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Newsletter March 2025 🌍

Welcome to Challengers Newsletter, your monthly update on the world of sport.

Major News đź“°

  • Kirsty Coventry elected IOC President, the first female President in IOC history. (read)
  • The ref who sent off Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham is receiving death threats. (read)
  • Patrick Mouratoglou gives his take on the Sinner situation. (read)
  • President Bach to resign as an IOC Member after 23 June 2025. (read) update
  • Armand Duplantis SOARS To New World Record Height In Pole Vault Masterclass. (watch)
  • What Germany’s elections mean for sports. (read)
  • Former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe calling President Donald Trumps MAGA slogan a “Nazi movement”. (watch)
  • Cortina’s divisive venue revival. (read)
  • IOC final report on Paris 2024 by IOC. (read)
  • LeBron becomes 1st in NBA history to register 50K points. (read)
  • CAS 2024/A/10384 Luis Rubiales v. FĂ©dĂ©ration Internationale de Football Association. (read)
  • Lewis Hamilton’s First Days In Ferrari – Behind The Scenes. (watch)
  • Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout, 17, runs fastest 200m time in the world this year. (read)
  • IOC board puts boxing back on the Olympic program for LA in 2028. (read)
  • The Olympics faces an ‘existential threat’ in Trump and Putin’s new world order. (read)

Playbook đź“–

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. By Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Sport Money đź’¸

  • Fifa will consider expanding World Cup to 64 teams for 2030 tournament. (read)
  • A record $100 million donation will give next gen of US Olympians $100K to spend after they retire. (read)
  • The Dallas Mavericks are raising season tickets prices one month after trading away star Luka Doncic. (read)
  • Sporting Goods 2025—The new balancing act: Turning uncertainty into opportunity by McKinsey & Company. (read)
  • The money under F1. (read)

Bad Buzz ⏰

  • Three more Norwegian ski jumpers suspended in cheating scandal. (read)
  • High school track athlete charged with assault after viral baton incident. (watch)
  • Ryan Wedding, former Canadian Olympian-turned drug kingpin, added to FBI 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list. (read)
  • TOUR D’ALGARVE – Surreal scene: the peloton sprints on the wrong road, Ganna takes advantage. (watch)
  • Les images de la rĂ©union des prĂ©sidents du foot français pour les droits TV de la L1. (watch)
  • I found a database with every NFL players arrest charges since 2000. (discover)
  • Rapist Conor McGregor holding a press conference in the White House. (watch)
  • Despite arrest, no-contact order, court admission, water polo star continues to compete and teach. (read)
  • Bulgarian footballer honoured with minute’s silence … despite not being dead. (read)

Sports Marketing 🎯

  • Love, Hurts by the Jordan Brand. (watch)
  • Victor Wembanyama has a blood clot in shoulder and doctor explains. (watch)
  • The African Biathlon: A new sport to get Mzansi moving by Nedbank. (watch)
  • TikTok ad on inspiring runners. (watch)
  • On compaign with Federer and Zendaya. (watch)
  • TCL and IOC drones activation. (watch)
  • Apple boosts MLS Season Pass with expanded content, programming. (read)
  • CNBC Sport: The NBA’s push to reach Gen Alpha. (read)
  • Nike Inc. and SKIMS introduce new brand for women: NikeSKIMS. (read)
  • Une publicitĂ© dĂ©cathlon invitant Ă  faire de la place pour une activitĂ© physique. (read)
  • How Powerade’s March Madness campaign takes aim at Gatorade. (read)
  • Lewis Hamilton Joins lululemon As Its Newest Ambassador. (read)
  • Super Bowl ad recall metrics drop after blowout game: report. (read)
  • Allianz extends Worldwide Olympic & Paralympic Partnership through 2032. (watch)
  • Villanova March Madness commercial featuring a trio of Knicks and a sad Donte DiVincenzo. (watch)
  • Major League Soccer & Audi celebrate 10-year partnership anniversary. (read)
  • Why Adidas cuts 500 jobs, despite strong results. (read)
  • The language of Sport Brands by Zoe Scaman. (read)
  • Adidas and German 125 anniversary. (watch)

Athletes’ Toolkit 🎽

  • The Unfair Advantage Of The 60 Second Procrastination Rule. (watch)
  • Good tips to film and making videos. (watch)
  • Quand le sportif d’élite devient employĂ© modèle. (read in french/paywall)
  • How I prepare for an F1 season by Lando Norris. (watch)
  • The Reputational Cue Ball. (read)
  • Spotlight on Emma Finucane on Body Image, Fashion & Olympic Glory. (watch)
  • A reminder to wear helmets. (watch)
  • Michael Jordan’s true superpower: the art of being fully present in life. (watch)
  • Logo Design Process , how to create a brand from scratch. (watch)

Athlete’s Corner 🥅

New paragraph with one practical/applicable advice for athletes

Most NBA players chew gum during the game for the following reasons: Focus and Concentration, Reducing Dry Mouth, Managing Stress and Anxiety, Breathing Regulation, Preventing Teeth Clenching, Superstition and Habit. Source

