Ederson believes Manchester City already have "the next manager in mind" for when Pep Guardiola departs the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola's contract with the Citizens expires at the end of the 2024-25 season, and the Spaniard is undecided on his long-term future.
The 53-year-old has guided City to six Premier League titles - including an unprecedented four in a row - since joining the club in 2016, as well as the Champions League, Club World Cup and four Carabao Cup triumphs.
Ederson, whose own future at the Etihad was also recently under speculation, knows it will be "a great loss" on the day Guardiola ends his stay with City.
However, the goalkeeper thinks the club are prepared for when the time arrives.
"City is a very well-structured club, well-managed, it has great directors, a great CEO, a great coach," Ederson told TNT Sports Brazil.
"I believe the club already has the next manager in mind. The day Pep decides to leave, they will try to follow the same line of work.
"Of course, it would be a great loss. I have no doubt about that, because you are talking about the best coach in the world. I see a club very well-prepared for post-Guardiola."
Arne Slot insists Trent Alexander-Arnold is not "disturbed" by speculation surrounding his future at Liverpool, with the defender's contract running down at Anfield.
Alexander-Arnold is into the final year of his existing deal with the Reds, and has been linked with a move to reigning Champions League and LaLiga winners Real Madrid.
The England defender is now Liverpool's vice-captain to skipper Virgil van Dijk who, along with Mohamed Salah, is also out of contract at the end of this season.
However, speaking ahead of the Reds' clash with Chelsea on Sunday, Slot says dealing with speculation on a frequent basis is nothing new to his players.
"I think you underestimate our players," the Dutchman told reporters during his pre-match press conference. "These players are used to being linked with all the top clubs on a daily basis, if they have contracts or not.
"If you think they're disturbed by this interest, then you don't do justice to how strong they are mentally. This is part of our job. This is part of this world we are living in. You just focus on what you have to do.
"Maybe, if you're 17 or 18 years of age, it could be difficult for you. But Trent has won the league, has won the Champions League; Virgil and Mo the same. I don't think that is a problem for them to perform and that's what we see at the moment, because they're playing really well."
Alexander-Arnold has enjoyed a positive start to the campaign, playing all seven Premier League matches for Liverpool, who are the early pace setters in the English top flight.
The England full-back has also started all four of the Three Lions' Nations League games under interim boss Lee Carsley.
"He's been very good for us until now," Slot added. "He was - and is still - important in the attacking part of our game.
"I also like the way he has defended until now in the games he has played for us. I think he made a step-up in that perspective.
"But, like all the others, there's still room for improvement. That's clear. But he's done very well for us this season, and I think he's done really well for the national team as well."
Bridget Carleton's two free throws with 2.0 seconds left forced a winner-take-all Game 5 of the WNBA Finals as the Minnesota Lynx came through with an 82-80 victory over the New York Liberty on Friday.
Carleton came down with the rebound of team-mate Courtney Williams' missed shot in the waning seconds and was fouled by New York's Sabrina Ionescu with the score tied at 80-80. The veteran forward calmly made both free throws before Ionescu misfired on a long 3-point try right before the final buzzer.
Kayla McBride had 19 points and Williams added 15 with seven assists as the second-seeded Lynx tied the best-of-five series at 2-2 and sent it back to New York for Sunday's deciding Game 5.
Minnesota also denied the top-seeded Liberty an elusive first WNBA championship by forcing New York's two biggest stars, Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, into off-shooting nights.
Stewart was just 5 of 21 from the floor while finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Ionescu was held to 10 points on 5-of-15 shooting. The All-Star duo went a combined 0 of 9 from 3-point range.
Jonquel Jones led New York, which is 0-5 all-time in WNBA FInals, with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds.
In a tightly contested game in which neither team led by more than six points, the Lynx took an 80-75 advantage on McBride's 3-pointer with 2:35 to play.
