A messy end? Lionel Messi (ARG) expressed his desire to leave Barcelona FC, which would mark the end of an era on the team. He expects to utilize a contract that would allow him to leave the team for free but the clause expired in July. The club hopes this would not to be possible, and it would require a $700M EUR release clause, making the transfer impossible under Financial Fair Play Regulations. CNN explains this mess.
Motor Racing World. Andrea Locatelli (ITA) extended his World Supersport Championship win record with his sixth and seventh straight wins, by taking the races in Aragón. The FIA Rallycross and FIM Speedway World Championships saw wins to the local delight, as Niclas Grönholm (FIN) took the World RX of Finland 3 after Johan Kristoffersson (SWE) took the first one. In Speedway, Maciej Janowski (POL) finished second and first in Poland. Artem Laguta (RUS) took his first win. In the US, William Byron (USA) won his first NASCAR Cup race, where seven-time Champion Jimmie Johnson (USA) got eliminated off the playoffs after finding a crash in front. In IndyCar, Scott Dixon (NZL) and Josef Newgarden (USA) took the race wins at Gateway, where young Patricio O’Ward (MEX) was 3rd and 2nd. In European Le Mans, United Autosport won yet again – watch (ELMS).
Horse Racing World. Ahmet Çelik (TUR) won his sixth straight Turkish (Gazi) Derby, an impressive feat. Also impressive was jockey Diego De Gouveia (RSA), who took two Grade 1 wins in South Africa. In Australia, Behemoth -a $6,000 purchase- won the Memsie Stakes (G1). In the US, Manuel Franco (PUR) won the G1 Sword Dancer Stakes, riding Channel Maker, one week before he rides Tiz The Law at the Kentucky Derby, as the favorite. The Jamaica Oaks (G1) had a very exciting finish, watch (Jamaica TV)
Joint gold medals. The FIDE Online Chess Olympiad saw both Russia and India take gold after a global internet outage made two Indian players lose their final games on time. After protests from India, the FIDE President awarded both teams the Gold medal. The tournament had to include male, female and youth participants. Read the news from FIDE
Online Para-Sport. The pandemic has not stopped the World Para Powerlifting athletes to continue competing, as the fourth Online World Cup was held, with athletes submitting their attempts on video. Vera Muratova (RUS) won for the third time after rival Amalia Pérez (MEX) failed on her three attempts. David Degtyarev (KAZ) won the men’s division for the second time. Both competitions featured unified divisions with a points system in place to calculate body weight and lift. Watch the broadcast of this innovative event (World Para Powerlifting)
