sports
American football finds a way in Japan
While the Philadelphia Eagles smashed the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in February, two teams in Japan fought for the title in their own tournament, known as the Rice Bowl. These foes might not draw as many people in for the game, or the commercials, but they still have everything to play for.
‘I’m not finished’: Badminton’s Beiwen Zhang wants gold in the final Olympics of her decadeslong career
Olympian Beiwen Zhang went pro in badminton at age 13, leaving her home country of China for Singapore to pursue the sport. She struggled with the pressure of competitive athletics, though. The World’s Bianca Hillier has the story of how she bounced back, not just from intense stress but also from what many believed could be a career-ending injury.
Baseball rises in Argentina thanks to Venezuelan migration
In soccer-obsessed Argentina, there’s little place for other sports, and baseball is not the exception. The average Argentine knows very little about it, and there’s only one baseball field in the capital of Buenos Aires, a city with close to 16 million people. But in the past few years, baseball is attracting more players and more fans in the South American country.
20 years after France’s hijab ban, the issue remains divisive
Two decades ago, France introduced a law banning the hijab and other religious symbols in public schools. Today, with French athletes prohibited from wearing any religious items while competing at the summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, the issue is more divisive than ever.
