In the piece, where she mourns the cultural-annihilation San Francisco has faced since the birth of Big Tech, she quotes PayPal founder Peter Thiel who wrote in 2009, “I stand against confiscatory taxes, totalitarian collectives and the ideology of the inevitability of death of every individual.” 

Thiel recently demonstrated his libertarian agendas by signing on as an investor in the privately funded drug-friendly sports contest, The Enchanted Games.

The competition, which describes itself as “the modern reinvention of the Olympic Games that does not have drug testing,” is headed by Aron D’Souza, Thiel’s former lawyer. The backers of The Enchanted Games believe athletes should be allowed, encouraged even, to use every advantage they can to secure success: they should take as much performance enhancement drugs as they want — all in the name of becoming better, stronger, faster. They believe that banning performance enhancements is stifling scientific innovation. 

The Games will not test athletes for drugs or any performance enhancers at its events, because it “embra[ces] ways science and technology can enhance human performance,” D’Souza, president of the Enhanced Games, said in the statement. 

“The Enhanced Movement believes in the medical and scientific process of elevating humanity to its full potential, through community of committed athletes.”

“[We] see the vision of a new model of sports, that openly celebrates scientific innovation and honestly represents the use of performance enhancements in sports today.” 

The Games will focus on individual sports across athletics, aquatics, combat, gymnastics and strength. 

“By focusing on world records in popular sports such as track and field, swimming, gymnastics, weight lifting and combat sports, we can eliminate wasteful infrastructure spending and reinvest to fairly pay all athletes,” D’Souza said. 

“In the era of accelerating technological and scientific change, the world needs a sporting event that embraces the future, particularly advances in medical science.” 

But what’s really going on here? Who are the people behind this contest? And what are they really trying to do? 

It’s a men’s club

The Enchanted Games is backed by the world’s richest venture capitalists. We have Peter Thiel, the conservative tech billionaire and founder of companies such as Palantir, which monitors immigrants for the Department of Homeland Security in the US. Thiel has had a long history of defying public safety and policy regulations. He was also one of the early investors of Facebook. 

There’s Christian Angermayer, founder of Apeiron Investment Group — a private investment company with a biotech portfolio that includes Atai Life Science, who are currently developing a rapid-acting anti-depressant for home use. Atai has backing from Thiel. 

Angermayer is a big name in the psychedelic industry — he’s been open about how taking mushrooms since 2015 has changed the course of his life. 

He described The Enhanced Games as having “forward-thinking ethos”, and one that “…improves the safety and fairness of competition but also stimulates scientific breakthroughs and nurtures human advancement.”

“The Enhanced games will undoubtedly inspire the public’s imagination and reinforce the profound impact of science on human progress,” he said in a statement. 

Then we have Balaji Srinivasan, a cryptocurrency investor and former CTO of Coinbase, who has been described as a polymath and angel investor who believes that tech has the power to eventually initiate a nation-free world. 

Out of the eleven individuals on the leadership team, there’s one woman — Jodhi Ramsden-Mavric, who is listed as a creative assistant, and who has a background in the film industry. The six people on the company’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Commission come from various backgrounds, including a Harvard professor, a co-founder of OxWash (sustainable commercial laundry service-providers) and a naturopathic doctor. Two are women.

Thomas Rex Dolan, the 19-year old Victorian and Gen Z Party founder and president, is listed as head of executive operations. According to his LinkedIn page, Dolan is D’Souza’s godson. 

The Athletes Advisory Commission consists of five men and just one woman. On the games website, it explains that they “embrace[s] the inclusion of science in sports” and is “unencumbered by anachronistic legacy systems.”

I wonder how they can do this with an organisation that clearly lacks the most basic form of diversity?

Sketchy on the details 

Since the games started making headlines last month, many people have been left scratching their heads. The organisation hasn’t been clear about some details. 

For one, it has declared that it will pay the athletes who compete in the games, but it hasn’t said exactly how much. 

Athletes will be paid a base salary and will compete for additional prize money. According to the website, a prize pool and compensation model will be announced later this year. 

Who gets to compete?

Calling themselves the “most inclusive sports league in history,” the organisers said all adults are eligible to compete in the games regardless of whether they are “natural, adaptive, or enhanced, an amateur or a former Olympian.” 

Registration is set to open later this year, though the actual dates for the contest have not been announced. 

