There is a phrase you often hear from the girls at the Impact Academy in Cairo.

“I won’t stop until I’m a champion.”

The girls in Cairo learning to box seem determined and confident. It could be an everyday scene, a training session like any other—but it’s not.

Many of the girls in southern Cairo come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. They often experience gender-based violence and are pressured to marry at a very young age—usually at the expense of their education and independence.

Choosing boxing, a male-dominated sport in a traditional society, is tantamount to rebellion. The Impact Academy offers the girls much more than just training. It is a safe space where they also receive psychological support.

“I used to be quite timid, but now I have more self-confidence,” says Salma.

The 17-year-old has been at the academy since 2023. She used to be bullied, partly because her skin is darker than most of the others, and she was also abused.

Since Salma has started boxing, she has been left in peace by her bullies, who are now afraid of her. Salma also feels accepted for who she is by her fellow students at the academy.

“I feel unconditionally loved by my friends here,” Salma says.

A ‘good life’ for the girls

The idea for the academy’s holistic approach came from Sally Hassona. The 49-year-old coach has a background in boxing herself. Hassona works full-time as a sports teacher at a private school and is a member of the Egyptian ministry of sports’ selection committee, which trains boxing talent for the country’s Olympic team.

In 2017, Hassona founded the academy, where girls can train three times a week – in a used boxing ring and with a few old sandbags. Around 25 girls and young women between the ages of 12 and 23 are involved, but not everyone comes to every training session.

Hassona is not paid for her work. But money is not what matters to her.

“I just want the girls to have a good life, to get away from their stigma,” Hassona says.

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‘Boxing gives us self-confidence’

Women in Egypt continue to be structurally disadvantaged and are very often subjected to sexual harassment, as the 2013 comprehensive study on this topic from the United Nations agency UN Women showed. In it, 99.3% of Egyptian girls and women stated that they had been sexually harassed at least once, while 91% did not feel safe on the streets.

“There are many dangers for women and girls here. Boxing gives us self-confidence and makes us feel strong. It’s good to know how to fight someone,” says Hana Abdel Bary, one of the academy’s team captains.

“But we also learn to set boundaries and protect ourselves.”

Because even though the girls can knock someone out in the ring, Hassona advises them to avoid dangerous situations and run away instead.

Abdel Bary is constantly reminded that it is not “normal” for girls to box.

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“Every time I go to the doctor and say that I box, they comment on it,” she says. “Some are proud, but others say nasty things.”

However, she receives support from home. Her father was the boxer Saleh Abdel Bary who competed twice for Egypt at the Olympics.

Training for independent living alongside boxing

Although sport is the main focus, it is not the only thing the girls learn at the academy.

“Sally always emphasizes that boxing is not a profession. She pushes us to learn languages or whatever else we want to learn,” says Hana.

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Hassona tries to work with the girls to find out what they enjoy doing and what their goals are, and encourages them to try their hand at male-dominated STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields.

Hanin wants to become an electrical engineer. She is currently doing a paid internship at a company that manufactures air conditioning systems.

“When parents don’t have money and can no longer ‘afford’ their children, they try to marry them off as early as possible,” says Hassona.

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Focus on mental health

Hassona regularly applies for various grants for the academy. It currently receives financial support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, a Canadian government program that supports local projects around the world. The grant amounts to 31,000 Canadian dollars (€19,800, $22,800).

Under the slogan “Play It Brave,” the Impact Academy focuses on mental health and gender-based violence. Several mental health coaches, a psychologist, and a doctor educate the girls about hygiene, health, and menstruation. The latter is still a big taboo in Egypt.

“Many think they can’t or aren’t allowed to go to school when they have their periods,” says the doctor.

16-year-old as a great sporting hope

Around 400 girls have passed through the academy over the years. Aya Hassan Najjar, 16, is one of Hassona’s great hopes. Since joining the academy around five years ago, she has twice taken first place in a national Egyptian competition and once came third in an African competition.

“Of course I want to become a professional boxer, but I also want to perfect my English and German,” says Aya.

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Her goal is to go to Germany to study medicine and become a veterinarian.

“I want to help the stray cats and dogs here in Egypt. The animals can’t speak for themselves,” she says.

It was only in September 2025 that the Egyptian Ministry of Sports confirmed that it was working to increase women’s participation in sports through special initiatives, as reported by Egyptian newspaper Ahram Online.

But deeper structural change in society takes time. Hassona doesn’t even dream of that. She wants her own building.

