Tokyo, 19 March 2019 – The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) announced today that it has concluded an agreement with the Nippon Life Insurance Company (Nippon Life) and NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION (NTT) under which they will serve as Presenting Partners of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay partnership programme consists of three tiers, of which Presenting Partners—the highest tier—are permitted to recruit torchbearers and conduct promotional activities using the Olympic Torch Relay emblem.

​ll is set for the third edition of the Kwese Sevens Tournament which will be hosted at the Harare Sports Club Machinery Exchange Stadium on the 23rd and 24th of Match
HARARE, Zimbabwe, March 18, 2019/ --  Harare Province Under-21 reaches semi-finals

All is set for the third edition of the Kwese Sevens Tournament which will be hosted at the Harare Sports Club Machinery Exchange Stadium on the 23rd and 24th of Match. The tournament will feature 10 senior men’s teams, five women’s teams and six local school teams who will play a total of 57 matches in two days. Zambezi Cheetahs, Zimbabwe’s senior men’s side are on a quest to reclaim the title they lost to Kenya in last year’s final after having won the inaugural edition in 2017 in Victoria Falls. Matches will be played win a round robin format where three points are awarded for a victory, two points for a draw, one point for a loss and no points for a no show. Meanwhile the Lady Cheetahs are the crowd favourites in the women’s edition as they meet Botswana and Zambia. Prince Edward School and Churchill Boys High Schools will be a main attraction in the schools boys section as the age old rivalry between the two sides has always drawn a sizeable crowd in Harare.

Bianca Andreescu picked up the first WTA Premier Mandatory title of the season at the BNP Paribas Open - her maiden WTA title - to jump 10 spots on the Porsche Race to Shenzhen Leaderboard at No.5.

Angelique Kerber, 2016 WTA Finals runner-up, also enters the Top 8 on the Leaderboard at No.7 following a run to the final at Indian Wells, while Belinda Bencic improves to No.3 after reaching the semifinals.

Indian Wells doubles champions Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka soar 25 spots on the doubles Leaderboard to No.5, as the Chan sisters rise to the No.1 position following their semifinal run.

NEW YORK (Monday, March 18, 2019) – D.C. United forward Wayne Rooney was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for the third week of the 2019 MLS season.
 
Rooney helped D.C. United to a dominant 5-0 victory over Real Salt Lake at Audi Field on Saturday with three goals and one assist, the first hat trick of his MLS career. After posting its third consecutive shutout, D.C. sits tied atop the Eastern Conference with seven points (2-0-1 overall record).
 
The English icon opened the scoring after converting a penalty kick in the 34th minute to give D.C. United a 1-0 advantage (watch goal). Moments later, Rooney added a second goal in the 41st minute with a calmly finished flick over the goalkeeper from the center of the box to give D.C. a 2-0 lead (watch goal).

Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien signs for Azerbaijan top-tier side Sabail FK.
Michael Essien has signed for his eighth club abroad and heis expected to be with the club formed three years ago until 2020, but he will be coaching at the u-19 side as well during his stay.
Essien has been a free agent since ending his contract with Indonesian side Persib Bandung in March 2018.
Michael Essien who started his football career in Ghana with Mighty Victory colts club and Liberty Professionals has played for several clubs abroad such as Bastia and Olympique Lyon in France, Chelsea in England, Real Madrid in Spain, AC Milan in Italy, Panathinaikos in Greece, Persib Bandung in Indonesia and now Sabail FK in Azerbaijan.

MIES (Switzerland) - Following Saturday's FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Draw, the full schedule of the competition is available.
Click here to view the schedule online.
You can also download the full schedule here:

MTN, Ghana’s leading telecommunications service provider, has launched its 4G+ service to provide faster data speeds with widest coverage for its customers.
The 4G+ service runs on 4G LTE Advanced technology using the combination of the 800MHz and 2600MHz for carrier aggregation which is an enhancement on the 4G LTE experience.  This provides more capacity and enhanced data speed of up to 20x if migrating from 3G to 4G+ and 5x if migrating from 4G to 4G+.
Announcing the service, the CEO of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh, expressed delight at the extent to which the 4G+ technology will further impact the development of the country as it provides more opportunities for Ghanaians to fully utilize digital services. “The underlying belief we have, which drives us in providing more enhanced technologies, is that everybody deserves the benefits of a modern connected life.”

Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has called on key stakeholders managing the country’s athletes to re-orient their minds from just participating in international athletic championships to winning medals for the nation.
He said the prime focus should be to win medals that would bring glory and honour to Ghana, and not just pride themselves in having qualified to participate.
“Ghana cannot continue to participate in international games for the sake of participation but her presence must be felt to show our solidarity for the growth and development of global sports,” Dr Bawumia said.
He explained that the nation’s presence could be felt if she outlined pragmatic talent development policies and programmes that were consistent with international best practices to achieve the set goals.
Vice President Bawumia made the remarks in Accra at the launch of the Sixth Edition of Ghana’s Fastest Human project aimed at unearthing talents, especially sprinters to win medals for Ghana in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in Japan.

Reigning Olympic champion and world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya has donated one of the shoes in which he sped to victory in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games marathon.
The winning left shoe of the 2018 IAAF World Athlete of the Year will be one of the featured items in the “IAAF Heritage World Athletics Championships Exhibition”, a six-month display which will open in Doha on 18 April.
“I’m really pleased that my career will be permanently represented in the IAAF Heritage Collection,” said Eliud Kipchoge, who has also given a signed copy of the book detailing his world record run in Berlin. “My running career has still far to go but I’m proud to donate one of my shoes from my Rio victory to be preserved for future generations of fans and publicly displayed. I hope it helps to motivate more people to take up the wonderful sport of running.”

SHENZHEN (China) - The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Draw, presented by Wanda, took place in front of 8,000 spectators at Shenzhen Bay Arena on Saturday evening.
The draw sets out the path for the 32 participating teams in their journey to be crowned world champions when FIBA's flagship competition concludes on September 15.

NEW YORK (Friday, March 15, 2019) – The MLS Disciplinary Committee has found Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Victor Rodriguez guilty of simulation/embellishment. Rodriguez has been issued an undisclosed fine for his actions in the 29th minute of Seattle’s match against the Colorado Rapids on March 9 (VIDEO).

Marriott Bonvoy members receive incredible access to the team’s drivers – including five-time FIA Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton – and races throughout the world

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 17, 2019/ -- For the upcoming F1 season, beginning today, Marriott International (www.Marriott.com) is revving up and expanding its marketing partnership with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport. The big winners will be the members of Marriott International’s newly renamed travel program Marriott Bonvoy (MarriottBonvoy.com), which replaced Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton (www.RitzCarlton.com) Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG).

“Our marketing partnership with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team will give Marriott Bonvoy members, many of whom are fans of the team, the opportunity to pursue their passion for the sport,” said Karin Timpone, Global Marketing Officer, Marriott International.

Among some of the money-can’t-buy experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments, the travel program’s experiential platform, members will be able to bid on with their Marriott Bonvoy points are:

Lausanne, 15 March 2019 - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued its decision in the appeal arbitration procedure between the German alpine skier Stefan Luitz and the International Ski Federation (FIS). The athlete’s appeal against the FIS Doping Panel decision dated 9 January 2019 (the Challenged Decision) has been upheld and the Challenged Decision is annulled. Accordingly, Stefan Luitz is no longer disqualified from the giant slalom at the FIS Alpine World Cup Event in Beaver Creek on 2 December 2018, and the order that he forfeit any medals, points and prizes obtained at such event is revoked.

The FIFA Council held its ninth meeting today in Miami, where the members of FIFA’s strategic and decision making body voted on a number of agenda items that will shape the future of international competitions, chief of which was the introduction of a revamped, 24-team FIFA Club World Cup.
The FIFA Council discussed a number of pending issues regarding other upcoming FIFA competitions, having decided on:

• The implementation of the VAR system at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, following what The International Football Association Board acknowledged as a resounding success at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. The regulations for France 2019 have been amended accordingly.

