In a landmark moment for Australian rugby played out in Townsville on Saturday, 22-year-old forward Massimo De Lutiis etched his name into Wallabies history: when he came on as a 50th-minute replacement for veteran prop Taniela Tupou, he became the 1,000th player to earn a senior cap for the national side. Not content just to claim the milestone, De Lutiis capped his debut with a try, powering Australia to a dominant 56-17 victory over Japan that sealed a two-test series sweep for the home side. Tupou, the player De Lutiis replaced, had already set a strong first-half foundation, crossing the try line twice to anchor Australia’s attack in a tightly contested opening 40 minutes. Just one minute after entering the field, De Lutiis was in the right place to support fellow front rower Angus Bell’s try, which stretched Australia’s lead to 26-17. Eight minutes later, the debutant scored his own try, finishing a clinical Australian attacking move that began when flyhalf Carter Gordon broke through Japan’s defensive line and charged 30 meters toward the right corner. Scrumhalf Ryan Lonergan converted De Lutiis’ try — his fifth successful conversion of the match — extending Australia’s advantage to 18 points with 20 minutes still left to play. The first half had been far from comfortable for the Wallabies, who were caught off guard by Japan’s blistering defensive line speed and unrelenting attacking enterprise that pushed the Australian side onto the back foot for long stretches. Japan capitalized on their early momentum to hold a one-try lead at one point in the opening half, forcing new Wallabies head coach Les Kiss to deliver a galvanizing halftime team talk that turned the tide of the match. Wallabies captain Harry Wilson noted after the game that the squad responded to Kiss’s challenge by playing with far more energy and attacking spark after the break, with De Lutiis’ introduction injecting an extra jolt of intensity into the Australian lineup. “A team like Japan, if you’re not up for it, they’re really going to make you pay,” Wilson said. “It’s really special — 1000 Wallabies, incredible. Someone like Massimo, he’s a proud Australian. Really special moment.” Three late tries from the Wallabies blew out the final scoreline, turning a narrow 21-17 halftime lead into a 39-point winning margin. The victory also gave Australia their first three-match winning streak since 2024, building on early momentum for new head coach Les Kiss. The side defeated Italy last month in Joe Schmidt’s final match as interim head coach, then notched a narrow 35-32 win over Japan in Osaka the previous weekend in Kiss’s first test in charge. Japan captain Warner Dearns said after the match that his side had executed their game plan effectively in the opening half, doing everything possible to compete with Australia’s physically larger forward pack. “Really hard battle,” Dearns said. “We knew that the Wallabies were going to come out hard. We put a real emphasis on trying to move them around and play fast rugby. We did it well in the first half.” Japan’s half-back pairing of Naoto Saito and Ryunosuke Ito consistently generated quick, clean possession in the opening 35 minutes, repeatedly finding gaps in Australia’s defensive line. Australia twice claimed early leads through tries from Josh Nasser and Tupou, but Japan rallied back both times to turn the game on its head. Australian-born lock Harry Hockings, who previously played 28 games for the Queensland Reds, charged down a poor exit kick from Lonergan at the base of a ruck and dived on the loose ball in the in-goal area for a try. Saito then caught Australia’s defense napping with a quick penalty tap, darting over from close range to add another five points. Japan moved into the lead in the 33rd minute when center Dylan Riley, another Australian-born player in the Japan squad, beat two tackles and stretched over the line to score. But the Wallabies hit back just before halftime, working through a set piece lineout platform to advance upfield, where Tupou crashed over for his second try of the half. By the end of the match, front-row forwards had scored six of Australia’s eight tries, highlighting the forward pack’s dominance in the second half. For De Lutiis, the moment was more than just a historic milestone. “Like, even 1,000 is awesome, but just to be a Wallaby in general is just crazy to me — it’s a dream come true,” the debutant said.
分类： sports
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No monkey business: India ‘whisperers’ guard world championships
As the world’s top-ranked badminton athletes arrive in New Delhi for one of the sport’s most high-profile annual global tournaments, one unlikely team of local specialists has been brought on board to handle a uniquely South Asian problem. Instead of focusing on the on-court action between the world’s best players, these four men keep their gaze trained on the tree lines, rafters and open spaces surrounding the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, watching for mischievous rhesus macaques that have a long history of disrupting events in the Indian capital.
