Henry Arundell may be unavailable for England until 2026 but Exeter boss Rob Baxter insists the restriction on selecting overseas-based players must remain in place.
Arundell has signed a two-year contract extension with Racing 92 after turning down a move to Bath that would also have included one of the Rugby Football Union’s 25 ‘hybrid contracts’.
It means the English game’s most exciting talent, who plundered five tries in the World Cup match against Chile in September, is off-limits to Steve Borthwick for over two years.
Arundell’s decision has renewed the spotlight on the RFU’s rule that only those players competing in the Gallagher Premiership can be considered, but Baxter insists it is necessary for a healthy league.
“How will we promote our competition as being at a very high level if you’re wide open to the best players playing outside the country?” the Chiefs director of rugby said.
“That will never help promote the Premiership and without promoting the Premiership I don’t think you’ll ever get a successful England side.
“The best way to keep young players in this country is by letting them know that staying in this country gives them the best opportunity to play international rugby.”
Baxter is preparing Exeter for Sunday’s Investec Champions Cup clash with Munster at Sandy Park as the Devonians look to build on their impressive one-point victory at Toulon in round one.
The triumph on the Cote d’Azur was among the highlights of a superb weekend for the Premiership, whose clubs recorded seven wins in eight games, including four against Top 14 sides.
The results come amid concerns over the league’s ability to compete on the European stage, not least because of a smaller salary cap, and at a time when a number of England players including Arundell and his England team-mates Jack Willis and Joe Marchant have headed across the Channel.
Baxter suspects the Premiership teams may have been underestimated in round one and will reserve judgement over what it means until deeper into the competition.
“Because of the negativity surrounding the Premiership lately, it would be very easy to take the Premiership clubs lightly. Maybe that’s what happened,” he said.
“There’s not a first-team player in the Premiership who is not a good, determined professional rugby player and you’ve seen that in how competitive the games have been.
“We should be talking positively about the Premiership and the results at the weekend bear that out. There should be more positivity around the Premiership than there is, but also we need to back that up.
“English teams will be competitive, our challenge going forward is how we maintain that. We’ll know the answer a little bit down the line, it’s a little early to tell after one round.
“If we get to the latter stages and there are a few Premiership clubs involved, then we can start to look at the reasons why that’s happened.”
Eddie Jones admitted he “felt terrible” about Australia’s World Cup failure but insisted he had no guilt about the process that saw him return as Japan boss after stepping down from his post with the Wallabies.
At a press conference on Thursday, the 63-year-old faced more questions about how and when he first made contact with the Japanese Rugby Football Union about replacing Jamie Joseph, having repeatedly denied reports about contact with the JRFU that first emerged during the World Cup.
Former England coach Jones said he had not interviewed for the job until this month, and that a Zoom call with recruiters on August 25, before the start of the World Cup, was to discuss his previous experience in the Japan job between 2012 and 2015 to help them frame their search.
“I didn’t do an interview before the World Cup,” the Australian said. “I was asked by the recruitment agency to share my experiences with them. The first interview I had with Japan was in December and that’s the only interview I’ve had.”
Jones returned to the Australia job in January this year, signing a contract that was due to continue through to the 2027 World Cup. But, after a poor World Cup in which Australia were knocked out in the first round for the first time in their history, he used a break clause to leave for Japan.
“With Australia I signed for five years and we had a plan to take them to two World Cups,” Jones said. “There were things that needed to happen in Australia to change the system we had. I agreed with the chairman on a plan on what we were going to do to do that, they needed finances to change the system.
“After one year there was a break in my contract with Australia Rugby on whether they could fulfil those commitments. I felt without them being able to fulfil those commitments we wouldn’t be able to develop talent to the fullest extent and I decided then I wanted to move on.”
Asked if he needed to apologise to Australia fans, Jones said: “I gave everything I could for that short period of time and it wasn’t good enough…I wish Australia all the best.
“I feel terrible about the results in Australia, I wanted to go back and change Australia so I feel terrible. I don’t feel any guilt at all about this process…
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I can’t control their opinion. All I can control is what I did and it sits well with me. I don’t have a problem with it. If people feel like that, that’s their judgement, I can’t control that.”
