President putin proposes constitutional changes to prolong his grip on power. Ina in a moment, itll be time for sports day, a look at what is coming up sports day, a look at what is coming up this evening here on bbc news. On beyond 100 days and seven oclock, we will have more on Donald Trumps impeachment trial. Then it is climate scientist confirmed the past decade was the hottest on record, i will speak to one of the researchers behind the data. At a 30 pm, we will go to glasgow to speak to the chair of the charity mnd scotland which provides almost half of the funding for a new Clinical Trial to try and find effective treatments for motoneuron disease. Later tonight, will take a look at the front pages of the newspapers. That is all head on bbc news, but now, time for the sport. Hello. Youre live at the bbc sport centre with me ben croucher. This is sportsday and these are your headlines. As Australian Open preparations continue to be affected by the weather, the great and good of the game come out in force for a fundraiser. Shes won four grand slams, retired twice but age is just a numberfor Kim Clijsters. She tells sportsday about her latest comeback at 36. It isa it is a challenge, all right, lets see, lets do this. And hanging up the boots for good eni alukos playing days are over but her influence in the womens game looks set to get even bigger. Also coming up in the programme. Another award for ben stokes, not for is gymnastics prowess thats for sure. Point those toes. Hello and welcome to sportsday. Thanks forjoining us. Much of australia woke up to a scene like this on wednesday morning as they have for a while now. As the country tries to deal with the ongoing bushfires and the subsequent pollution, tennis is trying its best to help out. With the Australian Open due to start next week, the likes of serena williams, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have been taken part in an exhibition match to help raise much needed funds for the relief efforts. And as Lydia Campbell can tell us, tennis Fundraising Efforts have stretched into the millions. Miked up and ready for action at a tennis event with a twist. This is how the tennis world has responded to the australian bushfire crisis. Some of the biggest names in the sport took part in a Charity Event to help raise funds for those affected by the fires, even one of the true heroes from australia was action. The firefighter getting the biggest cheer of the night. Together, the players have helped to raise over £2. 5 million, with australian nick kyrgios, one of the first Players Behind the appeal. Australian nick kyrgios, one of the first Players Behind the appeallj wrote the tweet and said, this is an opportunity for me to use my platform. They woke up the next morning and it had exploded. It was so morning and it had exploded. It was so emotional back and when i was in canberra, i couldnt go outside. It was emotional and im happy that we had roger, novak, raphael, the ones around the world, the awareness has grown only doing all we can to ove 1120 m e grown only doing all we can to overcome this. The qualifiers for the Australian Open have been impacted by the bushfires with air quality even causing one player to retire from her much yesterday. Quality even causing one player to retire from her much yesterdaylj retire from her much yesterday. never experience Something Like this. I dont know. Make from the beginning of the match, i had problems breathing. I dont know, i had the feeling i was going to collapse at the end of the second set. Ijust collapse at the end of the second set. I just went collapse at the end of the second set. Ijust went on the floor and i had no, i didnt know what was happening and it was horrible, very dangerous to play. They didnt care for our health that much. It is not fair they allowed us to play for time today, qualifying was delayed for three hours after the air quality was once again rated as unhealthy. It was then cancelled altogether, this time because of rain. Much more rain is expected in the coming days, it might not be good news for the tennis but it is a boost to the country and it is a sacrifice those in charge of the austrian open will happily make. As lydia mentioned there, more rain is forecast in australia. Just how could it affect preparations for the Australian Open and the main draw itself next week . Simon king can tell us. Smoke from the australian bushfires have been transported on around the globe but even by wednesday morning they were still in a lot of smoke across victoria and new south wales. You can see from the satellite imagery here, this haze on the image. The air quality has been very poor in melbourne. But through wednesday night, we had some severe thunderstorms moving through victoria and new south wales, that will help dampen down some of the wildfires but it also will bring some of the smoke down to the surface. The air quality should improve over the next few days and with further stance expected, not only in victoria, new south wales, things gradually improving. But it does mean that we will have some rain interruptions as we go through the next few days, at the open tennis on thursday. The chance of the odd shower, temperatures much more comfortable but they will rise again over the weekend, its by monday we are keeping a close eye on these storms once again cropping up. We will keep you up to date. Staying with tennis, and one player who wont be in melbourne is Kim Clijsters. Well, she retired in 2012 so maybe for good reason you might say. But last year, she announced that she was coming out of retirement at the age of 36. Clijsters burst onto the scene in the late 90s, winning herfirst professional tournament in brussels not long after her 15th birthday. She rose to world number one in 2003 and added a maiden grand slam at the us open two years later. She retired to start a family in 2007 but then returned in 2009 and incredibly won the us open that same year, going on to win another two majors and return to the top of the World Rankings too. She quit the sport for a second time in 2012 and had her second child jack in 2013. Last year, she announced she was making another comeback and looks set to rejoin the tour in the coming weeks. Speaking to jane dougall, she tells us why shes returning now. It isa it is a challenge, all right, lets see, lets do this. Less let it all happen, the good, the bad. It is a challenge that i am enjoying. I know sparta is a part of injuries that can happen, but what has amazed me and some people around me is when i have had a couple of injuries, a knee injury a couple of weeks ago pushed back the goal of starting in australia, i was surprised it didnt get me down. I think also the fact knowing i have my family, my normal life went on. I didnt know