• BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells) and Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome) reclaim the accolades they won in 2017, while Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open and St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy receive awards for the first time
• Petra Kvitova lands Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for sixth consecutive year, as Bethanie Mattek-Sands picks up her first Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award 
• Sascha Bajin receives first-ever WTA Coach of the Year honors

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced today the winners of the annual year-end tournament and player awards, as voted for by the players themselves. In addition, members of the WTA Coach Program voted for the first ever WTA Coach of the Year.

The WTA Tournament of the Year Award winners have received recognition from WTA players due to the excellence of their staff and organization, passionate fans, and wider dedication to the sport and its athletes.  ​

© Andrew Smith
A winner has been selected in the IAAF’s contest for the best photograph of the year taken by a fan photographer.
Held alongside the Photograph of the Year award for professional photographers, fan photographers were invited to submit their own entries via social media. The four finalists in the contest for professional photographers formed the panel to determine the winner of the contest for fan photographers.
The winning entry came from Andrew Smith, whose photograph of Mo Farah at London’s Big Half impressed the panellists.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am!” said Smith. “I went to spectate at the Big Half to watch my club-mates from Headington Road Runners. I was stood on the barriers just close to the halfway point and tried to ensure I had a clear view of the moment Mo Farah came round the corner. I took a burst of about 50 photographs to try to catch the perfect image.

Following the conclusion of the Copa Libertadores 2nd Leg in Madrid yesterday, FIFA has announced the final squad list for this year’s FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018.  
With the River Plate securing an 3-1 victory in extra-time over Boca Juniors at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu last night, ‘Los Millonarios’ complete the line-up for the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018 and will join CD Guadalajara, Esperance de Tunis, Kashima Antlers, Real Madrid CF, Team Wellington FC and Arabian Gulf League champions, Al Ain FC at the competition, which takes place in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi this year from 12-22 December 2018.  

MIES, Switzerland - FIBA's Central Board met for the second and final time in 2018 on Friday-Saturday, December 7-8.
Here are the key decisions, updates and main takeaways from the meeting.

Andreas Zagklis unanimously appointed Secretary General
The Central Board unanimously agreed to appoint Andreas Zagklis as new FIBA Secretary General, filling the role that had been vacant since the tragic death of Patrick Baumann on October 13 in Buenos Aires.

House of Basketball to honor Patrick Baumann
Central Board member Richard Carríon proposed that FIBA honor the late Patrick Baumann by having the FIBA headquarters carry his name. FIBA President Horacio Muratore praised the idea and the rest of the Board expressed its full support.

The 5th edition of the Bukom Fist of Fury Boxing League lived up to expectations as the 16 bouts event spiced with some juvenile fights went well.
The crowd and management of Deep Sea 68 entertainment centre at James Town were very thrilled with the quality exhibition of amateur boxing and called for more boxing events at the venue.
Bantamweight Samuel Owoo of The Gym fought well but lost to Samuel Takyi of Discipline gym. Light welterweight Abram MacBruce of The Gym also did well but found Samuel O. Lamptey of Discipline too tough. 
Middleweight Mubarak Abubakar of The Gym beat Jonathan Tetteh of Discipline as Segbedzi Sampson of The Gym won over Azumah Mohammed of Discipline in a welter weight division.
Quacoo Avorgo of PPBA lost to Bawa Sharif of Wisdom in another interesting welterweight fray.
Dan Otoo Ankra of PPBA was not much for Theo Allotey of Wisdom in their lightweight encounter.

​Forbes interviews the founder of APO Group, a leading media relations consulting firm and press release distribution service in Africa and the Middle East
NEW YORK, United States of America, December 10, 2018/ -- Franco-Gabonese entrepreneur Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard is the founder of the APO Group (www.apo-opa.com), a leading media relations consulting firm and press release distribution service in Africa and the Middle East. The company, which Pompigne-Mognard founded in 2007, employs close to 80 employees across its offices in Switzerland, Dubai, Senegal and Hong Kong, and has an annual turnover of several million dollars. APO's bluechip clients include GE Africa, Dangote Group and DHL among others.

Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard recently stepped down as CEO of APO Group, and will now assume the position of Chairman, focusing on delivering high-level counsel for APO Group clients and developing his own investment fund dedicated to Africa.

He recently recounted the story of APO's early beginnings and mused on the evolution of the media relations business in Africa.

​Their day two kicked off with the Challenge Trophy Quarterfinal where they lost 31-34 to Argentina, the eventual Challenge Trophy winners. This loss automatically dropped them to the 13th place semi final where they played the loser of the third Challenge Trophy between Canada and Zimbabwe
NAIROBI, Kenya, December 10, 2018/ -- Shujaa (ShujaaPride.com) wrapped up their Cape Town7s campaign two positions higher than they did in Dubai7s last weekend. The team finished in the third place after seeing off Wales Rugby 33-26 in the final.

