
MLBPA union head hopeful of major leaguers participating in 2028 Olympics
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'There's a lot of work that still needs to be done,' he told the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Tuesday. 'We do know players are interested in playing, whether it's for the Team USA or any number of other teams around the world. … There's just a lot of conversation that needs to be had sooner rather than later to see how viable this is, but we're hopeful that we can figure our way through it for the benefit of the game.'
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The World Baseball Softball Confederation said Monday the baseball tournament will be played from July 15-20 at Dodger Stadium. Major League Baseball is considering whether it can interrupt its 2028 season to allow major leaguers to participate, which could necessitate changes to the sport's national television contracts.
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MLB did not allow players on 40-man rosters to participate in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, when Nippon Professional Baseball interrupted its season and Japan beat the U.S. 2-0 in the gold medal game.
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'In the event that major league players are going to play, what does that mean and what does that look like?' Clark said. 'And perhaps just as importantly, what does it mean for those players who aren't participating? What type of scheduling adjustments need to be made? What type travel considerations and support need to considered? What does that means in regards to insurance?'
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CBC
21 minutes ago
- CBC
Open water program at swimming world championships gets started after delays
Open water competition at the World Aquatics Championships went off Wednesday after two postponements because of water-quality problems at Sentosa, the island area on the coast. Florian Wellbrock of Germany won the men's 10km race in one hour, 59 minutes and 55.50 seconds. Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy was almost four seconds behind in second place and Kyle Lee of Australia was third in 2:00.10.30. The women's race was set for later in the afternoon after being postponed twice. Wellbrock took gold in the Tokyo Olympics in the 10km race and was the bronze medallist there at 1,500m in the pool. This is his eighth gold in world championship events. The open water swimming program had been initially scheduled to open on Tuesday. Event organizers said water-quality samples taken on Tuesday afternoon showed "a significant improvement with levels of E. coli falling between the ranges of good and excellent" in regulations set by the governing body World Aquatics. The Mayo Clinic says that "E. coli bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. Most types of E. coli are harmless or cause relatively brief diarrhea." It said a few strains can cause "severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting." Exposure is often from contaminated water that may contain human and animal waste. The open water events in the Seine River in last year's Paris Olympics were a constant cause of concern. The Tokyo Olympics also had problems in 2021 because of warm water in a shallow bay, and related pollution issues. Water pollution was a major problem in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where pollution levels were often high on Copacabana Beach, the venue for distance swimming, and in Guanabara Bay, the venue for sailing. Other open water races in Singapore are set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Water polo competition at the worlds is underway at an indoor venue.


CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
How climate change could force FIFA to rethink the World Cup calendar
Al Ain's Park Yong-woo splashes his face to cool off during the Club World Cup Group G soccer match between Wydad AC and Al Ain FC in Washington, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File) GENEVA — Soccer had a fierce reckoning with heat at the recently concluded FIFA Club World Cup in the United States — a sweltering preview of what players and fans may face when the U.S. co-hosts the World Cup with Mexico and Canada next summer. With temperatures rising worldwide, scientists warn that staging the World Cup and other soccer tournaments in the Northern Hemisphere summer is getting increasingly dangerous for both players and spectators. Some suggest that FIFA may have to consider adjusting the soccer calendar to reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses. 'The deeper we go in the decade, the greater the risk without considering more dramatic measures, such as playing in the winter months and/or cooler latitudes,' said Prof. Piers Forster, director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures in Leeds, England. 'I'm getting increasingly worried that we are only one heatwave away from a sporting tragedy and I would like to see governing bodies lean into the climate and health science.' Tournament soccer in June and July is a tradition going back to the first World Cup in 1930. Since then, the three-month period of June, July and August globally has warmed by 1.05 degrees Celsius (1.89 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Meanwhile, European summer temperatures have increased by 1.81 degrees C. The rate of warming has accelerated since the 1990's. Climate scientists say that's a factor that needs to be considered when playing high-intensity outdoor sports like soccer. 