Athletics
Soufiane El Bakkali reflects on season after Diamond League final
(Sept 5) — Morocco’s Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali
finished runner-up in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Diamond League
final in Brussels, bringing his 2026 outdoor season to a close.
El Bakkali clocked 8:10.03, finishing behind Ethiopia’s
Gemechu Godana, who won in 8:08.67 to claim the Diamond League title.
The Moroccan had won three of his five Diamond League races
during the season, including victories in Rabat, Stockholm and Doha.
Reflecting on the campaign, El Bakkali said fatigue had
affected him during the second half of the season.
“The mind wants it, but the body has its say,” he said,
adding: “Now we rest… then we come back stronger. The story continues.”
El Bakkali, a two-time Olympic champion, will now take a
break before beginning preparations for the next season.
Boxing
Queensberry wins purse bid for Hamzah Sheeraz title defence
(Sept 16) — Queensberry Promotions has won the purse
bid for British boxer Hamzah Sheeraz’s mandatory WBO super-middleweight
title defence against Kazakhstan’s Janibek Alimkhanuly.
Queensberry bid $1,001,809, beating Top Rank’s offer of
$820,000. Under the WBO’s 75-25 purse split, Sheeraz is entitled to
75 per cent of the winning bid.
The fight is being targeted for November 28 or December 5,
with London, Birmingham and New York among the possible venues.
Sheeraz, who moved up to super-middleweight after suffering
his first professional defeat against Carlos Adames in 2025, will face
former unified middleweight champion Alimkhanuly in his mandatory defence.
Football
Lamine Yamal says he deserves Ballon d’Or
(Sept 13) — Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal has said he
deserves to win this year’s Ballon d’Or, with Real Madrid striker
Kylian Mbappé his main rival for the award.
“I honestly believe there are two of us who are the best in
the world, and this year I’d deserve it because of what I’ve won,”
Yamal said in an interview clip shared by Spanish streaming platform
Movistar.
Yamal was named La Liga’s best player for 2025-26 after
helping Barcelona retain the title and played a key role in Spain’s
World Cup triumph in North America.
Mbappé finished as the World Cup’s top scorer and also led
La Liga and the Champions League scoring charts, although he ended
the season without a major trophy.
Yamal was runner-up to Ousmane Dembélé for last year’s
Ballon d’Or, while Bayern Munich and England striker Harry Kane is
also among the contenders. The award will be presented in London
on October 26.
MMA
Islam Makhachev targets UFC return before Ramadan
(Sept 11) — UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev is
targeting a return to the octagon before Ramadan in February 2027,
after saying he needs time to recover from minor injuries.
Makhachev, 34, has fought once in 2026, successfully
defending his welterweight title against Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry
at UFC 330 on August 15.
The unanimous decision victory extended his UFC winning
streak to 17 fights, breaking Anderson Silva’s previous record of 16.
Makhachev said he had undergone three MRI scans after the
fight and was working to strengthen his spine.
“We’ll wait for the UFC to call,” he said. “I think the
ideal scenario would be to fight before Ramadan.”
He has not yet been given an opponent or confirmed date for
his next title defence.
Squash
Amina Orfi wins London Squash Classic
(Sept 6) — Egyptian squash champion Amina Orfi won the
London Squash Classic after defeating England’s Georgina Kennedy 3-0
in the final.
Orfi, the defending champion, won 11-6, 11-8, 11-2 to retain
the title.
The tournament featured several leading Egyptian players,
including world number one Hania El Hammamy, Salma Hany, Farida
Mohamed, Sana Ibrahim, Zeina Mekkiwy, Mariam Metwally, Nardine Gerges,
Hana Ramadan and Nour Heikal.
Egyptian players also competed in the men’s tournament,
including Ali Aboul-Enein, Youssef Soliman, Mohamed Abouelghar,
Karim El Torky and Mostafa El Sirty.
Volleyball
Türkiye retain European women’s volleyball title with 3–2 win over Italy
(Sept 6) — Türkiye retained their European women’s
volleyball title after defeating reigning world and Olympic champions
Italy 3–2 in the CEV EuroVolley Women final in Istanbul.
Italy took the opening set 25–16 and looked in control again
in the second, building a six-point lead at 12–6. Türkiye responded
through Melissa Vargas and Eda Erdem, levelling at 15–15 before taking
the set 25–22 to draw level.
Italy restored their advantage by dominating the third set
25–12, but Türkiye again fought back. The hosts established an early
lead in the fourth and held off Italy’s comeback to win 25–21,
forcing a deciding fifth set.
Türkiye took control of the tiebreak after Italy had
levelled at 4–4, opening an 8–4 lead before moving 12–7 ahead.
They closed out the set 15–10 to secure the match and claim
back-to-back European titles.
Vargas and Italy’s Paola Egonu finished as the final’s joint
top scorers with 28 points each.
