British King Charles III will attend the opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on July 23 along with Queen Camilla to inaugurate the scaled-down multi-sport event, the organisers said on Friday.

Charles III will read out the message he had placed into the King’s Baton on Commonwealth Day on March 10, 2025 at Buckingham Palace, marking the official opening of the Games which will continue till August 2.

“Their Majesties The King and Queen will attend the Opening Ceremony of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games on Thursday 23rd July, at The Hydro in Glasgow,” the Commonwealth Sport said in a statement.

“During the Ceremony, The King will read aloud the message he placed into the King’s Baton on Commonwealth Day, 10th March 2025, at Buckingham Palace, when he launched the Relay with Sir Chris Hoy as its first Baton bearer. The reading of the message by His Majesty will mark the moment that Glasgow 2026 is officially declared open.” 
The 23rd Commonwealth Games will see over 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories compete for 215 gold medals across 10 sports over 11 days. The Games will feature only 10 disciplines for the able-bodied and six for para-athletes. India is sending 124 athletes to the Games.

To save cost, the city would have the entire event play out in an eight-mile (12.8km) radius.

Sir Hoy, one of the United Kingdom’s most decorated athletes, will also take part in the Opening Ceremony, marking a special moment in the celebration of sport, city and Commonwealth spirit.

Across 500 days, the Baton has visited all 74 Commonwealth nations and territories — the longest relay in the Games’ history — with each nation crafting and decorating its own Baton to reflect its culture and identity. 

Alongside its journey, the Relay has carried forward the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Plastics Campaign, run in partnership with the Royal Commonwealth Society, which has brought communities together for coastal clean-ups and awareness events across the Commonwealth in support of its goal to keep a million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waters.

In Glasgow, all 74 Batons will be reunited for the first time, and the Scotland Baton, handmade in the city from sustainably sourced ash, will be presented to His Majesty so that the message hidden within it can be read aloud.

Taking place in one of the world’s leading entertainment venues, The Hydro, the Glasgow 2026 Opening Ceremony, is set to be a stunning show that reflects the city’s warmth, enterprise and pride in welcoming the Commonwealth to Glasgow, the Commonwealth Sport said.

Dr Donald Rukare, President of Commonwealth Sport, said: “We are honoured that Their Majesties The King and Queen will join athletes, fans, delegations and communities from across the Commonwealth for the Opening Ceremony of Glasgow 2026. As the first Commonwealth Games of His Majesty’s reign, and the culmination of the first King’s Baton Relay, it will be a special occasion for everyone involved in the Commonwealth Games.

“Glasgow 2026 marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Commonwealth Sport Movement. As athletes from 74 nations and territories come together, the Opening Ceremony will set the tone for a Games that celebrates world-class sport, friendship and the unique ability of the Commonwealth Games to bring people together.

Felix Auger-Aliassime has announced the end of his long-standing partnership with coach Frédéric Fontang, bringing to a close nearly a decade of working together.

The Canadian revealed that Wimbledon was their final tournament together, ending a coaching relationship that began when he was just 16 years old.

In a heartfelt statement shared on social media, Auger-Aliassime thanked Fontang for the role he played in both his career and personal development.

“After nearly ten years of working together, it has recently been decided that Wimbledon would be my last tournament with Frédéric by my side as my coach.”

The world No. 28 reflected on the many highs they shared, as well as the difficult moments Fontang helped him overcome.

“He has also been by my side during the toughest moments of my career. In those difficult times, I always found in him the calm, composure, and wisdom I needed to overcome those challenges.”

Auger-Aliassime said Fontang was more than just a coach.

“Looking back today, I can say that beyond being an outstanding coach, he has been a true mentor throughout my journey into adulthood.”

He ended his message by thanking Fontang for everything they achieved together.

“Fred, thank you for leading by example throughout all these years together. I wouldn’t be the player I am today without you.”

While Auger-Aliassime has yet to announce who will replace Fontang, the decision marks the end of one of the ATP Tour’s longest-running player-coach partnerships.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) appears to have been the target of a cyber attack after emails were sent from its official accounts reportedly criticising the “corrupt refereeing” of Argentina’s controversial World Cup last-16 win over Egypt.

Egypt, who were leading 2-0 in the closing stages of the game, had a goal controversially ruled out and were angry over a perceived foul in the build-up to Enzo Fernandez’s winning strike.

The Egyptian FA lodged an official complaint to Fifa demanding the removal of referee Francois Letexier and his officiating team from the tournament, to which Fifa’s Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina responded by asserting that “nobody can question the integrity” of the officiating at the World Cup.

Fans have been in uproar about perceived refereeing favouritism towards the holders, further stoked after a fully-Argentinian refereeing crew was appointed for top contenders France’s quarter-final against Morocco.