what to do with my time. The motivation only grew stronger in a way which is something i was also surprised by verstappen in the back of my mind, it still felt like, i could still be a player, i not saying win grand slams, but i can be a player. I didnt feel comfortable yet. When i would come home, the craziness, the hectic life with the kids and id be like it is not possible. But now, one of the big moments was when our youngest started going to school. He goes to school from 8 30am to 3 30pm. Iwas goes to school from 8 30am to 3 30pm. I was like, ok, goes to school from 8 30am to 3 30pm. Iwas like, ok, this goes to school from 8 30am to 3 30pm. I was like, ok, this would give me some time and maybe i should see how far my body can go and then go from there. Thus the first plan. In the back of my mind thinking about, maybe this can lead to coming back are playing a few tournaments a year. Yes, see how i will react and how my body will react. The Australian Open has started theres been a lot of coverage about the air quality from the bushfires. It is something that you feel, as a major issue for players . If a defender i think i would have been very vocal, i try to talk with the board and the directors and think about solutions. Ive read different stories about people advising them to boycott the tournament but at the same time, we dont know what to do. It is not possible to play in then what is the point . Whats the point if you cant play and bring good tennis and be fit enough to play two hours or even the guys, four or five fit enough to play two hours or even the guys, four orfive hours in this heat and this environment . It is a very, very tough situation to be in. You cant evaluate or ignore it. Im actually curious to see what will happen. Lets take you through some other stories peaking our interest today. 2016 olympic bronze medallist amy tinkler has retired from gymnastics aged 20. She also won three european medals and 10 british titles and says shes excited to try new opportunities. 2018 runner up kyren wilson is into the last eight of the masters snooker. He eased past Jack Lisowski 6 2 at Alexandra Palace and will play the winners of tonights match between Stuart Bingham and Mark Williams next. The likes of mo salah, sadio mane and Pierre Emerick abaumeyang could miss Six Premier League games this Time Next Year after the africa cup of nations moved its tournament from the british summer to winter. The competition in cameroon was switched to avoid the rainy season. Weve had Kim Clijsters coming out of retirement. Now weve got eni aluko calling time on her playing career. The former england striker has decided to hang up her boots at the age of 32, saying she now wants to help boost the womens game from off the field. Joe lynskey reports. What a finish magnificent finish from eni aluko. Eni alukos career in football started on a Birmingham Council estate. Racing and the players to be in today, she says she has achieved almost all she hoped for as she steps away, she can fairly claim to be one of their sportss pioneers. She is on site, and eni aluko scores eni aluko was 17 when she broke through in child labour such as the state of the game then she left because the club folded. Her Club Football fan went to america but is back home her profile was growing, first with team gb at the 2012 olympics, then with goals for england on the bigger stage. In 2014, she became the first female pundit on much of the day. Two years later, eni aluko had to deal with different attention. She said she had been bullied by the england manager and she was dropped from the squad when she made a complaint. I think, i from the squad when she made a complaint. Ithink, i believe things that have happened to me and said to me were with the intention to undermine me as a senior player. The issue went to the heart of the fas governance. Eni aluko wouldnt play for england beyond that year. Instead she inspired chelsea to domestic titles after winning the wsl and fa cup, she went to italy, another double at juventus meant wsl and fa cup, she went to italy, another double atjuventus meant the Champions League is just another double atjuventus meant the Champions League isjust about another double atjuventus meant the Champions League is just about all thatis Champions League is just about all that is missing. Eni aluko says she can cope with that and will focus on drills in the media. A lot of people look at retiring from football at the end of a chapter but it is the start of something exciting. There are a lot of things that i will be doing in football, it will allow me to express my passion for football. At her first club, to express my passion for football. At herfirst club, eni to express my passion for football. At her first club, eni aluko was earning hundred pounds a week, at 15 yea rs earning hundred pounds a week, at 15 years at the top she has seen things changed. It has been a long and winding journey for herself and her sport. One of alukos crowning moments came in 2015 when she was named player of the season in chelseas title winning year. One of her former chelsea and england teammates is also keeping herself busy away from the pitch. Claire rafferty is the newest board member at lewes fc, the First Professional Club in england to pay male and female players equally. Juliette parkin has the story. She spent 11 years with the blues and was central to their success lifting both fa cup and Womens Super League titles for chelsea. Now retired from professional football, former england player Claire Rafferty is lewes football clubs newest board member. For me it was an absolute no brainer to accept the invitation. Ive been admiring from afar, i love the stance on quality and pay parity. Introduced for the first time at lewes this week, the sport star and business woman to the clubs on the clubs under 16s about her path to success so far. Having played football at the highest level, ive had the exposure and equally i did an economic degree, worked for Deutsche Bank for years, made Investment Bank and now im full time at chelsea working with the commercial team. I still have the football input but now im learning about how the business is run as well. The board of directors as lewes fc is 33 female, the premier league says 50 of club boards have women on them, but the total number of female Board Members in the top flight amounts to around 11 . Those working to increase diversity on boards so it is critical to address the gender balance. If you want to get change and get more young women playing football which is a big driver for the fa, then every club needs to take ownership and that ownership is not going to happen unless you get different voices on the board and women are a very,
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