News

British Cycling Takes Centre Stage

It has been a remarkable few days for British cycling, with the sport taking the front and back pages of newspapers over the weekend. Bradley Wiggins was confirmed as the first British Tour de France winner in history yesterday, before it was announced today that Sir Chris Hoy will be the flagbearer for Team GB at the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

Wiggins Takes Unique Victory

As 153 cyclists rode through the streets of Paris yesterday to complete the mammoth 2,200 miles of the Tour de France race, there was one man who had dominated throughout. For the first time in its 99 year history, there was a Brit wearing the famous yellow jersey that marks the leading rider as they crossed the finishing line. Bradley Wiggins was a full 3 minutes ahead of his nearest rival in the overall time.

The victory has led to experts calling him the greatest British sportsman of his generation and possibly of all time. The Tour de France is a unique sporting event held for three weeks throughout France, Belgium and Switzerland. The cyclists spend a total of over 85 hours on their bikes, with many of the stages being held in mountainous areas with daunting uphill climbs.

The UK Today: 2011 Census Results

Figures from the latest census were published this week, with in-depth statistics about the population of Britain in 2011. Every ten years the whole of the population are sent a survey which they have to fill out about everything from the number of children they have, to their religion, to their occupation.

There is so much information that it can be hard to pick out the important facts, so here we have a few of the more interesting points from the survey:

Should Students be Counted in Immigration Figures?

One of the hottest topics on the higher education agenda at the moment, is whether to include international students in the immigration statistics for Britain. Currently they are included, but there is a growing list high profile figures arguing that they shouldn't be.

Watch the BBC report below to get an idea of the arguments for and against. What do you think? Leave your comments below. 

London 2012 Countdown: The Facts of Team GB

There are just two weeks to go until the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. The final preparations are being put in place and excitement is growing all the time. Over the last few months, the members of the team who will compete for Great Britain have gradually been revealed. The whole team has now been chosen, with an amazing 542 members competing for their country.

Selection Controversy

There have been a few controversial decisions over which athletes have been chosen for the team. The first one to make the news was when the taekwondo team was announced. Just one spot was given to the men in the under-80kg weight division, and that was taken by Lutalo Muhammad. However, it wasn't so much him that caused the controversy, but the man he replaced. Whilst Muhammad was ranked just 59th in the world, a fellow Brit who was overlooked- Aaron Cook, was ranked number one in the world and reigning European Champion.

Cook was devastated and felt that the selection process was very unfair. He therefore appealed, firstly to the British Olympic Association and then to the World Taekwondo Federation. However, both upheld the decision made by the GB Taekwondo, claiming their selection process had been transparent throughout.

Murray Loses Wimbledon Final, but Gains New Fans

Andy Murray lost in four sets to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon tennis final yesterday, but his performance and post-match interview gained him millions of new fans in Britain. Meanwhile, Federer confirmed himself as one of, if not the, greatest player of all time, equalling Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles and returning to number 1 in the rankings.

Murray Making History

As the number four in the world, Murray had already appeared in three other Grand Slam finals, though hadn't won even a single set in any of them. However, after reaching the semis at Wimbledon each of the previous three years, he eventually made it to the final after beating Frenchman Tsonga on Friday.

Amazingly, this was the first time a British man had reached the final of the London tennis tournament since 1938- a huge 74 year wait. However, up against Murray was the most successful man ever to have played the sport- Roger Federer. Murray started well, breaking his opponent in the very first game, before going on to win the first set 6-4. The joy was short-lived though, as he lost the next three sets.

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