To secure time for U.S. visa applications, 1 July has been set as a new deadline for journalists who wish to apply for a conference grant to Play the Game 2019

The 2019 Copa América will be the biggest event held in Brazil since the 2016 Olympics attracting up to 100,000 spectators from abroad. But it will also be a sporting event with a maximum-security set-up held in the shadows of former corruption scandals.

Once again, a major sports event is met with criticism for being placed in a semi-authoritarian regime with bad human rights records. The EOC vice president defends the decision of awarding the European Games to Minsk but is ready to discuss how to implement broader human rights demands for countries hosting Olympic events.

Cricket remains in the grip of an elite, whose appetite for growth is typified by the sport’s lack of interest in the Olympic movement, meanwhile, cricket commands higher TV rights than any other sport outside football but is struggling to grow globally due to historical, cultural and structural reasons.

Support from the Norwegian and Danish journalist unions has secured a limited number of conference grants for this fall’s Play the Game conference.

One in five Canadian athletes surveyed in a new report have experienced maltreatment including emotional, physical and sexual abuse, harassment and neglect. In another case, testimonies from dozens of Danish swimmers about a psychologically abusive coaching environment paint a similar picture.

World Sailing has laid forward a proposal for a root-and-branch governance reform of the federation that includes simplifying decision-making processes, making more room for athlete voices and securing more independence for enforcement committees.

Over the years, press freedom in sport has been a recurring subject for Play the Game. On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Play the Game has put together a compilation of articles that look into some of challenges that sports journalists face in their line of work and discuss sports journalism in broader terms.