Half-Way-Tree has long been the heartbeat of Jamaican celebrations, where people gather to cheer on our athletes as they make their mark on the global stage.
This year, Digicel Jamaica partnered with fellow ‘red brands’, Red Stripe, Grace and KFC, to continue the tradition with even greater fanfare.
The weeklong initiative formed part of the digital operator’s ‘One Jamaica’ campaign, aimed at uniting Jamaicans in a collective show of support for the nation’s athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“The Olympic Village brings us together as we continue to rise from the challenges of Hurricane Beryl,” said Chief Marketing Officer at Digicel Tari Lovell.
“Digicel was eager to be part of something truly special to rally unity and cheer on our athletes. In times of challenge and celebration, we stand together as One Jamaica, and this Olympic season is no exception,” he added.
Noah Williams has hailed Tom Daley as "an icon of the Olympics" after his Paris 2024 diving partner announced his retirement from the sport on Monday.
Together, Daley and Williams won silver in the men's synchronised 10m platform at the Games in the French capital earlier this month.
It marked Daley's fifth Olympic medal, following his gold in the same event alongside Matty Lee at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Yet Williams believes Daley's impact has been seismic in diving and beyond.
"He is literally an icon of the Olympics for Team GB. He is the one person who has transcended diving in my opinion," he told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.
"He's a massive activist for the gay community; he helps so many communities massively and has inspired so many people to take up not just diving, but sport in general.
"I will miss him in training, but I'm sure everyone will miss him competing and being around."
Daley first made the headlines competing at Beijing 2008 when he was just 14 years old. He came out in 2013 and has since been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
He returned to competitive diving for Paris 2024 after a two-year break, so his two sons could watch him compete.
For Williams, however, retirement may come much sooner. The 24-year-old won individual bronze in the men's 10m platform in addition to his silver with Daley in Paris.
Despite such success in this cycle, his participation at the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 is not guaranteed.
“I'm not sure what I'm going to do, is the truth. I don't want to dive just because I'm good at it, because it does take a lot of mental energy, a big toll on you,” he said.
"I saw a lot of people saying, 'Tom's retiring? But he's only 30', but I don't think they realise that 30 is actually old in the world of diving.
"That's why, when he took two years out after Tokyo, no one was particularly shocked.
"Even though I'm 24, I'm not far off being too old to dive - which seems crazy."
Alex Albon remains confident that the foundations are in place for Williams to improve despite their recent spell of disappointing results.
After 14 races last season, Albon had achieved five top 10 finishes yet has only finished in the top-half of the field twice at the same point this season.
Williams revealed that their car was overweight at the start of the season, estimated to have cost them 0.45 seconds per lap.
Despite the disappointment, however, Albon still feels the team are heading in the right direction.
“It's a real shame that at the start of the year, we were not on-weight where we should have been,” he told Motorsport.com.
“Our car should have been in the points consistently for the first few races and then we would have shuffled down to where we are now.
“A lot of what-ifs but I'm happy we're getting the foundations in place. I don't think without the changes we've made, I would ever see us as a team that can get out of this backfield battle.
“I feel like now at least we've got foundations that can bring us up."
While Albon remains realistic that Williams needs to improve, he also feels their struggles are in part due to the improvement of the rest of the field.
"We are obviously not where we want to be. Truthfully, I feel like that's testament to the other teams too. That midfield group has made such a huge step,” he said.
"We've made a good step but relative to the others, maybe we are holding back a little bit.
"We've done a lot of changes within the team, last year into this year, there's been big changes around the DNA of the car, but also the structure of the team.
"When you put the team under that much work and do that many changes, it shows the cracks.”
Due to those cracks, scrutiny has been focused on team principal James Vowles, who joined the Williams in 2023 after 12 years at Mercedes.
His arrival saw an immediate improvement as Williams finished seventh in the Constructor’s Championship in 2023, three places better than the previous season.
They currently sit ninth but Albon still believes Vowles remains “the right man for the job”.
He said: "I have been very much a part of the project. James has brought me into it. He's very straight. He doesn't tell you things are better than they actually are, and I like that.