And now, Argentine news outlet Le Calle has reported that emails from the AFA were sent to journalists in the match’s aftermath, which stated that “Argentina did not win” and that “corrupt refereeing decisions” influenced the result. The messages also praised Egypt’s performance and made threatening statements related to the conflict in the Middle East.

The report goes on to cite sources within the AFA who indicated that the hackers were of Egyptian origin who breached the federation’s database, obtaining email addresses, passwords and IP addresses.

Responding to the incident, an AFA statement read: “We would like to inform you that we have detected the possible sending of emails from one of our institutional accounts that were not generated or authorised by our team.

“Given this situation, and while we carry out the corresponding verifications together with the systems team, we ask that you disregard any message you have recently received from our account that seems unusual, especially if it contains links, attachments or requests personal information.

“There is a possibility that our account has been subject to unauthorised access, so we are working to clarify what happened and take the necessary security measures.

“Our systems have the appropriate security and safeguards in place. The incident is being analysed to determine its origin and scope.”

The emails echo the anger of Mostafa Ziko, who had his goal ruled out against Argentina before going on to score their second anyway. He went as far as saying that “this tournament has been fixed” and that the Letexier “was really not fair” following Egypt’s exit from the tournament.

Egypt’s manager, Hossam Hassan, added that “there seems to have been pressure on the Argentinian side on the referee that has brought about this outcome”.

Meanwhile, Fifa have again been accused of taking action that is purposefully favourable of Argentina after extending England defender Jarell Quansah’s red card suspension to two matches, deeming him in breach of serious foul play for his sending off against Mexico.

That means he will miss both England’s quarter-final clash with Norway as well as a potential semi-final, which will be against Argentina if they beat Switzerland on Sunday.

Ukrainian Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi says he is “outraged” at the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to lift restrictions on Russian athletes and he has called on IOC President Kirsty Coventry to visit Ukraine.

“Together with all Ukrainians and the entire clean sports community worldwide, I am profoundly outraged. This decision is deeply unfair to every athlete who plays by the rules, and it is a total disrespect to the memory of hundreds of Ukrainian athletes killed by Russia,” Bidnyi wrote in response to a DW query.

Bidnyi added that Coventry should come to Ukraine in order to “see the reality with her own eyes.”

“I want her to stand on our train platforms and see our defenders saying goodbye to their children before leaving for the frontline. I want her to visit our ruined sports academies and meet our young athletes who have to train under missile sirens. I am absolutely convinced that after witnessing this firsthand, any talk of ‘neutrality’ or ‘procedural compliance’ would stop immediately,” the sports minister said.

A legal trick?

In its statement released on Tuesday, the IOC said that analysis conducted by its Legal Affairs Commission had found that the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) no longer included any regional sports organizations in territories falling under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee.

Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev welcomed ‌the IOC’s decision, saying it should clear the way for Russian athletes to make a full return to international sport.

However, Bidnyi, his Ukrainian counterpart, said this was misleading because the ROC had actually excluded all 89 of its regional sports organizations, not just those in conquered Ukrainian territory.

“A direct exclusion of only Ukrainian territories would be perceived inside Russia as a sign of weakness. It would be a de facto admission that these territories do not belong to them – which is the absolute truth. I simply do not believe that the IOC fails to understand this. This is a deliberate decision to ignore reality, which completely ruins their own credibility.”

DW has approached the IOC for comment on the matter.

Russia has been shut out of international sporting competitions since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the IOC suspending Russia’s Olympic Committee in 2023. In both Paris in 2024 and in Milano Cortina in 2026, some Russian athletes were still able to compete as neutrals but only if they could prove they did not support the war and had no affiliation with Russia’s military or security forces.

In 2023, Bidnyi said in an interview with DW that calling Russian athletes “neutral means supporting murder.” Three years later, Ukraine’s sports minister met the latest IOC decision with an equally powerful response.

“It sends a dangerous message of total impunity to the entire world,” Bidnyi wrote.

Near-daily attacks continue

Recently, Ukrainian drone attacks have sparked fires at an oil refinery, fuel depots and a port in southern Russia. Kyiv described the strikes as retaliation for Russia’s near-daily attacks on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure since Moscow launched its invasion.

“For Ukraine, this is a matter of survival. Since the full-scale invasion began, 688 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have been killed by Russia. Additionally, 911 sports infrastructure facilities have been ruined or damaged,” Bidnyi said.

Vladyslav Heraskevych had his Olympic moment “stolen” as a result of honoring some of these athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Ukrainian athlete was prevented from competing in the men’s skeleton for wearing a helmet showing the portraits of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes who have been killed since Russia launched its invasion.

