After meeting as students in Belfast, Michaela and John married in on 30 December 2010.

However, tragedy would strike just 12 days later when she visited the couple’s room in a luxury resort in Mauritius on her own after lunch, and she was discovered by John who raised the alarm.

In the aftermath, John, now 41, said there was shock, but there was also “anger” at how the authorities dealt with her death, and the lack of convictions that followed.

“I’ve never asked the question of, ‘why did this happen to me?’, I’ve always just felt so sorry for Michaela,” he said.

“It’s only now that I’m able to talk about it quite logically. There’s still a hell of a lot of pain associated with it, but I accept that it’s always going to be the case.

“I know how intense it is to live with that pain, so I’ve been able to find a way to manage it.”

McAreavey, who featured for Down’s senior football panel and won an All-Ireland Intermediate title with his club Tullylish in 2010, admits that “moving on is a term that has never been comfortable for me”.

“I’ve said before about moving forward, and that just changes the reference around it.

“You’ll never move on from something like that, you can’t just let that be. You have to find a way to move forward.

“I’m still heavily involved for trying to find justice for Michaela so it’s still a very active part of my life.”

Without wishing to get too ahead of himself, Ryan Garcia has named one matchup he would be ‘really interested’ in pursuing after his next fight.

The 27-year-old must first take care of business against Mario Barrios – which is no foregone conclusion – this Saturday, when the two welterweights collide at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Entering their showdown as the defending WBC world champion, Barrios comes off back-to-back draws – against Abel Ramos and Manny Pacquiao – while having previously lost to Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman.

His reign as a champion at 147lbs has therefore been somewhat underwhelming, with many even believing that Pacquiao, aged 46, deserved to edge their encounter in July.

But while he is yet to cement himself as the best in his division, who most would consider to be Devin Haney, Barrios is nonetheless an all-action volume puncher who typically fights at a ferocious pace.

Garcia, meanwhile, is also a man with a point to prove, especially after suffering a points defeat to Rolando Romero in May.

At the same time, though, the American appears eager to mix it with the very best in his sport, naming pound-for-pound star Shakur Stevenson as a potential opponent after his clash with Barrios.

Garcia expressed this desire during an interview with Nightcap, while also acknowledging that it would take a career-best performance to defeat Stevenson.

“I’m really interested in the Shakur fight – it gets me going – and those are the type of fights that [will bring] the best out of me.

“Definitely, he’s somebody I wanna look into after this fight [with Barrios].”

Stevenson became a four-division world champion after dethroning Teofimo Lopez last month and, since then, has insisted that any fighter wishing to face him at 147lbs would need to accept a rehydration clause. Garcia, however, claims he can make a catchweight of 144lbs, something that may have to be seen to be believed.

When the WSL enters its March international break, Liverpool captain Grace Fisk will be available for selection for England’s matches against Ukraine and Iceland. The Lionesses will take the pitch in their Women’s World Cup Qualifiers ahead of the tournament kick-off in Brazil in 2027.

Fisk received her first call-up back in 2020 for the She Believes Cup under Phil Neville, with the English defender having recently returned to football in the UK after a spell in the US.

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Prior to 2020 she had extensive experience with the English development teams, first appearing for her country at the U17 level.

She has yet to achieve her first senior cap, however, and will hope to feature in the build-up to the 2027 competition and the tournament itself.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has granted 10 athletes from Russia and Belarus wildcard spots for the upcoming Winter Games in Italy from March 6-15. 

The IPC on Tuesday told news agencies AFP and SID that the limited number of athletes would be allowed to compete under their own flags.

The athletes would be “treated like [those from] any other country,” the IPC told AFP. 

This contrasts with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) requiring the limited number of Russians and Belarussians at the main Winter Olympics to compete under a neutral flag.

Why do Russia and Belarus face restrictions on participation?

Russia and Belarus’ Olympics teams were excluded from competiton by both the IOC and the IPC in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

This was conducted using Belarussian territory for military movements, giving Russia’s troops the shortest possible approach to Kyiv, in an original and failed attempt to rapidly seize the capital.

At the last Winter Games, taking place in the immediate aftermath of the invasion, the two countries were subject to a blanket ban.

