Today’s top sport stories include the ban of transgender women from world chess events, questions surrounding the 2008 Formula One title, and a threat hanging over Swimming Australia. Two things to look forward to this weekend are the final matches at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Collingwood chasing the AFL minor premiership.
Transgender women banned from world chess events
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has ruled that transgender women are not allowed to compete in events until a review is made by officials of each individual case.
The policy, which will come into effect on August 21, states that a player will be banned from competing in official women’s events once they inform FIDE of their transition from male to female.
“Change of gender is a change that has a significant impact on a player’s status and future eligibility to tournaments,” the federation said, “therefore it can only be made if there is a relevant proof of the change provided.”
The new regulations also state that a person’s pre-transition results will still stand.
“If a player has changed the gender from a man into a woman, all the previous titles remain eligible,” regulations now say.
Conspiracy arises from the 2008 Formula One title
Former Formula One driver Felipe Massa has accused the governing body of conspiring to prevent him from winning the 2008 title.
Massa made his claim in a letter to the FIA as part of a legal battle that will take place in Britain.
“Simply put, Mr Massa is the rightful 2008 champion, and F1 and the FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that stripped him of that title,” the letter said.
A member of Massa’s management team said Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr deliberately crashed at the Singapore Grand Prix to help teammate Fernando Alonso win the race.
The crash caused a safety car, with a subsequent pit stop error affecting Massa’s race. The Brazilian finished 13th in the race.
Massa believes that the crash gave an opportunity to decorated racer Lewis Hamilton to claim his first of seven championships in his career.
World Aquatics threatens to remove Swimming Australia’s membership
World Aquatics has contacted Swimming Australia regarding constitution and governance concerns.
It has warned that Swimming Australia could lose its global membership if changes to diversity and inclusiveness are not made in the next month.
A meeting will take place on October 20.
“World Aquatics welcomes the changes to the Swimming Australia constitution, which will give more power to athletes and a voice on the board, while also delivering a broader voting base more closely connected to athletes and coaches,” World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki said.
Spain and England to face off in FIFA Women’s World Cup final
Spain and England will meet in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final with both nations aiming to win their first World Cup.
The contest is set to take place on Sunday August 20 at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
The Lionesses will be confident heading into the matchup after defeating Australia 3-1 in front of an impassioned pro-Matilda crowd.
Meanwhile Spain has had an impressive run into the final by taking down Sweden 2-1 in a game that was filled with a frenzy of late goals.
Australia will play Sweden in the third-place play-off on Saturday August 19 at Lang Park in Brisbane.
Collingwood chasing after AFL minor premiership
The Collingwood Magpies are one win away from the AFL minor premiership after a spectacular season.
Captain Darcy Moore is out of the side this week with hamstring tightness as 18-year-old debutant Jakob Ryan comes into the squad to provide a necessary burst of energy in the back line.
Coach Craig McRae spoke very highly of Ryan at the club press conference on Wednesday.
“It’s exciting to give someone an opportunity this time of year – he gets it through reward and playing above the level at VFL,” McRae said.
The Magpies face the Brisbane Lions tonight at Marvel Stadium as the Lions aim to hold their second position on the ladder.
Brisbane enter with the bragging rights, coming out victorious over the fan favourite in their last five outings.
Authors: Casey McGuire and Max Westwood
Photo: Soccer Ball by Julian Carvajal is available HERE and used under a Creative Commons licence. The image has not been modified.