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Fighting to stop ‘moral failure for the entire sports world’

Ukraine’s sports minister said the country will fight the IOC decision in order to “defend the true values of sport.

“The symbols of an aggressor state have no place at international sports events,” Bidnyi said. “We cannot allow the world to forget the cost of this war, and we will keep exposing how Russia uses sport as a tool for war propaganda.”

When asked whether he agreed with Coventry’s position, that punishing athletes for the actions of governments is unfair, Bidnyi disagreed. The sports minister said this was not about individuals being punished for their passport, but more a case of accountability.

“You cannot celebrate ‘human dignity’ on an Olympic podium while your institution turns a blind eye to the ongoing murder of Ukrainian athletes,” he said.

In Tuesday’s statement, the IOC confirmed that the previous requirement that neutral athletes demonstrate that they have no links to Russia’s military and security agencies and hadn’t publicly supported the war, had been dropped,.

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Coventry said though, that the IOC would continue to monitor social media posts by Russian athletes.

“That is strong enough leverage that we would need at any time in order to decide who would be willing and deserving to come to any Olympic Games,” she said.

The ban on the playing of the Russian national anthem and the flag being displayed also remains in place – for now. Bidnyi believes that if Russia’s flag does fly at the Olympic Games in 2028 in Los Angeles, it will amount to “a moral failure for the entire sports world.”

Jonathan Crane contributed to this report.

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Edited by: Chuck Penfold

No wonder Spain boss Luis de la Fuente can’t resist keeping Mikel Merino on the bench. It’s now two World Cup knockout games deadlocked, two World Cup knockout games won by the left boot of the Arsenal midfielder. On Monday, it was against Portugal in Dallas; here in the Californian sunshine, he was quickest following in, anticipating an error from the Belgian goalkeeper. Slamming the ball into the roof of the net two minutes from time, he sends his country into a tantalising semi-final showdown with fellow European heavyweights France on Tuesday.

Only, it wasn’t meant to be this way for this valiant Belgian team. The cruel turn of the tide came 20 minutes from the end when Thibaut Courtois, one of the world’s greatest goalkeepers, trudged off inconsolable after sustaining a thigh injury. A very capable No 2 in Man Utd’s Senne Lammens took his place but it was his error, his inability to hold on to Pau Cubarsi’s long-range effort, his incomprehensible spill of the football into Merino’s path, which will be the lasting image of their World Cup campaign.

And so European champions Spain march on. It was far from convincing and Belgium will rue a few half-decent openings in the second-half. But nearly 16 years to the day since the 2010 generation prevailed on the world stage in South Africa, this 2026 squad took another step closer to their nation’s second triumph. It will now be Kylian Mbappe and the irresistible French attack in four days’ time in the air-conditioned Dallas Stadium. Some match, that.

Spain’s incredible run now stands at 36 consecutive matches unbeaten in competitive encounters. While their clean-sheet record, standing at 650 World Cup minutes without conceding, came a cropper here, the underlying goal of the summer did not sway off course. And as they took the applause of the 70,000-strong crowd in Los Angeles, dominated by Spain supporters, they will be satisfied with their progression, even if their status was precarious for a period here.

These two had not played for a decade, while Spain were unbeaten in 11 games against their European opponents, dating back to a World Cup quarter-final shootout defeat 40 years ago in Puebla City, Mexico. In similarly sweltering conditions in Inglewood, with this match kicking off at midday, could an underdog story repeat itself here?

The weight of history perhaps explained why Belgium boss Rudi Garcia drafted back in his big guns, Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne, after they were surprise omissions from the starting lineup, which torpedoed the USA in the last round. However, they did receive a hammer blow just 12 minutes before kick-off, with captain Youri Tielemans injuring his hamstring in the warm-up.

Yet in a baking-hot first quarter – as that’s how games are assimilated at this World Cup – Belgium more than held their own. Doku, whose main headlines at this tournament so far were regarding the ridiculous saga over heading home for the birth of his baby boy, looked a constant threat on the break, weaving through a few defenders at a time, while Lamine Yamal’s first of several sighters, cutting in on his left foot 20 minutes in, flew comfortably wide. But lose focus against this Spain team at your peril. Half an hour in, the Red Devils went to sleep at the back – and they were behind.

Pedro Porro exchanged a quickfire one-two with Yamal on the right before finding Dani Olmo in the box. His shot was saved by Courtois, but Belgium’s No 1 could only palm it out to Fabian Ruiz – deputising for Pedri in midfield – to simply tap in. Courtois, given his quality, should have done better. Spain had not lost any of the 48 games the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder had played in previously; it seemed La Roja were well on their way.