"I feel like whenever something's not come to plan he tells me the areas that the team needs to work on. He tells me if there's anything I can do to help.”
That pragmatism has rubbed off on the 28-year-old driver, who cannot see titles coming Williams’ way soon.
“If I am being totally honest, I don't see us being in position to fight for wins and titles for a while, but to do steps where we start nipping in and getting podiums,” said Albon.
"I believe that 2026 would be difficult, but winning in '27 would be much more realistic. We've got great investment, and we're recruiting very aggressively.”
While looking ahead to possibly making another Olympic Games appearance in 2028 in Los Angeles, Trinidad and Tobago’s cycling stalwart, Nicholas Paul, is also hopeful that he will be able to share that occasion with a few more riders from the twin island republic.
Well aware of the depth of the talent that Trinidad and Tobago possesses, Paul, who relished a second-consecutive Olympic Games appearance at the just-concluded Paris showpiece, believes it is very much possible for those cyclists to also achieve their dreams of competing at the global multi-sport event.
The decorated Paul, who has numerous championship medals under his belt, and Kwesi Browne represented Trinidad and Tobago with much gusto and pride in Paris, as they gave their all on the track in both the sprint and keirin events, though both failed to make the finals.
“Team sprint, sprint, Keirin, team pursuit, I just want as many cyclists as possible to be able to make it on the Olympic stage,” Paul told the Express.
“It’s a big, big, big pool of talented young cyclists coming up. I have been trying to be a good role model for them, to let them know that they can come out here because the dream is possible. You just have to work hard. We can make a good driving force from juniors straight up to the elite,” he added.
Having contested both the Sprint and Keirin quarterfinals in Paris, Paul expressed an even deeper desire to improve his standards going forward, especially after watching Australian Matthew Richardson and Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen erase his previous world record of 9.100 in the flying 200 metres.
Lavreysen stopped the clock at 9.088 seconds, mere minutes after Richardson clocked 9.091 seconds.
“It (the quarterfinals) was not the outcome I wanted, but you live, you learn, and you come again. But I’m happy for Harrie. That was a great ride, and at the same time, it’s giving me more hunger to get back on that length to be able to break the world record and get that fast again,” Paul noted.
However, for now, the 25-year-old pointed out that the focus is on rest and recovery ahead of his next major assignment, the UCI Track World Championships scheduled for October 16-20 in Denmark.
“I think I’ll back off a bit, have a bit of a rest, and then go into Worlds. I’m really hungry, but at the same time, the build was until Paris. It was a bit stressful, so I have to ease off and then go into Worlds with as much form as possible,” Paul said.
On that note, Paul also expressed gratitude for the support from Trinidad and Tobago’s sporting enthusiasts, though some comments were not welcoming of the athletes’ overall efforts in Paris.
“I never think about the negatives because we could only work with the positives, and we have a lot of positives to work with. Moving forward, us athletes should come together and try to make Trinidad and Tobago better as a whole. Athletics, cycling, and every sport; to raise the level not only in Trinidad and Tobago, but in the Caribbean,” he ended.
Jannik Sinner played down any injury concerns and said he was looking forward to starting his Cincinnati Open campaign this week.
Sinner fell to a quarter-final defeat to Andrey Rublev at the Canadian Open in Montreal and was seen holding his hip at various stages of the encounter.
Nevertheless, the world number one said his only real concern was returning to the intensity of matches after skipping the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis.
"I feel quite good. Obviously, I made nearly one week without practising before, and then after playing for two-three days in a row, a bit more than usual, (that) could (have had) a potential impact to the hip," Sinner told reporters.
"But I'm not afraid. I feel good with the hip, and I'm just looking forward to going back on court here."
Sinner holds a poor record in Cincinatti, having never advanced to the quarter-finals, and was the victim of a shock loss to Dusan Lajovic in the round of 32 last year.
However, the Italian is confident of a better run this time around, starting with an opening against either Tallon Griekspoor or Alex Michelsen.
