Hosting the 2020 Olympics should not only raise Japan’s international profile, it should also make its people healthier. Despite rating well internationally when it comes to sports participation, Japan wants to do even better.

Japan is not only fighting bad governance in several sports, but also outdated, authoritative training methods. New rules for good governance have been set out to reform elite sport in one of the world’s leading sports nations, but conservative forces are working against them.

The end of the lengthy legal battle between freelance journalist Laura Robinson and VANOC CEO John Furlong is drawing near. Furlong dropped his defamation charges against the journalist in March this year, and Robinson’s counterclaim will be heard in court on 15 June.

Can Europeans and Americans overcome rooted traditions and learn from each other when it comes to developing elite sport and sport for all? Born in Europe and living in America for 40 years, Christer Ahl this time discusses the very different approaches to sports across the Atlantic.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has warned Iran that it would be stripped of its right to host the 2015 Under-19 men’s world volleyball championship if it bans women from attending matches.

Ghoncheh Ghavami, the British-Iranian woman, who was jailed in June this year for attending a men’s volleyball match in Iran, has been sentenced to one year in prison.

Canadian journalist Laura Robinson is currently engaged in a tough legal battle with the prominent Canadian sports executive John Furlong, who she claims is covering up a shady past that includes cases of abuse of First Nations children. Robinson spoke at Play the Game 2013 despite warnings from Furlong’s attorneys.

A new report from the Danish Institute for Sports Studies on sports participation in Denmark shows a steady growth in the participation rate for both adults and children.