Sixty-five-year-old Nazar Khan, a third-generation monkey handler, is the lead member of this specialist team hired to keep simian intruders from crashing the championship, which kicks off Monday. The venue already has a problematic reputation for uninvited animal guests: during January’s India Open tournament, a rhesus monkey was spotted wandering through the spectator stands, while bird droppings and fallen nesting debris interrupted competitive play, sparking widespread public criticism of event organizers. Eager to avoid a repeat of this embarrassing disruption, tournament planners turned to a time-tested local solution: “monkey whisperers”, also called monkey wallahs, who use specialized calls mimicking langurs — the natural predator of the smaller, more aggressive rhesus macaques that roam New Delhi’s urban areas.
Khan explained that his family has worked in animal-related trades for multiple generations. “We started doing street performances with trained monkeys and dancing bears,” he told AFP in an interview on site. “But that trade was banned, so to keep food on the table, we shifted to chasing problem monkeys away from residential and event spaces. We used to keep live langurs with us to scare off the macaques, but that practice was also banned by regulators.”
Monkeys hold a revered cultural status in majority-Hindu India, but they have become a persistent public nuisance in the national capital. Troops of urban macaques regularly destroy gardens, ransack office and residential spaces, and have been known to launch vicious attacks on humans while searching for food. For decades, handlers with trained black-faced langurs were a common sight on New Delhi’s streets, patrolling to shoo away troublesome macaque troops. However, that practice ended after a high court ruling banned the capture and commercial use of wild langurs, leaving legacy handlers like Khan to rely on generations of learned skill, sharp observational instincts, and remarkably accurate mimicked animal calls to do the job.
Speaking about the macaques that frequent the badminton championship venue, Khan noted: “There are three or four regulars that hang around here, including two large ones that locals say are particularly aggressive. But we use specific, specialized calls that scare them off — we know our trade inside and out.”
Beyond managing macaques, Khan added that the team takes on extra animal control work around the stadium: “We also have to round up stray dogs that wander onto the grounds and move them outside the venue perimeter. But we always make sure no animal is hurt in the process.” He shared a point of family pride, noting that his own grandson is part of a similar team assigned to keep monkeys away from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s central office complex.
Faryad Ali, Khan’s nephew and fellow monkey whisperer, recently demonstrated the team’s craft, unleashing a rapid, convincing sequence of hoots, screeches and guttural growls that match langur warning calls perfectly. Like any trade centered on working around wild animals, the job comes with inherent risks. “There are always dangers in this work — sometimes we get bitten by the monkeys,” Ali explained, showing old bite scars on his back. “But that’s just part of the job. We get bitten, we treat it with chilli powder to keep infection away, and we get back to work. No fancy injections, no time off.”
News of the unusual hire for the global badminton championship sparked waves of ridicule on Indian social media, but top Indian badminton star and Olympic medalist P.V. Sindhu came out in defense of the strategy, writing on X: “You can laugh at the solution, but you have to love the effort.” Sindhu drew a parallel to one of the world’s most iconic sporting events, noting that Wimbledon has long employed Rufus the hawk to keep feral pigeons away from its legendary grass courts. “Every major sporting event has its own local challenges,” she explained. “This is just one additional safety measure on top of the dozens of other precautions organizers have already put in place.”
Tournament organizers confirm that the monkey whisperer team is only one small part of a broader, multi-layered animal control plan designed to prevent a repeat of the January disruptions. Non-toxic, sticky gel has already been applied to roof beams and ventilation ducts across the stadium to deter feral pigeons from roosting on site. Sanjay Mishra, secretary of the Badminton Association of India, said officials are leaving nothing to chance this year. “I am 100 percent confident that we will not see any repeats of the pigeon, bird or animal-related disruptions that happened during the India Open this January,” he said. “This tournament will go off without any of those issues.”
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India wins toss and opts to bat in 1st test against Sri Lanka
GALLE, SRI LANKA – On a landmark Saturday for both international cricket and the competing nations, India’s stand-in captain Shubman Gill won the pre-match coin toss and immediately announced his side would bat first in the opening fixture of a two-Test series against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium.
This series carries high stakes for both teams, as every result earns critical ranking points toward qualification for the 2027 ICC World Test Championship final. Entering the match, India holds fifth position in the standings, while host Sri Lanka sits just one spot below in sixth, leaving both sides desperate for a strong performance to keep their title hopes alive.
