A total prize purse of USD $1.4million will be paid by the IAAF for the men's and women's races at the IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015 on 2-3 May.

Team prize money for each race (all amounts are in US$)
1st – 50,000
2nd – 30,000
3rd – 20,000
4th – 12,000
5th – 10,000
6th – 8000
7th – 6000
8th – 4000

NEW YORK (Tuesday, April 28, 2015) – Columbus Crew SC midfielder Ethan Finlay was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for the eighth week of the 2015 MLS season.

 
Finlay’s first career brace propelled Crew SC to a 4-1 dismantling of the Philadelphia Union on Saturday. The American’s two goals were his first and second of the season. Finlay also provided the assist on Columbus’ opening goal in the 21st minute, delivering a pinpoint cross to Kei Kamara, who finished with a ferocious half-volley. 

 
In the 32nd minute, Finlay opened his 2015 account with a right-footed redirection that would prove to be the game-winner for Crew SC. Columbus defender Waylon Francis sent a sublime cross to Finlay, who needed only one touch to pocket the pass into the bottom left corner of the net, leaving Union goalkeeper John McCarthy sprawled out on the pitch.

As the Commonwealth Games Federation’s Evaluation Commission commences its final workshops and deliberations before concluding tomorrow, Thursday 30 April, the Commission Chairman, CGF Honorary Secretary Louise Martin CBE, said that the five-strong commission has been “inspired by the prospect and potential” of Durban’s bid to host Africa’s first Commonwealth Games.

The four-day visit has focused on analysing the detailed technical aspects of the bid that will support delivery of the Games in seven years time, meeting the Government and City partners who will be essential to the successful delivery of the Games and visiting numerous competition and non-competition venues and facilities, including the Durban International Conference Centre, the Moses Mabhida Stadium and the proposed site of the Athletes’ Village.

The International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission today wrapped up its fourth visit to Norway, held in the mountain region of Oeyer, impressed with the progress made with 10 months to go to the second edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG). 

The Lillehammer 2016 Organising Committee (LYOGOC) has embraced and implemented many of the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations into the Games in response to President Bach’s request to “look for options to scale down the protocol at the Youth Olympic Games.” The Coordination Commission wholeheartedly supported the recent decision to move the half-pipe competitions to the existing venue in Oslo, creating more flexibility for the organisation. The decision was taken to hold victory ceremonies within the venues at the end of the competitions, reducing the protocol of a medals plaza, and a scaled down farewell party will replace the Closing Ceremony.  

This year’s ExxonMobil Bislett Games promises to be one of the finest ever presented in Oslo’s famous stadium. Certainly over the seasons, some of the Bislett Games’ greatest highlights have occurred in the time-honoured Dream Mile.

 
Over the years there have been many remarkable Dream Mile races and you don’t have to think back too far to be remember some of them.

The British trio of Seb Coe , Steve Ovett and Steve Cram, all shattering the mile world record in the Bislett stadium:

That evening in 1979 when Seb Coe lead the first ten athletes across the finish line and each of these competitors all went under 4 minutes for the mile. 

The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has announced they are on a search for a new coach for the country’s senior national football team, Leone Stars.


The announcement which was published in both the SLFA website and their Facebook page reads: “The SLFA invites applications from suitable and qualified Sierra Leoneans as well as foreign nationals for the position of head coach of the Sierra Leone National Football team; Leone Stars. The duration of the contract is between two (2) and four (4) years based on the objective, mission or target attached to the contract.”

The SLFA’s search for a new coach came just over three weeks after the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) paired Sierra Leone, Champions Ivory Coast, Sudan and tournament host Gabon in group I of the 2017 qualifying round. 

USA Knockouts ended the Regular Season in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) with a well deserved 4-1 victory over Puerto Rico Hurricanes in Miami.

The result moved the American team above Puerto Rico in Group A, and they will finish the season fifth in the table.

Puerto Rico have been an excellent addition to WSB this season, and they will be delighted that a member of their team earned a quota for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the last fight of the evening.

The end of the Regular Season of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) has seen 552 bouts, 112 matches and 14 weeks of intense boxing action, as well as 17 boxers winning Olympic quota place to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The boxers had to compete in a minimum of 5 events in WSB and if their rating was even after the end of the Regular Season, the TKOs and KOs helped differentiate the top ranked boxer.

