Benin teen eyes global rugby stage, challenges gender norms
As the sun dips low over Cotonou, fifteen-year-old Kadidjath Ouedraogo and her father, Amidou, make their way to a twilight training session on the rugby pitch, each step echoing her dream of one day representing Benin on the global stage. Sean Hogan has more.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Joanne Froggatt among signatories calling on Government to take action on Sudan
Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt is among dozens of famous faces who have called on the UK Government to take 'rapid action' and provide humanitarian aid to Sudan. Froggatt is among 50 high-profile people from TV, film, music and sport who have signed an open letter led by children's charity Plan International UK which calls on the Prime Minister to tackle the crisis in Sudan by maintaining funding commitments after announcing a cut in the foreign aid budget. The letter, which was also signed by Warfare's Will Poulter, Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andoh and singer-songwriter Cat Burns, will be delivered to 10 Downing Street on Monday alongside a petition signed by more than 8,500 members of the public. Froggatt said: 'Millions of children have been forced into dangerous, overcrowded camps both within and beyond Sudan. These are not safe places for such young lives. 'Children's lives are now characterised by danger and death as hunger and disease spread while the violence rages on. 'They are suffering in silence. We need to draw attention to this crisis and demand rapid action from the UK Government. By talking about Sudan we can save children's lives.' Since the outbreak of the civil war in April 2023, Sudan has topped the International Rescue Committee's (IRC) Emergency Watchlist, which analyses countries that are most likely to experience a new or worsening humanitarian crisis, for a second consecutive year. The IRC has also described it as 'the largest and fastest displacement crisis in the world' and the 'largest humanitarian crisis on record'. England footballer Lucy Bronze, director Sir Steve McQueen and musician Peter Gabriel have also added their names to the open letter alongside TV cook Delia Smith and boxer Ramla Ali. The letter reads: 'Following over two years of violent conflict, Sudan is now the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with half of the country's population – a staggering 24.6 million people – already facing high levels of acute food insecurity. 'Time is quickly running out. Violence, starvation and disease are killing more and more children every day. The UK Government must do all it can to help save lives before it is too late.' Burns, who is known for her hit song Go, added: 'What's happening in Sudan is devastating. 'Children are being torn from their homes, going hungry, and living through horrors no one should ever face. 'We can't turn away or stay quiet. The world needs to act before even more lives are lost.' The letter also urges the Government to increase international pressure and mediation to ensure a ceasefire as well as providing emergency funding and scaling up mutual aid groups. Poulter, who is known for We're The Millers and The Maze Runner, said: 'The stories about the scale of starvation coming out of Sudan are utterly heart-breaking. 'The situation is quickly escalating into one of the worst famines ever recorded. 'With such an extreme shortage of food, immediate action is needed now to save lives and prevent further suffering. We can't let children and their families in Sudan starve to death.' The letter is supported by a coalition of aid organisations, including the chief executives of Cafod, Save the Children UK, Action Against Hunger, Christian Aid, and leading Sudanese campaigners. Mohamed Kamal, country director for Plan International Sudan, said: 'The sheer scale of the suffering being endured by people in Sudan is almost impossible to comprehend. 'Two years of brutal fighting, severe restrictions on the delivery of life-saving aid and a near-total collapse of the food supply across the country has caused a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale the world hasn't witnessed in generations. 'With every day that passes, more and more children face the unacceptable risk of death from extreme hunger, war and disease. Turning our backs on them would be utterly inhumane.' A spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: 'As the Foreign Secretary said, Sudan is suffering one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes on record, which is why we convened leaders from around the world in April to strengthen support for the Sudanese people. 'The UK is doing all we can to provide aid, and last month announced £120 million to support over 650,000 Sudanese people in desperate need. 'The number of people who need help will rise if the warring parties continue to show an appalling disregard for human life by blocking aid routes that must be kept open, accessible and safe.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Broken hand no bar as Mo'unga scoops another Japan club title
TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - Former All Black flyhalf Richie Mo'unga fired Brave Lupus Tokyo to back-to-back Japan Rugby League One titles with an 18-13 win over Kubota Spears at the weekend, afterwards revealing that he had played with a fractured hand. The 31-year-old playmaker suffered the injury in the semi-final against Kobe Steelers and did not train all week but scored a try and kicked eight points in a Player of the Match performance on Sunday. "I broke my hand against Kobe," Mo'unga explained after adding a second Japanese title to the seven successive Super Rugby titles he won as a Canterbury Crusader. "This is the third time I've broken this hand. I knew it wasn't impossible to play. I really wanted to play and be a part of something special. "There's a lot of relief. I'm so proud of the team and our efforts. To win this competition again is really special." Brave Lupus coach Todd Blackadder, who handed Mo'unga his Crusaders debut in 2016, said he had been uncertain whether his flyhalf would be able to play. "Richie's hand wasn't great but it shows how tough he is," said the former All Blacks lock. "He turned up and played very well. He's so committed and what a player he is." After the final played out in front of 50,009 fans at Tokyo's National Stadium, Mo'unga paid tribute to Brave Lupus skipper Michael Leitch, who finished the season as the league's top tackler. "I'm just in awe of what he does for this club, and the man that he is, and what he stands for," he said of the 36-year-old former Japan captain. "I speak on behalf of a lot of foreigners that come to (the club), he just makes life so much easier for us, he's like a big brother. "To see him to have the success, and captain and lead this side, I'm proud to be a follower of someone like him."
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
My retirement warning to Care, Youngs, Cole, Brown and Goode
For more than two decades these players will have thought of themselves, principally, as rugby players and not just because it was their profession. I would bet much that even before they made it to the professional grade they thought of themselves as such. What they now have to accommodate is a different identity and one through which they can find ongoing fulfilment. They have had extraordinary experiences but must now find a new way forward. Coaching, managing, punditry; all might keep some involvement with rugby, but there is nothing like playing. Another factor they will have to accommodate is that they all played with clubs with very distinct identities. When players assume a role as part of a group, they assume some of the group's characteristics as part of their identity. Clubs with a highly developed sense of locality, such as Leicester Tigers, imperceptibly instil more than just an affinity between player and club. This affects players in a wider sense that is not always appreciated by players until they leave that environment (Hogg & van Knippenberg, 2005) (Turner, 2004). They need to think carefully about what sort of future career could give them a sufficient challenge and maintain an amended identity, all of which depends squarely on their own personality. Living in the non-sporting world can be frustratingly opaque. There is a thrill in publicly, and definitively, winning or losing a weekly contest – no arguing. I won; you lost. This can become addictive, and its intensity is enhanced by digital and social media. Finding a life that is not boring by comparison is not as easy as assumed. Financially, all of them should be comfortable by normal standards, but they should note that a past player survey commissioned by the Professional Players' Federation, (in partnership with the RPA, the PCA, and PFA) stated that 52 per cent of respondents reported financial difficulties in the five years immediately after stopping playing. The unfortunate experiences of playing greats such as Lawrence Dallaglio and Phil Vickery evidence that even winning a World Cup is no barrier to financial difficulties. What players should understand is that what makes them successful at sport does not necessarily lead them to make sensible financial decisions. Bars, restaurants and the like, are more exciting than gilts and longer-term investments but a player's fame is not enough to make a bad investment good. Taking egregious risks might win games; it is rarely the same in finance. It took me years of struggle, obtaining the relevant diplomas in counselling and psychotherapy, and a master's degree in psychology to understand all this. I salute your outstanding careers and good luck in whatever comes next. Just remember this – men, for a variety of proven reasons, are not good at asking for help when they get into trouble, especially regarding mental health (Schlichthorst et al, 2016). If you do struggle, there is no shame in asking for help.
