I didn't quite know what to expect from the 11th edition of the Peace and Sport Forum, this year held on the Greek island of Rhodes rather than in its usual home of Monaco.
It is not without a certain irony that Africa will become the last of the five continents to stage a sporting event under the Olympic banner.
I do love autumn. The air freshens. The leaves turn, and drop, reminding us of life’s cyclical nature. Although this task is also served by the world of sport…
I make no apology for adding to the torrent of words devoted to Swiss International Olympic Committee (IOC) member - and much, much more - Patrick Baumann since his unexpected death in Argentina a few days ago.
This weekend Billy Joe Saunders was due to be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) middleweight belt in Boston against American Demetrius Andrade.
My column this week was initially going to take a rather different direction.
The Youth Olympic Games has been viewed as much as a "sports lab" as an elite level competition for upcoming young athletes.
It is sad to admit, but if I have learnt one thing from my first four months at insidethegames, it is that money and politics are ruining the Olympics.
Sport climbing is part of the ongoing Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires as a prelude to its appearance on the 2020 Olympic programme in Tokyo. But it will not be the first time that Olympic medals have been awarded for climbing.
Regrettably. Momentarily. Obviously. I think we pretty much know the story from these key words, don't we?
Here's the thing: the now notorious Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games made a profit of $53 million (£34 million/€47 million) at then ruble exchange rates.
Amateur boxing - at least, that is what it used to be called when the combatants wore headguards and vests - is in a right old pugilistic pickle over the Olympics.
Throughout the past few months, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) has been calling the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) bluff.
"We want to listen to society and to understand how the world sees us, rather than us telling the world how they should see us," – IOC President Thomas Bach in a press release previewing the Olympism in Action Forum.
You would be forgiven for walking into the Pala Alpitour in Turin last weekend and mistaking it for a nightclub rather than the venue of the semi-finals and final of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Men's World Championships.
At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeili was disqualified for weighing in at nearly four pounds above the limit for his weight class of his under-66 kilograms match against an Israeli opponent Ehud Vaks in the first round. It was claimed Miresmaeili had gone on an eating binge to protest the International Olympic Committee's recognition of the state of Israel. Iran does not recognise the state of Israel, and Miresmaeili's actions won praise from high-ranking Iranian officials. Mohammad Khatami, the country's President at the time, was quoted as saying Miresmaili's actions would be "recorded in the history of Iranian glories". He was later awarded $125,000 by the Government - the same amount given to Olympic gold medallists.
UEFA - Senior Venue Operations Manager - Nyon, Switzerland
The Senior Venue Operations Manager - supported by the season coordination team - is responsible for preparation and delivery of the broadcast commercial elements for all matches in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Nations League, European Qualifiers and European friendly matches. In addition, a key responsibility is to ensure a close working relationship with clubs and partners through workshops, forums and account management.
There was revolution in the air when Mexico City hosted the 1968 Summer Olympics. Mike Rowbottom looks back at the most politically-charged Games of all time.
Do the Youth Olympic Games have a future in their current guise?
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