'If you want to play football for 10 hours a day, they'll have to be the hours of the early morning and late evening,' climatologist Friederike Otto from Imperial College, London, told The Associated Press in an email, 'if you don't want to have players and fans die from heatstroke or get severely ill with heat exhaustion.' FIFA adapts Extreme heat and thunderstorms made an impact on FIFA's newly expanded tournament for club teams. The Club World Cup was held in 11 American cities from June 14 to July 13. FIFA adapted by tweaking its extreme heat protocol to include extra breaks in play, more field-side water, and cooling the team benches with air fans and more shade. Still, Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández said the heat made him dizzy and urged FIFA to avoid afternoon kickoffs at the World Cup next year. The global soccer players union, FIFPRO, has warned that six of the 16 World Cup cities next year are at 'extremely high risk' for heat stress. FIFA president Gianni Infantino addressed the heat concerns on Saturday, saying the handful of World Cup stadiums that are covered would be used for day-time games next year. Extreme heat could become an even bigger challenge at the following World Cup in 2030, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Games are scheduled to be played in afternoons and early evenings from mid-June to mid-July. All three countries have already seen temperatures rise above 40 degrees C (well above 100 Fahrenheit) this summer. FIFA downplayed the heat risk in its in-house evaluation of the 2030 World Cup bid, saying 'weather conditions are difficult to predict with the current development in global and local climate, but are unlikely to affect the health of players or other participants.' Heat exhaustion The physical effects of playing 90 minutes of soccer in direct sunshine during the hottest part of the day can be severe and potentially result in hyperthermia – abnormally high body temperatures. 'When players experience hyperthermia, they also experience an increase in cardiovascular strain,' said Julien Périard of the University of Canberra. 'If core temperature increases excessively, exertional heat illness can occur,' leading to muscle cramping, heat exhaustion, and even life-threatening heat stroke, he said. Many sports events held in the summer adjust their start times to early morning or late night to minimize the risk heat-related illness, including marathons at the Olympics or track world championships. Morning kickoffs, however, are rare in soccer, where World Cup match schedules are often set with European TV audiences in mind. It would be hard for FIFA to avoid day-time World Cup kickoffs given the packed match schedule as the number of participating teams increases from 32 to 48 in 2026. Calendar rethink Heat mainly becomes an issue when the World Cup is held in the Northern Hemisphere, because June and July are winter months in the Southern Hemisphere. FIFA has stuck to its traditional June-July schedule for the men's World Cup except in 2022 when it moved the tournament to November-December to avoid the summer heat in Qatar. Something similar is expected when neighboring Saudi Arabia hosts the tournament in 2034. However, moving the World Cup to another part of the year is complicated because it means Europe's powerful soccer leagues must interrupt their season, affecting both domestic leagues and the Champions League. FIFA didn't respond to questions from AP about whether alternate dates for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups were being considered. When and where to schedule the World Cup and other outdoor sports events is likely to become more pressing as the world continues to warm. Athletes and even everyday people doing basic physical activities are now exposed to 28% more of moderate or higher heat risk in 2023 than they were in the 1990s, said Ollie Jay, a professor at the University of Sydney who has helped shape policy for the Australian Open in tennis. 'This is symbolic of something bigger,' said Michael Mann, a University of Pennsylvania climate scientist. 'Not just the danger and inconvenience to fans and players, but the fundamentally disruptive nature of climate change when it comes our current way of life.' ___ Graham Dunbar and Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press Borenstein contributed from Washington, D.C.


Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Open water program at swimming world championships gets started after two delays
SINGAPORE (AP) — Open water competition at the World Swimming Championships went off Wednesday after two postponements because of water-quality problems at Sentosa, the island area on the coast. Florian Wellbrock of Germany won the men's 10-kilometer race in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 55.50 seconds. Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy was almost four seconds behind in second place and Kyle Lee of Australia was third in 2:00.10.30. The women's race was set for later in the afternoon and being postponed twice. Wellbrock took gold in the Tokyo Olympics in the 10-kilometer race and was the bronze medalist there at 1,500 meters in the pool. This is his eighth gold in world championship events. The open water swimming program had been initially scheduled to open on Tuesday. Event organizers said water-quality samples taken on Tuesday afternoon showed 'a significant improvement with levels of E. coli falling between the ranges of good and excellent' in regulations set by the governing body World Aquatics. The Mayo Clinic says that 'E. coli bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. Most types of E. coli are harmless or cause relatively brief diarrhea.' It said a few strains can cause 'severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.' Exposure is often from contaminated water that may contain human and animal waste. The open water events in the Seine River in last year's Paris Olympics were a constant cause of concern. The Tokyo Olympics also had problems in 2021 because of warm water in a shallow bay, and related pollution issues. Water pollution was a major problem in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where pollution levels were often high on Copacabana Beach, the venue for distance swimming, and in Guanabara Bay, the venue for sailing. Other open water races in Singapore are set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Water polo competition at the worlds is underway at an indoor venue. The main event of the championships is eight days of swimming competition in the pool, which opens on July 27. ___ AP sports: