Sports
Iran girls kick down social barriers with karate
As the referee’s whistle signalled the start of the match, two five-year-old Iranian girls faced off, delivering a closely watched karate bout to a captivated audience — a sign of the changing attitude toward martial arts in the Islamic Republic in recent years.
The two young opponents, clad in crisp white karategi with coloured belts and protective headgear, circled each other on the tatami, the floor covering used for practising Japanese martial arts.
Their movements were sharp and deliberate, each kick and block executed with precision and control to the cheers of an all-female audience.
At the final whistle, three minutes later, the two opponents shook hands and embraced.
The match was part of an annual regional tournament that saw 230 participants of all ages gathered in Tehran, lining up in formation before the competition began.
That AFP was accorded rare access to film and photograph a competition for women and girls was itself a sign of greater official openness.
“This sport is anything but violent” because it “promotes discipline”, said Samaneh Parsa, a 44-year-old mother who has been practising karate for five years with her daughter Helma and son Ilya.
“I have observed its positive influence on children’s behaviour,” she said at a club in southern Tehran, where AFP was granted a rare access to the prelude to the match.
For her, karate is a way to “release emotions” and “bring serenity during stressful times”, even though it was long frowned upon for women to practise the sport in Iran.
All martial arts were temporarily banned for women after the 1979 Islamic Revolution but were later reinstated under stricter dress code regulations.
‘Strong mindset’
As more women turn to karate, the sport has become a symbol of Iran’s changing society, where a young, urban generation is quietly challenging traditional gender roles and societal norms.
Last week, Iranian athlete Atousa Golshadnezhad won another gold medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia.
Women in Iran have, in recent years, been pushing social boundaries more broadly — defying the Islamic Republic’s strict rules, including the mandatory dress code.
The trend has been particularly evident since the September 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, who had been arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the dress code.
Afshin Torkpour, head of Kyokushin-Ryu karate in Iran, has similarly noted a shift in recent years, with women turning to sports that “were once considered violent”.
Women practising the sport are now as, and often more motivated, said Torkpour, noting that they develop “a strong mindset”.
Around 150,000 people practise karate in Iran across all genders, says Torkpour, who estimates that the actual figure could be much higher, up to two million.
At the Asian Championships, the national junior women’s under-21 team won 11 medals, including six golds.
In 2020, two Iranian karatekas participated in the Tokyo Olympics in Japan but did not win any medals.
For Azam Ahmadi, a woman in her 30s who has practised the sport since she was 12, karate teaches essential life skills: “If you fall, you have to get back up, keep going, and never give up.”
Mina Mahadi, vice-head of the women’s Kyokushin-Ryu karate section in Iran, says it also allows girls to “gain confidence” instead of them “saying yes to anything”.
Sports
Jets to bench quarterback Justin Fields amid offensive struggles: reports
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The New York Jets are reportedly moving on from Justin Fields as their starting quarterback.
The team is set to name Tyrod Taylor the starter for their game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12, according to multiple reports. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn opened the door for a change at the position last week, making known he would evaluate all positions.
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New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields walks off the field an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“I’m evaluating everything,” he told reporters, via the team’s website. “I’m evaluating myself, the players, schematics, coaches, I’m evaluating everything. So, I don’t want to just place everything on that, that one situation [quarterback].
“I’m just looking at everything, because as a head coach, that’s my job, to make sure that I put this team in the best position to go win games.”
Fields has struggled throughout his first season with Gang Green and with the playoffs getting more and more out of reach, Glenn has apparently decided to make a change.
Without Garrett Wilson in the team’s 27-14 loss to the New England Patriots on Thursday night, Fields was 15-of-26 with 116 passing yards and a touchdown pass. He was sacked twice.

New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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Fields has thrown for fewer than 100 yards four times this season. The team is 25th in points scored and 29th in yards gained.
Taylor is a veteran NFL quarterback, who has mostly been relegated to the backup role in his career. He was a sixth-round draft pick in 2011 out of Virginia Tech. He’s played for the Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and the New York Giants before joining the Jets in 2024.
While Taylor has had a bit of bad luck at points of his career, he’s proven to be more than capable of taking the reins as the starter.

New York Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor (2) throws the ball in the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 19, 2025. (Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images)
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He’s appeared in three games for New York already this season. He has 379 passing yards, three touchdown passes and three interceptions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
Mahomes takes blame as division title hopes fade
DENVER — After congratulating quarterback Bo Nix near midfield following the Broncos‘ last-second victory Sunday, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes walked off alone and didn’t say anything before entering the visitors locker room inside Empower Field.
Once there, Mahomes remained silent.
When he reached the podium for his news conference, he used his voice to take much of the blame for the Chiefs’ 22-19 loss, an outcome that leveled the team’s record at 5-5.
“I think we’re really talented and we’ve got a lot of great players, but it’s about being more consistent. I think it starts with me,” Mahomes said. “There’s times where I’m firing and we’re moving the ball down the field at ease. But there’s times where we go in spurts where I miss a throw or a [pass] protection call.