Jones will take charge of a Japan team that also failed to get out of the first round in France, finishing third in Pool D, and said his goal is to overhaul the structure of the Japanese game to best play to their strengths, getting universities and club teams all pulling in the same direction.
“I’m honoured and privileged and looking forward to the task of creating a Japan side that has real identity and a point of difference,” said Jones, whose mother and wife are Japanese. “I think any great team in any sport, it doesn’t matter what jersey they play in, you can clearly see the team they are.”
Christmas must be around the corner as the PDC World Darts Championship starts at Alexandra Palace on Friday.
Two-and-a-half weeks of darts await before the champion is crowned on January 3.
Here, the PA news agency looks at five competitors to keep an eye on during the tournament.
Michael van Gerwen
The Dutchman has not had the best year by his impeccable standards, with the Premier League his only major title, but he must still be considered the man to beat at Alexandra Palace.
When he fires few can keep the pace with him and Van Gerwen has the bit between his teeth as he hunts a fourth title.
He has lost twice in the final since his last victory in 2019 so is due a return to the winner’s circle.
Luke Humphries
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The 28-year-old will arrive at Ally Pally as favourite after a remarkable run of form in 2023.
‘Coolhand’ has won three of the last four majors as he followed the World Grand Prix title in October with wins at the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship.
No one is playing more consistently than Humphries at the minute and if he can handle the pressure of expectation, he could go all the way.
Michael Smith
Smith is the defending champion and earned himself a place in folklore last year when he beat Van Gerwen in one of the greatest finals of all time, throwing a nine-finish in a memorable leg.
‘Bully Boy’ has taken a step away from the game this year, but has not really performed to his usual standard when he has played in the major tournaments.
But coming back to defend the title is sure to spur him on and if he can find his range over the coming weeks, he will be difficult to stop.
Fallon Sherrock
The ‘Queen of the Palace’ is back at the place where life changed for her in 2020 when she became the first woman to win a match at the PDC World Championship.
The 29-year-old has not won a game in her two appearances since then, but will be a good bet to get some more wins under her belt after a good year.
She became the first woman to hit a nine-dart finish in PDC history in March and then repeated the feat in front of the television cameras at August’s Modus Super Series.
Luke Littler
Few will have heard of Luke Littler but he is definitely a name for the future.
Just 16, Littler is causing waves in the game and his victory in the World Youth Championship made people sit up and take notice.
Winning the tournament this year may be a stretch too far but he will be hoping to take a few scalps and no one will want to play him.
Michael Smith is not ready to stop at winning just one World Championship title and wants to become a multiple champion.
The 33-year-old lifted the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time in January after a stunning performance against Michael van Gerwen in the final, hitting a nine-dart finish in the greatest leg in the history of the sport.
He begins the defence of his crown on Friday night, playing against either Kevin Doets or Stowe Buntz, and is dreaming of joining Gary Anderson, Adrian Lewis, John Part and Peter Wright on two titles.
“I always wanted to be a world champion, now I have done it the dream is to be a multiple,” Smith told the PA news agency.
“I don’t want to finish my career with just one star on my chest, I don’t know how many I can get, but the minimum is two now. When I get to two the minimum will be three.
“I don’t feel the pressure but it is going to be like that. Everyone wants to take it off me, everyone playing wants to be world champion so I am going to have a target on my back.
“But whoever I am playing they are going to see a picture of me holding the trophy on the wall. It could either put them off or spur them on. But I know I can look at it and be spurred on.
“This is the one, you have got to bring your A-game, it is about bringing it on stage now. Once it clicks like it does in practice who knows what can happen. I can’t wait to get my hands on it again.”
Smith’s victory in the final contained the greatest leg in the history of the sport when ‘Bully Boy’ completed a nine-dart finish seconds after Van Gerwen had missed.
It produced some mesmeric television footage, with Sky Sports’ Wayne Mardle’s commentary going viral.
And Smith spent most of the early part of 2023 watching the leg back.
“That night I won it, I must have watched it 200 times,” he added. “Even the full match replay I have watched a couple of times. I’m trying to leave it in the past, I’m trying to focus on winning it again and then I can watch it all again. It has been good, weird, has been good.
“I lived my childhood dream but if I hadn’t have won it, it wouldn’t define my life. I am proud of winning it, but I am not going through life where I am thinking if I had never won it I wouldn’t have been successful.”
