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In December 2018, FC Barcelona football player Rafael Alcântara do Nascimento, commonly known as Rafinha, was sued by German sportswear company adidas for breach of contract.

Anyone who has sought to buy tickets for a concert or major sporting event is likely to be familiar with the practices of “ticket scalpers” or “ticket touts” – those who systematically buy large numbers of sports and entertainment event tickets with the sole aim of reselling at an exorbitant amount above the initial purchase price once the event sells out.

In the United States, free speech rights extend to sports fans. On the other hand, private actors, such as sports teams, may restrict speech because the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment only applies to the government and other “state actors.”

In South Africa, as in all other countries around the world, the relationship between sporting organisations and broadcasters who pay huge sums of money for the right to broadcast live sporting events generally ensures that those sporting organisations are able to survive financially and at the same time ensuring that the general public are able to watch their favourite sports events on TV.

Arsenal FC has recently installed the largest battery energy storage system in any UK sporting venue. Located in the basement of the Emirates, the Tesla 2MW/2.5 MWh lithium ion battery storage system (BSS) can power the 60,000 seat stadium for an entire match, which is equivalent to supplying energy to 2,700 homes for two hours.

In December 2018, some of the world’s top swimmers gathered at a summit hosted by the International Swimming League (ISL).