The match carries extra historical significance beyond the championship race: Saturday coincides with India’s 80th Independence Day celebration, and the contest marks the 600th Test match in India’s centuries-long international cricket history. For the venue, Galle International Stadium is hosting its 50th Test match, adding another layer of milestone context to the opening fixture.
Local conditions are expected to shape the match’s trajectory. Pitch analysts predict batting-friendly conditions for the opening two days of play, with spin gradually becoming the dominant factor as the surface wears on across five days of play. That trend has shaped both teams’ selection strategies, with spin bowlers featuring heavily in both lineups.
Host Sri Lanka built its side around a spin-heavy attack, selecting just two fast bowlers alongside four specialist spinners. The squad includes captain Dhananjaya de Silva and left-arm spinner Sonal Dinusha, while 25-year-old off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha is set to make his long-awaited Test debut for the national side. Sri Lanka’s full starting lineup is: Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella, Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, and Asitha Fernando.
India stuck with the same bowling combination it used in its most recent Test against Afghanistan in June, fielding three spinners and two pace bowlers. All three of India’s spinners are left-arm specialists: Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Manav Suthar. India was forced to adjust its batting lineup following two key injury withdrawals: pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out with a knee injury, while young batter Sai Sudharsan was sidelined by a stress fracture. Devdutt Padikkal was named as Sudharsan’s replacement in the starting lineup. India’s full starting lineup is: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.
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Pallister beats Ledecky, US sweeps relays over Australia at Pan Pacs
IRVINE, California — The 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships delivered a night of stunning upsets, tight finishes and historic moments Friday, as Australia’s rising freestyle star Lani Pallister out-touched American legend Katie Ledecky to claim gold in the women’s 400-meter freestyle, while Team USA pulled off a historic double victory in both the men’s and women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relays.
The night’s marquee event lost some of its pre-race buzz when 19-year-old Canadian world record holder Summer McIntosh surprisingly failed to qualify for the championship final after a misjudged preliminary swim. McIntosh, who entered the event as the overwhelming favorite, clocked a 4:08.56 in the morning heats, placing ninth and missing the final cut by more than three seconds. Taking to social media after the misstep, the Canadian accepted full responsibility, writing on her Instagram account that she had misjudged the effort required in the preliminary round. She later won the consolation ‘B’ final in 4:00.58 — a time that would have earned her a bronze medal in the championship final.
Pallister, a 24-year-old Australian who has long cited Ledecky as her career inspiration, blazed through the first 150 meters of the final on world record pace before holding off a late charge from the American star to touch the wall in 3:58.42. Ledecky, who entered the final lap more than a second behind Pallister, closed hard but ultimately settled for silver with a time of 4:00.15. New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather rounded out the podium to take bronze.
“It could see Katie catching me on the last 150 and that’s a very nerve-wracking feeling,” Pallister told reporters after the race. Ledecky, for her part, acknowledged she was not fully satisfied with her performance, noting “I never like being over 4 minutes in an international final, but I put together the best race I could. I thought I had a good back half, just wasn’t out quick enough.”
The result solidifies Pallister’s status as one of Ledecky’s fiercest top rivals heading into the 2028 Olympic Games, which will be held in Los Angeles just two years from now. The Australian has been rapidly climbing the ranks of international distance freestyle, collecting medals across 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m events in recent major competitions. Earlier this week at the championships, she already claimed gold in the 200m freestyle, beating both McIntosh and Fairweather, while Ledecky took gold in the 1500m freestyle ahead of Pallister.
“I’ve never taken my competition for granted, even when I was winning by big margins,” Ledecky said. “I just have a lot of great competition from all over the world right now.”
Team USA delivered the crowd a pair of historic relay victories later in the session, sweeping both the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle events. The American women broke their own national record and the Pan Pacific championship record on the way to gold, clocking 3:29.32 to beat Australia. It marked the first time the U.S. women had defeated Australia in the event at the Pan Pacific Championships since 2017. The team of Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske and Simone Walsh saw Douglass clock the second-fastest 100m leadoff split in history at 51.69 seconds, though the standout swimmer said she left disappointed after falling just short of the world record she targeted.
For the men, Chris Guiliano, Patrick Sammon, Destin Lasco and anchor Jack Alexy held off a late push from the Australian team to claim gold in a new championship record time of 3:09.01. The mark fell just 0.77 seconds off the iconic world record of 3:08.24 set by the U.S. men’s team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics — a race remembered for Jason Lezak’s historic final leg that secured Michael Phelps’ eighth gold medal of the Games. Alexy said the long-standing world record remains a top target for the new generation of American sprinters.