Sport Tec 🖲️

  • Progress of the construction in Camp Nou. (watch)
  • Hoka running shoes documentary. (watch in french)
  • What if NASCAR had no rules? (watch)
  • Technology isn’t fun anymore – general tech and sport. (watch)
  • Auger-Aliassime asks for a video review during a dramatic tie-break. (watch)
  • Why build a diving board twice the Olympic height – Montreal. Olympic Sports Centre (watch)
  • Why Every F1 Car Has A Secret Camera. (watch)
  • Olympism365: Advancing sustainable development with emerging technologies. (read)
  • No one is allowed to use this tennis racket. (watch)
  • How Kendrick Lamar’s EPIC Super Bowl Halftime Show was Designed & Built in 8 Minutes. (watch)
  • UEFA statement on VAR decision at AtlĂ©tico de Madrid vs Real Madrid match. (read)
  • We Just Saw The First Strike Zone Challenge in MLB History. (watch)

Sport Docs 🍿

  • How F1 Exploded. (watch)
  • VendĂ©e Globe : quand l’image a le vent en poupe. (watch)
  • Luka DonÄŤić’s first Week as a Laker. (watch)
  • What Will It Take to Reach Messi and Ronaldo? (watch)
  • The Neurodivergent Genius Who Invented Formula 1 For Marbles. (watch)
  • Riding with Japan’s Most Wanted Street Racers. (watch)
  • Every F1 Team Explained in 14 Minutes. (watch)
  • Sam Reid Rooted Against America’s Most Beloved Sports Team. (watch)
  • Japan’s Intense Snowball Fighting Sport. (read)
  • How Football Fans Embraced an Unlikely American Song. (watch)
  • How they somehow stole the Jordan logo, and got away with it. (watch)
  • Jules KoundĂ© : en mode mannequin par ARTE. (watch in french)
  • How Devon Larratt built the World’s strongest arms, World Champion Armwrestler. (watch)

Ubuntu đź«‚

  • Olympic athletes call on incoming IOC president to prioritise climate change. (read)
  • No Shame in the Game: Dirt Is Good and Arsenal Tackle Period Stigma in Sport. (read)
  • Emma Raducanu stops mid-game as she harrasser in the stands. (watch)
  • ‘They didn’t call me by name, it was brownie or n*’ – Formula 1 worker reveals racist abuse. (read)
  • “Music is about making something that makes you feel meaningful”. Same for Sport right ? (watch)
  • Almost half of sportswomen experience breast injuries but few report them. (read)
  • 18 yo football player breaks down in tears after being racially abused by “fans”
  • Josh Cavallo, first openly gay male player, reveals daily death threats. (watch)
  • Skate cut protection gets an emotional hockey dad endorsement at the NHL GMs meeting. (read)

Upcoming Events 🏆

  • 4.03 World Tennis Day
  • 8–16.03 Special Olympics World Winter Games, Turin Italy
  • 8.03 International Women’s Day
  • ?.03 IBA World Championships (women), Belgrade Serbia
  • 18.03–7.04 NCAA finals (March Madness), USA
  • 21–23.03 20th IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championship, Nanjing China
  • 23.03 National Day of Sport and Disability (France)
  • 23–30.03 Winter Military World Games, Bern Switzerland → I’m there, come and say hi 🇨🇭
  • 25–30.03 World Figure Skating Championships, Boston USA
  • 1–30.03 Women’s Six Nations (Rugby), various UK locations

Volunteering & Jobs 🧢

  • Social Media Production Manager by IOC. (apply)
  • Streaming Scheduling & Operations Lead by Volleyball World. (apply)
  • Employer Branding & HR Intern at UEFA. (apply)
  • Social Media Lead at FIS. (apply)
  • PowerPoint designer / Freelancer at Fifa. (apply)
  • Editorial designer / project manager (freelancer). (apply)

Happy Sport đź’™

  • The NBA is so amazing for doing this. (watch)
  • Winners of the 2024 FIBA Photo Contest revealed. (watch)
  • The most brutal UK Ball Game: Atherstone. (watch)
  • Kevin Durant’s Emotional Lookback on Olympic Basketball. (watch)
  • Fair play: futsal player refuses to score after opponent goes down injured. (watch)
  • Gold Medalist Sofia Goggia’s Training Routine. (watch)
  • Russell Westbrook gives his jersey to a superfan from South Korea. (watch)
  • 10 Incredible close finishes at Paris 2024. (watch)
  • What an event.. Women’s 4x400m final in Glasgow. (watch)
  • Neymar responds to jeering fans by scoring for Santos directly from corner. (watch)
  • Insane ending to an Ohio State vs. Maryland game. (watch)
  • Kobe and his high school point guard reunite. (watch)
  • Badminton player hits a 309 mph (497 km/h) smash, second fastest ever recorded. (watch)
  • Basketball game turns into half-court shootout. (watch)

Challengers World 🌍

This month I created more topics, on the newsletter, with Ubuntu 🫂, Athlete’s Corner 🥅, Bad Buzz ⏰ and Sport Money 💸. After one year doing the newsletter and 3 years doing the podcast, it’s quite exciting to see my project grow. I’m preparing something new in the background, stay tuned!

Thank you for reading and see you next month. -Nicola

ps. Full Moon – Night Skiing Without Artificial Light. (watch)