"Here usually I struggle a little bit to play because of the conditions but I'm looking forward to see my reaction this year, because it's a great test," said Sinner.
The Australian Open champion believes a good tournament can act as a perfect platform for the final slam of the year in New York, which begins at the end of this month.
"I believe this tournament can give you a lot of confidence for the US Open, which is the last grand slam we have," Sinner said.
"So in my mind, this is a very important tournament. "We go day by day. I have a couple of days to prepare and hopefully show some good tennis."
Alessandro Costacurta backed Nicolo Zaniolo to shine at Atalanta and believes his re-emergence this season could prove crucial for the future of the national side.
Zaniolo, who spent last season on loan with Aston Villa, has returned to Italy to join the Europa League champions, with an obligation to make his move permanent from Galatasaray.
The 25-year-old made 40 appearances under Unai Emery last year, but only 13 came from the start, managing just 830 minutes of action in the Premier League.
Zaniolo's most impressive display came during Villa's 2-0 league triumph over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, operating on the left-hand side of midfield.
Former Milan boss Costacurta is hopeful the 25 year-old will perform well for his new side this year, which will then translate to the international stage with the Azzurri.
He told Tuttosport: “I support Zaniolo because he is an Italian guy who has returned home and because we need a talent who can lead the national team."
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini was able to get the best out of Gianluca Scamacca after he endured an indifferent time in England with West Ham.
And Costacurta believes the 66-year-old could be pivotal for Zaniolo too, as the Italian aims to rediscover the form he found during his five-year stint with Roma.
“Zaniolo is an intriguing pick for Gasperini," Costacurta said.
"If he’s able to revamp Zaniolo’s career as he did with Scamacca, he will deserve the Coach of the Century award.”
Atalanta play Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup on August 14 before beginning their Serie A campaign away to Torino on August 25.
West Ham’s new signing Max Kilman has not given up hope of representing England one day, hoping his consistent performances earn him a debut call-up.
Kilman left Wolves after six and a half years to join the Hammers in a £40m deal earlier in the transfer window, becoming Julen Lopetegui's third signing.
The Englishman was one of just two defenders, along with Arsenal's William Saliba, to play every minute of the 2023-24 Premier League season.
He was left out of Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2024, with the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite, Lewis Dunk and Ezri Konsa preffered.
Interim manager Lee Carsley will choose his first squad for the Three Lions' upcoming Nations League games against the Repbulic of Ireland and Finland next month.
“It’s definitely a big aim for me. I have been competing against other Premier League central defenders in the last couple of years and I have been consistent.," Kilman told BBC Sport.
“I want to get as high as I can as a player so playing for England would be a huge honour.”
Kilman admits he did not expect to be leaving Wolves but a return to London, the place where he grew up as a boy, has helped him to adjust to his surroundings.
“I never thought I would leave Wolves," Kilman started. "I was there for so long, so this is something a bit unusual, but I was born and raised in London, which makes it a bit easier and I am really happy to be at West Ham.”
The defender also said new boss Lopetegui, a manager he worked under at Wolves, was a major reason why he made the move to the London Stadium.
He said: “The manager is obviously a big factor. He did a really good job at Wolves. There are not many teams who have started bottom of the league at Christmas and stayed out of it.
“He had really high standards and wanted every player to reach the top of their game. He has pushed players to their limits. He helped me improve so much.”
Alexei Popyrin declared his victory at the Canadian Open “means the world” after he defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets to claim his maiden ATP 1000 title.
Popyrin won 6-2 6-4 to become the first player to win the Canadian Open title in their first main draw appearance in 17 years. The last player to do so was 24-time Grand Slam singles winner Novak Djokovic in 2003.
The 25-year-old defied the odds to beat favourite and world number six Rublev in his third defeat of a top-10 opponent in Montreal.
For the current world number 62, it was a sign that all the effort had been worth it.
"It means the world, for all the hard work I've put in over the years, all the sacrifices I have made," said Popyrin.
"Not just me, but my family, my girlfriend, my team, everybody around me. They have sacrificed their whole lives for me and for me to win this for them is just amazing."
