Naomi Osaka: goodbye to Wimbledon with pain and self-criticism

Political pressure in football

Dozens of European legislators are promoting an investigation in the European Parliament against Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA. The reason: his decision to lift the red card suspension of American forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup.

Balogun received the red card in the United States’ victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina on July 1. Normally, that would have ruled him out of the next game. However, FIFA annulled the sanction for the round of 16, after Donald Trump intervened against Infantino.

MEPs Barry Andrews, Lara Wolters and Niels Fuglsang said in a statement:

“Changing the rule on red card suspensions in the middle of the tournament is a disgrace and a perversion of justice.”

And they added:

“Once again, we have seen Infantino and FIFA capitulate to the demands of the Trump administration.”

Lawmakers call on national football associations in the European Union to put pressure on FIFA’s Ethics Committee. They want to know if pressure from the Trump administration influenced the lifting of the suspension, and also to investigate “other possible violations of political neutrality,” such as awarding Trump the FIFA Peace Prize.

FIFA has said the decision was made by an independent disciplinary committee. So far, 35 colleagues have signed the MEPs’ letter.

“The beauty of sport is that it is based on impartial and transparent rules. When Infantino allows political pressure to determine who can play, that sense of justice goes out the window,” the legislators concluded.

Pedersen wins the fourth stage and Traeen dresses in yellow

Dane Mads Pedersen won an electrifying sprint to win the fourth stage of the Tour de France. He attacked 300 meters from the finish line and overtook his teammate Quinn Simmons and the Spaniard Raúl García.

“This was certainly a masterpiece of teamwork,” Pedersen acknowledged. “They worked like machines.”

It was his third victory on the Tour. Meanwhile, Norwegian Torstein Traeen took the yellow jersey. The leader, Tadej Pogacar, did not compete in the sprint and arrived alongside Jonas Vingegaard, more than 12 minutes later.

Traeen, 30 years old and from the Uno-X Mobility team, leads the general classification with almost eight minutes of advantage.

“I can’t believe it,” Traeen said. “I will enjoy the jersey as much as I can.”

However, he could lose it on Thursday in stage 6, when the race reaches the Pyrenees.

Stage 4, 182 km between Carcassonne and Foix, had four climbs and temperatures of 38°C. Extra provisioning areas were enabled.

“You have to live with the heat,” said Pedersen. “The team helps us with ice bottles and socks.”

With 50 km remaining, a trio escaped but were caught. Kévin Vauquelin then tried, but Pedersen overtook him.

Stage 5 on Wednesday is flat, ideal for sprinters.

The IOC takes a step towards Russian reintegration

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday relaxed its requirements for Russian athletes and teams to compete with the national flag and anthem at Los Angeles 2028. The decision includes provisionally lifting the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, in force since October 2023.

The organization justified the change by the start of the qualifying events and the need to offer equal access to all competitors. “We do not want to hold athletes responsible for the actions of their governments,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry.

Ukraine’s stance and persistent barriers

Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi questioned the measure: “Nothing changed in the war. The situation got worse.” He noted that on Monday Ukraine suffered missile and drone attacks that left at least 22 dead. “We don’t understand it. On a day of mourning, when peaceful citizens were deprived of their lives, the IOC decides this,” he said.

However, the IOC guidance is not binding for every sport. World Athletics maintains the ban on Russians and Belarusians in its events. FIFA and UEFA continue to exclude Russia from competitions such as the World Cup.

Among top-level sports, World Aquatics already lifted restrictions in April. The IOC assures that the Russian Olympic Committee confirmed that it does not carry out activities in occupied Ukrainian territories, although kyiv described that promise as “empty words.”

Control and next steps

Russian athletes have yet to prove they have no military ties nor have they supported the war. The IOC will monitor your social networks. The final decision on the flag and anthem will come “at the appropriate time”, probably before the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar in October 2026.

The return could mean Russia sends more than 300 athletes to Los Angeles, compared to just 32 who competed as neutrals at Paris 2024.