The Liberty fought back, however, as Ionescu converted a layup on the ensuing possession and Jones was later fouled after scoring off a feed from Stewart with 1:10 remaining. She completed the three-point play to knot the score at 80-80.
New York missed three shots on its next trip down the court, however, before giving the Lynx the ball back on a shot-clock violation with 18.3 seconds remaining.
Pete Alonso's three-run homer in the first inning set the tone as the New York Mets avoided elimination in the National League Championship Series with Friday's 12-6 Game 5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
New York battered Dodgers' starter Jack Flaherty for eight runs through the first three innings to send the best-of-seven series back to Los Angeles for Sunday's Game 6. Starling Marte finished 4 for 5 and knocked in three runs to help keep the Mets alive, while Francisco Alvarez had a run-scoring single among his three hits.
Francisco Lindor and Jesse Winker each added two hits and had run-scoring triples for New York, which overcame a two-homer performance by Andy Pages that accounted for four of the Dodgers' runs.
Mookie Betts went 2 for 4 with a solo homer for the Dodgers, but Flaherty was unable to duplicate a stellar Game 1 effort in which he allowed just two hits over seven scoreless innings.
Los Angeles will now attempt to claim its second NL pennant in five years back home, though they'll have to face New York's Sean Manaea in Game 6. The left-hander is 2-0 with a 2.65 ERA in three starts this post-season and earned the win in Game 2 at Dodger Stadium.
The Mets got to Flaherty early in this one, as Lindor started the bottom of the first inning with a single and Brandon Nimmo followed with a walk. Two batters later, Alonso drove a pitch over the center field wall for a 3-0 lead.
Los Angeles got a run back in the second inning, but New York broke the game open with five runs off Flaherty in the third.
Alonso and Winker began the Mets' half of the inning with walks before Marte drove both runners home with a double. Marte later scored on Alvarez's two-out single that preceded Lindor's triple that extended the margin to 7-1.
Nimmo then capped the big inning by plating Lindor with a single.
Pages delivered his first homer of the game in the top of the fourth, but Winker tripled in Alonso in the bottom of the inning and scored on Jeff McNeil's sacrifice fly for a 10-2 New York lead.
The Dodgers got closer when Pages connected for a three-run homer off Reed Garrett in the fifth inning, and Betts' solo blast in the sixth trimmed the margin to 10-6.
New York would tack on another run in the bottom of the sixth, however, and Marte singled in Alonso in the eighth for more insurance.
Yankees score twice in ninth for 3-1 lead over Guardians in ALCS
New York's other team is now one win away from its first World Series appearance since 2009 after the Yankees scored twice in the ninth inning to pull out an 8-6 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 4 of the ALCS.
The Yankees bounced back from Thursday's 7-5, 10-inning loss in Game 3 and from blowing a four-run lead in Game 4, as Cleveland scored three times in the seventh inning and once in the eighth to tie the game at 6-6.
Alex Verdugo and Gleyber Torres each knocked in runs off Cleveland All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase in the top of the ninth, however, before Tommy Kahnle held the Guardians scoreless in the bottom of the inning to give New York a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Yankees can close it out in Saturday's Game 5 in Cleveland behind Carlos Rodon, who beat the Guardians in Game 1 with six innings of one-run ball.
New York had built a 6-2 lead on three home runs - a two-run shot from Juan Soto in the first inning, a solo blast from Austin Wells in the second and Giancarlo Stanton's three-run shot in the sixth.
Josh Naylor had two hits and three runs batted in for the AL Central champion Guardians, while Jose Ramirez went 2 for 3 and knocked in two runs as both players keyed Cleveland's late rally.
The Guardians put two on to start the bottom of the seventh before Ramirez delivered a run-scoring double off reliever Clay Holmes to cut New York's lead to 6-3. Naylor followed with a double that brought in Steven Kwan and Ramirez and got Cleveland within one.