The victory also makes Popyrin the first Australian to win a Masters 1000 since Lleyton Hewitt won Indian Wells in 2003.
He became the fourth-lowest ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion, just two weeks after being defeated by Alexander Zverev on clay courts in the round of 16 in the Olympics men’s singles.
Popyrin fared better against Rublev, who remained optimistic about his performance despite the upset.
“It's a very positive and really good week. [It’s a] really big step forward, and I feel proud of myself that I was able to be really good all the week mentally,” reflected Rublev.
“If we compare my match against him at Monte-Carlo when I was losing, I was behaving 10 times more, and it was first round.
“Here it was a final. Much more pressure. Yes, I still showed a bit emotions today, but compare the matches when I was losing the same way, I think I did much better job.
“That's why I had a little chance in the second set, but it was just not my time I guess.”
James Anderson is considering a U-turn on his international retirement just a month on from playing his final Test match against West Indies at Lord's.
Anderson, who took 704 wickets in 188 games for England, did not officially call time on his career and is now considering a return to the white-ball format.
He recently joined the England coaching staff as a fast-bowling mentor following his retirement, and is helping Ben Stokes and the side ahead of their Test series with Sri Lanka next week.
However, the 42-year-old is now pondering potential avenues for a return to the T20 Arena or even in next season's Hundred competition.
Anderson has dedicated the last 10 years to red-ball cricket, not featuring in a 20-over game since 2014, but feels "still fit enough" to prolong his illustrious career.
"I might be in a bit of denial because I'm well aware I won't play for England again, but I've still not made a decision on my actual cricket career," Anderson told the Press Association.
"There's definitely a bit of intrigue with the shorter formats because I've not played any franchise stuff before.
"Watching The Hundred this year, seeing the ball swing around, it makes me feel like I could do a job there.
"I know it's a while since I played it and my age will get brought up again but I really feel I'll be good enough to play that form of cricket."
Kyle Walker believes Manchester City should still be considered firm favourites for the Premier League, as they look to win an unprecedented fifth title in a row.
City became the first English team to triumph in four successive league campaigns as they saw off Arsenal's title challenge last term.
And Pep Guardiola's all-conquering side begin their quest for a fifth straight crown away to Chelsea on Sunday.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5, England full-back Walker was confident about his side’s chances, believing they hold the psychological edge over other teams as they have been able to get over the line in tight title races over recent seasons.
He said: “I wouldn’t say it’s an ego, but we’ve done this now four times in a row – this is our trophy to lose.
“I can assure you, when you’re looking down at your arm and you’ve got that gold badge that no one else has got, it’s a good feeling. Long may it continue.”
City’s captain added that despite the consistent success achieved under manager Guardiola, motivation has never waned amongst his team-mates and they feel re-energised and ready to win more trophies this term.
He said: “For us to go and do four in a row off the back of a treble was a great achievement.
“Now, why can’t we go and do five in a row? Why can’t we go and do something I don’t think will probably ever be done again?
"That’s the motivation we have to create from us as a group of players, from me as a captain.”
A potential spanner in the works could be the 115 charges levelled against City by the Premier League in regards to alleged breaches of financial regulations.
It was reported on Monday that the club's hearing will begin in September and run for approximately 10 weeks.
Jessica Pegula reflected on a “really special” win at the Canadian Open in Toronto, after defeating fellow American Amanda Anisimova in the final.
The victory marked Pegula’s second straight Canadian Open title, as she fended off an Anisimova comeback to win 6-3 2-6 6-1.
The 30-year-old, who was seeded third, has become just the seventh player in the Open Era to defend her Canadian Open title, the most recent having been Martina Hingis in 2000.
Pegula, who hails from Buffalo, New York, enjoyed her achievement all the more for the presence of family and friends.
"Toronto, it's nice, it's so close to Buffalo, I had a lot of friends, family, and my grandparents, my husband was able to come today. That's cool, I don't really get that at a lot of tournaments,” said Pegula.