It’s dangerous for the athletes 

The Games insist they will be the “safest international sporting event in history” and will ensure every athlete undergoes full medical screenings to monitor any risks.

But critics believe the competition’s agenda will risk both athletes’ health and sport itself. Two experts from the University of Canberra feared that athletes will turn into “injectable avatars” who will endanger their health by taking medicines that have been approved for human use.

“There’s no shortage of evidence demonstrating the dangers of pharmaceutical abuse for performance enhancement, let alone what might happen when used in experimental combinations and dosages,” Professor Catherine Ordway said last week.

“Elite sport is not conducted on a level playing field. Access to money, knowledge, power and technology already gives some athletes an edge over others, and the Enhanced Games would exacerbate these inequalities.”

Travis Tygart, CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), called the games “farcical,” and that it would be “a dangerous clown show, not real sport.” 

Jamie Crain, CEO of Sports Medicine Australia, took aim at the games’ PR material, which runs on the “anything is possible with science” ideology, pitting “science” as the gateway towards human progress and excellence.

“Science is the process of experimenting and observing and recording results and adjusting accordingly to get a certain outcome or just to understand a topic,” Crain told the ABC.

“And in this context that means they’re going to be giving otherwise fit people experimental substances to see what the outcomes is in the hope it might make them faster or stronger. Is that good science? If it produces a fast athlete who ends up with medical complications down the line, you would argue, no, it is not good science.”

Former Olympic swimmer Kieren Perkins said he could not see “any responsible and ethical person thinking the Enhance Games is even remotely sensible”.

“As soon as you start to go down the murky slope of allowing these sorts of drugs to be involved in the system you are completely setting aside the athlete’s physical and mental wellbeing and prioritising commercial gains and that’s not a place we want to be,” Perkins, now the CEO of the Australian Sports Commission, said.

Last week, retired Olympic swimming medalist James Magnussen announced he would compete in The Enhanced Games to try to break the 50m record for a reported $1.6 million. 

His reason? Money. 

“To be completely transparent, the money is a huge part,” he told News Corp. “A $1.6 million Australian dollar prize is hard to ignore.”

They’re out to make money

The carefully worded PR materials from the games’ website spruce their mission to enhance the “the medical and scientific process of elevating humanity to its full potential.”

But clearly, when you’ve got the world’s richest men backing this, it’s clear the end game is generating money. According to some media reports, D’Souza has plans to hold the games annually and stream it on platforms like YouTube to garner revenue. 

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At a Christmas family gathering in December last year, Dwan Young’s family surprised her with the Guinness World Record certificate, officially naming her as the record holder.

Young, who lives in Utah, USA, has been skiing for more than 60 years, trying her hand at the sport when she was 29 years old. Since then, she along with her family have been skiing at the family cabin at Bear Lake.

Speaking with KSL TV, Young said her granddaughter Becca contacted the Guinness World Records to see if her grandmother was eligible for the title. Then, at Christmas, the family presented her with the award.

“I thought it was a joke,” she said.

While Young has been skiing for years, she said it was her family that helped her transition from skiing on two skis to the slalom, which is no easy feat for anyone, let alone a 92-year-old.

“My kids kept saying, ‘Grandma, bend your knees! Keep your arms straight and let the boat pull you out!’” Young said.

“Now, at my age, I’m getting out of the water on two and just dropping one.”

Water skiing isn’t the only sport Young plays, and she doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

“Actually, I’m still playing tennis twice a week, and I’m doing water aerobics in the winter,” she said.

While her grandkids want their grandmother to give surfing a go, Young is happy to stick with what she knows.

‘What an honour.’

Since 1961, Dwan Young, who is originally from Salt Lake City, has been water skiing. But she admitted to Guinness World Records last month that she still gets nervous before a ski.

“I always get butterflies before I get in the water,” Young said. “In the water, I feel excited.”

Young was thrilled to receive the record certificate from her family, which was totally unexpected for the 92-year-old.

“I could not believe it. I still can’t believe it,” Young said. “What a surprise and what an honour.”

These days, Young only skis in Bear Lake, where the family summer cabin is. But she told Guinness World Records that if she could ski anywhere in the world, Lake Geneva in Switzerland is her dream spot.

For anyone wanting to have a go at something new, Young said your age should not matter.

“Do not be afraid to try a new sport when you are older,” she said.