Their day two kicked off with the Challenge Trophy Quarterfinal where they lost 31-34 to Argentina, the eventual Challenge Trophy winners. This loss automatically dropped them to the 13th place semi final where they played the loser of the third Challenge Trophy between Canada and Zimbabwe. Canada beat Zimbabwe 28-24 for the 13th place semifinal to be repeat of the Africa7s Final between Shujaa and Zimbabwe.

Shujaa beat Zimbabwe 31-19 as Johnstone Olindi, Daniel Taabu, Dennis Ombachi scored a try each while Vincent Onyala scored a brace. Taabu added two conversions while Olindi added one. Zimbabwe scored three tries through Shingirai Katsvere and Stephan Hunduza(2). Hunduza and Tarisai Mugariri booted in one conversion each. Shujaa advanced to the 13th Place final where they met Wales who beat Japan 28-7 in the other semifinal.

Sports marketing agency, Stillwater Sports has welcomed Vital Health Foods as a partner to eleven major sporting events in 2019.
“We are proud to partner with South Africa’s leading vitamin and health supplement brand,” says Michael Meyer, Managing Director Stillwater Sports.  “Catering for entrants of various ages, our events focus on a healthy lifestyle while encouraging people to enjoy the outdoors.  With Vital as a partner in 2019 we look forward to growing this trend and welcoming more participants to all eleven of our events which include:  the PUMA School of Speed (of which there are five), Totalsports Women’s Race (Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town) and the FNB Run Your City Series (FNB Cape Town 12 ONERUN, FNB Joburg 10K CITYRUN and FNB Durban 10K CITYSURFRUN).

Coca-Cola® celebrates a fruitful partnership through its sponsorship of the Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week (KMCW).
The 40 year milestone marks the commitment and dedication to the development of young cricketers across the country.
The Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week saw players like AB De Villiers, Graeme Smith, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, Quinton De Kock, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi who all played for their provincial teams at the Khaya Majola Cricket Week over the years.
The Coca-Cola® Khaya Majola Cricket Week plays an important part in Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) talent identification process. Talented players spotted at the tournament are channelled into the national under-19 system and into the elite academies in the provinces. The week tournament also provides a stage for the players who have come through CSA’s development structures to perform in top cricketing franchises.

UEFA Champions League sponsor Heineken collaborated with Outdoor Network to roll out a national campaign across Outdoor Network’s digital network, inviting football fans to watch some of the world’s biggest teams go head to head on television.
This provided a platform for Heineken and the globally watched UEFA Champions League to build anticipation and drama, leading up to the final in Kiev, Ukraine.
Outdoor Network was able to tap into strategically located digital out-of-home sites in key locations across its national network, while at the same time offer up groundbreaking digital LED rotating billboard technology that provided real-time dynamic content change, which was a first in South Africa.

The International Olympic Committee has announced that it is premature to talk about adding esports as a medal event at the Olympic Games due to concerns within the industry.
Notable concerns where that some egames are not compatible with the Olympic values and therefore cooperation with them is excluded and the industry is too commercially driven, while on the other hand the sports movement is values-based.
The committee further raised the concern that the industry is evolving rapidly, with rapid development towards augmented reality and virtual popularity of specific games has led to a fragmented industry.
The 7th Olympic Summit though did acknowledge that the Olympic Movement should continue to engage with the community, whilst at the same time acknowledging that uncertainties remain.
Agreement was made that the sports movement is in competition with the esports/egames industry for the leisure time of young people, whilst competitive gaming too entails physical activity which can be compared to that required in more traditional sports.

Some of the world’s best beach tennis players are preparing to jet into South Africa for the forthcoming KIA Summer Slam Beach Tennis Tour.
The KIA Summer Slam beach tennis tour gets underway in Cape St. Francis and St. Francis Bay from tomorrow (8thDecember). The series culminates in a $25 000 prize money tournament in Plettenberg Bay – which will be one of the five richest beach tennis tournaments in the world.
David Sieff, Marketing Director, KIA Motors South Africa is excited about the new events: “KIA Motors has a longstanding association with tennis globally through the Australian Open, but also locally through our association with Team South Africa and Davis Cup,” he says. “We are very excited to now extend our partnership to beach tennis. It’s a fun and fresh format that is open to everyone, regardless of experience or skills. More than that, it is absolutely action packed! We look forward to seeing South African holidaymakers putting their skills to test against some of the best in the world.”