“That record has been in a lot of people’s eyes for a long time,” Alexy said. “I’m really confident we’ll get that record.”
The night’s results also delivered a handful of other historic moments for Australia. Sam Short claimed gold in the men’s 400m freestyle, breaking a 27-year-old Pan Pacific championship record previously held by Australian legend Ian Thorpe with a time of 3:40.52. China’s Zhang Zhanshuo took silver in the event. Australia also claimed the top two spots on the podium in the men’s 100m butterfly, with Matthew Temple taking gold and Ben Armbruster silver. Regan Smith led a 1-2 American finish in the women’s 200m backstroke, clocking 2:05.55 after holding a world record pace through the first 100 meters, with teammate Claire Curzan taking silver. Japan’s Yumeki Kojima claimed gold in the men’s 200m backstroke, while China’s Tang Qianting won the women’s 50m breaststroke. Australia’s Sam Williamson took gold in the men’s 50m breaststroke in a new championship record of 26.36.
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Bangladesh tighten grip of 1st test as Australia unravel in the field
DARWIN, Australia – The opening Test match of Bangladesh’s two-game ‘Top End’ series against Australia has been defined by relentless visitor dominance, a trend that only strengthened through the morning session of Day Three Saturday, when half-century from all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz guided the Tigers to a 219-run first innings lead heading into lunch.
Resuming play on Saturday at 351 for six wickets, Bangladesh steadily added 66 runs to their total before the break, reaching 417 for eight. The performance extended what has been a lopsided opening match from the first day, when hosts Australia won the toss, elected to bat, and were bowled out for just 198 by a sharp Bangladesh attack led by a six-wicket haul from Hasan Mahmud.
Mehidy remained unbeaten at 65 runs off 152 deliveries when the session closed, capping his solid innings with a towering six off Australian all-rounder Cameron Green on the final ball of the morning. The batter brought up his half-century just 35 balls before lunch, notching five boundaries along the way to the milestone. He currently shares an unbeaten 45-run partnership with tailender Taskin Ahmed, who has compiled 12 not out at the break.
Earlier in the session, Mehidy combined for a 46-run stand with Hasan Mahmud, who scored 14 before falling to pace bowler Josh Hazlewood. Hazlewood, making his return to Test cricket after a spell on the sidelines with injury, trapped Hasan Mahmud leg before wicket with a full, straight delivery to claim his third wicket of the innings. The seamer also removed Taijul Islam, who made 17 before Green caught the batter at gully. Hazlewood has now claimed four wickets for 86 runs in the innings, the only wicket-taker for Australia on Saturday.
Australia’s sloppy fielding has once again undermined the hosts’ chances to claw back into the match. Dropped catches from star batters Steve Smith, Travis Head and Cameron Green on Friday halted any momentum Australia built during a brief late-day rally, allowing Bangladesh to consolidate and build an almost unassailable position in the first innings. The hosts have now been outplayed in all three facets of the game – batting, bowling and fielding – through the first two and a half days of the series opener.
This opening Test kicks off a grueling 12-month schedule for the Australian men’s Test side, which is set to play 20 total matches across the year including away tours to South Africa, India and England. Related matches in the series have already seen Bangladesh take control from the first day, with opener Tanzid Hasan notching his maiden Test century earlier in the first innings to set the foundation for the Tigers’ big total.
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All Blacks injury toll worsens as Caleb Clarke heads home before Springboks tests
As the All Blacks prepare for their highly anticipated historic rugby test series against South Africa, the defending world champions have already been struck by a growing injury crisis, with three key players ruled out of the tour more than a full week before the opening test gets underway.
The latest setback came for rising winger Caleb Clarke, who suffered a ruptured shoulder tendon during the team’s one-sided 54-0 victory over the Sharks in Durban on Tuesday. The All Blacks confirmed in an official update on Friday that the injury will require surgical intervention, with a full recovery timeline set to be determined only after the procedure is completed. Clarke will return to New Zealand immediately to receive treatment, making him the third squad member to cut the tour short due to injury.