Naylor then led off the bottom of the eighth with a double off Mark Leiter Jr. and later scored on David Fry's infield hit that tied the game at 6-6.
The Yankees began the ninth with singles by Anthony RIzzo and Anthony Volpe off Clase, however. After Volpe stole second to put two in scoring position, Verdugo reached on a dribbler that Cleveland shortstop Brayan Rocchio mishandled for an error as the go-ahead run crossed the plate.
Torres followed with a single that scored Volpe for an 8-6 advantage.
The Guardians got their first run in the bottom of the first to counter Soto's two-run shot in the top of the inning. After Wells' homer in the second put New York up 3-1, Kwan singled in the third and later scored on a Naylor single to pull Cleveland closer.
Juventus will have Timothy Weah and Nicolo Fagioli available to face Lazio in Serie A on Saturday, though Thiago Motta's men are still without six other players.
Juventus have not won at home in the league since the opening day of the season, when they beat Como 3-0.
A run of four draws in their last five games has left them third in the standings, level on 13 points with fourth-placed Lazio.
Defender Bremer, midfielders Teun Koopmeiners and Weston McKennie, winger Nicolas Gonzalez and forward Arkadiusz Milik are all sidelined, Motta told reporters on Friday, while winger Francisco Conceicao is suspended.
"Fagioli and Weah will be available for selection," Motta said. "I want to see a performance deserving of a positive result. We must play well in many different areas."
Midfielder Douglas Luiz, meanwhile, seems to have turned a corner in training after a poor start to the season after his big-money arrival from Aston Villa.
"Luiz has a great attitude in training," Motta added. "He's doing really well, it's telling to see people's reactions in difficult moments and I've seen a fantastic reaction from him.
"So far when he has played he has done well, but he can do better."
Motta is expecting a tough challenge against the Biancocelesti, adding: "We must be ready for anything.
"I expected Lazio to be at the top of the table, they are a good team with a great coach who has deserved what he has won.
"We will have another chance to show that even in difficult times we can be a competitive team. The stadium will be full and that's good, it means there's enthusiasm."
Borussia Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy headed an 83rd-minute winner in a 2-1 victory over St Pauli on Friday, provisionally taking them fourth in the Bundesliga table.
Guinea international Guirassy headed in a cross at the far post to clinch the points five minutes after Eric Smith silenced the home crowd with a stunning 30-yard equaliser.
Dortmund, who face Real Madrid in the Champions League next week, took a deserved lead through Ramy Bensebaini's looping header two minutes before the break.
They should have scored again with Julian Brandt and Donyell Malen spurning glaring chances, but instead it was the visitors who struck with Smith's 30-yard blockbuster in the 78th minute.
Guirassy, however, had the final say, heading in a cross from Jamie Bynoe-Gittens for his fourth goal of the campaign to lift Nuri Sahin's side to 13 points.
Leaders Bayern Munich, on 14, face Stuttgart on Saturday while RB Leipzig, also on 14, travel to Mainz.
Data Debrief: Guirassy takes his chance
No player in the Bundesliga has had chances with an expected goals (xG) value matching Guirassy's 4.42 so far this season.
He fired off six shots worth 1.66 xG – both game-high figures – on Friday, finally getting his reward when he nodded Bynoe-Gittens' cross past Nikola Vasilj.
Only Stuttgart (five) have bettered BVB's tally of four goals in the final 15 minutes of second halves in the Bundesliga this campaign.
Goals from Pascal Struijk and Mateo Joseph fired Leeds to a 2-0 derby win over Sheffield United, taking them above the Blades and into second in the Championship table.
Struijk met Joe Rothwell's flat corner-kick delivery with a crashing strike that hit the roof of the net after 69 minutes, before Joseph came off the bench to seal the points with a close-range finish.
Chris Wilder's visitors, who entered the game as the only unbeaten side in the Football League in 2024-25, had earlier defended resolutely to prevent Leeds from turning their dominance of possession into clear-cut chances.