Cyclists riding in the bright South African sunlight are set to benefit from a new distribution agreement between Positive Sports Solutions and RYDERS Eyewear.
This is the latest in a series of contracts the SA distribution cycling company has set up as part of its mission to make high-end brands available to the market in the Southern African Development Community.
These include HEAD bikes, Gipiemme wheels, Westfalia bike racks, ControlTech cycling components and LUCK shoes.
Founded in North Vancouver, Canada, some three decades ago, RYDERS eyewear has been established as one of the top cycling accessories.
Simon G Edmonds of RYDERS Eyewear South Africa said they were delighted to join forces with Positive Sports Solutions to expand their operations in southern Africa.

The Takealot Tour of Good Hope’s elevation to UCI status for 2019 will ensure that one of South Africa’s premier road tours is a drawcard for local and international competitors.
It is the first time that the five-day race, which takes place in the Cape Winelands from March 4 to 8, will have UCI points up for grabs and Cycling SA general manager Mike Bradley believed it would benefit riders across the board.
He said it was the national body’s aim to develop more UCI-classified races and they had, therefore, approached race organisers ASG Events to consider this option.
With the documentation completed, the Tour of Good Hope has received UCI 2.2 status. It joins the only other event in South Africa with a similar ranking, the Tour de Limpopo.
Bradley said their top priority was to create more opportunities for South African riders to earn UCI points.
“Having these sorts of races is important, particularly at this time because from now until October it is Olympic qualification year,” he said.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has launched a new YouTube channel featuring players and fans in partnership with Canadian over-the-top (OTT) streaming service Broadband TV (BBTV).
The NBA Playmakers channel will focus on original cultural programming that mixes digital influencers and followers with the league’s marquee players, teams, and events, including All-Star, the NBA Draft and NBA Summer League.
“This community of creators has become part of the NBA family and has helped us connect with fans in a new way,” said Jeff Marsilio, NBA’s senior vice president for New Media Distribution. “We’re excited to launch this channel to further reach and engage our passionate fans through unique content.”
BBTV and NBA first partnered in 2009, with BBTV managing fan-uploaded NBA content on YouTube.
They then launched the NBA Playmakers network in 2016 to distribute ‘basketball-culture content’ with exclusive access to NBA resources including footage, tickets, and merchandise.
In addition, the new YouTube channel will cover an array of topics across basketball culture, fitness, training, entertainment, fashion, and gaming, and will also be cross-promoted on the NBA’s social media outlets, which share a combined global reach of 1.5 billion subscribers.

Danielle McEwan, 27, is an American professional ten-pin bowler from Stony Point, New York. In the recent Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) –World Bowling Tour Thailand tournament, she defeated Stuart Williams of England in the decisive game, 225-179, to win the tournament and the 1 million Baht top prize (26.760 €). She is our Athlete of November 2018! 

The 215th IAAF Council Meeting made a range of competition decisions this week on subjects including rule changes, entry standards and programme changes for World Athletics Series events, and the new World Rankings system. These are detailed below:
RulesCouncil approved the new Bidding Rules, effective 1 January 2019, after conducting a pilot process this year, which resulted in the selection of Budapest as the host of the 2023 World Championships. This process, whereby the IAAF Council selects an area to host the event, and then a bid evaluation panel recommends a host city from interested candidates, will be adopted for World Athletics Championships and World Indoor Championships initially, and eventually for all World Athletics Series events.
A proposal was made to amend Rule 163.4 (lane infringement) in the wake of the number of disqualifications during the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham this year, but the Council did not accept the recommendation, asking for further information. This means Rule 163.4 remains unchanged for the 2019 indoor season.

Over the course of the next three months, representatives of the six confederations and FIFA will consider the sporting matters related to the possibility of establishing an overhauled FIFA Club World Cup and a worldwide Nations League.
The task force responsible for analysing the possibility of establishing an overhauled FIFA Club World Cup, as well as a worldwide Nations League, held its first meeting today, 9 December 2018, in Paris.
In order to further strengthen the ongoing consultation process, about the prospect of organising the two new competitions, in October 2018 the FIFA Council decided to set up a dedicated task force, whose work should be overseen by the Bureau of the Council.
The task force is composed of members appointed by each of the six confederations — AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA — and FIFA, and is chaired by FIFA Deputy Secretary General (Football) Zvonimir Boban.

