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From shame to hope: Convention 190 as a shield against the violence and harassment suffered by female athletes
Shirin Shirzad could talk for hours about the violence and sexual harassment suffered by female athletes. A former wrestler and coach of the national wrestling team in Iran (2013-2018), she had to go into exile in Europe due to threats she received after denouncing the abuses suffered by her athletes. “During my years as an […]

Shirin Shirzad could talk for hours about the violence and sexual harassment suffered by female athletes. A former wrestler and coach of the national wrestling team in Iran (2013-2018), she had to go into exile in Europe due to threats she received after denouncing the abuses suffered by her athletes. “During my years as an athlete and a professional in Iran, I was a constant target of intimidation, discrimination and psychological abuse. I was silenced many times for speaking out against injustice. I also received unwelcome comments from senior officials, and when I refused their advances, they dismissed me and kept on harassing me,” she told Equal Times.
The former coach denounced the sexual harassment suffered at least once by all the female athletes on the Iranian national team and the abuses she herself witnessed on a daily basis. One of her colleagues, a married female coach, used to receive video calls at 4 a.m. from a senior coach. She reported it to the federation, but she was the one who ended up being sanctioned.
After leaving Iran, she felt safer when speaking publicly about the abuse. When she gave her first interview on Iran International TV and other media outlets critical of the regime, she immediately received threats. “They said they would send me back to Iran in the worst way possible,” she explains. A polyglot with a PhD in health and sports sciences, Shirzad had to live in hiding in a remote village in Scandinavia for years. “I still receive insults on the internet to this day. But I continue to make TV appearances because I think it’s important to tell the truth.”
In Iran, the harassment of female athletes is systematic and usually comes from coaches and officials. Rozita Aemeh-doost reported the sexual abuse that she and other teenage players had endured. Shiva Amini, a former indoor football player, is living in exile after reporting sextortion by senior officials. Elham Nikpay accused a manager of abusing minors in a swimming pool where a girl was also murdered – in connection with the abuse of female athletes. And Golnar Vakil Gilani, former president of the polo federation, reported the threats made by a vice minister to broadcast private images.
Most victims do not report the abuse, out of fear, and those who do are often punished, while the perpetrators enjoy total impunity. There are no safe or independent channels for reporting abuse, and the structural barriers are ever present. “The system is designed to silence women, not to support them,” says Shirzad.
Afghanistan is another example where there is institutionalised abuse of female athletes, with the victims facing reprisals, stigmatisation and no access to justice. Haley Carter, a former US marine and footballer, was an assistant coach for the women’s national team (2016-2018) and reported sexual and physical abuse by officials, including the federation’s president, Keramuudin Karim, who was suspended for life by FIFA in 2019. After the arrival of the Taliban in 2021, Carter helped evacuate female players and today advocates for women’s rights through Orlando Pride (NWSL).
“Afghanistan has a terrible record when it comes to protecting female athletes from abuse,” she explains. Allegations of sexual contact outside marriage can have fatal consequences, which explains the silence of many victims. During her time in the country, there were no effective mechanisms for safe reporting.
“When we tried to report it to the Asian Football Confederation, they replied that they would only accept the complaint if it came from the president or general secretary – the very people who were committing the abuse,” says Carter. Following the arrival of the Taliban in 2021, the women’s national football team burned their uniforms and deleted their social media accounts. “It was the beginning of a systematic campaign to erase women from public life. Today, they are banned from sports, a rights violation that exists in no other country,” she denounces.
Shortly after taking power, Taliban official Ahmadullah Wasiq banned women from sport on the grounds that their uniforms would “expose their bodies too much”. Girls have since been deprived of the right to education and, by 2023, 80 per cent of school-age girls were not in the education system. Women are also banned from public spaces such as parks, gyms or sports clubs. The exclusion of women from employment is estimated to be costing the country US$1 billion a year, which is five per cent of its GDP.
In a gym in central Istanbul, 17-year-old Yağmur Nisa Dursun trains men twice her age and size in kickboxing. The daughter of national trainer Yilmaz Dursun, she has everyone’s respect. “I started because of my father, when I was very young. I didn’t want to at first, but then I saw other girls training and I was a bit envious,” she explains.
More than half of the gym’s clients are women. “As there are many cases of gender-based violence in Turkey, they mainly come here to learn how to protect themselves,” she says. Dursun receives comments on social media such as “one punch and you’re down”. “These are comments that belittle women… They do it because they feel inferior. It’s a form of harassment. That’s human misery. One of her students is a 50-year-old woman with a restraining order against her ex-husband: “She is getting divorced and wants to become a black belt.”
Turkey has not ratified ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work, which includes sports. And women’s rights have been rolled back under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government. In 2004, weightlifters Sibel Şimşek, Aylin Daşdelen and Şule Şahbaz reported their coach, Mehmet Üstündağ, for sexual and physical harassment, prompting an official investigation. They accused him of inappropriate touching, sexual remarks and assault. Daşdelen also held him responsible for the 1999 suicide of her teammate Esma Can. Üstündağ was removed from his post, and the case marked a turning point in the fight against abuse in sport, highlighting the need for effective reporting mechanisms and institutional support for victims.
In 2021, Erdoğan also withdrew Turkey from the Istanbul Convention. The young and slight Yağmur Nisa Dursun relies only on herself and her rapid defence technique for protection. “It’s very difficult to go far in combat sport in Turkey. There is also huge lack of opportunities for us as women. Women need more financial and psychological support. Now that I run my own gym I am more at ease. I want to be an example for all women. Maybe in the whole of Turkey.” The young woman feels that returning to the Istanbul Convention and respecting Convention 190 would “save lives”.
Neither states nor sporting bodies are stepping up to the plate
“In world sport, the scale of abuse and harassment is overwhelming, and the failure of sporting institutions to respond makes implementing ILO Convention 190 an urgent need that cannot be ignored,” Matthew Graham, head of UNI World Players, the union representing 85,000 sports professionals in 60 countries tells Equal Times.
In the Middle East, Africa and Asia, women athletes face structural violence including sexual harassment and legal and social exclusion, with documented cases in Pakistan, Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Kazakhstan. In Pakistan, for example, cricketer Halima Rafiq committed suicide after reporting sexual harassment and being accused of defamation. Although some countries have launched awareness campaigns, none have effectively implemented Convention 190 in the field of sport. A hopeful, contrasting case of empowerment through sport can be found in the Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon, where a basketball project has enabled over 150 girls to escape abusive environments.
Matthew Graham notes that in regions where athletes lack labour rights, his union organisation works with the Sport & Rights Alliance to support survivors and to apply pressure. “In one significant case, we helped propel international action on the abuse scandal in basketball in Mali, which led to an external investigation after years of institutional denial.”
He nonetheless points out that states and sporting bodies are still not stepping up to the plate, even when it comes to implementing Convention 190. It is “the athletes’ unions and civil society who are leading efforts to make the world of sport deliver on its promise to be a safe and inclusive environment for all”.
Achieving such an environment in sport remains a challenge in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. As Shirin Shirzad warns, “Iranian women and sportswomen are completely alone, because the Islamic Republic does not recognise and respect women’s rights in its legal system. Signing a document is not enough to bring about real change.” She proposes measures such as including women in decision-making, banning men’s teams from competing internationally if women’s participation is not guaranteed, establishing independent reporting mechanisms and firmly punishing perpetrators. “Outside pressure is essential,” she insists.