Largie Ramazani went closest to the breakthrough in the first half as his low drive was repelled by Blades goalkeeper Michael Cooper, while Brenden Aaronson volleyed wide of the near post shortly before the break.
Sheffield United briefly improved after the restart as Joe Rodon's block diverted Ollie Arblaster's drive wide, but the Blades were caught out from a set-piece soon afterwards.
Struijk was not tracked as he raced onto Rothwell's clever corner to blast home, just the fourth goal Sheffield United had conceded in league play this season and the first since August 24.
With Sheffield United throwing men forward, Leeds made certain of the result in the 90th minute, Joseph taking in Joel Piroe's pass before sliding his finish into the bottom-left corner.
Data Debrief: Leeds maintain derby hoodoo
Leeds' victory extended their unbeaten streak in Yorkshire derbies to 16 league matches (12 wins, four draws), with their last such defeat coming against Sheffield Wednesday in the second tier in January 2020.
It is their longest ever such run against Yorkshire rivals, while they have also recorded three straight league victories over the Blades, who they beat twice in the Premier League in 2020-21 (1-0 away, 2-1 home).
At any major championship, a strong performance in the semi-finals usually makes an athlete’s confidence skyrocket heading into the round where the medals will be decided.
According to reigning Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred, this was exactly the case for her in Paris in August.
After getting through her heat comfortably in 10.95, Alfred, 23, was drawn in a brutal second semi-final that also included 2023 World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson and was supposed to have 10-time World and three-time Olympic Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Fraser-Pryce failed to turn up for the race meaning Alfred still had Richardson to contend with.
“When I saw the line-up, I was like man, I have to run! I really have to run tomorrow. I kept thinking about how I’m going to execute,” she said on a recent episode of Out D' Blocks on the SportsMax TV YouTube Channel.
“I had to psych myself up mentally,” she added.
The execution couldn’t have gone more perfectly for the St. Lucian as she blasted out of the blocks, getting a big lead on Richardson before shutting down towards the line to win in 10.84.
She then repeated in the final, speeding to a personal best and national record 10.72 to win her country’s first ever Olympic medal.
Alfred says her semi-final performance gave her the confidence she needed to produce her best in the final.
“After that semi-final, I gained so much confidence,” she said.
Crossing that line and executing such a good race and even slowing down in the last five metres of the race, I knew I had it in the bag as long as I go out there and do it in the final,” Alfred added.
The World Indoor 60m champion said the performance in the semi-final helped her to be calmer in the final.
“I was as relaxed as possible. The way that semi-final turned out was the best thing that happened to me because I gained all the confidence,” she said.
“Just going back to the warm-up area, my coach kept telling me we’re not done yet, we have one more round,” she added.
Erik ten Hag claims his critics have invented "lies and fairytales" about his Manchester United tenure as his Old Trafford future continues to be questioned.
Ten Hag has overseen United's worst-ever start to a Premier League season, with the Red Devils emerging from the international break with just eight points from seven games.
They have also failed to score in any of their last three league matches – losing 3-0 at home to Tottenham between goalless draws with Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.
There were suggestions Ten Hag's future was up for discussion when members of United's new leadership group – including Jim Ratcliffe – met with Joel Glazer during the hiatus, but the Dutchman is bullish regarding his position.
Asked if he had received assurances regarding his future from United's hierarchy, Ten Hag said on Friday: "No.
"The noises came from the media, some of you, not all of you. Some of you are coming up with stories, creating stories, creating fairytales, bringing noise, bringing lies.
"I know we are all on one page at this club. I've said this before the break to some journalists who probably didn't believe me as I saw the reports. Internally at the club it's quiet.
"Of course we are discussing the position we are in and we're unhappy with that. We have to turn the corner and that's the strategy to turn this corner.
"We are quiet and composed, we stick to the plan and are convinced we will turn the corner.
