Scout’s Overview
📡 🚨 Weekly Sports Radar: Paleta Frontón

Paleta Frontón is a fast-paced racket sport played on a one-walled court, where players use a solid paddle to strike a small ball against the front wall (like squash). It can be played in singles or doubles, with players taking turns hitting the ball before it bounces twice on the ground. Matches are typically played in a best-of-three format, with each set going up to 15 or 21 points.

Paleta Frontón originated in Peru in the 1940s, inspired by Basque pelota, which was introduced to South America by Spanish immigrants. Over time, the game evolved with local adaptations, using a front wall and a small rubber ball instead of the traditional Basque pelota setup. Today, it is a widely recognized national sport in Peru, with professional tournaments and a strong following.

🏋 Athlete of the week: Darren Edwards

Darren Edwards was an adventure climber until a severe accident in 2016 left him paralyzed from the chest down due to a spinal cord injury. Refusing to let his injury define him, he has since completed extreme endurance challenges, including kayaking from Land’s End to John O’Groats, rowing across the English Channel, and becoming the first person with a disability to complete seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.

🏟️ Venue of the week: Ottmar Hitzfeld Stadium

Ottmar Hitzfeld Stadium is perched 2,000 meters above sea level in the Swiss Alps, not only is it Europe's highest football stadium, it’s ONLY accessible by cable car.

Fun Fact: Traditional footballs pop easily due to the high altitude, so matches are played with specially designed low-pressure balls.

🧤 Fit Check: All Blacks Men's Away Replica 2024/25

The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is regarded as one of the most successful sports teams in history with a winning percentage of 76.77% over 637 Tests (1903-2023). Now, while their name is All Blacks, this jersey is certainly not 'all black' (because it's the away supporters jersey).

From the bench
🗞️ In case you were injured:

• The Welsh Rugby head coach, Warren Gatland, leaves during the Six Nations tournament.

• A small English Football side, Plymouth, just beat England’s number one team- their head coach used to be a refugee

• The world’s number 1 chess player, Magnus Carlsen, called for the resignation of the FIDE president. FIDE is the international governing body of chess.

🎯 In over-time:

• NFL players are reportedly playing chess to improve their game

• A dad was charged with assault for pushing 2 child referees during a youth hockey match

📊 Analyst’s corner:

• There are approximately 105 million amateur youth sports games played annually, with $10-$15 billion in transactions to referees each year. However, referee turnover is about 40%, often due to challenging interactions with parents, coaches, and players.

• Approximately 38% of the niche sports audience earns over $100,000 annually.

🏆 Sports Calendar

• 2025 Nordic Skiing Junior World Ski Championships (3-16 Feb)

• FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2025 (4-16 Feb)

• 2025 FIL World Luge Championships (6-8 Feb)

• 2025 World Junior Speed Skating Championships (7-9 Feb)

• 2025 Asian Winter Games (7-14 Feb)

• 2025 Asian Road Cycling Championships (7-16 Feb)

• IBSF Para Sport World Championship 2024 (9-14 Feb)

• 2025 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival (9-16 Feb)

• 2025 African Badminton Championships (10-16 Feb)

• 2025 Oceania Badminton Championships (10-16 Feb)

• IBSF Junior World Bobsleigh Championships 2025 (10-16 Feb)

• 2025 Oceania Track Championships (11-15 Feb)

• 2025 Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships (11-16 Feb)

• 2025 Six Nations (Rugby) Championship (31 Jan - 15 Mar)