Haley Carter, for her part, underlines the importance of coupling Convention 190 ratification with effective implementation (using the specific mechanisms foreseen in the convention). She underlines the importance of ensuring independent reporting mechanisms, allowing victims direct access to international bodies, protecting whistleblowers and exerting economic pressure through bodies such as the IOC, which, she says, should exclude the Taliban from the Olympic movement. She is calling for emergency protocols, “teams in exile” and clandestine networks to support athletes in repressive contexts. At the same time, she reminds us that “individual acts of bravery can drive systemic change. That unwavering spirit gives me hope”.
During the Paris 2024 Olympics, sprinter Kimia Yousofi defied the Taliban ban and competed for Afghanistan. “I represent the stolen dreams and aspirations of Afghan women,” she said.
Shirzad also finds hope in “the courage of Iranian women who, even in the darkest of times, continue to resist and show the world that we deserve a better life. When one woman dares to speak out, many others are inspired to raise their voices too. That gives me the strength to continue. We, the women of Iran, will rise again one day, like the phoenix. And yes, one day we will live a normal life.”
In 2024, Human Rights Watch (HRW) submitted a report to the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls in sport, documenting the systemic, global and persistent nature of acts ranging from sexual harassment, physical and emotional abuse to institutional reprisals against whistleblowers, with examples from countries such as Afghanistan, Mali, China, Japan and Uganda. HRW recommends, among other measures, ratifying and implementing ILO Convention 190, adopted on 21 June 2019.
In early 2026, the ILO is set to convene a meeting of experts on the application of fundamental principles and rights at work and on violence and harassment in the world of sport, at which UNI World Players will be representing workers. “We hope it will serve as an opportunity to build on the standards and provide much-needed guidance in this area,” concludes Graham.
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Youth abounds at start of Saints training camp – Crescent City Sports
(Photo: Stephen Lew) METAIRIE – A really young New Orleans Saints team got even younger on the eve of training camp Tuesday. Starting free safety and former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu announced his retirement moments before executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis and rookie head coach Kellen Moore spoke to reporters about the camp that […]


METAIRIE – A really young New Orleans Saints team got even younger on the eve of training camp Tuesday.
Starting free safety and former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu announced his retirement moments before executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis and rookie head coach Kellen Moore spoke to reporters about the camp that begins Wednesday morning.
Moore, 37, is the youngest head coach in the NFL and the marquee storyline of his first training camp as a head coach will be the competition within the least experienced group of quarterbacks in the NFL, though the rearrangement of an offensive line that can make the quarterbacks’ job easier or more difficult will be a close second.
The defense won’t be lacking for attention as new coordinator Brandon Staley implements a new scheme featuring a modified alignment up front.
And now the secondary has become a bigger storyline with the departure of Mathieu, 33, a native of New Orleans and graduate of St. Augustine High School who would have been beginning his 13th season.
Mathieu’s primary backup at the end of last season was Jordan Howden, who will be beginning his third season. New Orleans selected Virginia safety Jordan Sanker in the third round of the draft. Loomis and Moore said the Saints will evaluate whether to try and add a veteran free safety.
“There’s an excitement about having a new coaching staff and a lot of changes,” Loomis said. “There’s a lot of newness about the quarterback competition. We’re excited about how the off-season went.”
None of the Saints’ quarterbacks has started an NFL game that their team has won. Rookie second-round draft choice Tyler Shough is generally considered the favorite to win the starting position, but Spencer Rattler started seven games as a rookie last season.
Third-year player Jake Haener, who is healthy for the start of camp after missing most of the off-season workouts because of injury, and undrafted rookie Hunter Dekkers are the other quarterbacks on the roster.
Moore said he plans to balance practice opportunities for Shough, Rattler and Haener leading up to the preseason opener against the Chargers on August 10 in Los Angeles. He expects to “shift gears” after that game, though he has no specific timetable for choosing a starting quarterback for the regular-season opener.
The former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator said the young quarterbacks “knocked it out of the park” with their off-season work.
Moore said he’s eager to see the offensive and defensive lines “come alive” when the team starts practicing with pads on Monday, though it will take “two or three days” for the linemen to “acclimate” to their first contact work since the end of last season.