Gerwyn Price is also aiming for a second world title, but if he was to win, it would feel like a first.
His 2021 crown came behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, so he is yet to taste the authentic experience.
“This is what we play all year for. We all want to win titles, but this is the main one,” he told the PA news agency.
“It’s a big tournament, everyone is looking forward to it, no-one wants to go out before Christmas so it is about getting that first round under your belt.
“Winning it behind closed doors, there was no atmosphere, lifting the trophy with no-one there, no friends, family or loved ones.
“Taking the trophy home and it sitting on the kitchen table for six months doesn’t really do it justice. It would be nice to win it again and be able to do it properly. It is something I want to do.”
Eddie Howe has challenged his Newcastle players to book themselves another crack at the Champions League after seeing them slip out of Europe in dramatic fashion.
At one point on Wednesday evening, the Magpies were heading for the last 16 of European football’s premier club competition, but they ended it empty-handed after AC Milan came from behind to snatch a 2-1 win at St James’ Park.
That booked them a Europa League berth and ended Newcastle’s continental involvement for the season, but a disappointed Howe is targeting a swift return.
He said: “I’d love the opportunity to do that again and I think that has to be our focus very quickly. I don’t think we can look at anything other than that.
“We want to be there again and we’re still close enough in the Premier League to do that and compete. All these things happen for a reason, I’m a believer in that.
“The ambition is there, of course. It’s there from all of us – but doesn’t mean it’ll happen. We have to make that happen.
“Any time you don’t achieve what you want, you have a setback, you have a disappointment, you have to use it as fuel and that’s very much has always been my way.
“The pain that you feel now is motivation for tomorrow. We now have to focus on the Premier League and have to try to make sure we get our form in the Premier League as strong as we can.”
The defeat by Milan – the Magpies’ third on the trot in all competitions – came courtesy of goals from Christian Pulisic and substitute Samuel Chukwueze after Joelinton had blasted them ahead.
They will resume domestic action against Fulham on Saturday sitting in seventh place in the table, seven points adrift of Manchester City in fourth.
While their domestic home for has been excellent, Newcastle have won only once on the road and with their injury problems starting to abate – Callum Wilson, Sean Longstaff and Dan Burn were all involved against the Italians – Howe is calling for a fresh focus.
He said: “I don’t want a hangover from this. We have to learn from it and quickly put it away.
“The players need to believe how good they can be, how good we are and this is a good test of that for us because of what’s happened in the last week.
“Football is an amazing thing, isn’t it? You go back 10 days and we had just beaten Manchester United with our best performance of the season. Then three games later, we’ve had three defeats.
“That’s football.”
Today’s National Hunt meeting at Warwick has been abandoned but the jumps card at Newcastle survived an early-morning inspection.
Clerk of the course Tom Ryall had expressed concerns about waterlogging at Warwick after persistent rain had put the whole town on flood alert.
His fears proved warranted, with this afternoon’s fixture called off due to unsafe ground on parts of the course.
There was better news at Newcastle, where racing is scheduled to go ahead following a second inspection this morning.
Officials took a look at the track yesterday afternoon due to areas of standing water earlier in the week but it was deemed raceable.
The same view was taken this morning, although “conditions will continue to be closely monitored”.
Having lost their Fighting Fifth Hurdle card at the start of the month due to snow, today’s going is described as heavy, with a low risk of early showers before the weather should brighten up.
There will also be jumps racing at Taunton, where the ground is soft, good to soft in places, plus an all-weather Flat card at Chelmsford this evening.
What the papers say
The fallout from Manchester United’s Champions League exit continues with the future of manager Erik ten Hag under the spotlight. The Independent says no major decisions are expected until the sale of 25 per cent of the club to Ineos boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe is completed, but The Sun reports former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter is in line to take over.
The Daily Mail reports United are more likely to listen to offers for players after missing out on the money for reaching the knockout stages. Brazil midfielder Casemiro, 31, and France duo Anthony Martial, 28, and Raphael Varane, 30, could be available.
Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen could be on the move in January. According to the Daily Mirror, the club will be open to offers for the Dutch defender, 21.
