Why the Wimbledon Royal Box is the new red carpet... and the secret pecking order of who sits where: SHANE WATSON
Wimbledon fortnight has leapfrogged the other social events in the summer calendar and, before we've even got to the semi-finals, Centre Court ranks as the new No1 place to see and be seen, with the royal box functioning a bit like the roped-off VIP area at a Hollywood party.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
How Iga Swiatek explained away her doping case and escaped a serious ban
Iga Swiatek was the second high-profile tennis player to test positive for a banned substance last year, with the five-time grand slam champion receiving a one-month ban from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The ITIA announced that Swiatek had accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ) – a medication used to treat heart conditions that, in a sporting context, can increase blood flow and improve endurance. It came only months after men's World No 1 Jannik Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid. Sinner was cleared as the ITIA accepted there was 'no fault or negligence', and later agreed to a three-month suspension. Meanwhile, Swiatek was found to have been 'at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence' after the 23-year-old Polish player explained that her doping violation was caused by a contaminated supply of the non-prescription medication melatonin, which she uses to help with jet lag and sleep issues. Following interviews with Swiatek and analysis of the medicine from independent laboratories, the ITIA accepted the explanation that the melatonin provided to her by her physio was contaminated during manufacturing, resulting in an extremely low trace of TMZ. Swiatek tested positive in an out-of-competition sample on 12 August 2024, before the Cincinnati Open. How did the TMZ get into Swiatek's system? Swiatek explained that she has used melatonin to help regulate her sleep patterns and deal with jet lag, which came as a result of her frequent travel. In Poland, melatonin is classified as a medication and is available to buy off the shelf in pharmacies and Swiatek said her physio would usually buy the product for her. Swiatek competed at the Olympics in Paris, winning the bronze medal on August 2 after defeat to Qinwen Zheng in the semi-finals the previous day. She arrived at the Cincinnati Open shortly before August 12, where she was called to provide a sample for doping control at around 6-7am. A urine sample was collected and taken to a WADA-accredited laboratory in Montreal for analysis. Swiatek was asked to list on a doping control form any 'medications or supplements' she had taken over the past seven days. She provided a list of 14 supplements and medications on the form but did not include melatonin, even though Swiatek later explained that she had ingested two to three tables of the product at around 2-3am that morning when she was unable to sleep. In providing evidence to the ITIA, Swiatek explained that she forgot to include melatonin because it was not on her list of medications and supplements that she would copy across from form to form. She also said she was tired, having had her sleep interrupted by being summoned by doping control. The ITIA later said the reasons for this omission were 'unsatisfactory'. Swiatek's urine sample was split into an A-sample and a B-sample, and the A-sample was found to contain the banned substance TMZ. Swiatek was informed of her positive test on September 12 and she replied two days later requesting further analysis of her B-sample, which returned the same result as the A-sample: a trace concentration of 50 pg/ml. How Swiatek proved contamination Swiatek was issued with a provisional suspension on September 12, which she appealed within the 10-day deadline. She denied deliberately or knowingly using TMZ, maintained she did not know what the source of the TMZ in her sample was, and told the ITIA that it must have been ingested by mistake through a contamination. After being informed of her positive B-sample, Swiatek and her team sent packages of all the products she had been using prior to the August 12 test - including the melatonin - to two laboratories, one in Paris and one in Strasbourg. The analysis of the products used by Swiatek showed the sample of melatonin tablets - a Poland-made product called LEK-AM Melatonina - she had taken on the morning of August 12 was contaminated with TMZ, and those results were sent to the ITIA. In response, the ITIA said it would examine the melatonin tablets at another WADA-accredited laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah. But the ITIA said it was unable to contact the Polish manufacturer of the melatonin, despite attempting to do so by telephone and email, in order to obtain from themselves a container of the product from the same batch. The ITIA said that was not possible due to the product's expiry date and the non-response of the manufacturer. Instead, Swiatek's team provided both the opened container of the melatonin product used on August 12 and a sealed container from the same batch. The ITIA said it 'verified that the sealed container obtained was from the same batch as that used by Swiatek (the batch numbers matched) and the sealed container had a tamper-evident seal'. On 4 October, the laboratory in Salt Lake City said it had found TMZ in tablets from both the opened and previously sealed containers of the melatonin, and ruled that contamination had occurred during manufacturing. The ITIA ruled the whole batch of melatonin had been contaminated and, despite its non-response, the ITIA also said manufacturer of the melatonin also makes a TMZ product in the same factory. Additional testing and the ITIA's ruling Swiatek was also called for drug tests on August 1 and August 2, after her semi-final and bronze-medal match at the Paris Olympics, as well as during the US Open. She was informed of her positive test eight days after her quarter-final defeat to Jessica Pegula. All of the other doping tests around the August 12 date were negative, with Swiatek only using the melatonin product that morning because she was struggling to sleep. The ITIA ruled in Swiatek's favour and found the the negative tests, as well as samples of Swiatek's hair that did not contain traces of TMZ, showed that she could not have used the substance as a therapeutic dose before the August 12. The ITIA said Swiatek's violation was at the lowest end of the range of 'no significant fault or negligence'. Swiatek accepted the one-month suspension offered by the ITIA. 'Once the source of the TMZ had been established, it became clear that this was a highly unusual instance of a contaminated product, which in Poland is a regulated medicine,' ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse said. 'However, the product does not have the same designation globally, and the fact that a product is a regulated medication in one country cannot of itself be sufficient to avoid any level of fault. Taking into account the nature of the medication, and all the circumstances, it does place that fault at the lowest end of the scale.'