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“Like this one, behind the football field,” she says, pointing to a simple, long house. With a room for training, one for relaxation with a sauna.

“Maybe I could extend the concept to rugby,” Hassona says.

This article was originally published in German.

NASHVILLE — Florida profiled as a top-100 team in 3-point percentage (35.6%) as it rode the perimeter marksmanship of Walter Clayton Jr. — among other things — to a national title last season.

This year, the Gators are a sub-300 3-point shooting team (30.8%) and still every bit as dominant as the squad that won it all.

Case in point: Friday’s 71-63 SEC Tournament quarterfinal victory over Kentucky.

Hiding in the scrum of a whistle-plagued 2.5-hour display of horrific perimeter shooting from both teams was the trait that legitimizes the Gators’ full-tilt pursuit of a national title repeat.

“I mean, everybody goes to the glass,” Florida guard Urban Klavzar told CBS Sports, “and even if we miss, they get the rebound. So it’s awesome to have that.”

Florida hit 3 of 20 attempts from beyond the arc and missed its first eight of the second half while tying a season-low for 3-point makes and setting a season-low in 3-point percentage.

But the Gators were never in any grave danger against the Wildcats. Why? Because last year’s great rebounding team has developed into an absolutely lethal rebounding team.

For the Gators, every 3-point miss is an opportunity. Those 17 rim-clangers hoisted from beyond the arc against UK turned into 16 second-chance points as Florida dominated UK 18-8 in offensive rebounds and 50-29 overall on the glass.

All but five of Florida’s second-chance points came after missed 3-pointers.

“I think it’s obviously a big part of what we do and how we play,” Florida coach Todd Golden told CBS Sports. “We don’t necessarily separate the 3-point attempts as opposed to the 2-point attempts. But when we get good shots from the perimeter, it’s going to be really good offense for us because of the second chances that we’re able to provide.”

What should be terrifying for the rest of college basketball is that Florida is actually improving from beyond the arc, too. Prior to Friday’s clunker, the Gators were firing at a 37.6% clip from deep over an 11-game winning streak that has now grown to 12.

Last year’s title-winning team, known primarily for its guard play, made 36.6% of its 3-pointers over its final 11 regular-season games.

Amid the focus on what Florida lost with its top four guards from last year’s team, either exhausting their eligibility or transferring, is what it kept.

What was already perhaps the nation’s best frontcourt returned fully intact, and it’s only been bolstered by the improvement of Rueben Chinyelu into one of the nation’s top rebounders. The junior finished with 10 rebounds against Kentucky for his 22nd double-digit rebounding performance of the season.

Klavzar called Chinyelu the “best rebounding big in the States” and “just an animal” on the boards before quickly rattling off the names of fellow Florida towers Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Micah Handlogten as similarly impactful. With Haugh now flexing down to play small forward, the Gators also have more rebounding on the floor for longer stretches.

“All of the bigs have improved from last year,” Klavzar told CBS Sports. “And then I feel like for the past month and a half, we’ve been shooting way better than the way we started the year. So when we combine those, when we shoot the ball well, and these guys are just dominant in the paint, it’s really tough to stop us.”

The result is the profile of a potential March wagon. Not many teams can survive their worst 3-point shooting performance of the season and beat an NCAA Tournament-caliber team on a neutral floor.

Florida did it somewhat convincingly on Friday in the latest bit of evidence that the Gators mean business in their pursuit of a repeat. Shots not falling? Not a problem, as it would be for most others. Florida will keep firing, knowing that even missed shots are a legitimate form of offense.

“It gives me a lot more confidence as a coach,” Golden said, “that even if we’re not playing our best or shooting efficiently, that we can still win.”

George Russell praised his Mercedes as a “joy to drive” as he took pole for the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday to continue his team’s dominant start to the new era of Formula 1.

Russell is the driver to beat in Shanghai after his dominant win in Australia last week. With teammate Kimi Antonelli qualifying second and no other team close, Mercedes is on target for another 1-2 finish in Saturday’s sprint, which is followed by qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

“The car has been feeling amazing,” Russell said. “The engine is performing really well and today it was a real joy to drive.” 
Lando Norris was 0.621 of a second adrift, a vast gap in F1 terms, in third for McLaren. Only Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari in fourth and Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri in fifth got within a second of Russell’s time. 

Hamilton might be the biggest threat to the Mercedes pair because the Ferrari is quick off the line, which allowed teammate Charles Leclerc to jump into the lead in Australia last week before a strategy error ended his victory hopes. Russell suggested Mercedes has improved its sluggish starts, though.