"Then to be able to win the tournament as well, and to be able to share that moment with them is really special.
“I don't know what it is about Canada, but I just seem to do well. Yeah, I'll take it.”
The victory means Pegula has become the first woman to win 10 consecutive singles matches at the Canadian Open since Serena Williams. The 23-time grand slam winner triumphed in 14 straight matches between 2011 and 2014.
"I know everyone's talking about my record, but it's nice to be able to get through the week and to back it up," said Pegula. "So, just super excited, I mean, an honour, really.”
It took Pegula one hour and 27 minutes to defeat Anisimova and win her sixth WTA singles title. It also marked her third career WTA 1000 title (Guadalajara 2022, Montreal 2023 and Toronto 2024).
It was Anisimova's first Tour-level final in over two years, with the 22-year-old having defeated four top-20 players on her way there.
"I put the work in, I kept my head down, and I tried to come back to the sport with more of a relaxed feeling," Anisimova reflected.
"Trying to enjoy each day as it comes and not being so serious about everything, because that takes away the joy from a lot of things. That approach to my everyday life has helped me a lot."
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise Brown will not need to go under the knife after he suffered a dislocated shoulder.
Brown joined the Chiefs as a free agent, having impressed with the Arizona Cardinals last season, finishing the campaign with 51 catches for 574 yards and four touchdowns.
However, his Chiefs debut ended early as he sustained a dislocation of his shoulder joint in Kansas City's preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Having caught a pass from Patrick Mahomes on the first play of the game, Brown was tackled and landed awkwardly on his left shoulder.
Thankfully for the Chiefs, Brown has avoided the need for surgery.
"They were able to get the joint back into place without surgery, which is a positive,'' Reid said.
"Then we'll just see on the recovery. He is back in Kansas City now. He stayed over in Jacksonville until they got that thing situated.''
Brown's status will be monitored ahead of the Chiefs' season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5.
Alexei Popyrin overcame Andrey Rublev in straight sets to win his maiden ATP 1000 title at the Canadian Open.
Popyrin won 6-2 6-4 to complete a remarkable run in Montreal, becoming the fourth-lowest-ranked player to win an ATP 1000 title in the process.
The Australian saved the three break points he faced in set one and, despite dropping a game in the second set, immediately hit back to take the impetus away from Rublev, who had stunned world number one Jannik Sinner en route to the final.
It marked Popyrin's third victory over a top-10 opponent at the tournament, while he also snapped Sebastian Korda's eight-match winning streak in the semi-finals.
Data Debrief: Popyrin ends Aussie wait
Popyrin became the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt to win a Masters 1000 trophy.
That victory for Hewitt came at Indian Wells in 2003, when Popyrin was only three years old.
Jessica Pegula successfully defended her Canadian Open crown by beating Amanda Anisimova in Monday's final.
Pegula, who was seeded third, prevailed 6-3 2-6 6-1 against her fellow American in Toronto.
The 30-year-old ended Anisimova's hopes of a shock title, and a fifth top-20 win of the tournament.
Pegula was on fire in the opening set, dominating on her serve, but Anisimova responded with a swift break in the second as she rallied to draw the match.
Yet two breaks in quick succession put Pegula firmly on top in the decider, and though Anisimova clawed back two match points, her opponent got the job done at the third time of asking.
Pegula has now won six Tour-level titles, with three of these being WTA 1000 events (Guadalajara 2022, Montreal 2023 and Toronto 2024).
Data Debrief: Pegula's Canadian comforts
Hailing from Buffalo, just south of the border, Pegula has certainly enjoyed a fine run in Canada over the past two years.
She is only the second player this century to secure the title at the Canadian Open in both Toronto and Montreal, along with Simona Halep, while she became the seventh player in the Open Era to defend her title at the Canadian Open after Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong, Martina Navratilova, Regina Marsikova, Monica Seles and Martina Hingis.
No player had successfully defended a WTA 1000 title since Iga Swiatek did so at Rome in 2022, and no player had done so on hard court since Ashleigh Barty, who defended her Miami crown in 2021.
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