In a surprising tactical call, head coach Dave Rennie has confirmed that Clarke will not be replaced in the touring squad ahead of the upcoming series. Rennie stated he remains confident that the remaining six outside backs in the group provide sufficient cover for the tests, even as test starter Will Jordan remains a major doubt for the opening test against the Springboks. Jordan, a regular match-winner for the side, has been sidelined by a nagging back injury that has put his participation in doubt.
Speaking about his early exit from the tour, Clarke expressed deep disappointment at the turn of events. “I am gutted to be going home because I’ve loved my time here so much,” the winger said in a prepared statement. Clarke had built strong momentum ahead of the tour, earning caps against France and Ireland just last month and featuring in the All Blacks’ first two tour matches, putting him in strong contention for a starting spot in the opening test at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park stadium.
Clarke’s injury follows two earlier injury blows that hit the side even before their first tour match. Hooker George Bell suffered a calf injury during a training session ahead of the squad’s opening fixture against the Stormers, while center Billy Proctor sustained a broken shoulder blade during that match itself. Bell has already been replaced in the squad by Bradley Slater, while Proctor’s spot has been filled by star utility back Richie Mo’unga.
The All Blacks are set to continue their tour preparations this weekend, facing the Bulls in their third pre-series tour match on Saturday at Pretoria’s iconic Loftus Versfeld stadium. The first of three tests between the All Blacks and Springboks is scheduled to kick off next week at Ellis Park, with both sides vying for international rugby supremacy ahead of next year’s world cup cycle.
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Premier League club Liverpool sell minority stake to Jeff Bezos consortium
One of English football’s most iconic institutions, Liverpool FC, has announced a landmark minority stake sale to a global investor consortium that includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, marking one of the biggest deals in modern Premier League history.
The sale comes from current majority owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the American sports conglomerate that acquired the 19-time English top-flight champions for just £300 million back in 2010. The buyer, 1892 Holdings, is a consortium led by British-Indian billionaire Amit Bhatia, with backing from Bezos and Meta co-founder Eduardo Saverin. Industry sources confirm the consortium will take ownership of roughly one-third of the club, valuing Liverpool at between £5 billion ($6.8 billion) and £6 billion in the transaction.
Bezos, currently the fourth-wealthiest person on the planet with an estimated net worth of $256 billion, has long been linked to bids for prominent North American sports franchises including the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, but this deal marks his first direct investment in a professional sports team. He will not take a seat on Liverpool’s expanded board of directors; instead, Bryan Baum, founder of venture capital firm K5 Sports — the vehicle through which Bezos structured his investment — will join the board, alongside Elaine, Saverin’s wife. Bhatia, meanwhile, will step into the new role of vice-chairman at Anfield. Bhatia, son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, brings 18 years of top-flight football governance experience to the role, having served as co-owner of English Championship side Queens Park Rangers before stepping down earlier this year when his Liverpool investment plans became public.
In a statement released Friday, FSG president Mike Gordon emphasized alignment between the existing ownership and the new investor group. “Liverpool has always been built by thinking beyond one season and making decisions with the club’s long-term interests in mind. That approach continues to attract interest from respected investors and business leaders around the world. As we considered this opportunity, it became clear that Amit and the consortium shared our long-term philosophy and appreciation for what makes Liverpool special,” Gordon said.
Bhatia echoed that sentiment, framing the investment as a privilege rather than a business transaction. “We are incredibly proud to be investing in Liverpool Football Club and to be doing so alongside FSG. We have the utmost respect and admiration for FSG as owners and for everything they have achieved at Anfield. To be welcomed as a partner in a club of this stature is a huge privilege. We are making this investment because we believe deeply in Liverpool and its leadership, and we look forward to supporting the club’s continued success for years to come,” Bhatia said.
Crucially, FSG has confirmed it will retain full majority ownership and complete operational and decision-making control over the club. The organization says the new capital injection will be used to advance Liverpool’s long-term growth goals on and off the pitch, by bringing in expertise across global business, technology, and investment sectors. “The consortium partners will work with FSG and the club’s leadership team to evaluate opportunities that enhance the club’s objectives on and off the pitch,” FSG said in a statement. This is not the first time FSG has sold down a minority stake: three years ago, the group sold a 3% stake to global sports investment firm Dynasty Equity.
