Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 10 Episode 55 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on Monday morning 26 August 2024.
 
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the blue continent, where it is a cooler 20 degrees Celsius at 5am this morning!
 
In Rugby Union: Japan play Canada in their Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup opening round clash at BC Place in downtown Vancouver very, very shortly.

And in Rugby League: Former All Black and current NZ Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has confirmed that he will be making another dramatic career defection.

The former Auckland Blues Centre will not be adding to his 20 Tests for the Kiwis.

Tuivasa-Sheck – who returned to rugby league this season after a middling time in rugby union – has informed new Kiwis coach Stacey Jones of his decision to switch his allegiance to Toa Samoa.

In Football: Premier League weekend wrap: Arsenal passed an early test of their Premier League title credentials with a 2-0 win at Aston Villa, as Man U crashed again in a last-gasp 2-1 loss at Brighton.

Meanwhile, another Erling Haaland hat-trick fired champions Man City to the top of the Premier League table with a 4-1 win over Ipswich, while Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham thrashed Everton 4-0.

In Sportsbiz: Social media was a major engine of the Paris Olympics hype, that enabled it to reach a broader global audience, and a ratings success in the US, with surging viewership on NBC, a robust offering on Peacock, and constant viral moments on social media.

The Paralympics, which begins in a couple of days in Paris, will get a boost from being fully aired on Peacock and will be broadcast in a record number of countries, with all 22 sports being shown live in some capacity for the first time.

TikTok will also be a key part of bringing more exposure to the Paralympic Games. 

Now, the Paralympics and individual athletes are poised to take the Games in a new direction with an army of younger, internet-savvy fans.

Hunter Woodhall boasts 3.2 million followers on TikTok plus an additional 235,000 and counting on his shared account with his wife, Olympic gold medal long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall.

“I think that is the magic, that anybody can watch the stuff that we’re doing and say, ‘Hey, I can do that, too,’” Woodhall says.

“People will understand that they can do the same and be themselves, and not feel bad about it.”
Hunter and Tara had a viral moment in Paris, when the Olympian jumped into her husband’s arms celebrating her victory. It became especially widespread among Taylor Swift fans when it was set to her song “The Alchemy.”

In the WNBA: Star rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese broke more WNBA records in their debut season.

Clark recorded nine assists in the Indiana Fever’s 92-75 win over the Seattle Storm to set the new rookie record for the most assists in a season with 232 – and counting.

She accomplished the feat in 28 games, with 12 games to go in the Fever’s regular season schedule.

Angel Reese meanwhile, scored 19 points and reeled in 20 rebounds to become the fastest player in WNBA history to register 20 double-doubles; doing so in 27 games.

With 13 games remaining on the Chicago Sky’s schedule, Reese is two double-doubles shy of matching the WNBA rookie record for most double-doubles in a season, set by Tina Charles in 2010, according to ESPN. 

And in Boxing: Former world champion Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III fought the full eight rounds in their exhibition fight overnight in Mexico City.

It was a rematch of a fight that ended in a massive brawl in Florida last June.

Mayweather, who retired unbeaten in 2017, dominated the fight from the second round, and in the end, Mayweather and Gotti III embraced in the ring as Mexicans fans booed loudly.

Geez what did they expect – a real fight?

And that’s a wrap peeps!
 
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
 
Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
 
  #TEIVOVORugby  #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport  #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports  #rakavi  #developmentfiji