“You are more capable than you think.”

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While the 21-year-old fell to American Caitlin Simmers, 18, in the final, Picklum’s perfect score was nailed in what’s widely rated as one of the best-ever women’s heats on the Championship Tour against Hawaii-local Bettylou Sakura Johnson in a thrilling semifinal win. 

World No. 5 Picklum flew through the barrel on her backhand side to earn the only 10 in the women’s competition. 

“I feel like for me personally, there’s no more fitting place than Pipe to give me my first 10,” said the NSW surfer, who will also represent Australia at this year’s Olympics in Paris.  

“ I’m just so, so happy– 10 points, it’s hard to come by,” she said. 

“With the wave I needed a score and I know she’s capable of a 10, so I just took off and I just thought it’s got some draw to it and I may as well roll the dice and try.”

“But 10 points, I love it, I want more.”

In the end, Picklum finished with a score of 10.64,  behind Simmers’ 12.66 score. Nevertheless, even Simmers had praise to heap onto Picklum’s historic heat. 

“Molly’s a guru, she’s probably the best girl out here in my opinion,” said Simmers about Picklum. “One heat out here is like months of experience, and getting barrelled in a heat with your friend is the most fun thing in the world.”

Commenting on all of the “epic” performances of the day, Picklum wrote on Instagram after the event: “Wow what a day for women’s surfing. So inspired by the women before my time who charged and push the limits and of course my girls who are pushing it in todays generation.”

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“Pipeline is for the fucking girls!”

Despite this year’s epic performances from female surfers at Pipeline, women have only been allowed to surf the sport’s most challenging and dangerous wave since 2020.

Three years ago, Australia’s Tyler Wright claimed victory at the first women’s World Surfing League (WSL) tour event to be held at Pipeline. 

Before that, women surfed at a different Hawaiian location– Honolua Bay– for the findal event of the tour, while Pipeline was reserved for the men. Following a fatal shark attack during the 2020 Maui Pro, however, the women moved to Pipeline out of caution. 

Nevertheless, Picklum’s perfect 10 on the deadly wave seems to have cemented that “Pipeline is for the fucking girls,” as Simmers declared after her heat. 

“This wave is terrifying; I respect everyone who wants a part of it and everyone who doesn’t because it’s really scary out there,” said Simmers.

“It starts with all the girls that battled the guys and barely got any waves, and I hope that this event showed the girls can do it. We’re getting spat out all day, and it’s pretty cool to see. I’m really happy to be a part of it.”

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“I had no concept of what any of that would mean, but I just held onto those goals,” says Steele, who can now boast a remarkable 13-year swimming career, with the titles of Paralympian and gold medalist under her belt. 

“We forget that we have this power within us to decide what it is that we want to have in our lives,” says Steele.

Connecting to this power from a young age, Steele won her first gold medal in competitive swimming at just 14. Then, at age 17, she represented Australia for the first time at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics in the 400-metre freestyle, breaking a national record. 

Steele was born with a congenital disability called Arthrogryposis, which affects the range of motion in the joints and impacts the cartilage in the body. She also developed Amniotic band syndrome (ABS) in the womb, affecting the shape of both her hands. 

“Sport has been everything,” says Steele. “It has shaped me. It has shaped how I react to things, and how I have managed my disability.”

“We create our own reality,” she says. 

“Things are always going to happen in your life, but it’s how you react to those things. And so when I was a kid – and when I was early in my swimming career – I would react in a way that was like a victim because the world was telling me I was a victim. But then I realised I could change that narrative and go ‘well, you might see me like that, but I don’t see myself like that’.”

Throughout her swimming career, Steele has represented Australia internationally five times, including at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics. She’s also been captain of a number of Aussie swimming teams and held a Victorian Institute of Sport scholarship for eight years. 

After swimming, Steele took up wheelchair rugby. She was the only woman to be selected to play for Victoria at a national level. 

Today, Steele is an award-winning sportswoman, experienced personal coach and motivational speaker, who works in the personal development space as The Self Belief Agent. 

She’s also the Project Manager for the ‘Building Inclusive Sport Clubs’ program to promote the access and inclusion of people with disabilities in sporting clubs across Australia, working with Disability Sport Australia.

Recently, Steele was selected by the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation to become a Change Our Game ambassador. Steele is joined by seven other inspiring women in this movement to raise awareness on key issues in women’s sport. 