Cuban boxers won 5 quota places, Russian boxers - 3 and Ireland - 2, while Azerbaijan, Croatia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco and Puerto Rico boxers won one quota place each.

12 out of the 17 boxers competed in every match in order to win the quota place. 

The International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission today wrapped up its fourth visit to Norway, held in the mountain region of Oeyer, impressed with the progress made with 10 months to go to the second edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG). 

The Lillehammer 2016 Organising Committee (LYOGOC) has embraced and implemented many of the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations into the Games in response to President Bach’s request to “look for options to scale down the protocol at the Youth Olympic Games.” The Coordination Commission wholeheartedly supported the recent decision to move the half-pipe competitions to the existing venue in Oslo, creating more flexibility for the organisation. The decision was taken to hold victory ceremonies within the venues at the end of the competitions, reducing the protocol of a medals plaza, and a scaled down farewell party will replace the Closing Ceremony.  

Ajax Cape Town booked their place in the Nedbank Cup final as they came from a goal down to secure a 2-1 victory over SuperSport United at Athlone Stadium on Saturday night.

Thuso Phala gave Matsatsantsa the lead just before half-time, but the Urban Warriors would leave it late to stage a comeback as Mosa Lebusa and Tashreeq Morris struck in the final five minutes to clinch victory.

After a lively opening that produced no chances Ajax goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola was tested twice in quick succession when he punched away a free-kick from Daine Klate on 14 minutes before making a low save to deny Jeremy Brockie from close range two minutes later.

The hosts threatened on 20 minutes when Nathan Paulse raced through on goal, but United keeper Ronwen Williams rushed out to deny the striker, before Travis Graham blazed his effort over the crossbar.

Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has been fined by the Premier Soccer League for his rant on Twitter a couple of weeks ago.

Khune was found guilty of bringing the League into disrepute by reason of statements made on the social network by a disciplinary committee.

The Bafana player was find a total of R50 000, of which R25 000 was suspended for 12 months unless he is found guilty of similar charges during this period.

Khune’s bosses, Bobby Motaung and Stuart Baxter, were also in hot water for their own indiscretions.

Tuesday’s final draw for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Portugal 2015 will feature two very special guests, with former Portugal goalkeeper Vitor Baia and ex-France midfielder Christian Karembeu set to star at the event, to be held in the host city of Espinho.

The event will reveal who faces who in the group phase of the competition, which takes place in the Portuguese resort on 9-19 July. The South American qualifying competition reached its conclusion last weekend, with Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina completing the list of 16 finalists for the biggest event in beach soccer, which will also feature Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Oman, Japan, Iran, Mexico, Costa Rica, Tahiti, Madagascar and Senegal.

Attention will now turn to Espinho, where Beach Soccer World Cup fever is already starting to take hold, and to Tuesday’s official draw at the town’s Multimedia Centre, which lies next to the beach where the greatest players in the game will be turning on the style in July. 

The Lions continued their habit of getting involved in close contests but eventually made it home thanks to Elton Jantjies’ goal-kicking in a thrilling, seesawing game at Emirates Park last night.

Both sides scored four tries, but the 14 points off Jantjies’ boot trumped the nine contributed by the Cheetahs’ Joe Pietersen.

The Cheetahs went into the half-time break 10-7 up having shrugged off a nervous start to put the Lions under pressure by retaining possession with excellent phase play.

The 16 qualifiers for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Portugal 2015 are eagerly awaiting Tuesday’s draw at the host resort of Espinho, an event that will streamed live for you to watch at FIFA.com.

Attending the draw will be official Beach Soccer World Cup ambassadors and former Portugal footballers Vitor Baia and Nuno Gomes, who will be accompanied by ex-France midfielder Christian Karembeu, a member of Les Bleus’ squad that won the FIFA World Cup France 1998™. 

The ceremony begins at 12:25 local time (13:25 CET) and will be streamed live on FIFA.com and FIFA’s official YouTube channel. The four seeded teams for the tournament, which will be held on 9-19 July, are Portugal, Brazil, Russia and Switzerland. 