"Underneath I see good things, good patterns and good stats that confirm we are in a good direction, but the ranking is not lying. We are where we are and that's not good enough."
United's underlying metrics, however, do not make for encouraging reading for Ten Hag.
The Red Devils' tally of 11.11 expected goals (xG) this campaign is only good enough to rank them eighth in the Premier League, behind Saturday's opponents Brentford.
Meanwhile, only six teams – three of whom are yet to win – have conceded more expected goals against (xGA) than United's 11.54.
Opta's expected points model, meanwhile, suggests United's performances have only warranted a marginal upturn, with their figure of 10.4 expected points only putting them 10th.
Lando Norris believes the Formula One drivers' championship battle could shift in his favour after Red Bull were made to alter a controversial ride-height device found in their car.
On Thursday, it was confirmed that Red Bull had agreed a plan with the sport's governing body, the FIA, to remove a device that could potentially have been used to adjust the height of the car floor.
Alterations to cars when in restricted 'parc ferme' conditions between sessions on race weekends are prohibited.
Red Bull officials insist the device could not be used when the car is fully assembled, with the FIA saying there had been "no indication" of it being used to breach regulations.
However, Norris – who is 52 points behind Max Verstappen at the top of the drivers' championship standings – believes it could have given Red Bull a slight edge.
"It's one thing having it on your car, it's another thing how much you exploit it and use it, which we have no idea on," Norris said on Friday.
"If it has been helping them, if they have been utilising it in a way people think they have, maybe it will shift in our direction.
"But, when you talk about things like that, they won't have got several pole positions or wins because of that device.
"I don't think it will change anything in the scheme of things. Maybe at certain qualifying sessions, when it has been split by hundredths or thousandths, you might say, 'okay, maybe this has helped in this direction or that direction.'"
Verstappen and Norris were third and fourth, respectively, in the only practice session ahead of Sunday's United States Grand Prix, with Ferrari dominating.
Carlos Sainz set the pace, 0.021 seconds ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc and 0.253 quicker than Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton was fifth ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell despite a high-speed spin early in the session, with qualifying for Saturday's short sprint race taking place later on Friday.
Maureen Barnes-Smith, director of sales and marketing for Unique Vacations Canada, has praised the annual Baxter Canadian Golf Tournament as an essential platform for strengthening the relationship between Canadian travel advisors and brand Jamaica.
Barnes-Smith spoke glowingly about the commitment of travel advisors in promoting the island as a premier tourist destination, while also highlighting the broader impact of the event in terms of giving back to the community through the Sandals Foundation.
“I'm very excited this year in particular, because, you know, Jamaica is focused on so many different branches of tourism. Sports tourism is a big one for Jamaica, and this golf tournament certainly ties into that. The Baxter Canadian Travel Advisors Golf Tournament is more than just a sporting event—it’s an opportunity for us to continue fostering strong partnerships with travel advisors who have been instrumental in positioning Jamaica as a must-visit destination," Barnes-Smith told SportsMax.Tv.
“Travel advisors are the backbone of the travel industry, and their dedication in showcasing Jamaica's beauty, culture, and hospitality is invaluable. This tournament allows us to celebrate their hard work while engaging with them on a personal level," she added.
The golf tournament, which is now a staple event on the calendar for Canadian travel advisors, provides a unique mix of sports and tourism promotion, enabling participants to experience Jamaica's unique appeal firsthand.
A total of 17 teams of four golfers each engaged in the two-day tournament at the Sandals Golf and Country Club in Upton Estate.
Beyond networking benefits, Barnes-Smith highlighted that the tournament plays an important role in supporting the work of the Sandals Foundation, which, in honour of its 15th year of operation, invited professional golfer and celebrity entertainer Todd Keirstead to assist in raising much-needed funds.