Rookie No. 1 draft choice Kelvin Banks Jr. will line up at left tackle, Taliese Fuaga, who started at left tackle as a rookie No. 1 pick last season, will line up at right tackle and 2022 No. 1 pick Trevor Penning has moved from right tackle to left guard.
The defensive line was the position that saw the most activity from the Saints during the off-season as they traded for former LSU tackle Davon Godchaux, used a third-round pick on tackle Vernon Broughton, picked end Fadil Diggs in the seventh round and reportedly signed veteran end Jonathan Bullard earlier this week.
Their biggest free-agent signing was safety Justin Reid, who was expected to line up alongside Mathieu.
The Saints announced that tight ends Taysom Hill, the most versatile player on the team, and Foster Moreau will start training camp on the Physical Unable to Perform List as they rehab from surgery. Neither Loomis nor Moore would estimate when either might be available.
New Orleans will be holding its first training camp practices at its facility in two years. The Saints conducted their 2024 training camp at the University of Cal Irvine because of renovations to their training facility.
The less hot and less humid conditions in California have lured them back for a nine-day stretch surrounding the game against the Chargers.
The first of 11 practices scheduled prior to the trip out West will remind the Saints of the contrast between the two climates. New Orleans will be under an extreme heat warning beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday with the heat index expected to reach 114 degrees.
Although the Saints will avoid the worst of the heat the forecast temperature for the start of the 9 a.m. practice is 88 degrees, 20 degrees higher than the forecast temperature at 9 a.m. PDT in Irvine.
A total of nine practices are scheduled to be open to the public, beginning with the first three before the Saints take their first day off Saturday.
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LCMS Youth Gathering brings 20,000 youth to New Orleans | News
Easily identifiable in big groups of brightly colored T-shirts, nearly 20,000 young Lutherans from across the U.S. have descended on New Orleans for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s triennial Youth Gathering from July 19-23. The youth, ranging from elementary school-aged kids to 22-year-olds, can be spotted volunteering around the city beautifying gardens, helping schools prepare for the new year, […]

Easily identifiable in big groups of brightly colored T-shirts, nearly 20,000 young Lutherans from across the U.S. have descended on New Orleans for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s triennial Youth Gathering from July 19-23.
The youth, ranging from elementary school-aged kids to 22-year-olds, can be spotted volunteering around the city beautifying gardens, helping schools prepare for the new year, or working on other service projects.
On Monday, hundreds of kids and teens packed into the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center ahead of their mass event at the Superdome. Some tried to get to karaoke stations, makeshift basketball courts or interactive photo stations. Some stopped at the Orphan Grain Train and put on white aprons and hairnets to pack meals for the needy. Others raced to a booth to grab a pair of free headphones.
Although hordes of young churchgoers traversing the city is a familiar sight in New Orleans during the summertime, these young Lutherans are not the same last year’s visitors, when 16,000 young people visited with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. There are over 40 different denominations of the Lutheran church.
Both church groups partnered with nonprofits to set up local service projects. Some of the volunteer opportunities this week include going to Audubon Charter School to help set up classrooms or to Sugar Roots Farm to support a nonprofit farm.
“There are all kinds of serving opportunities,” LCMS Council of Presidents Lee Hagan said. “… But part of what’s helpful for young people is to see that they’re a part of something that’s so much larger than maybe what they realize at their small, individual parish.”
When they aren’t doing service projects, attendees can go to Bible study or other sessions with speakers. For some, that’s just as much fun as doing service.
“I think the favorite part of this weekend has been getting to talk with the group after going to a session that we just learned about,” said Zach Chem, a 22-year-old participant. “And so them just getting to have a conversation with everyone and get everyone’s thoughts and opinions.”
The youth gathering ends on Wednesday. Roy Askins, executive editor of the Lutheran Witness, said the LCMS is already planning the next one, which happens every three years.
