedad player, Larraitz Lucas, told DW. "When you are competing at a high level, all you are focusing on is the present." Until the last few years, only about 2% of footballers got pregnant during their careers, with many leaving the sport to pursue motherhood. But with increasing professionalization, organizations are starting to wrestle with the question of how to deal with players who want to have children. Binding maternity regulations were introduced to the...