Tadej Pogacar will return to the Vuelta a Espana on 22 August as he attempts to complete a career sweep of cycling’s Grand Tours.
The reigning Tour de France champion has been confirmed as the leader of the UAE Team Emirates squad for the Spanish race.
A victory would make the Slovenian only the ninth male rider in history to win the general classification at all three of cycling’s prestigious three-week races.
Targeting a historic treble
The 25-year-old has not competed in the Vuelta since announcing his arrival on the global stage with a third-place finish in 2019.
Having already secured the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France titles during a dominant 2024 campaign, securing the red jersey would cap an unprecedented season.
“I’m excited to say I’m going back to La Vuelta,” Pogacar said.
“It was my first ever Grand Tour back in 2019 and an amazing experience. Spain is a country I love to visit and race in and I think the time is right to go back.”
Formidable support and fierce rivals
The 2024 edition of the race begins in Monaco, where the Giro champion currently resides, before crossing through France and Andorra.
The peloton will face a grueling route before the final stage concludes in Granada on 13 September.
UAE Team Emirates will provide powerful climbing support in the high mountains through Joao Almeida, Jay Vine and Pavel Sivakov.
Talented Spanish prospect Pablo Torres is also set to make his Grand Tour debut on home roads.
However, the formidable lineup will face stiff competition from a star-studded field.
Fellow countryman Primoz Roglic and Belgian powerhouse Wout van Aert are among the elite names scheduled to challenge for stage wins and the overall classification.
Six-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy has described exercise as a “miracle drug” in his ongoing physical and mental battle with terminal prostate cancer.
The 50-year-old revealed in October 2024 that his disease had progressed to Stage 4 and spread to his bones.
He was originally diagnosed with the illness in September 2023 and has been given a life expectancy of two to four years.
Mental challenge of diagnosis
Despite the devastating prognosis, the Scottish sporting icon remains determined to change public attitudes towards incurable conditions.
Speaking to The Big Issue, he explained how maintaining physical activity has been crucial to managing his ongoing treatment.
“Exercise is a big part of my dealing with my cancer. There’s numerous studies to show that exercise can improve the efficacy of the cancer medications,” he said.
“If it was in pill form, it would be hailed as a miracle drug.”
Navigating the highs and lows
The former Team GB star recently returned to broadcasting, providing track cycling analysis for TNT Sports at the Commonwealth Games.
However, the legendary track sprinter warned against the assumption that he has entirely conquered the psychological toll of his condition.
He acknowledged that finding any positivity after receiving the terminal news took a significant amount of time.
“One thing I would say is, don’t expect to feel positive and great all the time,” he added.
“The physical side is difficult, but the mental side is the real challenge.”
Focusing on the present moment
Throughout his illustrious career on the velodrome, the former track cyclist won six Olympic gold medals and 11 world titles.
He is now applying that same elite psychological resilience to navigate his daily health struggles.
“I don’t want to present myself as someone doing really well, everything’s great, I’ve cracked it,” he admitted.
“There are some days where it’s really tough. You can get through the most difficult of moments if you bring yourself back to the here and now.”
Scottish star Josh Kerr claimed Commonwealth Games gold in the men’s mile, thrilling a raucous home crowd at Scotstoun Stadium.
The newly-crowned world record holder crossed the line in three minutes 54.12 seconds to seal a famous victory on Saturday night.
He battled through a tight pack before surging away on the final lap, leaving rising Australian star Cameron Myers to take silver and Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot in bronze.
Fellow Scot Jake Wightman, who had challenged for the lead earlier in the race, ultimately faded to finish fifth.
A historic return for the famous distance
The event marked the highly-anticipated return of the mile to the Commonwealth Games programme for the first time in 60 years.
Kenyan legend Kip Keino was the last man to triumph over the distance at the Games, setting a long-standing record in Jamaica back in 1966.
This latest triumph follows an incredible month for the middle-distance specialist, who recently shattered Hicham El Guerrouj’s 27-year-old record in London.
His victory further cements Britain’s current golden era on the track, echoing the legendary 1980s rivalry between Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe and Steve Cram.
Sawyers secures emotional long jump gold
Earlier in the evening, Jazmin Sawyers sunk to her knees after clinching the first major outdoor title of her career.