English defender Archie Brown’s performances for Belgian side Gent have been catching the eye back home. The Daily Mail says Everton, Burnley and Leeds United are interested in the 21-year-old.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Jakub Kiwior: AC Milan are talking to Arsenal about a loan move for the Poland defender, 23, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato.
Nico Elvedi: Borussia Monchengladbach’s Swiss defender, 27, is a potential target for Chelsea, reports Teamtalk.
c scored his league-leading fourth short-handed goal with 1:33 remaining and the red-hot New York Islanders rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.
Mathew Barzal, Kyle Palmieri and Casey Cizikas also scored for the Islanders, who won their fourth straight and improved to 6-0-1 in their last seven games.
Troy Terry, Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick tallied for Anaheim, which dropped its fourth in a row and 12th in 13 games.
Carrick scored the Ducks’ third straight goal at 5:07 of the third period for a 3-2 lead, but Barzal tied it on the power play 2 ½ minutes later.
Holmstrom has scored half of his eight goals this season while short-handed.
Penguins beat Canadiens in lengthy shootout
Sidney Crosby had two goals and an assist and Jansen Harkins scored in the 12th round of the shootout to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
Crosby’s three points moved him past Paul Coffey and into a tie with former teammate Mark Recchi for 13th place on the NHL scoring list with 1,533.
Montreal’s Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield and Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang and Crosby all scored on the first four attempts of the shootout. The next eight skaters failed to convert until Sean Monahan scored for the Canadiens and Lars Eller for the Penguins in the seventh round.
Another nine skaters went before Harkins, who had only 4 ½ minutes of ice time during the game, ended it.
Jack Hughes keeps Devils surging
Jack Hughes scored midway through overtime and the New Jersey Devils rallied for a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins.
Dawson Mercer scored the tying goal early in the third period and Vitek Vanecek stopped 24 shots to help New Jersey win for the seventh time in nine games.
Morgan Geekie had the lone tally for the Bruins, who have at least a point in five of six (4-1-1).
It has been another astonishing year of sporting drama, featuring triumphs for Europe’s Ryder Cup team, a near-miss for England’s women footballers and a nightmare title defence for the men’s cricketers.
Here, the PA news agency looks back on five of the best and worst sporting moments of 2023.
Best momentsDarting perfection in World Championship final
Michael Smith fired a stunning nine-dart finish in one of the greatest legs in the history of the World Championship during the early stages of the final with Michael Van Gerwen. In the third leg of the second set it was Van Gerwen who had the first chance at perfection, only to miss double 12. Smith, throwing second, was right behind him though, and made no mistake, following seven-successive treble 20s with a treble 19 and the prized double 12 to send the Alexandra Palace crowd wild. Smith’s perfect leg was the just the second in a World Championship final and he went on to complete a 7-4 victory.
Unseeded Vondrousova wins Wimbledon
Marketa Vondrousova defeated favourite Ons Jabeur in straight sets to make history as the first unseeded women’s singles champion at Wimbledon. The Czech player took advantage of a nervous performance from Jabeur to claim a 6-4 6-4 victory, just eight months after being ranked outside the world’s top 100 and winning a somewhat less prestigious tournament at The Shrewsbury Club in Shropshire. With the Princess of Wales and tennis royalty Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King watching from the front row of the Royal Box, Vondrousova recovered from 4-2 down in the opening set and 3-1 behind in the second to secure a first grand slam title.
Europe retain Solheim Cup after thrilling tie in Spain
Home favourite Carlota Ciganda played a starring role as Europe retained the Solheim Cup after a thrilling 14-14 draw with the United States, the first in the biennial contest’s history. Trailing 4-0 after the opening foursomes, Suzann Pettersen’s side rallied magnificently at Finca Cortesin and it fittingly fell to Spanish star Ciganda to ensure the trophy would remain in Europe with her fourth win from four matches. Pettersen, who will also captain the side in Virginia next year, said: “This is one of the best things I’ve been a part of and this is what makes Solheim Cups so special. It’s going to be one pretty good party tonight.”
Double gold for Britain in World Athletics Championship
Katarina Johnson-Thompson completed a stunning comeback to reclaim her world heptathlon title, edging out American favourite Anna Hall by just 20 points in Budapest. It represented a remarkable return to the top for the 30-year-old after a ruptured Achilles in 2020 and a calf injury at the Tokyo Olympics which forced her to quit after day one. Three days later, Josh Kerr succeeded compatriot Jake Wightman as world champion over 1,500m as he outsprinted odds-on favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the home straight.
