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Whether it is on the blood soaked sands of ancient gladiatorial spectacles or the illuminated stadiums of pay per view broadcasts, there has always been a yearning in humans to watch warriors test their mettle against one another under the banner of sanctioned warfare. The drama, intensity and unpredictability of combat sports offer a unique opportunity for human development. However, there are also risks and the potential for serious physical injury or even death.

From the gladiatorial arenas of antiquity to modern MMA, combat sports have long reflected and shaped societal norms and perceptions of competition, masculinity, and violence. With the burgeoning advancements in sport science and technology, as well as a new focus on mental health and societal implications, there is a need to explore combat sports from an interdisciplinary perspective. This special issue of Frontiers in Sports and Active Living aims to bridge the realms of physiological, psychological, sociological, and technological studies, offering a broad insight into this fascinating field.

Besides the obvious physical exertion, fighting sports provide an excellent outlet for stress and emotional release. The process of learning to face and overcome fears on the mat or in the ring is an empowering experience that can help build resilience and self-control. Training for combat sports requires discipline and a high level of mental preparation and focus. These skills can be transferred to academic pursuits, enabling students to approach challenges with a strategic mindset and remain resilient amidst setbacks.

The emergence of new technologies amplifies fan engagement and appreciation for sports. For example, social media has bridging the gap between fans and star athletes and also opened up monetizable channels for businesses to pursue. In addition, smart technology has enabled players to train and perform at a higher level through touch trainers and digital targets. Meanwhile, VR has allowed medical students to study anatomy on a virtual level and has helped injured athletes recover by allowing them to experience high-stress situations in simulations.

Moreover, advanced broadcasting technologies such as 360-degree cameras and drone footage are giving viewers a live, immersive experience. This makes them feel as though they are on the field with the players, and allows them to see more angles of a game than ever before. In addition, intelligent algorithms can curate personalized content for each viewer based on their preferences and viewing history.

Aside from enabling new revenue streams, these technologies also maximize sports operations with intelligent crowd management algorithms and facility predictive maintenance systems that reduce operation costs and improve efficiency. Additionally, sports organizations have leveraged AI and ML to boost sales, automate ticket-selling operations, and improve customer service through chatbots. Similarly, sports cloud platforms allow for augmented fan engagement and digital content enrichment through multilingual accessibility and AI-powered recommendation engines. Additionally, these technologies allow for improved decision-making through AI in scouting and recruitment. Lastly, they enhance refereeing through automated managing systems that enhance precision and minimize human errors.

The FIA Formula 1 World Championship is one of the most prestigious and exciting motorsport events in the world, pitting the world’s best drivers against each other across a demanding calendar of Grand Prix races and shorter Sprint races. It’s a sport of extreme engineering and speed, where a fraction of a second can make the difference between victory and defeat. And in such a competitive field, standings are an essential part of the action, with teams and drivers fighting to win the coveted Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles at the end of the season.

To achieve their goals, teams must juggle numerous variables throughout each race weekend, with the schedule typically spread over three days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday traditionally features two 60-minute Free Practice sessions, which are used to test out different parts of the car and determine how to get the most out of it before the day’s main session. Saturday is the Qualifying session, followed by the main race of the weekend on Sunday, with each race deciding the overall standings.

The top ten finishers in any given race earn points for themselves and their teams, with the winner of each Grand Prix receiving 25 points. Those finishing behind them are awarded points on a sliding scale, with second place earning just two points less than the winner. Adding up all the points earned by each team’s drivers, the team with the most at the end of the year is crowned the Constructors’ champions and receives substantial prize money.

Athletes and sports leagues rely on social media to connect with fans in real time and promote their content. Sometimes, a big social media moment happens organically, like when NBA star Steph Curry delivers a troll-busting post honoring fallen service members or NASCAR star Danica Patrick shares a touching tribute for Memorial Day. Other times, a sports brand can intentionally engineer a viral moment with the help of a creative agency like Zoomph.

While many of these moments capture the worlds imagination, they also teach valuable lessons about the power of social media. In particular, they show how athletes and fans can be influenced by outside influences, even when their actions are taken out of context.

These micro-moments do more than entertain – they bridge the gap to new fans and build communities of team loyalty. They also show the human side of sport, overcoming barriers of location and language to foster a global sense of community.

While positive viral moments can boost an athletes career and lead to endorsement deals, negative ones can damage an athlete’s reputation for years. This can make it difficult for young athletes to cope with sudden fame and criticism, especially when their actions were out of their control. To help teens understand the impact of these decisions, you can role play with them to simulate what it would be like to go viral for a good or bad reason. Afterward, discuss with them how they can use their online presence to promote kindness and positive choices.

The Masters leaderboard is where the real action takes place each year at Augusta National Golf Club. When the top contenders enter the final round, every stroke becomes crucial in determining who will win the coveted Green Jacket. The Masters leaderboard has become a staple for golf fans, with many dedicating their entire Sundays to following the tournament. Whether it’s birdies, eagles or unfortunate double bogeys, the rankings ebb and flow as the players navigate their way through Augusta’s challenging course. This constant movement keeps viewers hooked and gives The Masters a sense of suspense.

Rory McIlroy is aiming for his first Masters title and career Grand Slam, but the Northern Irish golfer isn’t alone in his pursuit of the prestigious prize. Bryson DeChambeau sits just one shot back and is also on a quest to secure his first major championship.

In the world of professional golf, there are few events that can match The Masters for drama and excitement. From the moment the golfers step on to the course, it’s clear that winning The Masters requires a level of skill and endurance unmatched in any other major.

With the field whittled down to 53 players after Friday’s second round, the action is heating up at Augusta. The top 50 and ties will advance to the weekend, while those who miss out will be eliminated from contention for the coveted green jacket. Here are the latest standings for this year’s Masters tournament.

The Champions League, formerly the European Cup, is the most prestigious club competition in Europe. It has become a touchstone of soccer history, as it has witnessed and been the protagonist of the inexorable advance of soccer as a world sport. It was born in the mid-20th century as a concept in the mind of visionaries such as Gabriel Hanot, editor of the French newspaper L’Equipe, and Jacques Ferran, the head of the governing body of European football (UEFA), and has since evolved to reflect a number of changes in the game itself.

The current version of the competition was introduced in 1992-93, and it is structured to include two phases – a group stage and a knockout phase. During the group stage, teams are drawn into groups of four or five. Seeding is used when making the draws, and teams from the same national association are not usually drawn together. Teams play each other home and away, with the winners and runners-up from each group progressing to the next round, where they meet the top two teams from the other groups.

The competition has a long and rich tradition, with many iconic clubs achieving success in the modern era of the Champions League. The illustrious Ajax team of Johan Cruyff and Paul de Geer won the competition three times in a row between 1970 and 1976, while Real Madrid are the most recent champions, winning their second title in 2021.

The Asian Games is the biggest multi-sport event in Asia. It was founded in 1951 after World War II to reestablish bonds between Asian countries through sports and contribute to everlasting peace. The Games are held every four years, and they are a major part of the Olympic calendar. The Games are organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and have 45 participating countries and regions.

The ‘floating village’ will have all the usual facilities that athletes get in Games villages, including dining halls and gymnasiums. But the timing of the Aichi-Nagoya Games from September 19 to October 4 is a concern, as it falls during Japan’s peak typhoon season. A contingency plan will be in place to evacuate athletes if the waters turn violent.

Esports will feature 11 events at Aichi-Nagoya, four more than Hangzhou 2023. This includes the Arena of Valor Asian Games version, PUBG and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. Indian esports teams have been strong in these titles, with Pavan Kampelli winning a bronze in eFootball and S8UL competing regularly at the League of Legends world championship.

The AINAGOC has created a Master Plan for the success of Aichi-Nagoya 2026, which sets out the fundamentals in various fields including planning and operations. It also provides a rough preparation schedule.

A lot of hard work culminates with this three-day event when the NFL’s best and brightest young players hear their names called. They have been working towards this moment for years, and hearing those words read in front of a crowd at Lambeau Field in Green Bay is their biggest chance to do something special with the next chapter of their lives.

The first round of the draft is full of prospects with high ceilings. Shlain targets the Titans’ need at quarterback with Cam Ward, a player that should have a strong chance to develop into a franchise starter given his talent and current roster around him.

Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter is another prospect with a massive upside, as the Heisman Trophy winner is expected to excel at both wide receiver and cornerback this season. Shlain takes him with the fifth overall pick.

Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter is a highly-regarded rookie with tremendous upside. He’s a rare high-round player that is expected to make an immediate impact in the NFL. Cooterdoodle wisely exploits the mispriced ADP here, taking him one spot ahead of where he was predicted to go.

Round 3 opens with a smattering of classic alpha wide receivers, but Cooterdoodle targets a more intriguing prospect in the form of rising Colts tight end Tyler Warren. The former Boise State standout profiles as a high-volume target earner thanks to his speed and strength to evade blocks and overpower offensive linemen.

The game of ice hockey was first contested at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, and has been a mainstay of every Olympic program since. It’s the most popular men’s event at the Olympics, and Canada has won the most gold medals in the sport’s history. In the 1980 Olympics, a famous moment in Olympic ice hockey history took place when the U.S. team beat the Soviet Union in the ‘Miracle on Ice’ game.

Olympic ice hockey rules differ slightly from those in the NHL, as is true of most ice sports. For example, fighting is not allowed in the Olympic tournament, and players who willingly participate in a fight are penalized. The sport also follows the World Anti-Doping Agency’s rules on performance enhancing drugs and maintains a Registered Testing Pool for top players.

In addition to a standard set of rules, Olympic ice hockey also uses different overtime periods depending on what stage of the tournament they are playing in. In group play and quarterfinal games, there are no ties; the winner is determined by the first team to score in the extra period. For the semifinal and final rounds, the rules change again. During these rounds, the teams are divided into two groups, and the winner of each group goes to the medal round.

In 1998, the format for the tournament changed again. Until that time, teams played a preliminary round without NHL players and then had a medal round in which the top six teams (Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States) competed together.

A sport is considered international when its participants represent more than one country, which is typically the case in competitions like the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. But many other sports are also played at an international level, with global leagues and teams competing across borders. The popularity of international sports is often fueled by the fact that they offer an opportunity to experience another culture, whether it’s through attending a football match in Brazil or taking part in a karate competition in Japan.

The appeal of international sports has long been a source of fascination for politicians, academics, and the general public. As early as the ancient Olympics, city-states of Greece would travel to Olympia to compete, putting their internal struggles on hold for the duration of the event. This set a precedent for the modern world of international sport, and today, the spectacles of the Olympics and the buzz of the World Cup are global phenomenons.

We’ve scoured the globe for the latest rankings of international sports, with data from authoritative sports federations and research reports. Our results highlight the popularity of different sports around the world, and illustrate clear patterns in regional preferences.