"As always, we're trying to raise as much funds for the Sandals Foundation, so we brought Todd in from Canada to do trick shots at the golf course. So there are people teeing off people's heads, peeling off of coconuts, and it's all in aid of trying to build awareness because he's also a part of Para Canada," Barnes-Smith shared.
"So we're trying to really focus on the foundation and the good that the foundation does in the community, for the economy, and also for the environment. So we're focused on all of those things. So it's really about the golfing, but it's also about the destination and also about everything that we try to do for the Caribbean as a brand," she noted.
Barnes-Smith also revealed that a recent large-scale event, hosted by Sandals Resorts in Montego Bay, attracted over 600 travel agents, who were flown in to immerse themselves in the Jamaican experience.
That event, she said, was a massive success and part of the brand’s broader strategy to drive tourism as a whole, while showcasing the island’s potential as a destination for more than just sun and sand.
"We had a thousand people in Montego Bay yesterday (Wednesday), and it was all about brand Jamaica. We wanted to ensure that these agents had the chance to experience the best of what Jamaica has to offer—the culture, the people, the food, the music, and what we, as a company, as a brand, bring into Jamaica as a local Jamaican company.
"Because a lot of people see Sandals. They don't realise that Sandals is a Jamaican company, but also what we do for the rest of the Caribbean. But it's all about the destination, and golfing is just a small part,” Barnes-Smith explained.
Ultimately, Barnes-Smith underscored that everything they do is to assist travel advisors in becoming better equipped to sell Jamaica to their clients with confidence.
“As Sasco would say, sell Jamaica first, second, and third, and also fourth. So for me, it really is about getting everybody focused. We're a Caribbean company, but as a Jamaican brand, we also have a lot more exposure in Jamaica than we have anywhere else.
“So for us, it's all about making sure that we're giving back as much to this destination as we can and we're doing that through sports tourism, through the foundation, and through the Sandals Corporate University,” Smith-Barnes ended.
For the first time in Jamaica's Olympic history, the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) will host a formal ceremony to honour the nation’s athletes who competed in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Dubbed “Olympic Salute,” the event is scheduled for November 16 and will recognize and applaud the achievements of the country’s Olympians in a celebration that promises to blend tradition with modern elegance.
JOA President Christopher Samuda described the event as more than just an evening of glamour, saying, “It will be yesterday’s quintessential traditions blending with contemporary tastes, with both seated comfortably in the values of sport which we celebrate and give primacy in the Olympic movement.” Samuda’s words highlight the significance of this event, which will honour not only the athletes' achievements but also the deeper values and spirit of Olympism that guide their efforts.
Set to be an extraordinary affair, “Olympic Salute” will be a quadrennial tradition moving forward, held after each Olympic Games to celebrate Jamaica’s sporting excellence. JOA Secretary General and CEO Ryan Foster emphasized the lasting importance of such a ceremony, noting, “Excellence is not time-bound. It is timeless. So whenever and wherever the JOA observes it, we will applaud with respect and record for posterity while saluting our Olympic ambassadors, those inspired change makers of a great sporting heritage.”
While the event promises a sophisticated and grand atmosphere, with white gloves, pageantry, and all the trappings of a formal occasion, the core of “Olympic Salute” will be its solemn recognition of the dedication, resilience, and grit shown by Jamaica’s athletes. As Samuda further explained, “It is much more than deserving smiles and golden handshakes. It is a celebration of the mettle, resilience, and gravitas of the Olympic spirit exemplified in historic and gallant performances of our sportsmen and women.”
During the ceremony, the JOA will also unveil a new accolade—the Order of Pre-eminence, which will be the highest honour bestowed by the national sports body. This award is part of the JOA’s ongoing commitment to recognizing not just athletic success but also the values of integrity, sporting valour, and excellence that characterize Jamaica’s contribution to the global sporting community.
The “Olympic Salute” marks a historic milestone in Jamaica’s Olympic movement and is expected to set a standard for future celebrations of the nation’s Olympians, who continue to inspire generations with their dedication and achievements on the world stage.