Steele is using this advocacy platform to create equitable change for all people with disabilities in sport. 

Emphasising the importance of her role with the Change Our Game movement, Steele says she’s proud that she and the other ambassadors have a direct opportunity to help other people feel the positive, life-changing aspects of sport that they’ve experienced. 

She says they’re able to do this “by breaking down inclusion and access issues and being able to share our expertise and make it easier for people to access the sports that they want to play.”

Looking back at her own sporting career, Steele can see clearly the changes she wished had been in place when she was competing at such a high level. These are the changes she’s working to implement for the next generation. 

And while there are some days where this change might feel impossible, Steele remains optimistic about the future.

“There are going to be days when you feel like you’re hitting your head against a brick wall,” she says. “And on those days, you just need to go for a walk or a swim in the ocean.”

“We’re not going to change the world in 24 hours because there’s so many different ways that people view women and sport and disability.” 

“We’ve all got our own perceptions or ideals of how people are meant to behave, but sometimes we need to put them aside for a bit so we can learn from other people,” she adds. 

“It’s okay if you just go, and take a deep breath, and start again.”

Change Our Game Ambassadors are using their platforms to help drive change and raise awareness on key issues and barriers for women in sport. Change Our Game is led by the Office of Women in Sport and Recreation to level the playing field for women and girls. Be sure to follow the Ambassadors’ journeys through @ChangeOurGame on socials.

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The 25-year-old from Barwon Heads, Victoria, has had her best season yet, scoring a record eleven World Cup victories.

Anthony is currently tied with American Hannah Kearney for the most World Cup wins in a single season by a mogul skier.

She bagged the eleventh win at the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup on Sunday night in Deer Valley, USA, regarded as the “Superbowl” of freestyle skiing.

Anthony made it to the gold medal stand-off in the dual moguls event, competing against her main rival of the season, Jaelen Kauf from the United States. She secured the victory 22-13, her fourth win against the American this season.

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Following the record-breaking win, Anthony said it was an incredible feeling to be there.

“That’s definitely one of my best competition runs I have ever done, and especially my best here on the Champion run, so to do that in the big final against Jaelin was a pretty special moment,” Anthony said.

“There is no event World Cup like this one, the atmosphere is incredible. The whole finish area is packed with people so to get to perform and put on a show for them is a really special feeling.

“Locking up eleven wins and equalling Hannah Kearney for the record for the most in the season is absolutely mind-blowing.”

Jakara Anthony made her World Cup debut in 2015 at the age of 16. While she placed 33rd, it was only two years later in 2017 that she placed in the top ten at the Tazawako World Cup. Her World Championships debut was in the same year at Sierra Nevada, where she placed 12th.

In 2018, Anthony made her first Olympic appearance at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. She was Australia’s highest placed female mogul skier, placing fourth.

The 2018-2019 season was where she established herself as one of the best female mogul skiers in the world, winning her first silver and gold medals at World Cup and World Championships events.

Following several cancelled events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Anthony’s performance during the 2021-2022 season was te best by an Australian winter sports athlete in history.

In 2022, Anthony won her first Olympic gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. She became Australia’s sixth ever winter gold medallist and the first since Lydia Lassila in 2010.

Anthony was crowned Athlete of the Year at the 2022 Snow Australia awards.

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Growing up, sport was a presence in the background of her life– played on TVs in the home or at bars– but it wasn’t until she got older that it began to emerge as an avenue of connection to other people. 

“In the backdrop of when I grew up– which was post 9/11– there were things that you could talk about with people that kind of became like a passport for your social interactions,” says Hussain.

“[Sports-related topics] were humanising and built connections with other people, where perhaps without those things, you would feel very isolated.”

It was after this realisation that she says she began to pay more attention to the current events of the sporting world, particularly cricket.

“I went to the cricket all the time with my community as a young person, so I just had that understanding and knowledge,” she said. “And when I spoke about sports, it just kind of melted away whatever barriers were between me and the rest of the world.”

As the Program Founder of her own consulting organisation Good.Human and a Board Member at the Victoria Women’s Trust, Hussain has graced the sports sector for over ten years, championing inclusion and diversity. She’s a respected media commentator and often speaks to organisations and community groups, sharing her experiences in the sector as a Muslim-Indian woman. 

