A federal appeals court upheld a ruling Tuesday that allows a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member to play in this week’s Mountain West Conference tournament after a legal complaint said she should be ineligible on grounds that she is transgender and thus stronger, posing a safety risk to teammates and opponents. A two-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with U.S. Magistrate S. Kato Crews in Denver. On Monday he rejected the request for an emergency injunction, finding the players and others who challenged the league’s policy of allowing transgender athletes to participate should have filed the complaint earlier. The tournament starts Wednesday in Las Vegas, but top-seeded Colorado State and second-seeded San Jose State have byes into Friday’s semifinal matches. Judge Crews and the 10th Circuit noted the request for the emergency injunction was filed in mid-November, less than two weeks before the tournament was scheduled to start. The complaint could have been made weeks earlier, both courts said. The first conference forfeit happened Sept. 28. All the schools that canceled games against San Jose State acknowledged at the time that they would take a league loss, Crews noted. The players and others who sued are disappointed that the appeals court found it would be “too disruptive” to enter an injunction the day before the tournament is scheduled to start, said William Bock III, an attorney for the plaintiffs. The appeals court said the plaintiffs' "claims appear to present a substantial question and may have merit,” but they have not made a clear case for emergency relief. “Plaintiffs look forward to ultimately receiving justice in this case when they prove these legal violations in court and to the day when men are no longer allowed to harm women and wreak havoc in women’s sport," Bock said in a statement. The athlete has played for San Jose State since 2022, but her participation only became an issue this season. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player has also been in effect since 2022, the conference said. Injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo, Judge Crews said, and her playing is the status quo. The motions for an injunction also asked that the four teams that had conference losses for refusing to play against San Jose State during the regular season have those losses removed from their records and that the tournament be re-seeded based on the updated records. Crews denied that motion and the 10th Circuit did not address it. Neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans woman volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not commented publicly on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Crews’ ruling referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player and noted that no defendant disputed that the San Jose State roster includes a transgender woman player. San Jose State “maintains an unwavering commitment to the participation, safety and privacy of all students at San Jose State and ensuring they are able to compete in an inclusive, fair and respectful environment,” Athletics Director Jeff Konya told students Tuesday. He praised the resilience student-athletes, the athletic department and staff have shown while the court challenges played out over the past nearly two weeks. “The fact that they have come to this point of the season as a team standing together on the volleyball court is a testament to their strength and passion for their sport,” Konya said. The conference said Monday it was “satisfied” with the judge’s decision and would continue upholding policies established by its board of directors, which “directly align with NCAA and USA Volleyball.” An NCAA policy that subjects transgender participation to the rules of sports governing bodies took effect this academic year. USA Volleyball says a trans woman must suppress testosterone for 12 months before competing. The NCAA has not flagged any issues with San Jose State. In Friday's semifinals, San Jose State is scheduled to play the winner of Wednesday’s match between Utah State and Boise State — teams that forfeited matches to San Jose State during the regular season. Boise State associate athletic director Chris Kutz declined to comment Monday on whether the Broncos would play San Jose State if they won their first-round tournament game. Utah State associate athletic director Doug Hoffman said the university is reviewing the order and the team is preparing for Wednesday’s match. Wyoming and Utah State also forfeited matches against San Jose State. Some athletic associations, Republican legislatures and school districts have sought in recent years to restrict the ability of transgender athletes, in particular transgender girls and women, to compete in line with their gender identity. The Republican governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming have made public statements in support of the team cancellations, citing fairness in women’s sports. President-elect Donald Trump likewise has spoken out against allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports.Louisville GM Dell out, pursuing other opportunity
GUANGZHOU, China, Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Highest Performances Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: HPH) ("HPH” or the "Company”), today announced that Mr. Youjie Kong has decided to resign from the Board as director due to personal reasons, effective from November 25, 2024. The resignation of Mr. Kong did not result from any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company's operations, policies or practices. The Company takes this opportunity to express its appreciation to Mr. Kong for his dedicated service to the Company. About HPH Founded in 2010 and formerly known as Puyi Inc., we have evolved with a vision to become a leading provider of intelligent technology-driven family and enterprise services. Our mission is to enhance the quality of life for families worldwide by leveraging two primary driving forces: technological intelligence and capital investments. We are dedicated to investing in high-quality enterprises with global potential, focusing on areas such as asset allocation, education and study tours, healthcare and elderly care, and family governance. We currently hold controlling interests in two leading financial service providers in China. The first is AIX Inc., a technology-driven independent financial service platform traded on the Nasdaq. The second is Puyi Fund Distribution Co., Ltd., an independent wealth management service provider. Highest Performances Holdings Inc., formerly known as Puyi Inc., was renamed on March 13, 2024 to reflect its strategic transformation. Forward-looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When HPH uses words such as "may”, "will”, "intend”, "should”, "believe”, "expect”, "anticipate”, "project”, "estimate” or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from HPH's expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: HPH's