But instead of returning to New Orleans for a sixth time, LCMS will be hosting their next Gathering in San Antonio, Texas.
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UT Tyler & UT Health East Texas to Host Youth Sports Camp Benefiting Texas Flood Relief
Story Links Camp Registration Link Kerr County Flood Relief Fund TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler athletics, in partnership with UT Health East Texas, is hosting Patriot Sports Camp for a Cause on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6 with all […]

TYLER, TEXAS – UT Tyler athletics, in partnership with UT Health East Texas, is hosting Patriot Sports Camp for a Cause on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6 with all the proceeds from the full-day camp directly benefiting the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country’s Kerr County Flood Relief Fund. Campers are encouraged to pre-register for the camp (Registration Link).
The concept of the camp was born during a recent head coaches meeting, where the UT Tyler Patriots staff gathered to discuss ways to make a difference for fellow Texans from the devastating July 4 floods that hit the Texas Hill Country. Knowing that the real community need in Central Texas is financial resources, the UT Tyler head coaches developed the Patriots Sports Camp for a Cause concept. The UT Tyler coaching staff will offer their talents, teaching sport skills to encourage donations that will directly impact those who have been affected by the flood.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our coaches and staff for wanting to step up and make a difference in this way,” said Sam Ferguson, Director of Athletics. “While our Central Texas neighbors are recovering, rebuilding, and grieving, we want them to know they’re not alone. This is a way for us to love our neighbors and play a small role in their recovery process, while our coaches do what they do best!”
Activities for the camp are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Drop-off for the camp will begin at 7:30 a.m. and pickup will end at 5:30 p.m. Ages 6-12 are welcome, and there will be a limit of 100 campers per day. Drop off is at the entrance to the Herrington Patriot Center.
Admission is a minimum $50 donation per camper to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country’s Kerr County Relief Fund. Pre-registration is STRONGLY encouraged. Once you have donated, please email your gift receipt to ad@uttyler.edu or bring it with you to registration at the camp.
“This initiative is a powerful example of what happens when passion and purpose come together — UT Tyler’s coaching staff is using their unique gifts to serve families in need, and we’re honored to support that mission,” said Don McKay, UT Health East Texas Market Director of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. “We also extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed time, goods or resources to this cause. In challenging times, Texans always rise to the occasion, and this effort is no exception.”
Activities will include baseball/softball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, racket sports, swimming, and more. Lunch for the campers will be provided by Raisin’ Canes and Hawaiian Brothers. Additionally, athletic trainers and other healthcare providers will be on-site throughout the day for the campers’ safety. UT Tyler head coaches, assistant coaches, administrative staff, and student-athletes will be on hand to lead the campers through their sport’s respective drills.
“We are grateful for the partnership with UT Health, Hawaiian Bros Island Grill, and Raising Cane’s,” said Ferguson. “These partners will ensure our campers have a safe environment and are well fed. I continue to be amazed by the generosity of this incredible city!”
Campers will need to bring at minimum shoes, swimsuit, sunscreen, towel, and a water bottle, but are more than welcome to bring their own baseball/softball glove or tennis racket. For more information, you can call UT Tyler Athletics at 903-566-7212.
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High-motor Rosario settling in quickly with Jayhawks
Men’s Basketball Brett Davis/Overtime Kohl Rosario of the YNG Dreamerz is pictured in action during an OTE League game on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 at OTE Arena in Atlanta. Like any freshman, Kansas’ Kohl Rosario is looking to […]


Brett Davis/Overtime
Kohl Rosario of the YNG Dreamerz is pictured in action during an OTE League game on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 at OTE Arena in Atlanta.
Like any freshman, Kansas’ Kohl Rosario is looking to his coaches for advice on how he can improve in the early stages of his college career.
“They’re going to tell me what I need to do, and I’m going to work on that,” he said.