SHENZHEN (China)/TOKYO (Japan) - FIBA and Molten on Friday exclusively revealed the Molten BG5000, a next generation basketball that will make its debut on the biggest stage, at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China.
The BG5000 brings Molten's range of basketballs into a new era. The Japanese manufacturer and basketball's world governing body worked together during the last years on the new ball. The highly-valuable and crucial input of players was sought after and factored into the process. Following extensive testing, the ball received unanimously positive feedback, paving the way for it to be manufactured.The end result is a basketball with markedly improved control and grip performance, as well as an authentic texture. The new surface texture helps give it an ideal grip, even in contact with sweat or moisture. The ball is softer than in the past and therefore easier to control in every moment of the game.

CC Chief Executive David Richardson: “Our thoughts and sincere condolences go out to the families and friends of those affected by this horrendous incident in Christchurch. Both teams, staff and match officials are safe and the ICC fully supports the decision to cancel the Test match.”

SHENZHEN (China) - FIBA has issued the procedure for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Draw, presented by Wanda, which will take place on Saturday, March 16, at Shenzhen Bay Arena at 18:30 local time (GMT +8).
Thirty-two (32) teams have qualified to play in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. They have been distributed into eight (8) pots of four (4) teams each, based on the NIKE FIBA World Ranking Men.
As tournament hosts, China have the right to be placed in Pot 1. They are joined there by number 1 team in the world, USA, #2 Spain and #3 France.
The 28 remaining teams owe their places in pots 2 through to 8 to their position in the Ranking, with one exception.
A change has been made to avoid having two (2) teams from the Americas in the same group. As already four (4) of them - Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, USA and Venezuela - will be drawn in Groups A, C E and G, Canada have been moved from Pot 5 to Pot 6, switching places with Iran, the best ranked team from that pot.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has been awarded the broadcast rights in India and the Subcontinent for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as well as the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020. The Olympic Channel and other IOC digital platforms will also feature highlights and replays of key events.Sony Pictures Networks, an established pay-television network in India, has acquired the rights across all media platforms in India and the Subcontinent, with the exception of the free-to-air rights in Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SPN will provide comprehensive coverage across its multiple platforms.   
In addition to the coverage on Sony’s digital platform, SonyLIV, the Olympic Channel and other IOC digital platforms will feature highlights and replays of key events to supplement SPN’s coverage of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 across India and the Subcontinent. This follows the successful broadcast of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 on the Olympic Channel and other IOC digital platforms.

Tokyo, 15 March 2019 – The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) announced today the launch of its new Tokyo 2020 Robot Project, one of many programmes aimed at ensuring the Tokyo 2020 Games will be the most innovative ever and providing visiting fans with an experience they are unlikely to forget.
The Tokyo 2020 Robot Project brings together experts in the field of robotics, and is supported by Japan’sCabinet Secretariat, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Panasonic Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Tokyo 2020.

London to host first-ever FIFA eNations Cup from 13 to 14 April 2019 
· Twenty nations from six confederations confirmed to compete in event
· Innovative 2v2 team format to also feature at FIFA eNations Cup


Today, FIFA confirmed the full line-up of participating countries who will compete at the first-ever FIFA eNations Cup, as well as the Host City for the inaugural event taking place next month. 


As one of the major events in the EA SPORTS FIFA 19 Global Series, the FIFA eNations Cup is a new addition by FIFA to this season’s professional eFootball calendar and will feature 20 national teams from all six confederations (Concacaf, CONMEBOL, CAF, OFC, AFC and UEFA).


In addition to international glory and a prize pool of USD 100,000 at stake for the teams, players selected by their member association for the FIFA eNations Cup 2019 will also have the chance to win up to 1,500 EA SPORTS FIFA 19 Global Series points, providing them with an opportunity to move up the FIFA 19 Global Series Rankings and take a significant step forward on the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2019.