The English athlete jumped 6.93 metres to win the women’s long jump, a remarkable achievement less than two years after suffering a ruptured Achilles.
Elsewhere, a low-key England quartet finished fourth in the men’s 4x100m relay, while the women’s team came home in fifth place.
England managing director Rob Key has left the door open for Ben Stokes to reverse his international retirement ahead of the home 2027 Ashes series against Australia.
The 35-year-old all-rounder stepped down from the Test captaincy and walked away from the international game in June.
His departure followed a disappointing 2-1 series defeat to New Zealand and a winter campaign that saw the national side suffer a heavy 4-1 Ashes loss Down Under.
The former skipper was notably made unavailable for the second Test against the Black Caps after breaching a midnight curfew while celebrating a series-opening victory.
Root returns amid leadership changes
The fallout from the curfew saga generated widespread speculation that the relationship between the talismanic player and the sport’s governing body had severely fractured.
However, Key firmly dismissed any suggestions of a permanent rift between himself and the veteran.
“No, not at all. Not as far as I’m concerned.”
The managing director addressed the prospect of a dramatic comeback while discussing the newly restructured national setup.
“It would be a brilliant story if he does.”
New era begins against Pakistan
While no formal discussions have taken place regarding a return to the fold, the England chief refused to rule out the possibility of a reunion.
“No, he hasn’t but I wouldn’t be surprised. Anything’s possible with Ben.”
The national team has undergone significant restructuring ahead of their upcoming three-match home series against Pakistan.
Joe Root has been reinstated as Test captain, while Stephen Fleming has succeeded Brendon McCullum as head coach.
The new leadership regime will face their first major test when the opening fixture begins at Headingley on 19 August.
Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions has officially merged with the Professional Fighters League to create a unified combat sports company boasting a roster of more than 300 athletes.
The newly formed partnership will be spearheaded by MVP co-founders Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, alongside PFL chief executive John Martin.
As part of the sweeping corporate changes, the mixed martial arts organisation will now operate directly under the MVP brand umbrella.
Disrupting the combat sports model
Established primarily as a boxing promotional outfit in 2021, the disruptive enterprise recently ventured into MMA with staggering commercial success.
“We started MVP to disrupt a broken model.”
The YouTuber-turned-boxer explained that their primary goal has always been to guarantee fair pay and provide a modernised platform for athletes.
“We wanted to give fighters fair pay and a bigger, modernised stage to become global superstars. Joining forces with PFL accelerates that vision by a decade.”
“To all current MVP and PFL fighters, things just got bigger. To fighters fighting in other organisations, we are open for business when you are contractually free. The time for change is now.”
A proven track record of viewership
The promotion’s inaugural MMA broadcast in May set a United States viewership record for the sport.
According to Netflix, that event attracted 17 million global viewers as Ronda Rousey defeated Gina Carano.
Meanwhile, the PFL has consistently attempted to innovate the traditional fighting space since its inception in 2017.
It initially utilised a unique league-based points system offering a $1m (£750,000) grand prize, though structural changes for the 2025 season halved that playoff payout to $500,000 (£374,000).
Consolidating a fragmented industry
“Over the past seven years, PFL has built the world’s number two global MMA company.”
PFL chief executive Martin believes the merger will create an unprecedented global platform for the rapidly growing sport.
“We’re not just combining companies, we’re bringing an entire combat sports community together and creating a more powerful platform to accelerate growth.”
“One company, one global stage, millions of fans – and we’re only just getting started.”
This major structural shift follows quickly on the heels of a separate strategic alliance announced with Matchroom Boxing.
That particular venture aims to create vast new opportunities for female competitors across both promotional rosters.
The MVP stable already features heavy investment in women’s boxing, showcasing reigning world champions such as British stars Caroline Dubois and Chantelle Cameron.
Teenage sensation Luke Littler has successfully defended his World Matchplay title by thrashing Gerwyn Price 18-9 in Blackpool, sparking debate over whether he is currently the most dominant athlete on the planet.
The 19-year-old prodigy secured the prestigious trophy for a second consecutive year following a ruthless display at the Winter Gardens.
Having already captured every Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) major title available in 2026, his latest triumph has cemented his status at the absolute pinnacle of the sport.
Unrivalled dominance across global sport
The sheer scale of his unbroken success has prompted leading analysts to compare the Warrington-born thrower favourably against other global sporting icons.