A legend of Nigerian football, former Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Augustine “Jay-Jay” Okocha was back in France last week for the 12th Match Against Poverty. Answering the call of Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo, the men behind this unique initiative, the 41-year-old lit up the star-studded event and showed he had lost none of his magical skills.

Sitting down for an interview with FIFA.com, the inimitable Jay Jay also showed that his sense of humour remains very much intact. Displaying a love of life and for the game, the Nigerian great, who appeared in three FIFA World Cup™ competitions and won the CAF African Cup of Nations in 1994 and Olympic gold two years later in Atlanta, remains as much of an entertainer as he always was.

FIFA.com: What does it mean to you to take part in a charity match like this? 
Jay Jay Okocha: This event means a lot to me. It’s an opportunity for us footballers, who’ve enjoyed all the advantages life has to offer, to give something back to people in need. It’s a great and beautiful initiative.

Dynamo and FC Dallas square off in Texas Derby

 

The Houston Dynamo welcome FC Dallas to BBVA Compass Stadium in the first match of the Texas Derby to kick off this week’s Viernes de Futbol doubleheader on UDN (8 p.m. ET, UDN). The Texas squads are both coming off draws last weekend. Fabian Castillo continued his hot start to the season as he notched the assist to Mauro Diaz’s goal that took the early lead for Dallas against the Colorado Rapids, while the Dynamo had to share the spoils with Sporting Kansas City in a thrilling 4-4 draw at BBVA Compass Stadium. Dallas has won the past two regular season meetings between the two sides, but Houston leads the overall series 9-5-7. Which side will take the next step in securing the El Capitán trophy? 

Mamelodi Sundowns were made to work for their place in the Nedbank Cup final during their 1-0 win over Vasco de Gama at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday.

A Mzikayise Mashaba long-range thunderbolt was the difference between the sides in the end but, in truth, Vasco were the much better side over the 90 minutes.

The National First Division outfit gave their much-favoured Premiership opponents a good run for their money but were ultimately unable to make their dominance pay before Sundowns snuck the winner in the 60th minute.

By half-time, the Brazilians had not registered a single shot on target, with Vasco looking much more dangerous than their second-tier league status might suggest.

It was a weekend of drama and excitement in South Africa as the DHL Stormers moved to the top of the local Vodacom Super Rugby log and the Emirates Lions kept alive their dream of reaching the top six.

The Emirates Lions beat the Toyota Cheetahs by 34-29 in an eight-try humdinger on Saturday afternoon to record their sixth victory of the season, making 2015 their second best yet but with six rounds to go.

Last year, the Emirates Lions finished with seven wins, two better than their five from 2007, but they are on track to better their best in the coming weeks.

The Toyota Cheetahs also deserve a lot of credit for never giving up as they returned to Bloemfontein with two bonus points.

After the end of the Regular Season in the World Series of Boxing (WSB), all six Franchises who have qualified for the Playoff stages have now been determined.

The first quarter-final will take place on 6-7 May, as Azerbaijan Baku Fires host Mexico Guerreros.

All 10 weight categories will compete across two nights, and if there is a draw after every bout has been completed, a Tie-Breaker Bout in the Light flyweight (49 kg) division will determine the winner.

Azerbaijan finished second in the Group B table with 10 wins from 14 matches, while Mexico overtook Ukraine Otamans in the last week of the group stages to qualify third in Group A with the same record as the Baku Fires.

Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Chief Executive David Grevemberg today (25 April 2015) visited the IOC’s Sport for Hope Centre in Lusaka, Zambia to meet with 18 Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) from African nations as part of a Commonwealth-wide consultation with the CGF membership on Transformation 2022, the Commonwealth Sports Movement’s ambitious agenda for growth and innovation.

In the Zambian capital, co-hosted by Mrs Miriam Moyo, CGF Regional Vice President and NOCZ President and Mr Gideon Sam, CGF Vice President and SASCOC President, David Grevemberg praised the work of African members in their important contributions to Sport, Development and Peace and discussed the opportunities and ambitions of the CGF’s new seven-year strategic plan.

25 April 2015 - One of SAFA’s longest serving members Eric Mtshatsha has died.

 

Mtshatsha who was the President of SAFA’s Umgungundlovu Region in KwaZulu-Natal died in the early hours of Saturday, 25 April 2015 in Pietermaritzburg.