‘Lead the game like it has never been led before‘ was the action call in Munich this week, as 30 cricketing nations of the ICC joined forces to continue to build momentum for the sport across the continent. 
 
Germany which hosted the three-day conference, is one of cricket’s success stories having seen significant development, expanding from 80 cricket teams in 2012 to 350 today. The main focus of the conference was to consider how to meet the increased appetite for the sport in Europe and the role each national federation can have in driving more people to play the game.
The conference provided an environment for collaboration and how the region can unite to support each other in achieving their individual and collective strategic goals.  The conference introduced new ICC products and services to all countries to help them reach new audiences.
ICC Regional Development Manager, Ed Shuttleworth who heads up the ICC team in Europe was delighted with the conference. “It has been a real privilege to witness ICC European Members unite, inspire and commit to leading the game like it has never been led before.

​The league will kick off with last season’s National League winner Kigali sharks against Lion de fer
KIGALI, Rwanda, March 14, 2019/ -- Rwanda Rugby Federation (RRF) (www.RwandaRugby.com) The Rwanda Rugby national league 15 aside for the 2019 season will get under way on Saturday, according to the Rwanda Rugby Federation (RRF).

The league will kick off with last season’s National League winner Kigali sharks against Lion de fer , Thousand hills vs Remera Buffalloes taking on Red cross ground in kacyiru Kigali. while the day’s other game will be the Southern Province derby between Resilience vs Puma kamonyi and UR grizillies vs Muhanga thunder which will be played on sunday.

Umuhire victorein, the captain of Nyamirambo-based Lion de Fer, said they are prepared for the 2019 season in the league.

Geoffrey Kimani has joined the Rugby Cranes 7s side’s technical bench to support the Ugandan team’s efforts to adequately prepare for the tricky Hong Kong tournament

KAMPALA, Uganda, March 13, 2019/ -- With less than a month left before the Hong Kong 7s kick off, the Guinness sponsored Uganda Rugby Cranes 7s team has stepped up its training regime as it bids to improve on its 2017 quarter final finish at the tournament slated for Friday, April 5 to Sunday, April 7, 2019.

Former Kenya Sevens Strength and Conditioning coach, Geoffrey Kimani has joined the Rugby Cranes 7s side’s technical bench to support the Ugandan team’s efforts to adequately prepare for the tricky Hong Kong tournament. Kimani is not new to the Rugby Cranes 7s as he was part of the teams 2017 success.

“We are grateful to Guinness for their support towards rugby development in the country over the past three years. Thanks to their support, the Rugby 7s have ably represented Uganda on the global stage and as a result, we have witnessed an increase in the number of fans,” Uganda Rugby Union CEO, Ramsey Olinga said.

The Hong Kong 7s is arguably the most valued leg of the World Rugby Sevens series circuit. It’s the seventh tournament on the sevens’ series 2018-2019 calendar, which acts as the principal route for qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Week-long event to feature fan festivals, sponsor events and legend appearances; tickets now on sale via MexTour.org

MEXICO CITY and NEW YORK CITY (Wednesday, March 13, 2019) – The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF), NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, MLS’ FC Dallas, and the Dallas Sports Commission announced today that Ecuador will be Mexico’s rival for the previously-announced Mexican National Team U.S. Tour match on Sunday, June 9, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX – presented by Allstate.

The match marks the first of a landmark four-year agreement between the national team and its local partners to play at AT&T Stadium each year through 2022 and turn North Texas into a “destination” for the squad and its fans. The tour stop in will include a community-wide celebration in downtown Dallas, appearances by Mexican soccer legends, sponsor events and the AT&T Futbol Fiesta on gameday.
  
Tickets for all Mexican National Team tour matches are now on sale via MexTour.org.  Tickets for the Ecuador game are also on sale via SeatGeek.com. The game, presented by Allstate, will serve as Mexico’s last preparation match before participating in this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup.  Ecuador will be gearing up for CONMEBOL’S Copa America.  Both teams are expected to bring their top rosters during the June FIFA dates. ​