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Happy Sunday!
Anju is off this week, so you have moi. Some of you may know me from the titbits in our 7am newsletter, or from TDA Sport.
I will be honest: today’s edition is full of sport. That’s because I love a good sports/politics/culture crossover more than I love my morning coffee.
Let’s dive in!
⚽️ Iranian footballers become Australians
Via Instagram
Two of the members of the Iranian women’s football team, who sought asylum in Australia a few months ago have now been granted citizenship. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke swore in Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh as Australian citizens on Wednesday.
In case you missed it, the team travelled to Australia for the Cup as war broke out between the U.S. and Israel and Iran.
Amid concerns about the team’s safety, Burke granted seven team members humanitarian visas. Now, Pasandideh and Ramezanisadeh hold Australian citizenship. You can find their full statements here and here.
Welcome to Australia, Fatemeh and Atefeh.
📸 Photo of the week
20-year-old Australian player Maya Joint returns a shot during her match at the WTA National Bank Open tournament in Toronto, Canada (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
🎵 Feel good song of the week
Finally - CeCe Peniston (1992)
Nothing makes me feel like a main character in a rom‑com more than this song. While I have boogied to it for years, this bop found its way back into my playlist after my guncles introduced me to ‘The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’. Consider this a song-of-the-week and recommendation combined.
I’ve got three words for you: Drag. Cabaret. Desert.
Watch this clip to see actors (legends) Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and the late Terence Stamp dance to this bop, even re-enacting the Sydney Opera House at one point.
Listen to the song here.
📚 Rapper wins the Miles Franklin Literary Award
I told you I wouldn’t just do sport over here, guys.
Malaysian‑Australian rapper turned writer Omar Musa has won Australia’s top literary prize, the Miles Franklin award, for his novel ‘Fierceland’.
Musa spent six years and 21 drafts crafting the book, which judges praised as a “tour de force” set amid the destruction of Borneo’s rainforests. The story follows siblings Harun and Rozana as they confront their father’s palm‑oil legacy across continents and generations.
Ten years ago, he was longlisted for his first novel ‘Here Come The Dogs’, which drew from his youth in Queanbeyan and what he described to media as “combustible race relations”.
This time, he won. Never give up guys!
A message from Zambrero
Zambrero has dropped their newest menu item, the Fat Taco.
Bold, fun and full of flavour, Fat Taco brings a new taco experience, featuring a deliciously thick tortilla, pickled red onion, sour cream with your choice of protein and sauce. The Fat Taco is designed to be the perfect snack on it's own or an add-on that customers can enjoy with any meal.
Head to your nearest Zambrero to try the Fat Taco today.
🏆 Three women lead Australia’s most admired athletes
Ok, back to sport.
Three women have been recognised as Australia’s most admired sports figures, according to an online poll by DemoAu that surveyed 5,300 Aussies.
Respondents were asked to name up to three sportspeople they most admired. These women have not played Australia’s biggest professional codes, and have never been the country’s highest earner. However, they have won us over with their undoubtable discipline and dare I say… aura.
They are:
Cathy Freeman
Ash Barty
Sam Kerr
Renowned for winning Australia’s 100th Olympic gold medal - and being the first Indigenous person to win gold - Freeman tops the national list. Fellow Indigenous powerhouse Ash Barty, the first Australian woman to win a singles major since tennis great Evonne Goolagong Cawley, was right behind her. Matildas captain Sam Kerr followed, with Pat Cummins and Oscar Piastri rounding out the top five.
DemosAU Head of Research George Hasanakos said: “Millions of us watched Cathy Freeman’s Olympic gold medal, Ash Barty’s Australian Open win and the Matilda’s 2023 World Cup campaign… Freeman’s commanding lead demonstrates that the most powerful national sporting memories can reach well beyond any one code or generation”.
You can certainly say that. I wasn’t born yet, but every time I watch her 400m race my palms start sweating like it’s live. If I’m sweating, you’re sweating. So, everyone, please sweat accordingly and relive the final here.
🌴 Pacific nation restores traditional name
The Pacific island nation of Nauru has officially changed its name to the Republic of Naoero. President David Adeang confirmed the shift after two parliamentary votes.
The change aligns the nation with its traditional Nauruan‑language identity.
Adeang said the change was about “preserving the legacy of our ancestors and strengthening the future of our children”.
You pronounce the traditional name as ‘Now-ero’.
The UN and regional partners now recognise the new name.
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