A century before Prince Harry devised the Invictus Games for wounded servicemen, soldiers took part in a major sporting event to celebrate the end of the First World War.

Clearly, for the journalists who got themselves over to Elland Road at short notice yesterday afternoon to attend an unscheduled press briefing from Leeds United's head coach Marcelo Bielsa, the event was both worthwhile and hugely memorable.

I spent part of the recent holiday period engrossed in Gideon Haigh's fascinating biography of Jack Iverson, the Australian cricketer who played a big part in his country's 1950-1951 Ashes victory over England.

The tsunami of Murray-mania that has engulfed us since it became known that Sir Andy is on the brink of enforced early retirement because of a serious recurrent hip injury, among other physical vicissitudes, ominously carries an underlying message for all who play games at the highest level.

In years gone by, the submission of the candidature files was an occasion to look out for on the Olympic calendar.

"I've never heard of going to a training ground on your hands and knees with pliers trying to break into private land to watch." 

The visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe to the UK this week signals another important step in the thriving relationship between our two countries.

In 1973, the combined bands of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards played the European anthem, Wembley switched on new and improved floodlights and Bobby Charlton made his final appearance at the famous old stadium in a special football match to celebrate Great Britain’s entry into the "Common Market" known more formally as the European Economic Community (EEC). There was even an Irish backstop, goalkeeper Pat Jennings.

A few years back I wrote a book about cheating in sport. It was not intended to be, nor capable of being, encyclopaedic. We should all cherish the rainforests.

Mind the gap: it is a phrase much heard on the London Underground.

The horrific fatal stabbing of a 51-year-old passenger on a suburban train on Friday (January 4), which was witnessed by his teenage son, has shocked Britain. It brought back nightmarish memories for former boxing champion Mark Prince.

Congratulations to Russia on achieving a world record in being the fastest to fail a New Year, new me pledge.

Lynch mobs are just that - unruly gangs having a single objective, murdering someone without any due process of justice.

The number one criticism about the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently is that they cannot seem to get their "message right".