Most recently, the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation for the Change Our Game movement selected Hussain to join a group of seven other women ambassadors raising awareness on key issues for women in sport. 

Between now and International Women’s Day 2024, she will be using this platform to foster belonging through sport and media, specifically with culturally and linguistically diverse women.

“It’s humbling to be an ambassador,” Hussian says. “Especially because I’m not an athlete.”

“I sort of inhabit this space in sport, where I represent a voice [for] non-athletes, kind of representative of the traditional sports fan or administrator.”

“So to be an ambassador in the capacity that I am representing people who aren’t traditionally in sport is very, very meaningful, and hopefully has an impact.”

Through her continued advocacy, Hussain says she wants to encourage and listen to other Muslim women and women of colour interested in getting involved in sport. 

“What I would love to see– and I think it’s starting to happen now– is conversations and opportunities and programs that wrap around cultures and communities to address their needs rather than kind of asking communities into existing avenues to participate in sport,” she explains.

And while Hussain does see change happening, it’s not always as meaningful as it has the potential to be. 

“That was really why I wanted to be part of this ambassador program,” she says. “To continue to hold that space quite visibly and show it is possible to inhabit.”

“We can be our full selves, with our cultural identities and religious identities and turn up in public spaces– particularly ones that are so important to the national psyche like sport.”

Hussain would love to see more meaningful diversity in positions of power in the sporting world, where there’s “agency and ability to actually impact the system”. 

Sport, she says, “has this incredible ability to bring people together, to remove those exclusionary barriers and create a level playing field”. 

While that doesn’t discount the fact that there’s been historical systemic barriers often counteracting this inclusion, Hussain notes that through her advocacy work, she often frames the conversation in a way that most sports-minded people can relate to: what’s fair or not fair. 

“I think there’s a natural feeling of fairness,” she says. “Sport is all about fairness.”

“If you’re best on the ground, it doesn’t matter where you’ve come from.”

Between now and International Women’s Day 2024, Change Our Game Ambassadors will use their platform to help drive change and raise awareness on key issues and barriers for women in sport. The Change Our Game series is put on by the Office of Women in Sport and Recreation. Be sure to follow the Ambassadors’ journeys through @ChangeOurGame on socials.

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The 19-year-old ran one hundredth of a second faster than the previous mark of 11.11 set by Melissa Breen 10 years ago at the same Australian Institute of Sport track.

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Having become the fastest Australian woman means Lewis also simultaneously beat the previous Australian under-20 record of 11.20, set by the great Raelene Boyle during the 1968 Olympics. 

“That was the one that I was aiming for this year,” Lewis told The Project, about beating the under-20 record. 

“So, to get both of them in one go… pretty good,” she said. 

“I actually don’t really like the [100m event], I much prefer the [200m], so it was a big surprise.”

“I didn’t even hear the announcer. I heard the crowd gasp, so I thought ‘Oh I hope it’s a good time’ and then the announcer said something, but I didn’t hear anything. And then all the girls on the track were like running up and were like ‘Oh my god, you broke the record!’”, Lewis said, noting how shocked she was that it was the “big one”– the fastest Australian women’s record.

With the Paris Olympics coming up this year, Lewis says she’s three one-hundredths of a second off from getting the auto-qualifier in the 100m event. She says it’s her number one target for 2024, to make the Paris Olympics, but will also have her sights set on contesting the world under-20 championships in Peru.

At last year’s national titles in Brisbane, Lewis ran the 100m-200m double and represented Australia in the 100m and 4x100m relay at the world championships in Budapest.

Coming into the ACT championships, the Queenslander’s previous best 100m time of 11.23 was set last year in Sydney.

Congratulating Lewis on becoming the Australian record holder for the 100m, Breen wrote on the platform X (formerly Twitter), that “records are made to be broken”. 

“It’s been an absolute honour & privilege to be the Australian record holder of the 100m for almost a decade. Congratulations Torrie Lewis, coach Andrew Iselin & your entire team. The baton is now yours, carry it with pride & purpose every day.”

Highlighting this generational baton passing, both Breen– 100m record holder from 2014-2024 and Melinda Gainsford-Taylor– the 100m record holder from 1994-2014 and still 200m record holder– joined Lewis at AIS Track and Field Centre to celebrate her historic achievement.

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While there were very apparent barriers for Deaf men to participate in the sport, Hale would often watch them join local cricket clubs through their fathers, brothers, uncles and other support systems. 