The St Lucia Amateur Bodybuilding and Body Fitness Association (SLABBFA) is set to make its mark at the 51st Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding Championships, which takes place this weekend in Georgetown, Guyana. An eight-member team will represent the island, aiming to build on past successes at the prestigious regional event.
With over 200 athletes from across the Caribbean and Central America set to compete, this year’s championships will be a landmark event for the host country, as Guyana welcomes the competition for the first time in 20 years. For St Lucia, the stakes are high, with the team hoping to add to the country’s growing collection of medals from recent years.
At the 2023 CAC Championships in Aruba, Jabari Brouet captured a silver medal in the senior men’s physique up to 179cm, while Kirby Charles placed fourth in the senior men’s physique over 179cm. This year, both athletes return to the competition, bringing experience and determination. Brouet, representing Storm Caster Fitness, and Charles, of Mango Moon, will be eager to upgrade their previous performances and bring home more medals for St Lucia.
The team, however, features a mix of seasoned competitors and fresh faces. Shani Victorin of Mango Moon will be Saint Lucia’s sole female competitor, taking part in the women’s bikini category. Victorin’s debut marks an important step for the island in maintaining representation in female divisions.
Joneil Pelage
On the men’s side, Joneil Pelage of Energy Fitness Gym has made a strong comeback to competition in 2024 and is expected to lead the charge in the men’s bodybuilding category. He will be joined by Sharkym Daniel of Southern Fitness, adding depth to the team’s efforts in this discipline.
In the Fitness Speed Fit Challenge, three athletes from Soufriere Fitness Centre—Levi Edward, former track athlete Gratious Octave, and cricketer Shanii Mesmain—will showcase their athletic versatility as they take on this demanding event.
Accompanying the athletes are Jacqueline Trim, SLABBFA president and official judge, Monica Dudley, first vice president and team manager, and Eugene Gabriel, second vice president and coach, ensuring the athletes have the support they need to excel on the big stage.
St Lucia’s national bodybuilding team is no stranger to success, and the island is hopeful that this year's crop of competitors will once again stand out in a highly competitive field. Following impressive results in 2022 and 2023, including top-five finishes from Kirton Hubert, Velda John, and Rochael Philip, the team is optimistic about continuing their medal streak at this year’s championships.
Girona coach Michel is counting on the club's fans to give his depleted team a much-needed boost when they host Real Sociedad in LaLiga on Saturday.
Girona ended a six-game winless streak across all competitions by beating Athletic Bilbao prior to the international break, but they have lost several key players to injury.
Pau Lopez, Yaser Asprilla, Bryan Gil and Daley Blind are among those to be sidelined ahead of a gruelling run of fixtures prior to the November international break, including two Champions League matches against Slovan Bratislava and PSV.
"We have seven games in 21 days and we are short of players. We will have to call up five players from our youth academy for tomorrow's match," Michel said on Friday.
"Sociedad have a great squad and should fight to be at the top, but I also think the same about us.
"It's important that the fans are with us, I didn't like the way they booed us the other day [against Athletic].
"My players fight for every ball and they deserve to wear the Girona shirt. I hope the stadium will be full, we need it very much in such a historic season."
Backed by the wealth of their Abu Dhabi owners, Girona went toe-to-toe with Real Madrid in the title race last season, beating Barcelona twice before finishing third and qualifying for European football for the first time.
However, they have struggled this term with only three wins in all competitions, suffering losses to Feyenoord and Paris Saint-Germain in their first two Champions League matches.
Michel said: "We have players with personality and character. They also have a special motivation to be here.
"I'm worried about injuries because of the calendar... There's the Copa del Rey, two Champions League games, LaLiga... I'm worried, of course, but it is what it is.
"The players do everything in their power to make our fans proud of them. That's why I think that together we are stronger and at home we need the fans to be our 12th player."
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