Europe regain Ryder Cup in Rome
Two years after suffering a humiliating defeat by a record 19-9 margin at Whistling Straits, Europe regained the Ryder Cup from the United States in impressive fashion at Marco Simone. Captained superbly by Luke Donald, who had inherited the role when Henrik Stenson was sacked for joining LIV Golf, the home side made the ideal start with an unprecedented 4-0 whitewash in the opening foursomes and never loosened their grip, with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland living up to their star billing.
Worst momentsAdam Johnson dies after accident in ice hockey game
Ice hockey and the wider sporting world was shocked by the death of Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson in what the club described as a freak accident. The 29-year-old American died on October 28 after being hit in the neck by an opposition player’s skate during a match at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. Minnesota-born Johnson played for Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League before spending the 2020-21 season in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks.
WTA Finals leaves top players feeling ‘disrespected’
For the third year in succession a late decision was made about the venue for the season-ending showpiece, with Cancun in hurricane season unsurprisingly proving a poor choice. World number two Aryna Sabalenka easily won her opening match but then took to social media to criticise the arrangements for players, who were only able to practise in the temporary arena for the first time the day before matches got under way. “I am very disappointed with the WTA and the experience so far at the WTA Finals,” Sabalenka wrote. “As a player, I feel really disrespected by the WTA. I think most of us do. To be honest, I don’t feel safe moving on this court a lot of the time.”
Sir Bobby Charlton dies
Tributes flooded in from the world of football following the death of Sir Bobby Charlton in October at the age of 86. He was a key member of England’s victorious 1966 World Cup team and also enjoyed great success at club level with Manchester United, who became the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968. That triumph came 10 years after the Munich air disaster, which Charlton and team manager Sir Matt Busby survived but which claimed the lives of eight of Charlton’s team-mates. Charlton played in the World Cup final alongside his brother Jack – who died in 2020 – and won 106 caps for England, scoring 49 goals. His death means Sir Geoff Hurst is the only surviving member of the side from the World Cup win.
Luis Rubiales overshadows Spain’s World Cup triumph
Spain’s victory over England in the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney was overshadowed by the actions of Spanish Football Association president Luis Rubiales, who celebrated his nation’s victory by grabbing his crotch while standing alongside Spain’s Queen Letizia and 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofia in a VIP box and then kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation ceremony. Hermoso said the kiss was not consensual and, after a long-running saga which included his mother staging a brief hunger strike, Rubiales eventually resigned and was banned by FIFA from all football-related activity for three years.
England’s Cricket World Cup defence
England arrived in India as reigning champions and well fancied to cement their legacy as the premier white-ball side of their generation. They departed after six long and chastening weeks with tails planted firmly between their legs, having conjured a calamitous cocktail of muddled selection, tactical naivety and rank bad form in the middle. Captain Jos Buttler personified their struggles as they endured their worst-ever sequence of results at the tournament, unable to make a dent with the bat as his side were humbled by Jonathan Trott’s Afghanistan and a Sri Lanka side helmed by sacked England coach Chris Silverwood. A seventh-placed finish somehow flattered them.
Manchester City achieved their holy grail of winning the Champions League in 2023 but did it against the backdrop of being hit with an unprecedented number of charges for alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules.
It was that kind of year in many ways. Spain made history by winning the Women’s World Cup, but immediately found themselves embroiled in a sexism scandal, while the unexpected success of England’s rugby team came with major setbacks for the cricketers.
Here the PA news agency looks at 10 things we learned in 2023.
Manchester City get the one they wanted
For all the Premier League titles won and records set, Pep Guardiola had openly acknowledged he needed to bring the Champions League trophy to Manchester City for his time at the Etihad Stadium to be considered a success.
And in June they did just that as Rodri’s second-half goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul and see City emulate neighbours United by securing a treble, adding the Champions League to the Premier League and FA Cup trophies they had already lifted.
It was the trophy City had wanted more than any other during the more than decade-long overhaul under Sheikh Mansour’s ownership, and it was finally theirs.
Governance battles
City’s success came only a few months after they were hit with a stunning 115 charges by the Premier League for alleged breaches of financial regulations – a case that is expected to rumble on long into next year and beyond.
