​Assessment finds that some deliveries exceeded 15-degree level of tolerance
 
Zimbabwe fast bowler Brian Vitori has been suspended from bowling in international cricket for 12 months following an independent assessment of his bowling action, which took place at the University of Pretoria on 12 December.

The Ghana Football Association has scheduled the Gala competition for the 28 January 2017, according to information reaching Yours Truly.

The knockout competition will be played over two days at a yet-to-be-named venue.
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It will involve all 16 Ghana Premier League clubs with 20 minutes each half.

The biannual West African Football Union (WAFU) football competition has secured a boost with the signing of a $24 million-sponsorship deal between WAFU and FOX Sports, a subsidiary of FOX Networks Group in Dakar, Senegal.
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The 12-year-long partnership, which is aimed at reawakening WAFU as a body and its competitions, will witness an investment into infrastructure, training and development of youth, men and women’s football, as well as seminar and capacity-building programmes for referees and other stakeholders in football across the West African sub-region.

The sensational Saba brothers who thrilled Ghana Football in the late 1990s and early 2000 have lost their father, Mr. Daniel Michael Nii Saban Saba aka “Makooko”. He was 82 years old.
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According to funeral arrangements, he will be taken from the morgue on January 26, 2017 for Wake Keeping at his Mamprobi residence and buried on January 27, 2017 at the Osu Cemetry in Accra.

 “I’m putting together a collection of short stories for charity. Would you like to write one?” asked Sebastian Dominguez.
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“A story? Wouldn’t it be easier if we just played in a charity match?” replied Pablo Aimar.

The quip was rooted in the ex-Benfica star’s incredulity at the question he had just been asked. He may even have briefly suspected that the Newell’s Old Boys centre-back, who earned several caps for the Argentinian national side, had momentarily lost his mind. And perhaps he had, just a little, because sometimes to dream big and break down barriers, an ability to think outside the box is required. 

Following the publication of the completed WADA Independent Person (IP) Report on 9 December 2016, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced today that 28 Russian athletes* who participated in the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 are now subject to a disciplinary procedure.
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The IOC is initiating disciplinary cases against all 28 athletes for whom there is evidence of manipulation of one or more of their urine samples that were collected at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, as detailed in the IP report earlier in December.

10 Sequoia Antrice Holmes (ANG) - Ferroviario Maputo v Inter Clube, 2016 FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women Final Round (MOZ), Maputo(Mozambique), Group Phase, 25 November 2016
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LOS ANGELES (FIBA Africa Champions Cup Women 2016) - Sequoia Holmes has become a household in African basketball in recent years, and it came as no surprise that the American was named MVP of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Women early this month.

Reassessment finds his leg-spin deliveries within 15-degree level of tolerance 
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that following remedial work and reassessment, the leg-spin bowling action of Hong Kong player Nizakat Khan has been found to be legal, and the player can now resume bowling in international cricket.

United States of America (USA) - Winners of the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship. USA v Croatia, 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship, Heraklion - Heraklion Arena (Greece), Final, 5 July 2015
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CAIRO (FIBA U19 World Championship 2017) - The field is set for the FIBA U19 World Championship 2017 in Cairo with five countries from the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016 securing the final spots.

The St. Kitts & Nevis (SKN) Patriots announced today that former West Indies Coach, Phil Simmons, will become the new head coach of the franchise for the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season.
 
"We are happy to announce that Phil Simmons is the new head coach of the SKN Patriots”, said Co-Owner & Principal, Uday Nayak. “We expect that Phil’s experience and local knowledge will help the Patriots achieve improved performances in our 2017 Hero CPL campaign, and will bring the ultimate success that our fans and sponsors deserve”. The Patriots owner described Simmons as “the right coaching choice at this very crucial time in the development of our Franchise.” ​

​Lausanne – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued decisions concerning the Russian athlete Anastasiya Bazdyreva (800m) and Russian athletics coach Vladimir Mokhnev, after the IAAF referred their cases to the CAS.
 
Anastasiya Bazdyreva has been found to have violated Article 32.2(b) of the IAAF Competition Rules (the IAAF Rules) which concerns “Use or Attempted Use by an Athlete of a Prohibited Substance or a Prohibited Method” and a two-year period of ineligibility, beginning on 24 August 2015, has been imposed on her. All results achieved by Anastasiya Bazdyreva between 23 April 2014 and 24 August 2015, are disqualified and any prizes, medals, prize and appearance money forfeited.

​NEW YORK– Major League Soccer today announced the players eligible for Stage Two of the Re-Entry Draft to be held today at 3 p.m. ET. MLS will release the results following the draft. 
 
In Stage Two, clubs may select players that were unselected in Stage One and who may be under contract or not under contract at that time. If a player is not under contract and the club selects such player, the club will be required to make a genuine offer to the player within seven (7) days (subject to League Office approval). 