They also tell him, however, that he needs to do something other than play basketball. So this summer you can find Rosario out on the golf course, or — even though they’re not that good — playing tennis or volleyball with his fellow freshmen Samis Calderon and Bryson Tiller.
“I’m sure you can’t even imagine that,” Rosario said with a smile.
Not long ago it might have been hard to imagine Rosario — first name Kohl spelled “like the store,” as he sometimes has to tell people — at KU in the first place, at least during the 2025-26 season.
When head coach Bill Self first saw Rosario play at Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League back in April, there were rumors he could potentially reclassify up a year and join the class of 2025, but “we actually checked into it immediately and were told that it wasn’t going to happen,” Self said.
And then a week later KU learned it truly was a possibility, and “dove in headfirst.”
“Even before the visits, I knew that it’s not really worth it to do a whole ‘nother year of high school,” Rosario said.
After a recruitment that lasted essentially about a month — as long as it could possibly have gone during the summer, Self said — Rosario moved up to 2025 and picked the Jayhawks.
“It’s when the opportunity came about, and when hard work meets opportunity, and I felt like I was ready,” Rosario said. “And if you’re the best person in the gym, you got to go to a different gym. So I feel like this is the next step that I needed to make in order to be a better version of myself.”
Rosario joins KU from Moravian Prep in Hudson, North Carolina, after taking part in the Overtime Elite basketball league last season. He averaged 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds for YNG Dreamerz, but his recruiting took off during the summer with an impressive showing at EYBL and a 30-point game on 10-for-10 shooting at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.
Self had plenty of praise for Rosario on Monday after just two weeks with his young recruit. He compared him to Christian Braun, but a better shooter than Braun, though not yet as powerful.
“I mean, he’s a real athlete,” Self said. “He’s an unbelievable offensive rebounder, he tries really hard, he’s active, he’ll steal you possessions and he’s a really good shooter.”
Self said that while Rosario isn’t in the absolute uppermost echelon of natural shooters KU has had during his tenure, “He’s in that next camp of being a guy that can line it up, but you think he can make two out of five if guarded and three out of five if he’s not.” He, Jayden Dawson and Darryn Peterson are among the primary 3-point shooters expected to fire away for this year’s Jayhawks.
Rosario, for his part, takes a lot of pride in his effort: “That helps the team gain more possessions and ultimately win,” he said.
Teammate and fellow wing Tre White, a three-time transfer who by his own admission has “been around the block a couple times,” was impressed by Rosario from his first practice, when he went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc with a pair of dunks. But how hard he played stood out, too.
“I feel like that’s what’s really going to keep him on the floor,” White said. “He has probably the best motor on the team. Probably next to me. I feel like that’s his blessing for sure.”
Rosario’s recruitment was a whirlwind, but the Miami native said it hasn’t been much of a challenge getting adjusted to KU and Lawrence. He was already living by himself at OTE, for example.
“It’s hot right now, like Miami, so it’s not really that much of an adjustment,” he said. “We have a lot of basketball. That’s where I found myself, that’s where I have my peace, is in my basketball and when I read my Bible. It was pretty easy.”
Lawrence has been a hit with his family and particularly his mother Kristy, he said.
“They just think it’s all like one big family,” Rosario said. “I mean, everyone treats you like you’re family here. It’s different from Miami. Miami, they’ll look at you and they won’t even say hi. Here at Kansas, everyone’s super nice, they’ll treat you well.”
Rosario could have a chance to contribute early in his career on the wing, at least as a role player. The Jayhawks brought in veteran off-ball guards like Dawson and Melvin Council Jr. and also have a bigger wing in White, but Rosario could vie for playing time elsewhere in the rotation with the likes of Jamari McDowell.