But when the Premier League imposed a 10-point penalty on Everton for a much lesser offence, many in football were shocked and there are now serious questions about how the Premier League handles not only City’s case but also possible charges against Chelsea, who self-reported their own breaches.
At a time when the Premier League is trying to show it does not need an independent regulator, the ramifications of how these cases play out could be huge.
LIV continues to rock golf
Jon Rahm’s December announcement that he was joining the LIV circuit showed that golf is still yet to figure out how to deal with the Saudi-backed start-up.
The joint announcement in June which saw the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV announce a framework for a merger to form a unified commercial entity was far from the end of the dispute and – as some players have said – might even make it easier for players to feel they can jump ship.
Rahm has been a critic of LIV in the past, but, following his Masters triumph and Europe’s Ryder Cup success, made the timing right for him. Where it leaves the rest of golf is unclear as we await further progress on talks between the rival tours.
World Cup woes leave questions for the ECB
England’s defence of their Cricket World Cup title could barely have gone much worse as they won only three of nine games in India, prompting yet more soul-searching.
The ECB’s decision to sideline its domestic 50-over competition in favour of The Hundred does not look good in this context, although how much impact it might actually have is unclear.
The bigger focus is perhaps on the ever-scrutinised schedule. England played half as many ODIs in the build-up to this World Cup than they did before winning in 2019, and most were against weak opposition.
Bitter disappointment for England Women
After the highs of their European Championship triumph, England went to the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand among the favourites but it was not to be.
Sarina Wiegman’s team overcame Lauren James’ red card to edge past Nigeria on penalties before seeing off Colombia and hosts Australia but, despite the heroics of Mary Earps in goal, Spain proved too strong in the final, with Olga Carmona scoring the only goal.
This month a 6-0 rout of Scotland was not enough for England to top their Nations League group as the Netherlands scored late to beat Belgium 4-0, denying Team GB a place at next summer’s Olympics in Paris.
A World Cup final overshadowed
Spain made history by beating England in the final in Sydney, lifting the World Cup trophy for the first time.
But their big moment became mired in controversy after Luis Rubiales, then president of the Spanish federation, kissed Jennifer Hermoso on the lips during the celebrations despite her obvious discomfort, and was also seen making obscene gestures.
Rubiales then refused to resign for several weeks as the controversy enveloped Spanish football, showing just how much more work lies ahead in changing attitudes.
Red Bull’s dominance is unprecedented
Red Bull completed the most dominant season ever seen in the history of Formula One in 2023 as Max Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races to leave everyone else in a separate competition.
While there is hope that a fresh season will offer fresh opportunities to their rivals, the sheer scale of their dominance brings its own issues.
With titles effectively secured long ago, Red Bull have already been able to work on the development of next year’s car – leaving everyone else to play catch up once more.
Bright spots for Borthwick
England went to the Rugby World Cup amid relatively low expectations on the back of home defeats to Scotland, France and Fiji during the course of 2023.
It was therefore a welcome surprise to see them not only get out of their group but see off Fiji in the quarter-final before pushing eventual champions South Africa all the way as they lost the semi-final 16-15.
While some experienced players will be retiring, it was a performance that offered hope for the future as exciting youngsters such as Henry Arundell emerged.
Sport continues to grapple with war
The International Olympic Committee has announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify for Paris 2024 will be allowed to compete as individuals next summer.
The IOC said the decision, quickly condemned by Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country, was about “respecting human rights”.
However, although the IOC has given the green light, many individual sporting governing bodies – not least World Athletics – have not changed their positions, meaning athletes in those events will remain ineligible.
The glacial pace of change at Old Trafford
It is more than a year since the Glazer family announced they would consider a sale or minority investment at Manchester United, offering fans hope that years of neglect could soon be coming to an end.
The deal for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to take a 25 per cent stake – one that would come with considerable control – is not the clean break most wanted, but it does at least offer hope of change, albeit one that is taking longer than expected with mooted timetables for completion having come and gone.
In the meantime, the team continues to lurch from mini-crisis to mini-crisis on the pitch, with Erik ten Hag’s side having been unable to build on the encouragement of last season. Will 2024 be the year real change finally comes to Old Trafford?