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• Minnesota United FC, Atlanta United Play First Matches in Major League Soccer
• Orlando City SC’s New Downtown Stadium Opens
• A Record 11 Matches Kick Off the 2017 Season the Weekend of March 3-5

 
NEW YORK (Wednesday, December 22, 2016) – Major League Soccer today announced the 2017 home openers for all 22 clubs for the 2017 season. The complete regular season schedule, along with the national television schedules for the U.S. and Canada, will be announced in January, prior to the 2017 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas. 

​Lausanne, Switzerland, December 24, 2016 - As we reach the end of 2016, it is only right for all of us to look back at our sport’s amazing achievements. Within our FIVB family, the growing strength of volleyball and beach volleyball has been no secret. But this year, more than ever before we were able to show our strength and our progress to the whole world. 2016 was the year where we showed that our ambition to be the number one family sport entertainment in the world is not a dream. We stood shoulder to shoulder with the biggest sports of the Olympic Games and the world saw us even better when it came to atmosphere and entertainment.

​Cook and Kohli named captains respectively
 
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced its Test and ODI Teams of the Year. Former Test stalwarts Rahul Dravid, Gary Kirsten and Kumar Sangakkara selected the sides based on players’ performances in the period from 14 September 2015 to 20 September 2016.

​Ibrahim Marcel Koroma
 
Swedish Division 1 Södra side, Husqvarna FF are hoping to keep the service of Sierra Leone defender, Ibrahim Marcel Koroma for another season.
 
The Swedish third tier league side who signed the former FC Kallon and Lyngby Boldklub defender in April 2016 hopes to tie him up for another season as his current contract with the club has ran out. 

​Marais Erasmus of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires has won the David Shepherd Trophy for the ICC Umpire of the Year 2016, it was announced today.


Erasmus was voted by the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees as well as the Test playing captains, and he beats off strong competition for this award from his colleagues Richard Illingworth, Bruce Oxenford and Richard Kettleborough.

​Andrew Dykstra (in Photo)
NEW YORK – A total of four players were selected in Stage Two of the 2016 Re-Entry Draft. Re-Entry Process Stage Two results are included below.
 
Players who made themselves available and were not selected in either stage of the Re-Entry Draft are now available to all clubs on a first come, first serve basis. For players who chose to opt out of the Re-Entry process, the Right of First Refusal for the player will remain with his previous club.

​Former Cameroon captain Rigobert Song is fit again after a narrow brush with death when suffering a stroke in early October, he explained in an interview published by French daily L'Equipe on Saturday.
   
"I'm back from the brink," the former Liverpool and West Ham defender who led Cameroon to back-to-back African Cup of Nations declared.

​23 December 2016 – Captain of the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana, Janine van Wyk says it’s a dream come true for her after she signed at two year contract with American club Houston Dash – pending receipt of her P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate.
 
Houston Dash competes in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the USA.

Ghana’s Courage Nanevie’s ambition to become the first Ghanaian to win the monthly table tennis competition was not realized as he lost to a highly ranked Chinese player to deny him the opportunity to play in the final.

Nanevie, an experience player said that he would work harder to improve upon his performance in the next competition.
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Nanevie was bundled out in the semi-finals of the ongoing Westchester monthly table tennis open in the USA after finishing second in his group.

Tarek Abouzeid (EGY) - Kano Pillars Basketball Club v Al Ahly Sporting Club, 2016 FIBA Africa Champions Cup for Men Final Round (EGY), Cairo(Egypt), Group Phase, 12 December 2016
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CAIRO - In their first FIBA Africa Champions Cup appearance since 2012, El Ahly dispatched all their seven opponents to become the continent’s new champions.

Egonu made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016, aged 17
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Lausanne, Switzerland, December 23, 2016 – Italy volleyball player Paola Egonu has been named as one of the top 10 Italians for the Future in one of the country’s leading daily newspapers.

Egonu, who only turned 18 on 18 December, was named as part of a list by Corriere della Sera as being one of the 10 young Italians from politics, business, entertainment and fashion, who represent the future of Italy and how the country will be shaped.

Closing Ceremony, FIBA U18 European Championship 2016, Samsun

SAMSUN, Turkey (FIBA U18 European Championship 2016) – France have claimed gold at the FIBA U18 European Championship in Samsun on Thursday, following a 75-68 win over Lithuania in the Final.
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The French side remained undefeated throughout the tournament to capture the first U18 title since 2006. It is the second gold medal for the 1998-generation after having won the FIBA U16 European Championship in 2014.

​DR Congo coach Florent Ibenge on Friday, 23 December 2016 named a provisional 31-man squad for the Total Africa Cup of Nations Gabon 2017.
 
Defender Jordan Iroko, who has represented France at various youth levels, has been included in the squad after FIFA sanctioned his switch to play for the Leopards. Eight of the squad ply their trade in the DR Congo league with CAF Confederation Cup winners, TP Mazembe contributing five of them.