Verstappen, the most prominent critic of the new regulations, had another tough qualifying session in eighth, though not as bad as the crash which left him at the back of the grid in Australia last week.

Ferrari debuts Macarena’Russell and Mercedes led the way in Friday’s sole practice session, as Ferrari failed to find a significant advantage from its unique rear wing which rotates upside-down for more speed on the straights.

Leclerc had the fifth quickest time (1:33.599) followed by Lewis Hamilton (1:34.129).

Hamilton touched tires with Norris in practice and also spun as he lost control on another lap.

Dubbed the “flip-flop” or “Macarena,” it was used briefly in testing, dropped for Australia, and is the sort of innovation which could help Leclerc and Hamilton compete with Mercedes. It could also disrupt the airflow and hinder cars following close behind.

Changes on the wayF1’s governing body, the FIA, could take stock of how the racing is going and make changes, potentially even in time for the Japanese Grand Prix later this month.

One gripe so far has been the lack of control by drivers of when the electrical power kicks in and how much is used.

They can’t stop the power being deployed in typical straight-line driving and can only add an extra boost, which in Australia resulted in cars finishing the formation lap with an empty battery and lacking pace at the start. That’s “not a lot of fun and also quite dangerous,” Verstappen said Thursday.

A related issue ended home hero Oscar Piastri’s race before it began in Australia, when the extra power kicked in unexpectedly and tipped him into the barriers before he even reached the grid.

If F1 can’t race next month in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which remain on the schedule for now despite the Iran war, it would leave a five-week gap in the calendar, which teams could use to refine any changes.

Zhou a boost for CadillacThere hasn’t been a Chinese driver on the F1 grid since Zhou Guanyu left Sauber at the end of 2024, but he’s still a big celebrity in his home country. As reserve driver for Cadillac, he could give the new team extra recognition in a key market after its solid but unspectacular debut in Australia.

It was a tough day for Cadillac as Valtteri Bottas was 21st in sprint qualifying, slower than even the unreliable Aston Martins, while Sergio Perez couldn’t start because of a problem with his fuel system.

Michael Carrick on Friday brushed off criticism from former Manchester United teammate Paul Scholes as he prepares his side for a crunch Premier League game against Aston Villa. The third-placed Red Devils return to action on Sunday after losing 2-1 at Newcastle earlier this month. Unai Emery’s Villa are behind United only on goal difference in a tight race to secure Champions League football next season. The top five teams in the Premier League are almost certain to qualify for Europe’s top club competition.

The Newcastle defeat was Carrick’s first since taking over for the rest of the season in January and Scholes made a sarcastic jibe on Instagram about the man he played alongside in midfield at Old Trafford.

“Michael has definitely got something special about him… cos Utd have been crap last four games,” read the post from Scholes, who later said he had meant no offence and had contacted his former teammate.

But Carrick told reporters at his pre-match press conference on Friday that he was not dwelling on the issue.

“There’s nothing to say about it really,” he said. “I think that’s just where we are in terms of social media and things and captions and quotes. 

“It can be taken in different ways, so just be calm about it and understand actually the real meaning of things.

“Listen, there’s different opinions out there and it’s fine. People can have different opinions. 

“It’s just things get taken way out of one extreme to the other and it is what it is, but I’m not worried about it. I don’t make a big deal of it either.”

United finished an embarrassing 15th in the Premier League last season under Ruben Amorim.

Carrick’s men were on a roll until their last-gasp defeat by Newcastle at St James’ Park, but the former United midfielder said it was inevitable they would suffer a defeat at some stage.

“It’s a tough league,” he said. “Most teams, if not every team, has suffered that in recent times.”

“It’s putting things in perspective really and putting it in shape where we know where we can improve, what we can do better.”

Carrick said was “excited” by the challenge of hosting Villa at Old Trafford.

“We’ve put ourselves in a position now where there’s an awful lot to play for,” he said. “So we’re really embracing the situation at the moment and looking forward to the next game.”

Carrick said midfielder Mason Mount had taken a “big step” and could return from a two-month absence this weekend.

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

Veteran administrator and former All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das, who played a significant role in organising the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India, died here on Friday.

Das was 65. He held the position of AIFF general secretary for 12 years before resigning in 2022 on health grounds.

Before entering football administration in 2010, Das had served as Chief Financial Officer of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and International Management Group (IMG) India.

