The dialogue phase of the process for selecting hosts for the next two men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups has started.

World Rugby announced a three-phase model as its new Rugby World Cup host selection process in August

by both the interest and level of conversations to date, which reflects the attractiveness of this new

 The next women's Rugby World Cup is due to take place in New Zealand later year, while France is

Double Youth Olympic Games champion Eileen Gu has become the first Chinese athlete to win a gold medal at the X Games, winning the women's ski superpipe contest in Aspen.

Megan Oldham of Canada.American Jamie Anderson won the women's snowboard slopestyle, with 19-year-old New

perform tricks off the "knuckle" - the lower section - of the big air jump.Another 19-year-old from New

Zealand, Nico Porteous, took the men's ski superpipe title.Colorado's own Aaron Blunck and Birk Irving

British construction company Winvic has earned the contract to transform Edgbaston in time for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Warwickshire County Cricket Club.Winvic is set to deliver improvement works to the venue, including a new

eight-team tournament.Australia are currently top of the rankings with England second.India are third, New

Zealand are fourth, South Africa are fifth and Pakistan sit seventh with these countries in pole position

Ty Stofflet, considered one of the greatest pitchers to have graced a softball field, has died at the age of 79.

named the top pitcher and Most Valuable Player at the 1976 tournament which was jointly won by the US, New

Zealand and Canada after the playoffs were rained off.The 20-innings battle between Stofflet and New

Zealand great Kevin Herlihy is regarded as one of the most enthralling duels in the history of men's

softball.Stofflet pitched 18 2/3 perfect innings, retiring 56 men in a row before hitting New Zealand

Terry Nunns said Stofflet "was awesome that night, and Kevin had a ripper of a game too", according to New

World champion sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have been awarded the New Zealand Olympic Committee's

 "The NZOC thanks them for their contribution to sport and to New Zealand society."

It’s an honour to represent New Zealand and we are grateful to the NZOC for this acknowledgement," said

We’re looking forward to flying the New Zealand flag on the world stage."

Russia’s 2017 world long jump silver medallist Darya Klishina, New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin, winner

Two-time Commonwealth Games boxing gold medallist David Nyika will make his professional debut next month as he prepares to compete at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The 25-year-old will face Jesse Maio in an all-New Zealand bout next month.The fight will feature on

It kind of made sense to take this opportunity and basically get more competition here in New Zealand

," Nyika told Radio New Zealand."

is due to contest the men’s heavyweight division at Tokyo 2020, where he would become the first male New

Zealand boxer to compete at the Olympics since Athens 2004.Nyika has enjoyed success at the Commonwealth

Canada and The Netherlands started International Skating Union (ISU) Speed Skating World Cup in Heerenveen with gold medals in the women's and men's team pursuit respectively.

winning time of 3min 40.33sec was the fourth-fastest recorded on the Thialf track.Peter Michael of New

Zealand was victorious in one of two men's mass start semi-finals ©Getty ImagesSverre Lunde Pedersen

with home skater Marijke Groenewoud leading women's qualification for the final and Peter Michael of New

Zealand the most impressive of the men's races.The next two days will see the finals of the individual

The postponed Women's World Team Squash Championship in Malaysia has been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

of events, culminating with the 2021 WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship, which will take place New

Zealand in December of this year."

Frenchman Jean-Claude Goudon was crowned Virtual Vendée Globe champion after coming out on top in a race that went down to the wire.

:17:39 seconds while Maxime Thomas of France came third in 68:22:18:34.Skippers from Great Britain, New

Zealand, Australia, Poland and Italy also ranked highly in the final standings.The fourth edition of

"Four years ago, during the last edition of the Vendée Globe, we welcomed 450,000 players.For this new

The decision to strip Belarus of host status for this May’s Men's World Ice Hockey Championship comes almost 50 years to the day after the first Hockey World Cup on grass was postponed because of fears that the competition would take place in "an atmosphere of violence".

Argentina were selected on recent results to represent their respective continents, while Australia and New

Zealand contested the one spot for Oceania.In a progress report for World Hockey, Farooq Mazhar wrote

Pakistan have won the World Cup a record four times ©Getty ImagesOn New Years eve 1970, some 200 members

International Floorball Federation (IFF) has confirmed the participants for the Men’s Under-19 World Floorball Championships, after the governing body were forced to cancel remaining qualification events due to coronavirus.

rankings.The final three qualifiers were called off due to coronavirus concerns ©IFFAustralia, Japan and New

Zealand have been confirmed as the final AOFC qualifiers, while Canada has secured the Americas spot.Poland

joined by Switzerland, Denmark and Germany in Group B.Group C includes Slovenia, Russia, Canada and New

Zealand, with Norway, Poland, Japan and Australia featuring in Group D.Teams in Groups A and B will

Auckland City have pulled out of the rescheduled 2020 FIFA Club World Cup due to coronavirus restrictions in place in their home country.

FIFA said discussions had been held with New Zealand Football and the Oceania Football Confederation

body conceded it was "not possible to reach a solution" because of quarantine measures required by the New

Zealand authorities.Auckland, who were nominated as OFC’s representative for the FIFA Club World Cup

Club World Cup but have now withdrawn ©Getty Images"Despite FIFA’s regular exchanges with the club, New

Zealand Football and the OFC in recent days, the requirements of the New Zealand authorities in relation

The Cook Island Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) has welcomed record numbers of participants competing at the Cook Island Beach Games.

and people playing more sport since the Cook Island Games, so we're really pleased," Lewis told Radio New

Zealand."

touch rugby are among the highlights of the programme.The CISNOC had hoped athletes from Australia and New

Zealand would be able to participate at the Games.Neither country were able to attend due to ongoing

The England netball side are to face an all-star team from the country's Vitality Netball Superleague in lieu of international games against Jamaica, which had to be called off because of the coronavirus crisis.

squad for the All Stars has not yet been announced, but England Netball said it will likely include New

extensive planning and contact with Public Health England, we are delighted to announce these exciting new

Commonwealth Games champions.The team's last taste of international competition came in the form of a tour of New

Zealand in October and November, although England lost all three games versus the reigning world champions