 

“It has not been a good start to the year for football in general. While we are still mourning the passing away of legend John Shoes Moshoeu, we have now lost some of the most experienced brains of the game with this sad news of Mtshatsha,” said SAFA President, Dr Danny Jordaan in announcing the passing on of Mtshatsha.

While America’s two fastest men’s 110-meter hurdlers ever have won the last two major championship gold medals, perhaps neither one is favored to win at the Prefontaine Classic.

Aries Merritt etched his name in high hurdle history in 2012.  He ended a 16-year U.S. Olympic gold medal drought by winning the London Olympics, and a month later became the first American since Roger Kingdom in 1989 to claim the world record, clocking 12.80 to win the IAAF Diamond Trophy.  That 12.80 lowered the WR by .07 seconds, the largest improvement since Renaldo Nehemiah did the same when he ran the first sub-13 at 12.93 in 1981.

David Oliver is the reigning World Champion, winning gold at Moscow in 2013.  He is a two-time Pre Classic champ, and his 2010 victory at 12.90 equaled the American record at the time and remains the fastest ever run on U.S. soil.  Oliver is the only athlete in this event to rank in the world top 10 by Track & Field News in each of the last nine years, including twice at No. 1, while also becoming the only two-time winner of the IAAF Diamond Trophy in this event (2010 & 2013).

Photograph courtesy photorun.net

The women’s 800 meters at the Prefontaine Classic will feature a strong quartet from Team USA, although they will face formidable opposition from a pair of tough Kenyans.

The youngest of the Americans is precocious Ajee’ Wilson, who will turn all of 21 on May 8. She was ranked No. 2 in the world by T&FN last year, after sweeping the  U.S. indoor and outdoor titles, the youngest to do so since a 15-year-old Mary Decker in 1974.  As a 19-year-old, Wilson was a finalist in the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, where she set the American Junior record of 1:58.21.  Her international experience also includes gold medals at the 2012 World Juniors and 2011 World Youth Championships – she is the only American to win either title.

Brenda Martinez is the only American to have ranked twice in the world’s top 4 the last two years (No. 3 in ’14, No. 4 in ’13).  She anchored USA’s winning 4x800 team at last year’s inaugural World Relays, receiving the baton from Wilson before blitzing a 1:57.2 split to extend the lead on Kenya, which was anchored by Eunice Sum.  Martinez has some history of making history – at the 2013 World Championships she earned bronze, the first World outdoor medal of any kind for an American in this event.  And in the 1500, she is America’s No. 10 ever at 4:00.94.

Valentino Manfredonia Vs Hrvoje Sep (Italia Thunder vs Astana Arlans Kazakhstan)(in photo)

After Caciques Venezuela defeated Rafako Hussars Poland on Friday night, Italia Thunder knew that they needed to beat Astana Arlans Kazakhstan to move into the last qualification spot in Group B of the World Series of Boxing (WSB).

It was a difficult proposition to imagine however, as Kazakhstan had won all 13 of their matches in Season V of the competition.

Additionally, the fixture carried huge significance for some of the competitors in action, as it was their last chance to earn a qualification quota for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games through WSB.

Rudisha: 3rd world record holder in Lausanne ! Pearson, Vlasic and Büchel confirmed as well.

 Olympic champion and 800m world record holder David Rudisha (KEN) has confirmed that he will be at the 40th edition of Athletissima on 9 July, which will also be the 9th IAAF Diamond League meeting this year.

One year after being crowned World champion in Daegu, Rudisha ran a memorable race at the Olympic final in London when he took the lead right after the start and kept it until the end to run a race all by himself in which he set a stunning new world record (1:41.91). This was certainly one of the highlights of the 2012 Games. After 2007, 2010 and 2011, it will be his 4th appearance in Lausanne. Having won the event each time in an impressive way, he will for sure have the same goal in mind this time around. He will face opposition from reigning World champion Mohammed Aman (ETH), the first athlete to defeat Rudisha in years, and Pierre-Ambroise Bosse, the French 800m national record holder and new 1000m U23 European record holder. This promises an exciting one.