Yamal dazzled for the next 10, gliding away from forlorn Belgium left-back Maxim De Cuyper, and went close with a free-kick, again palmed away by Courtois. But then, four minutes before the interval, Spain did the unimaginable: they conceded a goal.

The goalscorer was Charles De Ketelaere, the crosser was Timothy Castagne but the chief architect was, inevitably, De Bruyne. The stand-in skipper slipped the neatest of first-time passes into Belgium right-back Castagne high up the pitch. His near-post cross found Belgian marksman De Ketelaere who got across Cubarsi, taking a leaf out of all-time top-scorer Romelu Lukaku’s book, and glanced beautifully beyond Unai Simon.

For the Spain keeper, that was his first goal conceded in 650 World Cup minutes. The impeachable rearguard was no more.

After the break, it was nip and tuck. De Cuyper should have done better in the box after a powerful shot into the side-netting, while Yamal, largely wasteful on the whole, swept a shot just wide of the post. Spain were certainly not having it all their own way and, 55 minutes in, coach Luis de la Fuente had seen enough, bringing on Ferran Torres and Pedri in a bold double substitution. As the second period drifted on, and Lukaku came on up front, Belgium looked a genuine threat on the counterattack, with one cross bristling Rodri’s hand; no penalty given.

Then, the twist. Courtois went down clutching his left thigh and burst into tears when he realised his race was run and Lemmens stepped into the spotlight. A cramping De Bruyne then even had an opening from 40 yards out with Simon in no man’s land, but Rodri – as he so often does for club and country – blocked the goal-bound strike.

But the Belgians were dropping deeper and deeper as extra time beckoned. So much so that Cubarsi was unchallenged as he shot on goal and Lammens, inexplicably, let the ball scramble away from his grasp. And it was Merino, that man again after his stoppage-time winner over Portugal, who slammed home to send Spain to a Texas Tuesday date with their French neighbours.

National record holder high jumper Sarvesh Kushare finished third in his Diamond League debut in Monaco as he joined an exclusive four-member club of Indians to have achieved the feat of making the top-three in the prestigious event. The 31-year-old Kushare cleared 2.12m, 2.16m, 2.20m, 2.023m and 2.26m in his first try. But he failed to clear 2.28m in three attempts to take the third spot in the star-studded field. With his stunning show, Kushare, who set the national record of 2.31m in the National Inter-State Championships last month, became the only fourth Indian to finish in top-three of a Diamond League after javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and former discus thrower Vikas Gowda.

World leader and world indoor champion Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine won the title after clearing 2.32m, while Great Britain’s Jack Kimani was second with 2.30m. Kimani could not clear 2.32m in three attempts while Doroshchuk did it in his first try.

Kimani was, however, lucky as he could only sail over the 2.16m height in his third attempt while Kushare cleared it with ease.

In the process of finishing third, Kushare beat some big stars such as three-time world champion and Tokyo Olympics gold winner Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, who finished joint eighth with 2.20m effiort, 2023 World Championships silver winner JuVaughn Harrison of the USA, who finished joint fourth, and Tokyo Olympics gold winner Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy.

However, Tamberi, who finished joint sixth with 2.23m, has been struggling of late.

On June 27, Kushare broke Tejaswin Shankar’s eight-year-old previous national record of 2.29m with an effort of 2.31m. He became the first Indian high jumper to clear 2.30m.

Before Friday, Kushare was at joint fourth in the global season best jumps and number one among Asian athletes.

He also became the first Indian to qualify for the men’s high jump final at the World Championships in Tokyo last year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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“Mikel is incredible,” Spain boss Luis de la Fuente said after the quarter-final win.

“He has many qualities. He is a player that across the whole World Cup could have played in whatever team and done great.

“For us he is the standard of this idea, of this model. It is a pleasure to have him, and others but especially him. We know that without fail he is always there.”

Always there he may be, but Merino himself feared he would not be fit enough to play at this World Cup.

“The fact of being here a few months ago was unthinkable,” Merino said after the Portugal win.

“Now I am, as I said before, at the highest point, enjoying one of the happiest moments of my career.

“Now I remember all those bad moments, all the people who have supported me, all the people who have pushed me when even I sometimes found it difficult to believe I could be here.”

Merino’s heroics will be a familiar sight for Arsenal fans, with the 30-year-old having done similar at the Gunners.

Traditionally a midfielder, his height has seen him utilised as a striker by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, and the first time he was used in such a role was when he memorably came off the bench to score twice against Leicester in a 2-0 win in February last year.

“Merino is just one of those players who arrives at the right time, at the right moment in big games,” former England striker Wayne Rooney said on Match of the Day.

De la Fuente added: “He can be the best striker and the best midfielder because of his understanding of the game. He interprets the game perfectly.

“He is committed, he is generous, he is happy to do the work.”