For over 140 years, there had always been Deaf men’s cricket competitions– nationally, internationally and locally, in Victoria. The same couldn’t be said for women. 

“Deaf and hard of hearing men had so many more opportunities to enjoy the game, but also enjoy the camaraderie of being a part of a team, developing their cricket families and homes away from home,” says Hale. 

That’s why, at a Cricket Australia meeting in 2018, Hale brought up the possibility of creating a Deaf women’s competition.

“The staff member looked at me for a second and said ‘well, if you can get two teams up, we will put on an exhibition match’,” Hale recounts about the pivotal moment in her advocacy journey. 

“Within 48 hours, the Deaf community had come together, formed two teams, and changed the lives of many Deaf women and girls across Australia,” she says.

It was the first Deaf women’s cricket competition in Australia. Now, there are three fully formed Deaf women’s cricket teams playing for their states at the National Cricket Inclusion Championships in Brisbane in Marchant Park, and Hale says at least half of these women play regular cricket. 

“I feel really strongly about the phrase ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’,” says Hale.  “It is important that people with lived experience lead in the spaces that affect them.  Only they know intimately how being a person with that experience affects their lives and how they experience the world around them.”

As a proud Deaf woman herself, Hale has been leading and driving change through Deaf cricket for years. Most recently, she was selected as a Change Our Game ambassador to shine a light on the need for accessibility of Deaf women in sport. 

Hale is one of eight inspiring women chosen by the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation for the Change Our Game movement. It raises awareness on key issues through the platform between now and International Women’s Day 2024.

One of the biggest messages Hale is working to elevate is that not everyone is starting from the same place – a point particularly relevant to Deaf and hard of hearing women and girls.

“From my experiences in cricket, women and girls are only in recent times getting access to the game through their clubs in their own teams in safe and inclusive environments.”

“For Deaf and hard of hearing women and girls, many have never had the opportunity to pick up a ball or bat or understand the rules because of the double disadvantage they have had,” she says noting that it can often be hard for these players to “fit in and communicate effectively at local cricket clubs”.

“It’s for these reasons that we cannot have the same expectations and apply the same rules of men’s cricket to a group that is only just starting out. We need to pivot and adjust to fit,” she says. “This doesn’t make women’s and girls’ sports less deserving, important or exciting – it’s just a different starting point.”

Hale also says that while she feels a great responsibility to open doors for Deaf and hard of hearing women and girls, she cannot speak for everyone’s different lived experiences.

“Leadership for me means capturing as many voices of Deaf and hard of hearing people that I can, and elevating them all as equally as I can, by stepping out of the way, and opening the doors to let others lead,” she says.

What this really comes down to, Hale says, is having empathy and understanding that we all “have a deep human need to belong”. 

“We need to ask ourselves: ‘Are we doing things the way that we have always done them, just because it’s the ‘rules’, or are there truly things that we can adjust in our sports to make them more inclusive of everyone?’,” she says.

“Sometimes the smallest adjustments can make the biggest difference to inclusion.”

Between now and International Women’s Day 2024, Change Our Game Ambassadors will use their platform to help drive change and raising awareness on key issues and barriers for women in sport. The Change Our Game series is put on by the Office of Women in Sport and Recreation. Be sure to follow the Ambassadors’ journeys through @ChangeOurGame on socials.

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The WNBL is the only professional league in Australia that has a round dedicated to fighting period poverty, with players speaking out about how we can normalise conversations about periods and ensure everyone who needs to can access period products.

In 2021, a survey of 125,000 Australians found that more than 1 in 5 people who menstruate have had to improvise on period products due to the cost.

This year, the WNBL Fighting Period Poverty round runs from January 24 to January 31 and is supported by Boody and Cygnett, raising funds for period charity Share the Dignity. 

Captain of the Southside Flyers Bec Cole said it was imperative we all get more comfortable talking about periods and encouraged men to take part in the conversation. 

“We shouldn’t feel embarrassed by our periods. The more we speak about it, the more comfortable it’ll be,’ Cole said. 

“It’s also so important that our male colleagues are open to talking about it too and feel comfortable lending a hand if something happens to one of the girls on the team when she’s on her cycle — for example a leak. I do think we’re on the right track to breaking those barriers.” 

