• Danny Boyle's spectacular opening ceremony was undoubtedly one of the highlights of last summer's Olympic Games in London, but not everyone who watched the elaborate curtain-raiser was marvelling at its brilliance.

    Atopia, a small design company, were shocked to find out that the star of the show - the Olympic cauldron, which rose up out of a sea of copper petals - bore a striking resemblance to a design they had submitted to Games organisers five years previously.

    "We were absolutely furious," said the practice's co-director Jane Harrison. "It looked identical to something we had proposed to

    Read More »from ‘Furious’ design studio claims Olympic cauldron plagiarism
  • This summer Eurosport is counting down the world's greatest footballers, as voted by our international network of journalists. We will reveal one player per day, culminating in the election of the first Ballon d'Eurosport on July 19.

    The Ballon d'Eurosport explained.

    - - -

    Mueller is undoubtedly an excellent player, and his inclusion comes after proving that his rise to prominence no fluke.

    A poor 2011-12 season by his standards meant some doubted he was actually all that, but this time out he won back his place – often keeping Arjen Robben out of the side – and ended up scoring 23 goals for

    Read More »from Ballon d’Eurosport – No.22: Thomas Mueller
  • Brazilian great Pele has called on thousands of protestors demonstrating over poor quality public services and corruption to leave the streets and focus on football, an appeal that was quickly met with derision on social media.

    Brazil is currently hosting the Confederations Cup which began on Saturday, a tournament seen as a dry-run before it hosts the World Cup next year expected to draw an estimated 600,000 visitors to the country.

    "Let's forget all this commotion happening in Brazil, all these protests, and let's remember how the Brazilian squad is our country and our blood," Pele said in

    Read More »from Brazilians mock Pele appeal to end protests
  • No protesting about Neymar’s talent

    When the world was watching Brazil, Neymar didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t just the wonderful swing of his left boot to hammer home a volley after nine minutes, or the outrageous shimmy and dart to lose two men to create the assist for the second in injury time, but the fact he had promised to put on a show for a troubled nation.

    Prior to stepping on to the field for Brazil’s fixture against Mexico at the Confederations Cup, the forward said of the popular protests that have swept his country these past few days: "I also want a fairer, safer and more honest Brazil. I'll walk onto the pitch

    Read More »from No protesting about Neymar’s talent
  • The name "Larsson" was once again on a scoresheet in a Swedish soccer match as former international striker Henrik Larsson made a comeback but this time it was his 15-year-old son Jordan who netted the goal.

    "We didn't combine a whole lot but obviously I'm proud," Henrik Larsson told newspaper Expressen after seeing his son score in Hogaborg's 4-2 win over Tenhult in Sweden's Division Two (fourth tier).

    "It is of course a rare luxury to get to play with your son," added Henrik, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006 and the European Golden Shoe award in 2001, and was part of the

    Read More »from Henrik Larsson makes comeback but son gets the goal
  • One of the most turbulent championships in NBA history will reach its climax on Thursday when the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs meet in the decisive seventh game of the Finals.

    Basketball fans in the United States have been whipped into a frenzy of excitement by what has already been a classic series full of wild fluctuations and escalating drama.

    The teams have raised their games to new heights, producing an extraordinary standard of play and athleticism which peaked with Miami's exhilarating overtime win on Tuesday that tied the series at 3-3.

    With everything on the line for Game Seven,

    Read More »from The biggest sports event you really should be watching
  • Bernard HopkinsBernard Hopkins

    There was never any doubt, really, that Bernard Hopkins would agree to fight whomever the IBF deemed as the mandatory challenger for his IBF world title. His record over the last 20 years proves that.

    After his mandatory defence against Karo Murat, set for July 13 in Brooklyn, NY, was cancelled when Murat was unable to acquire a visa to get into the US, the IBF considered what it would do.

    Ultimately, it decreed that the 48-year-old Hopkins would have to put his belt up against unbeaten Sergey Kovalev.

    There were those who questioned whether Hopkins would agree to meet Kovalev, who has 19

    Read More »from Hopkins ‘to defend legacy’ against unheralded Kovalev
  • One day, when you're telling your children about Evan Gattis, baseball's folk hero they call El Oso Blanco, you might tell them the story of the day Gattis hit a foul ball and broken his bat on his follow-through. Specifically, how he broke his bat over his own back.

    Gattis' strength has never been questioned. He wouldn't be called El Oso Blanco (The White Bear) if he weren't crazy strong. So strong this didn't seem to hurt him, as it might hurt a lesser man.

    Later in Monday's game, however, Gattis did hurt himself. He strained an oblique muscle and was

    Read More »from Baseball star breaks bat after hitting it off his own back
  • Brazil's two biggest cities have agreed to revoke an increase in public transportation fares that set off demonstrations that have grown into nationwide protests against poor public services, inflation and corruption.

    The decisions, made separately in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, followed another day of protests across Brazil, which also included a march by demonstrators around a major international game in the northeastern city of Fortaleza.

    This month's transport fare hikes, which came as Brazil struggles with annual inflation of 6.5 per cent, stirred a groundswell of other complaints,

    Read More »from Cities revoke fare hikes as protests continue ahead of World Cup
  • Lionel Messi (Reuters)Lionel Messi (Reuters)

    In an anonymous wood panelled office overlooking a park in one of Barcelona's most desirable areas a mile from Camp Nou, a team of professionals work on behalf of Lionel Messi. There is no evidence of Messi in this old lawyers' office, no framed shirts on the wall or match balls. In stark contrast to the office of Messi's team mate Daniel Alves, where his six staff work in a room adorned with jerseys from games gone by. Alves has a desk too and is proud to talk about shirts swapped and old encounters. Why a footballer needs an office with staff is debatable, but these mini-brands are

    Read More »from Messi may have fallen into a common football trap

Pagination

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