It has been another eventful year of sporting action.
Manchester City completed the treble, Europe regained the Ryder Cup and Max Verstappen was once again a dominant winner of the Formula One world championship.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the last 12 months through a selection of sporting pictures.
Erling Haaland, Max Verstappen and Novak Djokovic were among the male stars to produce historic statistics in a memorable year of sport.
Marketa Vondrousova also made history as the first unseeded winner of the Wimbledon women’s single title, while Europe retained the Solheim Cup with an unprecedented draw against the United States.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at the standout numbers from 2023.
36 – Erling Haaland’s Premier League-record goal tally as he won last season’s Golden Boot.
280 and 62 – Harry Kane set new goalscoring records for both Tottenham and England, passing Jimmy Greaves’ 266 for Spurs in February and Wayne Rooney’s 53 for his country the following month. He also joined Rooney and Alan Shearer as only the third player with 200 Premier League goals, reaching 213 before leaving for Bayern Munich in the summer.
£106.8million – the British record transfer fee paid by Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez in January as part of Todd Boehly’s £1billion spending spree. Team-mate Moises Caicedo’s move from Brighton could break the record with add-ons potentially taking his price to £115m.
77,390 – A crowd of 77,390 watched Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Women’s FA Cup final, breaking the world record for a women’s domestic club fixture previously set when Atletico Madrid hosted Barcelona in 2019.
10 – points deducted from Everton for breaching Premier League financial regulations.
3 – Number of clean sheets kept by Mary Earps, who was awarded the Golden Glove after helping England reach the Women’s World Cup final, where she also saved a penalty in the 1-0 defeat to Spain.
19 – Max Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races as he took his third successive Formula One world title.
575 – Verstappen’s record points tally was more than double Sergio Perez’s second-placed 285.
24 – Novak Djokovic’s tally of grand slam titles after winning the Australian, French and US Opens this year – the most by a male player and tying Margaret Court’s all-time record.
1 – Marketa Vondrousova beat sixth seed Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-4 to become the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title.
81 – Frankie Dettori retired from racing in Britain with an 81st Ascot winner aboard King of Steel in the Qipco Champion Stakes. That total includes nine Gold Cups as well as his unforgettable seven-timer in 1996 when he rode every winner on the card.
600 – Stuart Broad became only the fifth man to take 600 Test wickets, finishing his career with 604 as he retired after the Ashes.
26,643 – career first-class runs for former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, who retired in October.
89 – Australia won the only Test in the Women’s Ashes by 89 runs and went on to retain the urn after the series ended 8-8.
229 – England’s losing margin against South Africa during their dreadful Cricket World Cup defence was their highest by runs in a one-day international.
4 – South Africa won a record fourth Rugby World Cup, moving clear of final opponents New Zealand with their 12-11 win in Saint-Denis.
58,498 – The record crowd at Twickenham as England completed the Grand Slam in the Women’s Six Nations with a 38-33 victory over France.
16.5-11.5 – the score as Europe won the Ryder Cup in Rome.
14-14 – Europe retained the Solheim Cup after the first draw in the history of the contest in Spain.
37 – Simone Biles’ record tally of Olympic and World Championship medals after winning four golds and a silver in Antwerp in October. Her total includes four Olympic and 23 world golds.
47 – Ronnie O’Sullivan became snooker’s oldest UK champion aged 47, 30 years after his win aged 17 which still makes him the youngest. It was his eighth win in the event and his 22nd triple crown title.
20 – Katarina Johnson-Thompson won her second world heptathlon title by just 20 points in Budapest.
61-45 – The score as England lost to Australia in the Netball World Cup final in Cape Town.
After years of near misses, 2023 was when everything came together on the pitch for Manchester City and they finally got their hands on the Champions League trophy.
Their triumph on a glorious June evening in Istanbul, sealed with a fine Rodri strike against Inter Milan, capped a memorable campaign in which they also retained the Premier League and won the FA Cup.
It was a treble achieved only once previously, by Manchester United, and City left their rivals in no doubt as to where the power now lies along the way as they swatted them aside at Wembley.
Ilkay Gundogan scored the fastest goal recorded in an FA Cup final, after just 13 seconds, as City prevailed in an all-Manchester showpiece that was more convincing than the 2-1 scoreline suggested.
