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Darren Kane

Darren Kane

Darren Kane is a sports columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Cameron McEvoy after winning gold in the men’s 50m freestyle at the Paris Olympics.

FIFA will splurge $1.3b on World Cup prizemoney. It’s time Olympic athletes were paid fairly, too

Even a team losing all three games at the World Cup will pocket $13 million. Against this, The IOC’s opposition to paying its athletes looks ever more ridiculous.

  • Darren Kane

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American sprinter Fred Kerley is scheduled to compete in the Enhanced Games.

The Enhanced Games are dangerous. They’re not a celebration of science

It’s a prime-time, livestreamed advertisement for a drug business. Swimming, athletics and weightlifting, the bait.

  • Darren Kane
Chiefs general manager Michael Chammas, Tigers captain Jarome Luai and Chiefs chief executive Lorna McPherson after Luai signs with the PNG Chiefs.

PNG’s tax breaks make a mockery of the salary cap. And you’re paying for it

Blanket tax exemptions for PNG Chiefs players are unfair and defeat the purpose of the NRL’s salary cap. Similar arrangements abroad have provoked major backlash.

  • Darren Kane
The pressure had been building on Shane Flanagan for weeks before he parted ways with the Dragons on Monday.

The ‘ritual scapegoating’ of coaches is rife in sport. Does it achieve anything?

The research shows sticking with struggling coaches works more often than sacking them. The mid-season coaching sacrifice is the most ancient placebo in professional sport.

  • Darren Kane
Tiger Woods at the Martin County Sheriff’s Office after being arrested.

Tiger deserves compassion, but golf’s refusal to hold him accountable diminishes the sport

The question is not whether Tiger Woods has brought golf into disrepute, but why the sport’s authorities continually fail to act on his alleged misconduct.

  • Darren Kane

It’s the elephant in the jockeys’ room. Is it time WADA banned Ozempic?

Reports have claimed use of the weight-loss drug is rife among jockeys. Could semaglutide be used as a performance enhancer in other sports?

  • Darren Kane
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The ATC runs Sydney’s four major race tracks.

The Supreme Court has reminded Racing NSW where its authority begins and ends

A judgment on Wednesday found Racing NSW was acting outside its powers when it appointed an administrator to run the Australian Turf Club, citing governance concerns.

  • Darren Kane
Parramatta fullback Isaiah Iongi.

In today’s AI world, a photo doesn’t prove anything. But it can still wreck a career

It’s never been easier to manipulate images and weaponise them against professional athletes. Sports administrators must proceed with extreme caution.

  • Darren Kane
Poland's Kamil Stoch soars through the air during the FIS World Cup ski jump event in Engelberg.

Acid test: Why ski jumpers’ penis injections don’t constitute doping

If ski jumpers really are injecting hyaluronic acid into their crotches to gain an advantage, it appears they aren’t doing anything illegal.

  • Darren Kane
In limbo: Zac Lomax.

Zac Lomax and Parramatta are heading to the Supreme Court. Here’s what could happen

Sure, the NSW winger signed off on the terms of his release. But is it reasonable for the Eels to maintain a stranglehold over his career until 2029?

  • Darren Kane