Meanwhile, Melbourne Boomers squad member Jordin Canada wants to raise awareness of how the menstrual cycle can affect female athletes. 

“People don’t understand how challenging it is to play sport when have your period,” Canada said. “Sometimes it’s hard to even get up in the morning and you have to compete to the best of your abilities.”

“Accessibility to menstruation products is a huge issue, and highlighting that is important, but it’s also important to simply normalise talking about periods,” said Kelsey Griffin, a three-time WNBL MVP recipient.

“Each cycle experience is unique so you don’t know what someone may be going through. For me, it’s cramps and brain fog that impact me most.”

During the round, WNBL players will wear themed t-shirts in their warm-ups and wear ‘Bloody Good Socks’. Both items are available for purchase with all funds raised going to Share the Dignity

Head of WNBL, Christy Collier-Hill also encouraged fans of the game to donate sanitary products when attending a game.

“As a women’s league, it’s important we support issues that affect women and girls, and we’re really proud to be working with Share the Dignity, with support from Boody and Cygnett, to positively impact period poverty in Australia,” Collier-Hill said.

“As well as raising awareness of the issue, we will have collection bins at every game during the round, and we encourage all our fans to bring sanitary products to the games to donate to this wonderful cause.

“If you can’t make it to a game, grab a pair of Bloody Good Socks, or buy period undies from Boody – both will help make an impact for women and girls in need.”

 The WNBL has also announced the installation of the first dignity vending machine in South Australia, which has been facilitated from money raised from last season’s Fighting Period Poverty Round.

Feature Image: Bec Cole.

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Gilmore, an eight-time world surfing champion, said she would take time away from the pro tour so she could spend time “free surfing” in places she otherwise wouldn’t get to surf. She will return to the tour in 2025.

“I am planning to take this time as a refresh for myself physically, mentally, and enjoy following swells and free surfing in new places,” Gilmore said in a statement announcing the break.

“I have some projects and trips I want to do, which haven’t been possible while traveling during the season. I am still passionate and dedicated to competing, and I have goals and dreams that I am still chasing – I’m excited for this year to activate those and I look forward to returning in 2025.”

WSL’s Chief of Sport Jessi Miley-Dyer said the surfing commmunity fully supported Gilmore’s decision to step back. The WSL has also confirmed Gilmore will receive the 2025 season wildcard to make her return.

“While we will miss Steph’s presence on the CT this season, we wholeheartedly support her decision to take this time for herself,” said Miley-Dyer.

“Steph’s influence on surfing and sport has been profound, inspiring countless people around the world. We eagerly await her return in 2025, where she will be welcomed back with the season wildcard, ready to continue her incredible legacy.”

Gilmore has been competing in the Championship Tour since 2007. In 2022, she won her eighth World Title, surpassing a record of 7 world titles previously held by Layne Beachley.

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Gilmore’s 12-month departure comes just days after US surfer and defending Olmypic gold medallist Carissa Moore announced she would step away from the World Surf League’s Championship Tour.

Announcing her decision to retire, Moore wrote in a love letter to surfing that “the most important lesson surfing has taught me is to commit, paddle hard, let go of the rails and enjoy the ride.”

“I know who I am, what I want and what is meaningful to me. I am multi-dimensional. I am a surfer, but I am also a wife, sister, daughter, friend,” she wrote. “I want to keep challenging myself in all areas of my life, explore the joy and most importantly, find ways to share more love.”

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Dayana Yastremska and Marta Kostyuk, the two Ukrainian players to make the top eight, have used post-match press conferences to address their concerns over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, expressing their fears that “people are starting to forget about what is going on.”

At a media conference after her fourth-round victory, Yastremska described the emotional toll the war has had on her.

“It’s tough emotionally to play, but the worst thing is you feel like you were already accepting this, what is happening,” the 23-year old said. “It’s tough to play, but after two years you get to manage already how to deal with all the emotions and with everything that is going on inside.”

“The war, of course, it’s affected us, well, a lot. Because you cannot go home like you wanted, when you wanted, like it was before. You always read the news. You always see the videos.”

Yastremska, ranked 93rd in the world, defeated 18th seed Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in her career. There, she will face 19-year old Czech player Linda Nosková. The match will take place on Wednesday. 

Yastremska was born in Odesa in May 2000 and began playing tennis aged five. At 15, she made her  junior major debut at the 2016 Australian Open, where she reached the singles quarterfinals, losing to Swiss-born Spanish player Rebeka Masarova.