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New flag football tournament coming to Camp Casey
New flag football tournament coming to Camp Casey The YMCA of Snohomish County is holding its inaugural Camp Casey Flag Football Tournament Aug. 2. Flag football is coming to Coupeville. On Aug. 2, the YMCA of Snohomish County is holding its inaugural Clash at Camp Casey Flag Football Tournament at the YMCA Camp Casey Sports […]

New flag football tournament coming to Camp Casey
The YMCA of Snohomish County is holding its inaugural Camp Casey Flag Football Tournament Aug. 2.
Flag football is coming to Coupeville.
On Aug. 2, the YMCA of Snohomish County is holding its inaugural Clash at Camp Casey Flag Football Tournament at the YMCA Camp Casey Sports Fields. Teams comprised of kids of all ages and skill levels are guaranteed to play at least three 5 vs. 5 games, according to the YMCA of Snohomish County website, with the chance to make the playoffs.
Although registration closed July 16, the “festival-style” tournament will also feature food trucks, music and more for those in attendance, according to the press release. Proceeds generated by the event will benefit YMCA Youth Sports Scholarships.
“This is more than a tournament – it’s a celebration of youth sports and community,” said Chris Bellecourt, Association Director of Youth Sports, YMCA of Snohomish County, via a press release. “We designed the Clash at Camp Casey to be a bridge from summer to fall, offering a competitive and inclusive environment for kids to grow, connect, and get ready for the season ahead.”
“This is exactly the kind of opportunity that builds confidence and community,” said Jacob Hiatt, Flag Football Coordinator, YMCA of Snohomish County, in the press release. “We’re not just running a tournament – we’re investing in young athletes. Every entry supports scholarships so more kids can experience the power of sports and belonging.”
Questions can be directed to Chris Bellecourt at cbellecourt@ymca-snoco.org or Jacob Hiatt at jhiatt@ymca-snoco.org.
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How the Clippers, who keep getting deeper, better and older, are zagging in youth-focused NBA
Chris Paul is reuniting with the Los Angeles Clippers at 40 years old, and he’s just the latest veteran free agent to arrive at their throwback party. The Clippers successfully recruited 32-year-old guard Bradley Beal last week, fresh off his buyout with the Phoenix Suns, and they began the offseason by picking up 37-year-old center […]

Chris Paul is reuniting with the Los Angeles Clippers at 40 years old, and he’s just the latest veteran free agent to arrive at their throwback party. The Clippers successfully recruited 32-year-old guard Bradley Beal last week, fresh off his buyout with the Phoenix Suns, and they began the offseason by picking up 37-year-old center Brook Lopez.
For most of NBA history, a series of signings like this would be business as usual for a win-now team built around a 34-year-old wing (Kawhi Leonard) and a primary playmaker who will turn 36 before the season starts (James Harden). Twenty-two years ago, the Los Angeles Lakers held a press conference to introduce Karl Malone and Gary Payton a week before the Hall of Famers turned 40 and 35, respectively. Four years ago, Harden played for a Brooklyn Nets team that started the season with a 36-year-old LaMarcus Aldridge, a 36-year-old Paul Millsap and a 32-year-old Blake Griffin on the roster. (Aldridge and Griffin’s previous teams had bought them out.)
The 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder had no ring chasers on the roster, though, and 33-year-old Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell was the oldest player in either conference champion’s rotation. Between the style-of-play and officiating changes that the league has seen in recent years, the NBA has never demanded more of its players in terms of movement and physicality.
“We’re playing almost like two games compared to 10 years ago and how involved the bodies are,” Thunder GM Sam Presti said at his end-of-season press conference.
In recent months, both Philadelphia 76ers general manager Daryl Morey and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr have said that younger players are more likely to hold up over the course of a season. In this context, the Clippers’ decision to double down on experience can be seen as a zag. The whole league is trying to catch up to Oklahoma City; can a team made up mostly of 30-somethings even stay in the race?