The deal comes at a pivotal moment for Liverpool, as the club prepares to kick off its 2025-26 Premier League campaign away to Newcastle United on August 23. The side is coming off a hugely disappointing 2024-25 season that saw them finish fifth in the top flight, missing out on qualification for the UEFA Champions League. That underperformance led to the sacking of manager Arne Slot just 12 months after he won the Premier League title in his first season in charge, replacing legendary boss Jurgen Klopp. New manager Andoni Iraola is currently looking to strengthen his squad ahead of the closing of the summer transfer window, and the fresh capital from the stake sale is expected to give Iraola additional budget to pursue new targets. So far this transfer window, Liverpool has spent roughly £94 million on new signings Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz.
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Who are the Chawinga sisters leading Malawi’s bid for Wafcon glory?
Malawi’s Cinderella run at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) has captivated football fans across the globe. As the lowest-ranked side in the tournament, sitting at 153rd in the FIFA global rankings, the tournament debutants have defied all expectations to advance to Sunday’s final against Cameroon, and their astonishing success can be traced directly to one incredible pair: sister strikers Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga.
Between them, the siblings have netted nine of Malawi’s 12 goals throughout the tournament, with 27-year-old Temwa currently tied atop the golden boot race with five goals, alongside Zambia’s Barbra Banda. What makes their combined impact even more remarkable is that both have long compiled impressive goal tallies and titles for some of the biggest professional clubs across the world, long before their breakthrough on the continental stage.
Thirty-year-old Tabitha, the elder of the two, was born in May 1996 in Rumphi, a rural northern district of Malawi. She grew up playing informal football with boys in her village, kicking balls handmade from plastic and paper, and never saw herself as less capable than her male peers. “Growing up, I never saw myself as different from boys,” she told the BBC. “Whatever they did I believed I could.”
Tabitha faced steep pushback from her community and even her family early on. Her mother would beat her for playing, embarrassed by local gossip that claimed Tabitha would never marry or value education. Even her peers told her that women had no place in professional football. But she refused to abandon the sport she loved, and her path to stardom began when she joined DD Sunshine, a top club based in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe. A devout Christian, she frequently credits her faith for carrying her through the hardest stages of her journey.
Her move to European football came by chance in 2014, when an American NGO worker who had trained with DD Sunshine relocated to Sweden and joined third-tier side Krokom Dvarsatts. DD Sunshine owner David Dube suggested the club give Tabitha a trial, and when the side hesitated, Dube even offered to cover her visa and flight costs to make the trip happen. Tabitha left an immediate impression on the Swedish side, who praised her physical strength, sharp dribbling, long-range shooting, and clinical finishing. She made her debut after her 18th birthday, becoming the first Malawian woman to play professional football in Europe, and scored an incredible 39 goals in just 14 matches.
Her career only accelerated from there: she scored 43 goals to earn promotion for second-tier club Kvarnsveden, then claimed the Swedish top flight’s golden boot in 2017. A six-year spell in China followed, where she won three league titles, three golden boots, and two Player of the Season awards. A 2022-23 loan spell at Inter Milan brought another golden boot in Italy’s Serie A, and after that success, she declared: “My goal is to achieve for African people. I need to play for the girls in Africa. They need to see there are women in this world that can play football like men.”
Paris Saint-Germain signed Tabitha next, and in 2023 she became the first Malawian woman to play and score in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. She later moved to Olympique Lyonnais, France’s most decorated women’s side, where she helped the club win back-to-back domestic league titles, and started in last season’s Champions League final, where Lyon fell to Barcelona.
Temwa, born in September 1998 (whose name means “love” in the local Tumbuka language), followed directly in her older sister’s footsteps, and credits Tabitha as the foundational force behind her own success. “She made connections for me to leave Malawi to play abroad, but most importantly has always advised me to fight hard, to know what I want and to pursue it without listening to distracting people,” Temwa told BBC Sport Africa. Tabitha first recommended Temwa to her Swedish club Kvarnsveden, where the pair played together, and when Chinese agents asked Tabitha for referrals for talented strikers, she once again pointed them to her younger sister.
Like her sister, Temwa has built a legacy of prolific goalscoring. She netted 35 league goals in Sweden in 2019, then joined Wuhan Jianghan in China, where she helped the club win four consecutive league titles, including the 2021 championship that she shared with Tabitha. In 2023, she outscored some of the biggest names in men’s football—including Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi—finishing as the top goalscorer across top global leagues with 63 goals combined for her club and country. “When I found out I was so happy. I didn’t believe it, but it was so amazing,” she said of the milestone.