He breathed his last at a private hospital in the capital, according to Shaji Prabhakaran, another long-time football administrator who succeeded Das as the AIFF’s full-time secretary general in 2022 after former I-League CEO Sunando Dhar served as the acting GS for a brief while.

“Former AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das passed away this morning at a private hospital in Delhi. Sending my deepest sympathies and prayers to his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. Om Shanti,” Prabhakaran wrote on his ‘X’ handle.

During his tenure, the Indian national team qualified for three AFC Asian Cup tournaments besides the country hosting the prestigious FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time in 2017, which he described as “game changer” for Indian football at the time. 

The event set a record for the most-attended FIFA youth World Cup in history. He also secured hosting rights for the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Das also played a key role in bringing Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) as a marketing partner of AIFF in 2010, which led to the launch of the Indian Super League (ISL). He often credited this partnership with saving the AIFF from financial crisis after previous broadcasters moved on.

Under his guidance, the AIFF launched the Golden Baby Leagues and a structured youth development system, including age-group leagues that forced clubs and academies to focus on long-term player pipelines.

Das’ tenure in the AIFF coincided with Praful Patel’s reign as its president, and the former had sent his resignation to the Committee of Administrators which was then running Indian football after the Patel-led dispensation was ousted by the Supreme Court for not holding elections on time.

Das was re-appointed as AIFF’s general secretary for a second term of another three years in 2013.

Das completed his BSc in Mathematics at the St. Stephen’s College in Delhi.

The National Sports Commission (NSC) has honoured Akwa Ibom teenage athlete, Jacinta Lawrence Andrew, with a cash reward of ₦3 million after naming her the Outstanding Junior Athlete of 2025.

The presentation took place on Friday, March 13, 2026, at her school, Community Secondary Commercial School, Ibiaku Itam, in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, shortly after school hours.

Officials of the National Sports Commission flew in from Abuja for the ceremony, which was attended by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, who was represented by the Director of Coaching in the Ministry of Sports, Mrs Catherine Ekuta. Other directors and officials of the ministry, teachers, and Jacinta’s schoolmates were also present.

The recognition was part of the NSC Appreciation Tour, which made a significant stop in Uyo to celebrate young Nigerian athletes who have performed well and continue to inspire others through their dedication and achievements.

One of the major highlights of the visit was the recognition of Jacinta, an SS2 student who has quickly emerged as one of Nigeria’s most promising young athletes.

Jacinta first gained national attention when she won a silver medal in the girls’ 400 metres at the maiden African School Games in Algeria. She later went on to win gold in the same event at the African Youth Games in Angola.

She was also recently part of the Nigerian team that qualified the country for the World Athletics Relays, an impressive achievement for a student still in secondary school.

Speaking during the presentation, the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Bukola Olopade, said the Appreciation Tour represents a new approach to celebrating and motivating athletes across the country.

“This Appreciation Tour is about recognising hard work, discipline, and excellence wherever we find it across the country. When young athletes see that their sacrifices and performances are valued, it inspires them to aim higher and assures them that the nation stands firmly behind them,” Olopade said.

He added that supporting young athletes like Jacinta is part of the Commission’s long-term plan to strengthen Nigeria’s sports talent development.

“Jacinta, like many others, represents the future of Nigerian sports. For someone still in secondary school to achieve so much on the continental stage shows the great potential we have in our young people, and it is our responsibility to nurture and support them,” he added.

In recognition of her achievements and dedication, the Commission presented Jacinta with a ₦3 million cash reward.

In his remarks, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, represented by Mrs Catherine Ekuta, praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Sports Commission for introducing what he described as a morale-boosting reward system for athletes.

Speaking further, the Commissioner said the reward aligns with the efforts of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, who has continued to support sports development in the state.

“Rewards like this are in line with what Governor Umo Eno is already doing in Akwa Ibom State. In 2025, the governor rewarded medallists from the National Youth Games and the Akwa Ibom State Sports Festival, and Jacinta was one of the major beneficiaries.

“In line with the ARISE Agenda of the Pastor Umo Eno-led administration, the state government remains committed to doing even more to ensure that athletes like Jacinta continue to excel, while also discovering and developing more young talents who will make the state and the country proud,” he said.

An emotional Jacinta thanked the National Sports Commission for the honour and also expressed appreciation to Governor Umo Eno for what she described as a sports revolution in Akwa Ibom State.

She said the governor’s support for sports is already producing positive results, pointing to the state’s performance at the just concluded Niger Delta Games.