Scottish Sun
26 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Pep Guardiola and stunning daughter Maria belt out Oasis classic as Man City boss parties with Gallagher family at gig
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE upcoming Premier League season will have felt Half The World Away for Pep Guardiola as he belted out Oasis tunes alongside his daughter Maria at the iconic band's homecoming gig last night. Guardiola, 54, and Maria, 24, were amongst the masses in Heaton Park on Friday night as Oasis played in their hometown of Manchester for the first time in over 16 YEARS. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Pep Guardiola and his daughter Maria were loving Oasis' comeback gig at Heaton Park on Friday night Credit: Instagram @ 7 The pair belted out Don't Look Back In Anger together Credit: Instagram @ 7 Maria is Guardiola's oldest daughter Credit: Reuters 7 The pair attended Wimbledon together last week Credit: Getty The Manchester City boss endeared himself to City fans even more than he already has after a video of him bellowing Don't Look Back In Anger alongside Maria circulated online. Noel and Liam Gallagher are huge City fans themselves and, as well as regularly attending games at the Etihad, have even helped design a collaboration kit between the club and Oasis in recent seasons. For the brothers, Guardiola will Live Forever in their memories after delivering City a Champions League trophy and six Premier League titles during his time at City so far. But Guardiola appears to be just as big of an Oasis fan as the Gallaghers are of his. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL GARN SEPARATE WAYS Garnacho appears to split with girlfriend and mum to one-year-old son The Spanish tactician, who sported a retro Man City shirt at the gig, was granted VIP access to the show and even posed for a picture alongside to Noel and Liam's family. A backstage snap showed Noel's sons Noel's sons Donovan and Sonny next to Liam's daughter Anais, with Pep wedged between Liam's boys Gene and Lennon. Guardiola was even honoured on stage as Noel performed alongside a cardboard cutout of the City gaffer in front of the 80,000-strong crowd. Liam even dedicated his rendition of D'You Know What I Mean to Guardiola, telling fans to Listen Up as he said: "I'd like to dedicate this to the greatest manager of all time, Mr Pep Guardiola." 7 Guardiola hung out backstage with Noel and Liam Gallagher's kids Credit: Instagram 7 Noel Gallagher performed alongside a Guardiola cardboard cutout last night Credit: Pacific Coast News BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS While the front-man also began to imitate praying towards the manager, bending down and lowering his back while his hands are raised. His antics were met with boos from small pockets of the crowd - likely Man Utd fans - who were less than impressed. Oasis kick off first Manchester homecoming gig after 16 years away But everyone was more than happy to just Roll With It as a chorus of laughter was let out when Noel joked: "Who you f***ing booing, who you f***ing booing?' Guardiola will have been enjoying his final break before he has to Slide Away from the fun and get back into the swing of things when City return for pre-season. City players are having an extended break before they reconvene for training after they took part in the new revamped Club World Cup in the US this summer. Guardiola's side face Italian club Palermo in their only friendly on Saturday August 9. They then kick off their bid to regain the Premier League title with a trip to Wolves on Saturday August 16th.
BreakingNews.ie
31 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Music fans recall watching Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium 40 years on
Live Aid revellers have recalled what it was like to watch the historic gig at Wembley Stadium, 40 years on. The London venue has collated stories from stars of the show, staff and fans in an online retrospective titled Live Aid 40 Memories. Advertisement The concerts, held in London and Philadelphia, took place on July 13th, 1985 and were organised by musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the Ethiopian famine. The late Diana, Princess of Wales and the King, then Prince of Wales, attended the gig in London, which included performances from Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Queen, Mick Jagger and Tina Turner. Lucy Swanson, daughter of the late BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Nightingale, was 17 when she went to the gig with her friend Kate Wolfe. 'I was 17. It was a time in our lives where everyone listened to the same radio stations, the same bands,' she said. Advertisement 'Everyone watched Top Of The Pops. We had to go to Live Aid. As soon as it was announced it was the must-have ticket. 'Thankfully my mum was Annie Nightingale, a DJ on Radio 1 and out presenting Live Aid in Philadelphia on the same day. 'She bought us tickets to go – because everyone had to buy them. There were no freebies. 'There was a sense that every band was all singing for the same purpose. Advertisement 'The crowd was amazing and everyone was present, no mobile phones, no selfies, no photos, it was better, just living in the moment of looking at the stage, wondering who was next.' Vivien Harvey, who was a special constable on the day, only found out when she arrived that she would be given the task of looking after performers as they came on to the stage. 'We were on the coach on the way to the stadium when we were told where we would be situated for Live Aid,' she said. 'Some were told they'd be outside the stadium, and some would be inside. I got the long straw, and got allocated to stand on the stage door. Advertisement 'The crescendo, atmosphere, the buzz – very special. I saw lots of stars coming through the stage door including George Michael. But Freddie Mercury was the star of the show.' Vivien Harvey was a special constable on the day (Wembley Stadium/PA) Also recalling the event were Debbie Baxter, Henry Munro and Ann Sargeant, all of whom worked at the concert. Ms Baxter, who was on the hospitality reception desk, said: 'I have so much pride knowing I was part of such an iconic event. I don't think it really resonated with me until years later. 'It wasn't until the film premiere of Bohemian Rhapsody took place in 2018 that I noticed younger staff members saying 'I wished I worked on Live Aid.' Advertisement 'When I said that I had, they were amazed and were so excited to know what it was like. I realise now how lucky I was to have been part of such a historic event.' Live Aid 40 Memories also features a video interview with Geldof, who recalls getting a back massage from Bowie just moments before he went on stage.