In 2024, NWSL side Kansas City Current signed Temwa, and she claimed the league’s golden boot in her debut season with 20 goals, followed by 15 goals in 2025 that helped the club earn the top regular season record. She was named league MVP in both of her first two seasons in the United States.
Despite both sisters’ long list of individual and club honors, neither has ever been named African Women’s Footballer of the Year, an award that has eluded them to date. At the international level, they have been the backbone of Malawi’s national team, the Scorchers, for more than a decade: Tabitha made her debut in 2011 and usually serves as captain, while Temwa earned her first cap in 2016 and lifted the team’s first ever regional title as skipper at the 2023 COSAFA Women’s Championship.
Tabitha, who has played in top European competitions for years, said ahead of Wafcon: “I’ve been playing big games in Europe, but I tell the girls ‘Don’t be shy, don’t be scared.’” Those words have inspired Malawi’s historic run: the side opened the tournament with an upset win over 10-time defending champions Nigeria, finished ahead of 2022 semi-finalists Zambia in Group C, came from behind to beat Ghana 2-1 in the quarter-finals (a win that also secured qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup), and beat Algeria in the semi-finals, with both Chawinga sisters finding the back of the net in that match.
Temwa summed up the team’s mindset after the semi-final win: “I’m so happy because a lot of people didn’t give us a chance at this level, but we showed the world that we have a good team.”
Malawi Football Association president Fleetwood Haiya credits recent funding from FIFA for helping grow the women’s program and fuel this success, but both sisters have urged for greater domestic investment in girls’ football across the country. “If we can put money in Malawi to support girls’ football I think there can be so many like me and Tabitha,” Temwa said.
On Sunday, the Scorchers will face three-time tournament runners-up Cameroon, vying to become just the fourth nation to win the Wafcon title, following Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and South Africa. If they lift the trophy, the credit will go first to two sisters from humble rural beginnings, who overcame doubt and barrier after barrier to put the small southern African nation on women’s football’s global map.
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Delhi’s unusual challenge: Keeping monkeys and pigeons away from top badminton event
One of badminton’s most prestigious global tournaments, the BWF World Championships, is set to kick off on Monday at New Delhi’s iconic Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, bringing together the sport’s top athletes from across the globe. But this year, much of the pre-tournament conversation has centered not on title predictions or rivalries, but on an unusual challenge: keeping uninvited wildlife guests away from the competition courts.
The preparations come in direct response to the high-profile disruptions that marred the capital’s January 2026 India Open tournament. What was meant to be a showcase of elite badminton and India’s ability to host major international sporting events instead became dominated by off-court issues. Famed for its dense urban macaque monkey populations and feral pigeon flocks, Delhi’s wildlife crashed the event: a wild monkey was spotted roaming inside the main stadium, while multiple matches had to be halted mid-play after pigeon droppings landed on active competition courts. Compounding these problems, hazardous levels of seasonal air pollution drew widespread criticism from visiting players, who reported respiratory difficulties during practice and play. The series of missteps left organizers eager to avoid a repeat of the negative headlines as they prepare for the far higher-stakes World Championships.
To address the risk of animal intrusions, event authorities have rolled out a multi-layered set of precautionary upgrades to the 44-year-old venue, which was originally built for the 1982 Asian Games and most recently renovated for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. According to Sanjay Mishra, general secretary of the Badminton Association of India, nearly all entry points to the stadium have been modified to block wildlife access: original single wooden doors have been swapped out for auto-locking double-door systems, durable high-grade netting has been fitted over all open vents, roof gaps and other potential access routes, and a non-toxic gel has been applied to ledges and handles to deter pigeons from landing. Structural and cosmetic overhauls have also been completed across the stadium’s three main competition arenas, with lighting systems fully upgraded to eliminate the shadow issues on courts that drew player complaints during the India Open.
The most talked-about pre-tournament measure has been the reported strategy to deter marauding rhesus macaques, a common nuisance in central Delhi’s public spaces. For decades, Indian authorities have relied on a traditional, low-cost method to repel smaller macaques: leveraging the animals’ natural fear of langurs, large native primates that are dominant over rhesus macaques. A viral social media video that circulated earlier this week showed a man mimicking langur calls inside the stadium grounds, leading multiple media outlets to report that organizers had hired langur impressionists for the championships. Even India’s star two-time Olympic badminton medalist PV Sindhu weighed in on the social media conversation, commenting: “Our solutions may be uniquely Indian, but so are our warmth, our spirit and our hospitality.”