Speaking on the Love The Darts podcast, commentator Chris Murphy suggested that the reigning champion has now eclipsed the achievements of tennis world number one Jannik Sinner and golfing maestro Scottie Scheffler.
“He holds them all and he’s on course to have a clean sweep of every title,” Murphy explained.
“Scheffler in golf has been number one for a long time, but I don’t think any of them get near Littler.”
Greaves matches record-breaking standards
While the men’s game remains under a monopolistic grip, unprecedented English dominance is simultaneously being mirrored in the women’s ranks.
Former professional Laura Turner highlighted the astonishing recent form of Beau Greaves, who also lifted the Women’s World Matchplay trophy in Blackpool over the weekend.
“She won 17 out of the 24 titles available in that qualification process and has been on a run of 114 consecutive wins,” Turner noted.
It ultimately required a staggering 102 average from Fallon Sherrock to finally halt that extraordinary winning streak.
With both reigning Matchplay champions demonstrating unprecedented superiority, the current era of British darts appears completely untouchable.
Sir Clive Lloyd has led the tributes to the late Sir Garfield Sobers during a state funeral for the West Indies cricket legend in Barbados.
The celebrated all-rounder, who died aged 89 on 17 July, was honoured at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.
Lloyd described his former team-mate as the greatest all-round cricketer the world has ever known.
“He brought to the beautiful game a rare combination of brilliance, imagination, courage and joy.”Sir Clive Lloyd
Legends gather at Kensington Oval
The service of thanksgiving took place at the nation’s principal cricket ground, which features a pavilion named in honour of the deceased star.
Sobers’ coffin, draped in the national flag, arrived at the stadium on a gun carriage following a formal procession through the capital.
Mourners formed a guard of honour with raised cricket bats as the carriage entered the sporting venue.
Fellow Caribbean cricketing greats Brian Lara and Desmond Haynes also delivered speeches celebrating the extraordinary life of their mentor.
“This is not a sad moment; this is a moment for us to celebrate the remarkable life of the greatest all-round cricketer.”Brian Lara
A towering legacy in world cricket
An exceptionally gifted left-handed batter and versatile bowler, the late great played 93 Tests between 1954 and 1974.
He amassed 8,032 runs and claimed 235 wickets during a glittering international career.
The prolific run-scorer famously held the record for the highest individual Test score for 36 years after hitting 365 not out against Pakistan in 1958.
He also secured his place in domestic folklore by becoming the first player to hit six sixes in an over during a 1968 first-class match for Nottinghamshire.
Global figures pay final respects
Current West Indies Test captain Roston Chase and vice-captain Jomel Warrican attended the ceremony following their recent Test victory over Pakistan in Trinidad.
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and international music superstar Rihanna were also present to pay their respects to the beloved national icon.
Reverend Canon Guy Hewitt read a personal message from King Charles, highlighting the enduring affection for the legendary figure.
“History is distinguished with sporting champions whose records have rightly commanded respect across generations.”King Charles
The Ukrainian National Olympic Committee has launched a formal appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the International Olympic Committee’s decision to provisionally reinstate Russia.
The Eastern European nation confirmed the legal challenge on Wednesday, condemning a move they have described as premature and inherently dangerous.
The global sports authority had previously lifted the provisional suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) on 7 July.
Territorial integrity dispute
That initial ban was imposed in October 2023 after Moscow formally recognised regional sports councils in the occupied Ukrainian territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Officials in Kyiv argue that lifting the suspension without addressing these underlying violations is entirely incompatible with international sports law.
They maintain that incorporating sporting bodies from illegally occupied regions directly violates both the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the broader Olympic Charter.
Future Olympic implications
The recent easing of restrictions represents a significant step towards fully reintegrating the nation’s competitors ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
“The position of the NOC of Ukraine is based on the fact that the IOC’s decision was made prematurely and without proper verification of whether the violations had actually been resolved.”
National Olympic Committee of Ukraine
A definitive ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this year had already upheld the legality of the original 2023 suspension.
Conversely, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev recently suggested the reversed IOC ruling should facilitate a full return to the international sporting stage for his country’s athletes.
Competitors from the sanctioned state have most recently participated as strict neutrals at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics and face similar conditions for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.