Amid pushback and legal challenges from Russia, the IOC later relented somewhat and started to allow individual athletes to compete on a case-by-case basis.

However, they were obliged to compete under the AIN or Individual Neutral Athletes flag and anthem, rather than being part of a formal Russian or Belarussian team or contributing to those countries’ medal tallies. Thirteen Russians and seven Belarussians are competing under these terms at the current Winter Olympics.

The IPC, meanwhile, elected to lift its suspension on Russian and Belarussian athletes at its general assembly last September, leading to Tuesday’s confirmation of the flags’ usage. 

Russia has been granted places in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding — split evenly among men and women — while Belarus’ four spots are all in cross-country skiing. 

Sports bodies split on how to handle Russia

Several other sporting bodies took decisions similar to the IOC after the invasion of Ukraine, but have been struggling to maintain them amid legal, political and public pressure. 

Russia’s Olympic Committee chief has said that the Milan-Cortina Winter Games should be the last Olympics without a full Russian team, suggesting a return for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles was on the cards. 

In football, Russia is banned from the World Cup and European Championship qualification processes. However, the head of the world governing body, Gianni Infantino, has called on European federation UEFA to lift the ban, a move UEFA is currently resisting. 

Ice hockey retains a ban, but Moscow has said it plans to appeal. 

Attempts to ban Russian and Belarussian tennis stars from certain events, like Wimbledon 2022, proved the short-lived exception not the rule. In the end only restrictions on Davis Cup team competition endured. 

World Atheltics canceled its ban on Russia and Belarus in 2023 and the international chess federation lifted its restrictions on Russian teams late last year.

Debate over politicization of sports, fairness of punishing athletes

The age-old debate over the “politicization” of sports came into sharp media focus last week at the Winter Olympics, but with a focus on Ukraine more than Russia. 

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladislav Heraskevych was excluded from the Games after he refused to stop wearing a commemorative helmet carrying images of people killed during Russia’s invasion.

The IOC had asked him not to wear it to honor restrictions over making political statements or protests during sporting competition proper. The IOC’s decision to insist on this rule led to considerable public backlash from Ukraine and elsewhere. 

The debate over whether professional sports should, or even can remain apolitical in nature is years old, as are discussions over whether it is fair to punish professional athletes — with their short-lived careers and limited opportunities for success — for the actions of their governments. 

Edited by: Louis Oelofse

Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee with batting partner Gulshan Jha (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Kushal Bhurtel’s blazing start and Dipendra Singh Airee’s unbeaten half-century powered Nepal to a morale-boosting seven-wicket victory over Scotland, ending a 12-year-long T20 World Cup winless streak in a dead-rubber Group C clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. Nepal, who had last tasted World Cup success in 2014 against Afghanistan and the Netherlands, chased down Scotland’s 171 with 19.2 overs to spare. Airee’s rapid 50 off 23 balls, featuring three sixes and four fours, anchored the chase, while Bhurtel’s aggressive 43 laid the platform. Gulsan Jha contributed an unbeaten 24, including two towering sixes, sharing an unbroken 73-run partnership for the fourth wicket that sealed the result.

Bhurtel had a narrow escape early on when Brad Currie spilled a return catch, and the opener capitalised immediately with a massive six over long-on. Nepal’s innings started cautiously under pressure, but Aasif Sheikh (33) and Bhurtel brought momentum with multiple boundaries, including sixes over fine leg and off Mark Watt. Scottish spinners later tightened the screws, claiming Bhurtel, Aasif, and skipper Rohit Paudel (16), but Airee’s late assault and Jha’s finishing touches ensured a win with four balls remaining. Earlier, Michael Jones carried Scotland to a competitive 170/7 with a 71-run blitz, featuring eight fours and three sixes. His 80-run opening stand with George Munsey was the backbone of the innings, though the rest of the batters failed to convert starts. Munsey managed 27 off 29 balls, falling frustrated to Sundeep Jora’s diving catch at long-on. Scotland suffered further setbacks with fielding lapses, including a dropped skier by Jora off McMullen, before Sompal Kami (3/25) cleaned up Jones with a brilliant one-handed return catch, wrapping up Scotland’s innings. In the end, Nepal signed off their World Cup campaign on a high note, delighting over 19,000 fans at the Wankhede with a dominant performance.