ability to obtain proceeds from the Agreement; HPH's goals and strategies; HPH's future business development; product and service demand and acceptance; changes in technology; economic conditions; the growth of the third-party wealth management industry in China; reputation and brand; the impact of competition and pricing; government regulations; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and the international markets HPH serves and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by HPH with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in HPH's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available for review at www.sec.gov . HPH undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof. Highest Performances Holdings Inc. CONTACT: For more information, please contact: Highest Performances Holdings Inc. Tel: +86-20-28866499 Email: [email protected]An anti-Semitism campaigner claims police told her they wouldn’t be able to prove that a man who admitted to destroying an Oct 7 memorial committed a hate crime. Video footage that circulated on social media just days before the anniversary of the Hamas terror attacks showed a man attacking the Jewish memorial in Hove, East Sussex. However, Heidi Bachram, who reported the incident, claimed that officers told her they would not be treating it as a targeted attack on Jewish people or a hate crime, despite a man handing himself in to police over the video. They said the man would be given a conditional caution for criminal damage and the case would not be passed on to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as a potential hate crime, she added. Sussex Police insisted on Friday that the case was “still ongoing” and a final decision had not been made. But Ms Bachram claimed officers who visited her home on Thursday said they couldn’t “prove” the incident was a hate crime – a decision that would ultimately sit with the CPS if it was passed on. The 52-year-old said officers updated her on the case after a man had been interviewed on a voluntary basis having handed himself in. She told The Telegraph: “They said that he claimed his friend had just died and that the memorial had triggered him because the flowers triggered his grief over the friend that had died.” Ms Bachram, a Brighton resident, added that officers had also told her the man involved was suffering from poor mental health at the time. She said: “They played it like it was not targeted, it wasn’t about the memorial, it wasn’t about Jews, it wasn’t about Israel – even though in the video you can hear him arguing with a guy that intervened and he says ‘do you know what they’re doing’ and he says ‘murdering’ later on. “They told me they couldn’t prove it was a hate crime and that they want to give him a conditional caution for criminal damage instead. “They don’t want to pass it to the CPS. They’re calling it criminal damage, but there is no hate element to it.” A Sussex Police spokesman said: “On Oct 4, police received a report of a Jewish memorial being damaged in Palmeira Square, Hove. “Officers arrested a 58-year-old man on Oct 7 on suspicion of racially/religiously aggravated criminal damage. He was bailed pending further enquiries. “On Nov 8, a 78-year-old man attended Brighton police station and was interviewed under caution in relation to the offence. The investigation remains ongoing at this time.”Football enthusiasts in Lagos gathered last Saturday for a landmark event hosted by LALIGA which spotlighted the league’s global LALIGA Vs Racism campaign and showcased the PUMA Orbita match ball being used across the Spanish topflight this season. The PUMA Ball Street Kings tournament, the third such competition in Lagos in three years, was at the heart of the event, featuring matches between community-based teams such as Pinnock Estate, Royal Garden Estate, Esmerald Estate, Real Madrid Fan Club, Chevron Estate and Femi Okunu Housing Estate, as well as a side made up of journalists. These teams are a vital component of LALIGA’s development initiatives, underscoring the league’s commitment to empowering communities and combating discrimination through football. SuperSport, Africa’s leading sports broadcaster, was on hand to cover the event, while SportyBet, LALIGA’s official betting partner in Africa, was also on hand to assist in the organisation. Desmond Chiji, LALIGA Delegate in Nigeria, said: “The PUMA Ball Street Kings tournament is the ideal showcase for the sense of community and tolerance that the LALIGA Vs platform is all about. Racism has no place in football or society. Through LALIGA Vs Racism we are reaffirming our commitment to transparency, unity, and diversity, which truly make the game beautiful.” LALIGA Vs Racism, which is part of the wider LALIGA Vs platform, is a comprehensive campaign dedicated to eradicating racism and hate both inside and outside football stadiums. It combines educational and preventative initiatives, including increasing the visibility of reporting channels, the use of personalised captain’s armbands and fixed informative signs inside LALIGA grounds, together with firm action such as working closely with governmental and judicial authorities to hold perpetrators accountable. LALIGA has recently collaborated with Nigerian media platforms to amplify this anti-racism messaging, emphasizing the importance of addressing the issue head-on. The campaign has also put into action widespread awareness campaigns, building on over 700 initiatives carried out by LALIGA and Spanish clubs over the past decade targeting discrimination, and implemented innovative projects like M.O.O.D. (Monitor for the Observation of Hate in Sport), an independent AI tool for tracking hate speech in sports-related conversations online. This long-term commitment and initiatives have borne fruit in the fight against racism. In June 2024, the first ever-conviction for racist insults at a football match in Spain was handed down as a result of a complaint filed directly by LALIGA to the courts, while a comparative analysis of over 21 million social media conversations across the 2023/24 season showed a 45% decrease in racist comments when compared to a comparable period in the 2022/23 season when M.O.O.D. tool began collecting data. Saturday’s event not only showcased Nigeria’s rich footballing culture. The tournament emphasized the vital and very real connection between LALIGA’s global initiatives and grassroots football, serving as a backdrop for panel discussions with media and stakeholders, exploring how football can foster social cohesion and combat discrimination. Tresor Penku, Managing Director for LALIGA Africa, added: “Football is a unifying force that transcends borders and cultures. The efforts globally are a testament to our determination to use the sport as a vehicle for meaningful change, ensuring that football remains a safe and inclusive space for all.” As LALIGA continues its work across Africa and the globe, its commitment to making football a sport for all reinforces the unifying power of the beautiful game.