The world of sport never stops and as always there is plenty to discuss.
Welcome to what is our 493rd show, counting the nine years on the radio. We are getting very close to the magic 500. Let us know what or who you would like to hear from us on that show!
The trolling of gay athletes at the recent FIFA Women’s World cup was something that stunned many. Women’s sport has come a long way in the last 20 years, no longer do they have to use sexy images to attract attention, now they are judged by most solely on their athletic prowess. Yet still those who are Gay are subjected to abuse. To try and get an insight into the extra burdens of being a top flight Gay athlete, we caught up with Olympic Gold medal winning hockey player and former Captain of Great Britain, Kate Richardson-Walsh. Richardson-Walsh and her wife Helen both played in Great Britain’s Gold winning team, a unique achievement in itself, but not without its challenges.
The Ashes have started and newly crowned ODI World Champions England were brought crashing down to earth. We look at the performances of Stephen Smith and Nathan Lyon who played key roles in Australia’s opening victory, and ask whether England genuinely has the bowling attack to dismiss Australia twice, and cheaply enough to win?
Also under the microscope is the new format for calculating the World Rankings of the top Hockey nations. Although this has not been announced yet, John and Ashley question the need to fly the competitions Committee to Switzerland at a time when the FIH has said it is in financial difficulty. They also discuss some of the pitfalls of adopting a system from another sport. It is a tricky challenge facing those making the decisions, are the right people being consulted? There is no doubt the system has to change, and it has to be simpler for all to understand. However most important of all the new system has to have been well thought through and it has to be a fair and transparent system that does not favour some.
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