Mishra clarified to the BBC that no dedicated langur mimics have been hired specifically for the tournament, noting that an individual familiar with imitating langur calls was only briefly deployed at the stadium’s northern section as a precaution for its large, sprawling perimeter. This tactic is far from unprecedented for major Indian events: during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, authorities deployed live langurs at competition venues to scare off macaques, and for the 2023 G20 summit hosted in New Delhi, officials placed life-sized cutout posters of langurs across the capital to deter monkey intrusions.
Beyond wildlife, Delhi’s well-documented seasonal air quality crisis remains a lingering concern, though the annual winter pollution peak has passed in mid-August. For India, a successful BWF World Championships carries far more weight than just badminton bragging rights: the country is actively working to build its reputation as a leading destination for global sports, and is already scheduled to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with a formal bid in the works for the 2036 Summer Olympics. The 2026 India Open’s high-profile missteps were a major embarrassment for the nation’s sporting ambitions, making a smooth, disruption-free World Championships a key priority.
This year’s tournament, running from August 17 to 23, will feature all of the sport’s top-ranked players, including defending men’s world champion Shi Yuqi of China and defending women’s champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan. Host nation India will pin its medal hopes on Sindhu, who is leading the country’s challenge in the women’s singles draw. For organizers, the ultimate goal is simple: over the course of the week, all headlines coming out of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium should focus on the athletes, the competitive matches, and the drama of badminton’s flagship event — not on rogue monkeys or pigeon droppings.
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Billy Slater stands down as Queensland State of Origin coach
In a stunning Friday announcement that has sent ripples through the National Rugby League (NRL), Queensland Maroons State of Origin head coach Billy Slater has confirmed he will step down from his role ahead of the 2027 series, leaving both Queensland and New South Wales needing new head coaches for the next edition of Australian rugby league’s most iconic annual interstate rivalry.
A legendary former fullback who earned 31 caps for the Maroons during his playing career, Slater took over the coaching reins in 2022 and delivered unprecedented immediate success for Queensland, leading the side to three consecutive State of Origin series titles. His three-year tenure ended earlier this year, however, after the Maroons fell to a devastating game three decider defeat on home soil, a result that ultimately pushed the fan favorite coach to decide to move on from the role.
Queensland Rugby League (QRL) now faces a pressing search for a new leader to take on the side against New South Wales’ new coach Matt King, who replaced long-serving Blues mentor Laurie Daley earlier this month.
Slater’s sudden departure has reignited long-running NRL speculation that the Queensland icon is positioning himself to take over as head coach of his long-time club side, the Melbourne Storm. Current Storm head coach Craig Bellamy has already confirmed he plans to retire from the role at the end of the 2027 NRL season, leaving a high-profile vacancy that many NRL analysts see as a perfect fit for Slater.
In a public statement released alongside his resignation announcement, Slater reflected on the profound honor of coaching the Maroons, a role he described as one of the most rewarding experiences of his life. “From being a boy who idolised this team, to a player, to guiding a group that has inspired our State, this has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life,” Slater said. “I want to thank the players, this group gave everything for the jersey, for each other and our State, and I’m proud of what we’ve built together. To the staff, and to the QRL for the opportunity to lead this team, thank you. And to my fellow Queenslanders, thank you for the trust you put in me to be our coach. Being a Queenslander has always been a huge part of who I am, and that will never change.”
Across his tenure as Maroons coach, Slater compiled an 8-7 win-loss record. QRL officials are now weighing two potential paths to replace him: hiring an already established senior NRL coaching figure, or turning to another Queensland rugby league legend, with fan favorites Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston repeatedly named as top potential candidates for the role.
QRL chair Brian Canavan paid tribute to Slater’s far-reaching contributions to Queensland rugby league across his decades involved with the program, both as a player and a head coach. “Billy has made an extraordinary contribution to Queensland Rugby League, both as a player and as a coach,” Canavan said. “Over the past five seasons he has led the Maroons with authenticity, pride and a deep understanding of what it means to represent this state. He has helped shape a new generation of Queensland players, sharing the values and standards that have defined the Maroons for decades. On behalf of the Queensland Rugby League, I want to sincerely thank Billy for his commitment, leadership and service. His impact on our organisation and on Queenslanders everywhere will be felt long after his tenure as coach concludes.”