One of the enduring features and attractions of sport is the way it brings people together. Head on.

Stoke Mandeville, a village in Buckinghamshire, around 40 miles from London, is where the Paralympic Games, as they are now known, began.

Anyone for tennis? Just about everyone it seems - certainly in Britain and much of the world one suspects - with Wimbledon well underway in that rather precious corner of London SW19 that is quintessentially English.

Wheelchair basketball has seen fantastic growth over recent years, continuing to be one of the most popular sports within the Paralympic Games, and ever-expanding domestic playing bases thanks to continued efforts in delivering events and developing new formats of the game to increase opportunities for all to play. It is a sport that I and so many others around the world love, never failing to capture the hearts and attention of viewers and fans at the Paralympics, World Championships and other major competitions where you see the speed, skill, and tactical battles in full force.

Next Monday, the Baton containing the Queen’s message to the athletes of the Commonwealth is set to arrive back in England.

We have become very accustomed recently to seeing athletes using their high-profile positions to draw attention to a whole range of issues, ranging from racism to social injustice to anti-war messages.

With fleets of bikes fizzing through the bustling streets of Copenhagen, it does not take long to realise that cycling is not just a mode of transport but a way of life in the Danish capital.

I had two broad reactions to the International Swimming Federation's (FINA) decision this month to require individuals to have completed transition by the age of 12 to compete in women's competitions.

So many enduring traditions are being observed as the Wimbledon Championships - or, to give them their traditional and very English title, The Championships, Wimbledon - get underway in south-west London on what promises to be a, traditionally, mixed day of weather.

The site of the Puskás Aréna in Budapest has been the setting for some truly historic sporting moments.

The reformers failed to gain control of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) at its elections in Tirana today and the sport did itself no favours when embarrassing scenes marred the proceedings.

In a month from now, the Queen's Baton is set to arrive as Birmingham puts finishing touches to preparations for the biggest sporting event ever held in the city.

There is sure to be a flurry of activity right up until the last moment before the votes are cast at the long-delayed International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) elections in Tirana, Albania tomorrow.

I well remember sitting down to interview International Boxing Association (AIBA) President Ching-Kuo Wu in early 2009 and him sketching out on a piece of paper for me his vision for making his organisation the de facto governing body for all boxing, not just the amateur branch of the sport.