The manner in which City won the title was just as impressive, clawing back an eight-point deficit in the spring to overhaul Arsenal, the highlight being a stunning 4-1 defeat of the Gunners in April.
The intensity of that performance was matched over two legs against Real Madrid in the Champions League final, with the 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium leaving few in any doubt this was a side destined for greatness.
Erling Haaland finished the 2022-23 campaign with an extraordinary 52 goals to his name yet the story of City’s season was of a fine team tuned to perfection by Pep Guardiola.
But a large cloud still hangs over the club, after they were charged with 115 historical breaches of financial regulations by the Premier League in February.
Elsewhere, Manchester United returned to trophy-winning ways by claiming the Carabao Cup and Newcastle emerged as a new force by snatching a Champions League spot.
West Ham won their first major trophy since 1980 as they triumphed in the Europa Conference League, a success that finally earned silverware for their veteran manager David Moyes. Beating Fiorentina in the final also provided a fitting farewell for Declan Rice, who later joined Arsenal.
Everton evaded relegation by the skin of their teeth with Leicester facing the drop instead, just six years after winning the Premier League. Luton, a mere 10 years after playing in the National League, defied the odds to win promotion.
Celtic won the domestic treble north of the border while on the international front, England and Scotland both qualified for Euro 2024. Wales will hope to join them.
The women’s game was dominated by the World Cup in Australia. England enjoyed a fine run to the final but fell at the last hurdle as Spain took the glory in a game that became overshadowed by post-match controversy involving Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales.
The Women’s Super League was won, for a fourth year in succession, by Chelsea.
The Paris Olympics and Euro 2024 will underpin next year’s sporting calendar.
Here, the PA news agency picks out 10 stars who are expected to shine.
Sky Brown
Britain’s skateboard superstar claimed an historic bronze medal at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics and will head to Paris as the reigning world champion in the park category. Still only 15, Brown has still not given up hope of also representing Team GB in the Olympic surfing event in Tahiti.
Simone Biles
One of the world’s greatest ever gymnasts launched a spectacular return in 2023, after an extended hiatus to prioritise mental health. With a remarkable four world golds, including in the prestigious women’s all-around, Biles once again set her stall out as the star to watch in Paris.
Noah Lyles
The US track star dazzled in 2023, winning gold in both 100m and 200m at the World Championships in Budapest. Looking to build on the 200m bronze he took in Tokyo, Lyles is intent on expanding his horizons by potentially also forming a part of the men’s 4x400m relay squad.
Jude Bellingham
England’s Bellingham has made a stunning start to his Real Madrid career, scoring 12 goals in his first 14 LaLiga appearances and also becoming the first player to score in each of his first four Champions League appearances for the club. A sensational platform at Euro 2024 in Germany awaits.
Sam Walters
The 6ft 6ins Walters was one of the more dependable figures in another testing rugby league season for Leeds Rhinos, so it came as a great surprise that he was allowed to leave to join rivals and reigning Super League champions Wigan. Walters’ speed and power can only make the champions stronger.
Jannik Sinner
Speedy baseliner Sinner has been threatening to move into serious grand slam title contention for some time and the signs are that 2024 could be his year. Sinner won two of four meetings with Novak Djokovic – including a dramatic Davis Cup rubber – and more of the same is seemingly assured for 2024.
Luca Brecel
He probably will not practice and will be one of the first to write off his chances. But enigmatic Belgian Luca Brecel will return to the Crucible in April as the defending world snooker champion – and one of the few top-level current players who can boast the stamina to get to the end of the 17 gruelling days.
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe might not be in the best of moods in relation to his club career but his importance to France – and his ability to light up the game’s biggest stages – will be in evidence during Euro 2024. Moreover, Mbappe still harbours hopes of appearing as an over-age player at the Paris Olympics.
Keely Hodgkinson
So far it has been a career of so near yet so far for the British 800 metres ace, who has had to settle for silver medals at consecutive world championships, as well as the Tokyo Olympics and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. All eyes will be on her bid to go one better in Paris.
Nat Sciver-Brunt
The all-rounder, who has landed a deal to play for Perth Scorchers in the next women’s Big Bash, will play a pivotal role when England are scheduled to head to Bangladesh in 2024 as one of the favourites to clinch the women’s T20 world title.
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