World cup

• Evolv Technology (NASDAQ: EVLV), the leader in AI-based weapons detection security screening, today announced its partnership with Boston College.
• Evolv Express uses powerful sensor technology with AI to provide safer, more accurate threat detection at unprecedented volume and speed.
• While Evolv partners with more than 20 colleges and universities, Boston College is the first college to use Evolv primarily for athletics events.
• “We’re proud to be able to make such a positive impact in an area so close to home and excited to help Boston College set a new safety standard for college athletics with their use of Evolv.”

• SEATTLE, Oct. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As the world eagerly anticipates the World Cup 26™ Final Game, SeattleFWC will redefine the legacy of this global sporting extravaganza.
• Today marks 1,000 days until the World Cup 26™ Final Game, location TBD, and SeattleFWC26 has already set in motion a series of groundbreaking initiatives poised to leave an indelible mark on the city and state.
• The significance of this momentous announcement has been echoed by FIFA, underscoring the profound influence of the upcoming World Cup games on host communities and the world at large.
• Lisa Chin, the newly announced Chief Legacy Officer for SeattleFWC26, exudes excitement for the long-term opportunities that extend far beyond the final whistle of the 2026 World Cup.

• Siya Kolisi’s journey from an adverse upbringing to becoming captain of a World Cup-winning South African rugby team, the Springboks, is one such story.
• Kolisi made history as the first black captain of the Springboks in a country where, because of apartheid and separate development, the professional sport was once an all-white affair.
• Rugby was firmly associated with white national pride, and now a black man from a humble background has become a national hero, reshaping the sport’s image.
• Kolisi’s story defies the odds and highlights the power of resilience, the ability to bounce back from adversity, trauma or setbacks.

The early years

• Many black people continued living in disadvantaged settlements on the outskirts of cities and towns.
• As a result, he was raised by his grandmother, who performed ad hoc jobs until she could no longer work.
• Losing his primary caregiver was one of his most significant early challenges.
• The support from his coach and the responsibility he felt towards his teammates prompted a transformation in his coping strategies.

Coping strategies create resilience

• Kolisi’s story serves as a powerful testament to the concept of resilience: how individuals adapt and grow in response to challenges.
• Sometimes, people engage in socially unacceptable behaviours as coping mechanisms to survive their harsh realities.
• In a broader context, Kolisi’s story highlights the importance of recognising diverse social and cultural influences on human development.

Rugby as a lifeline

• Rugby played an important role in Kolisi’s life, both on and off the field.
• In a team environment, he found solace and a nurturing environment that provided security, a sense of belonging.
• By understanding the multifaceted aspects of their lives, we can help them on their journey towards success and fulfilment.

Beyond rugby

• Kolisi’s resilience and success is not limited to rugby.
• He’s used his platform to make a positive impact in his community and beyond.

Resilience matters

Kolisi’s story is not just about overcoming adversity but finding purpose and meaning in that adversity. He reminds us that no matter where we come from, we have the potential to rise above adversity, challenge the status quo and shape a brighter future. Resilience is the driving force that enables people to persevere, grow, and ultimately shape their futures.

• He is also under investigation by prosecutors in Spain for sexual assault and coercion.
• As scholars of Iberian cultures and gender representation, we know that humor, much like soccer, is a national pastime in Spain.
• Moreover, Rubiales’ forced kiss of Jenni Hermoso, a member of Spain’s World Cup-winning team, provided a perfect example of the role that comedy can play in unmasking and highlighting structural sexism.

The humor of incongruity

• Humor is a social act that reflects human experience and, more to the point here, human folly.
• In “Punchlines: The Case for Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Humor,” social psychologist Leon Rappoport explains that, among other reasons, we laugh at incongruity.
• Humor is employed, Rappoport observes, to shed light on something “clearly absurd or contradictory.” This appears to be the basis of much of the laughter in the Rubiales case.
• Much of the humor poked fun at Rubiales directly.

A sexist laughingstock

• But the humor in this case helped amplify public debate and inspired action to confront structural sexism in Spain and beyond.
• In the sketch, two women impersonate Rubiales and Hermoso and stage the kiss, as recounted by Rubiales in his public appearance before the RFEF’s general assembly.
• Instead, he defended his “peck” as consensual and positioned himself against both “false feminism” and gender inclusive language.
• Furthermore, the mismatch of his male voice and the two female bodies in the video points at the pervasive silencing of women and sexist double standards.
• None of these humorous responses to the scandal diminish the seriousness of the Rubiales incident, nor the debate they sparked.

For Rubiales, #itsover

• For good reason, the hashtag #seacabó – translating to #itsover – has continued to trend since the scandal, after the term was directed at Rubiales by Spanish soccer star Alexia Putellas.
• It has allowed Spain, and inspired others, to confront discriminatory practices within and beyond the soccer field.