61 year old Meredith Mills from California in the USA shocked many youth at the Marina Mall on Saturday morning when she run a good time to win the first ever Women’s 5K Run organized by the Millennium Marathon Sports Ltd.
South African Jemine Madiga was second and Abigail K. Asare, a student placed third in the race that attracted almost 1,000 participants.
The objective of the event was to raise awareness and funds for the country’s mental hospitals and educate the public to love people with mental problems.
Mrs. Catherine Morton, the race director expressed her joy over the participation and enthusiasm and contribution of participants in other events and challenges like washing with omo, squatting and tee shirt design competition.

At the invitation of the International Olympic Committee, the leading representatives of the Olympic Movement met in Lausanne today for the 7th Olympic Summit.
The Olympic Summit involves the leading representatives of the Olympic Movement. It forms part of the ongoing dialogue and consultation on important issues and subjects of significance for the future of the Olympic Movement.
The main areas under discussion were the following:  
- The Athletes’ Rights and Responsibilities Declaration
- Progress in making the anti-doping system independent of sporting organisations and national interests – including the progress of the International Testing Agency
- Good governance
- Multi-sports events and the sports calendar
- The allocation of international sports events and the right of athletes to compete without discrimination
- The approach of the Olympic Movement to esports/egames

The Draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 took place at La Seine Musicale in Paris this evening. Hosts France will take on Korea Republic in the competition’s opening match at the Parc des Princes on 7 June at 21:00 (local time). Norway and Nigeria were also drawn in Group A. 
The draw was conducted by FIFA Legends Alex Scott and Louis Saha, who brought the same flair that they displayed on the football pitch to the draw event. A dazzling line-up of assistants including Didier Deschamps, Marie Bochet, Kaká, Cindy Cone, Michael Essien, Aya Miyama and Steffi Jones lent a helping hand in the draw, as the 24 nations participating in the FIFA Women’s World Cup found out whom they will play next year in France. 

Lausanne, 8 December 2018 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an urgent request for provisional measures filed yesterday by CA Boca Juniors in which it sought to suspend the second leg of the final of the Copa Libertadores 2018 between CA Boca Juniors and CA River Plate to be played in the stadium Santiago Bernabéu on 9 December 2018 in Madrid, following the decision of the Cámara de Apelaciones of CONMEBOL rejecting on 6 December 2018 the appeal and request of CA Boca Juniors to disqualify CA River Plate from the Copa Libertadores 2018.

MIES, Switzerland - FIBA's Central Board on Friday unanimously agreed to appoint Andreas Zagklis as new FIBA Secretary General.
Currently Director Legal Services and General Counsel, Andreas Zagklis was hired by FIBA in 2016 after having acted for 9 years as its external legal advisor. His appointment becomes effective as of 8 December 2018.
A Greek national, Andreas Zagklis, 38, has been active in basketball for more than 20 years.
FIBA President Horacio Muratore said: "I'm very pleased that we have chosen our fourth Secretary General from among our own management team. A true basketball person, Andreas knows very well our organization and he is the right person to lead FIBA following the strategy adopted by the FIBA Congress. We are all convinced that he will put all efforts in making basketball the most popular sports community in the world, FIBA's vision."

Ghana’s Isaac Dogboe aka the Royal Storm has lost his World Boxing Organisation WBO world super bantamweight title to tall and tough Mexican Emmanuel Navarette in the United States.
The fight which was held at the Madison Square Garden was his second title defence, and the Voltarian Isaac Dogboe failed to produce the devastating skill and dexterity that saw him beat the likes of Magdaleno and Juarez earlier this year.
Dogboe who until now had gone 20 fights without defeat lasted the entire 12 rounds but he struggled for the majority of the rounds.
The very fit and stronger Navarrete took the fight to Dogboe over the first half of the bout, but Dogboe came back after Navarrete injured his right hand. Navarrete had a big round ten, rocking Dogboe, and dominated the rest of the fight.

Sixteen captains lined up at the iconic Robben Island Blue Frame ahead of the HSBC Cape Town Sevens, which takes place this weekend at the Cape Town Stadium. 

Cape Town is the second stop on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019 and follows on from a thrilling opening round in Dubai last weekend, where New Zealand claimed the title for the first time in nine years. 

The competition kicks off at 10:15 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday, 8 December when Canada take on Scotland before the other Pool D match sees Australia, who placed fourth in Dubai, face Wales.  
Next up will be the Pool C matches involving Dubai bronze medallists England, Fiji, France and Kenya.

Argentina, runners-up in Cape Town last year, will face Spain in Pool B followed by Dubai runners-up USA taking on new core team Japan.

Defending champions New Zealand will join hosts South Africa, Samoa and invitational team Zimbabwe in Pool A. South Africa will wear a specially-designed jersey as part of the centenary celebrations of the life of the late Nelson Mandela.