“I am very grateful to the National Sports Commission for believing in me. This recognition encourages me to keep training and to make Nigeria proud,” Jacinta said.

“I also want to thank Governor Umo Eno for the support he is giving to sports in Akwa Ibom State. The encouragement we are receiving is helping many young athletes to perform better.

“We saw the results at the recent Niger Delta Games where Akwa Ibom finished fourth with 55 medals, improving from the first edition where the state finished sixth with 39 medals. It shows that sports in the state is moving forward,” Jacinta added.

The Appreciation Tour is part of the Commission’s efforts to recognise excellence, encourage emerging talents, and promote grassroots sports development across Nigeria.

Welcome to the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast, where co-hosts Joe Oberle and Mark Craig offer their unique insider’s opinion and analysis on the latest Purple news and happenings emanating from TCO Performance Center, U.S. Bank Stadium and beyond. The Minnesota Vikings are a constant source of exciting, enervating and, oftentimes, confounding news, and Craig and Oberle illuminate and explain it all from a perspective of experience and hard-earned insight.

The Insider

Mark Craig Mark Craig is a Vikings writer and the NFL Insider for the Star Tribune newspaper and Startribune. Hailing from Northeast, Ohio, he has been covering the NFL since Brett Favre was a rookie (1991) and writing for the Star Tribune about football for 23 years and the Vikings for the past 20 seasons. He is author of the book, “100 Things Vikings Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die,” and is Minnesota’s only Pro Football Hall of Fame selector and Associated Press post-season NFL Honors voter. Each week he shares venerable insight on everything from one-on-one sit-downs with the Vikings head coach to the latest quarterback change for the Cleveland Browns. Craig covers everything NFL and speaks from a time-worn perspective of one who has seen and wrote about it all. But he’s still the, um, “young gun” of this podcast.

The Homer

Joe Oberle has been in on every iteration of this podcast from when it was called Three Deep (with the website creator Joe Johnson) back in 2016 to today. He has been following the Vikings since before their first Super Bowl loss in 1970 and has covered them for several websites (including CBSSports) for more than 12 years. The award-winning author of three books (including “Unstoppable: The Story of George Mikan—The 1st NBA Superstar”) Mankato-native Oberle has spent a career working in sports (with the Minnesota Timberwolves), covering them (Vikings, Twins, NBA, amateur hockey and golf) and talking about them. His coverage is thorough and often passionate, with a dose of humor sprinkled in to spice up his takes.

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Fans have mocked Nottingham Forest star Omari Hutchinson for his post-match gripe about bad weather affecting his face cream, claiming that it sums up the frailty of “modern footballers”.

Forest succumbed to a 1-0 defeat in their Europa League last-16 first leg against Danish outfit Midtjylland, the second half of which was hit by torrential rain.

Hutchinson complained in an interview with TNT Sports after the final whistle that the poor conditions caused his moisturiser to run, in turn hampering his vision.

He said: “I couldn’t really see, my face cream was covering my face. It was very tough. The conditions weren’t the greatest.”

The interview has since gone viral but not for the right reasons, with supporters decying Hutchinson’s mental fortitude and longing for the days where players would run through brick walls for their team.

One fan wrote on X: “1956 – Bert Trautmann played on with a broken neck. 2026 – Omari Hutchinson ‘my face cream got in my eyes’.”

Another account added: “Says it all about modern footballers – utterly embarrassing.”

Some of the reaction on social media was slightly overblown to the point of actual outrage, though other fans were able to simply see the funny side of things.

User Tony McDonough wrote: “If Omari Hutchinson wants to use face cream that is entirely his business, but… there is something undeniably hilarious about hearing him say this nonetheless.”

Hutchinson did not try and lay all the blame for Forest’s shortcomings against Midtjylland on the miserable weather, insisting it was “no excuse”.

“We could have punished them but we will come to next week with confidence to bring it back,” said Hutchinson on what he branded as a “very frustrating” night.

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“We had two chances early in the second half but the weather changed things. They put pressure on us and punished us.”

Forest have their work cut out to recover the tie in next week’s return leg to keep their European hopes alive, though there are arguments that their Europa League campaign is acting as an unnecessary distraction from their Premier League survival bid, with the club perched just above the relegation zone.

Hutchinson, however, insists the club are intent on staying in the competition and will fight to do so at the MCH Arena next Thursday.

He added: “Every game is massive and we do have full belief. We are training well and the fans are sticking by us. We want to put things right.”