On Saturday, Clippers president Lawrence Frank told reporters that the front office had tried to “add the best people possible” and they just happened to be vets. “What’s age?” Frank said. “It’s just a number, right?” Big man John Collins, whom they acquired in the Norman Powell trade, is entering his ninth season, will be 28 when it begins and is the youngest player in Los Angeles’ projected rotation. Frank pointed out that Beal is “technically” younger than the 2 guard he is more or less replacing — he was born 34 days after Powell — and described Lopez as “ageless.”
“Thirty-seven is like 17,” Frank said. “Because I need Brook to be younger because that makes me younger, since I coached him when he was a rookie.”
NBA front office rankings: OKC on top, Lakers and Mavericks low on list, new team falls behind Bulls at No. 30
Sam Quinn

Maybe there’s some irony in the fact that, a year after letting Paul George walk because they didn’t want to offer the 34-year-old star a four-year contract, the Clippers have four players older than him: Harden, Lopez, Paul and forward Nicolas Batum, who turns 37 in December. Young players are important is not the only lesson to learn from the 2024-25 season, though. In a league that is increasingly valuing depth, size and optionality, the Clippers’ offseason is, with the exception of the age of their acquisitions, on trend.
It could not have been easy to see George leave, but the front office never saw it as letting him go for nothing. What Los Angeles got in exchange was flexibility. By getting under the second apron, the Clippers were able to add Batum (using the bi-annual exception), Derrick Jones Jr. (using the midlevel exception) and Kris Dunn (in a sign-and-trade) last summer, then trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic midseason. In a way, trading Powell for Collins (which wouldn’t have been possible had they been over the second apron) rather than offering Powell a hefty extension mirrors their decision with George: They effectively turned him into multiple players and preserved their future cap space.
This is not to say that the Clippers planned in 2024 to split their 2025 MLE between Beal and Lopez. “We never thought Brad Beal would be bought out,” Frank said, but they put themselves in position to offer free agents more than the minimum, which has allowed them to build a dangerous, versatile and extremely deep team. Before the Paul signing, Frank said, accurately, that they had 10 “proven NBA rotation players” on the roster. Heading into the offseason, they wanted to give coach Tyronn Lue “different tools and different personnel to experiment with,” Frank said. They wanted to diversify the frontcourt, get bigger and add playmaking and shooting. They have done all of that.
In recent years, the Clippers have always had the personnel to play small when needed. Now, with Collins and Lopez in the mix, they can also go the other way. Between Zubac and Lopez, they have 48 minutes of rim protection, and Lue could even play them together, like the Houston Rockets did with Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams (but with better spacing). Collins can set screens, initiate dribble-handoffs, operate in the dunker spot and space the floor. Lopez is the stretch 5 this team has forever been searching for.
According to Frank, Lue wants more movement in the halfcourt, so Beal’s ability to shoot and make plays off screens will come in handy. Between him, Paul and, ideally, a healthier Leonard, there will be less of a burden on Harden in 2025-26. Because Dunn, Jones and Batum are still around, Los Angeles can continue to limit the amount of time Leonard has to spend guarding opposing stars in the regular season, too.
Clippers continue to ace offseason as Chris Paul’s homecoming rounds out roster
Brad Botkin

All things equal, the Clippers would love to be younger — Frank said as much in the aftermath of their Game 7 loss against the Denver Nuggets. Their priority in the offseason, though, was to get better. On paper at least, they’ve done that. And while there’s always risk in betting on a player in his mid-to-late 30s staying healthy, they might have mitigated it by making several such bets simultaneously. Lopez played 2,456 minutes last season, his highest total since 2011, but, unless something goes horribly wrong, they won’t need anywhere near that number from him next season. Paul played 2,292 minutes, his highest total since 2016 — same deal.
Los Angeles fared better than anybody expected throughout Leonard’s extended absence last season, and, with the talent it has added, it is even better equipped to withstand injuries now. “We’ve addressed our needs,” Frank said. If that means they’re ancient compared to the defending champs, so be it.
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