This year marks the first time in Australian Open history that two players from Ukraine have reached the women’s quarterfinals.  A record 7 women from Ukraine competed in the main draw of the main tournament this year.

Yastremska will be joined by Marta Kostyuk. Kostyuk, who is currently unseeded, has also been outspoken about the war during her Australian Open campaign. 

After her fourth-round win over Russia’s Maria Timofeeva 6-2, 6-1, the 21-year old said the last two years has been “very difficult.” 

“It really seems for a lot of people that [the war] is over,” she said. 

“Something incredible happened. Ukraine managed to not be [captured] in three days, in Kyiv as well. So it was like all a miracle. I feel it’s not a miracle any more, so why talk about it? Yeah, I hope that the [Ukrainian] girls can keep on doing what they’re doing and reminding as much as possible.”

“The war is still there. People are still dying every day.” 

Following her victory against Timofeeva, Kostyuk returned to her chair, refusing to acknowledge her Russian opponent.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, players from Ukraine have not been shaking hands with players from Russia in a gesture of solidarity with the soldiers fighting on the frontlines.

“I feel like in general it’s a lot of processes happening to come to this point where people forget about it because people get used to it,” Kostyuk said. 

“I understand that everyone has their own issues, and everyone is focused on their thing. I think I’m here to remind everyone all the time that it’s still on, and it should be stopped. It’s not normal that it’s happening.”

“If there was never a war in my life, I don’t think I would be able to grow this much as I grew in the last two years.”

Kostyuk praised her fellow Ukrainian players, adding that she is “…very proud of all of us, honestly, for standing for so long and not losing faith and still fighting and fighting for our rights and fighting for everyone basically.” 

“I think it just shows how strong Ukrainian people are.”

On Sunday night, Kostyuk criticised a post from the official US Open account which displayed a Russian flag next to Timofeeva’s name. 

At this year’s Australian Open, Russian and Belarusian players are playing as neutral athletes — their flags replaced by dark blue squares.

“Today, after my victory over the athlete from the aggressor country, the Russian flag was published on the official resource of one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world,” Kostyuk wrote about the post, which has since been deleted. 

“The sports world continues to promote a murderous country and a country that uses its athletes as part of its propaganda. I call on media representatives, officials and the sports community to stop using the tennis court to promote ‘Russian peace’.” 

This is not Kostyuk’s first appearance at the Australian Open. In 2018, aged 15, she became the youngest player in more than 20 years to reach the third round of a Grand Slam at the Australian Open.

Kostyuk is due to face reigning US Open champion and fourth seed Coco Gauff later today in the quarterfinals. 

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Emma Maria Mazzenga, a retired chemistry professor from Veneto in northern Italy, finished the 200m indoor race in 54.57 seconds at an event in Padua.

Her run smashed the previous record set by Olga Kotelko from Canada, who held the record for 13 years, by 5.6 seconds.

Footage of her run has gone viral on social media. The race has been shared by several news organisations and has been watched on TikTok at least 20,000 times.

Several people online have shared their support for Mazzenga, commenting how “incredible” and “marvellous” her colossal efforts are.

But she’s not as happy as we would think, she told Vogue Italia after her win – because last yaer, she finished the 200m in less than 50 seconds.

I think we can cut you some slack, Em.

Mazzenga was born in 1933. In an interview with Vogue Italia, she said she began running when she was in university, starting from 1956. During her peak running days as a student, her personal best was placing fourth at a championship run in Rome.

She was married in 1963, not long after she finished her studies, and had two children. Her husband died in the early 1980s, but despite the emotional toll, it did not stop her from running. In fact, nothing ever stopped her from going for a run; even during the COVID-19 lockdown, she told Vogue Italia, Mazzenga would secretly run around her house when it was dark outside.

Now, at 90 years old, every morning she goes for a walk with her friend. Between her walks and runs, she tries to ride her bike when she can.

After her record-breaking run on Sunday, Mazzenga is now eyeing off her next feat. She is looking to compete at the Italy championships in Ancona next month, as well as the European championships in Poland the following month.

“The emotion that a race gives me, the adrenaline that every training session gives me, are the pure energy of my days,” she told Vogue Italia.

Her secret, Mazzenga says, is to never stop.

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