“We haven’t been consistent enough to win games. It starts with me.”
Throughout Sunday’s game, Mahomes never was able to get in rhythm against the Broncos’ defense.
One of the biggest examples happened on the Chiefs’ opening drive. Mahomes missed two deep shots for which speedy receivers Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton were each open downfield. The pass to Worthy was overthrown by 3 yards. Had they connected, Worthy could have scored on a 61-yard reception.
“I’ve just got to make the throw,” Mahomes said. “There’s no other way around it. The play was designed for [tight end] Travis [Kelce] — and I think Travis is wide open — but you have these alerts in your plays and how [safety Brandon Jones] was sitting with Xavier’s speed, I knew he was going to have a chance down the field. I’ve just got to give him a chance. I miss that one.”
Entering the game, the Chiefs were hoping a victory following their bye week would help them chase down the Broncos (9-2) and keep their hopes of a 10th consecutive AFC West title alive. But they now have just a 10% chance of winning the division, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, whose playoff probability model simulated the remainder of the season 10,000 times.
The Chiefs are also no longer favored to win the AFC West, according to ESPN BET. Their +500 odds are their longest to win the division since 2015, two years before Mahomes joined the team.
“It’s going to be tough to get back in the division race,” Mahomes said. “The goal is to get into the playoffs and try to make a run at it. We’ve got to learn from this one as much as possible, knowing we’re going to get a great opponent [in the 8-2 Indianapolis Colts] coming into Arrowhead [Stadium] next week.
“We’re kind of at that point where we’ve got to find a way to win games.”
Entering this season, 989 teams in the Super Bowl era had started 5-5 or worse through 10 games. Just 89 of those teams (9%) went on to make the postseason, and only two made the Super Bowl. The lone team to win the Super Bowl was the 2001 New England Patriots, who were led by first-year starting quarterback Tom Brady.
“It’s just a one-week mindset,” linebacker Nick Bolton said. “I mean, every week is kind of getting to the point where it’s like a playoff week. We’ve got to find a way to one game at a time.”
One poor decision from Mahomes in the third quarter made the Chiefs’ chances of beating the Broncos more difficult. With the Chiefs in the red zone, instead of throwing the ball out of bounds after scrambling — which would’ve set up a short field goal for kicker Harrison Butker — Mahomes tried to make an intermediate pass to running back Elijah Mitchell, only for Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian to intercept it.
On their ensuing possession, the Broncos capitalized by scoring their lone touchdown.
“You can’t do it,” Mahomes said of his decision. “I just didn’t throw it high enough. [McMillian] jumped up and made a good play. I’ve made that throw before, but with the type of game we’re in, don’t put the ball in harm’s way. Take the three points and move on to the next possession.”
All five of the Chiefs’ losses this season have occurred in one-score games (decided by eight points or fewer). Entering this season, the Chiefs had won 17 consecutive one-score games, including playoffs, which was the longest streak in NFL history.
The Chiefs understand that they, at some point, might have to win a close game — or two or three — for them to clinch a playoff spot.
“When you’re playing good teams, whether it’s myself making a [play] call or the players playing, you’ve got to do the right things,” coach Andy Reid said. “You put the guys in the right position, and then guys have got to make plays when given an opportunity. That’s both sides of the ball.”
The one difference Sunday from the Chiefs’ previous four losses was that Mahomes was given the ball with four minutes left and the chance to lead a winning drive. But they never gained a first down or a yard. Mahomes’ final dropback, on third-and-10, ended with him being sacked by McMillian.
“That’s what you want, you want that opportunity at the end of the game,” Mahomes said. “I didn’t come through. I’ve been in that situation before. You get that first first down, it puts us in the driver’s seat. I didn’t find it there, and they came up with a good blitz on that third down. I didn’t give myself much of a chance.”
Sports
Ex-Chelsea star Oscar released from hospital
Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar has been released from hospital after being admitted last week following an abnormal cardiac episode.
Oscar, 34, felt unwell and temporarily lost consciousness while using an exercise bicycle as part of a routine pre-season fitness test at Brazilian club São Paulo ‘s training complex on Nov. 11 and The Brazilian player was admitted to the cardiology unit of São Paulo’s Einstein Hospital and underwent extensive tests throughout the week before being discharged on Sunday.
“Extensive investigation carried out at the hospital confirmed that the player presented an episode of vasovagal syncope,” a São Paulo FC statement said.
“Stable and clinically well throughout the hospitalization period, the player will now follow a medical rest program for the next few days.”
Vasovagal syncope causes your heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly, which leads to reduced blood flow to your brain and to a brief loss of consciousness.
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Sources told ESPN that initial tests came back positive and everything suggests Oscar’s heart is “intact”, adding that “of all the bad things that could have happened, this was the least bad”.
Oscar returned to his boyhood club São Paulo in December 2024 after spending eight years playing in China. His contract expires at the end of 2027.
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