Hosts cities across Japan have today celebrated 1,000 days to go until the 2019 Rugby World Cup as organisers look ahead to what they anticipate to be an important year of preparation in 2017.

with Argentina, Australia, England, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, South

Africa and Wales automatically qualified courtesy of finishing in the top three of their pools at the

Ethiopian middle-distance runner Miruts Yifter, a double Olympic champion at the 1980 Games in Moscow, has died in Toronto at the age of 72.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused to ban New Zealand, whose national rugby union team had toured South

Africa - banned from the Olympics because of its apartheid policies - earlier in 1976 in defiance of

Japan have ended the year top of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Rankings, after the final list for 2016 was released.

from 5,669 to 5,699.Second place is unchanged with the United States remaining on 4,928 points, with South

ascent in 2016, having risen 20 places to 51st place in the world from previously being unranked.South Africa

Alviro Petersen has been banned for two years by Cricket South Africa (CSA) after he admitted trying

The 36-year-old, who has played 36 tests, 21 one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches for South

Africa, pleaded guilty to 13 separate charges to breaches of the CSA’s Anti-Corruption Code for Personnel.These

Petersen played 36 tests, 21 one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals for South Africa

The coach that guided Fiji’s rugby sevens team to Olympic gold at Rio 2016 has said the squad should split from the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) in order to ensure they are properly managed.

to England in the quarter-finals of the Cape Town Sevens earlier this month, a week after losing to South

Africa in the final of the Dubai Sevens.Since leaving his post as Fiji coach, Ryan has been performing

The 48 international sides invited to compete at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games have been unveiled today as The Bahamas braces itself to host the event’s largest-ever programme of team sports.

Australia, Bahamas, Cyprus, England, Ghana, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, South

Africa and Trinidad and Tobago.Contesting the women’s competition will be Australia, Bahamas, Cameroon

Africa and Trinidad and Tobago will compete in the men’s tournament, while Bahamas, Cook Islands, Ghana

, St Kitts and Nevis, South Africa and Turks and Caicos make up the women’s competition."

Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and Wales will battle it out in the women’s competition."

Wolfgang Niersbach has relinquished his membership of both the FIFA Council and UEFA Executive Committee less than a week after losing his appeal against a one-year suspension from all footballing activity.

offered non-cash incentives such as tickets and friendly matches to Warner.The German bid defeated South

Africa by a narrow margin of 12 votes to 11 back in 2000 after New Zealand's Charlie Dempsey abstained

India will end 2016 as the number one ranked side in Test cricket after their comprehensive 4-0 series victory over England.

decimal points - to fifth.They now have 101 points, with the Australians still on 105 and Pakistan and South

Africa both on 102.Alastair Cook's England have plummeted to fifth place ©Getty ImagesAustralia and

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the schedule for February's Women's World Cup qualifier with hosts Sri Lanka drawn with India, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Thailand in Group A.

available with the qualification tournament in Colombo the last chance to earn a spot.Group B features South

Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Scotland and Papua New Guinea with each country playing four pool matches

Stadium on day one, with Ireland playing Zimbabwe at the Mercantile Cricket Association ground.South Africa

with Papua New Guinea at Colombo Cricket Club.Day two will see Pakistan play Bangladesh, Scotland meet South

Africa, Sri Lanka play Ireland and India meet Thailand.Sri Lanka are hosting the tournament in Colombo

Argentina and Spain will meet in fifth-place play-off at the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup in Lucknow after overcoming the respective challenges of England and The Netherlands today.

back into the contest.However, it was not enough to save them from defeat.In the ninth-place play-off, South

Africa were defeated 4-1 by New Zealand, with man of the match Mark Wilcox scoring two early goals to

Reid and Dylan Thomas also scored in a dominant first-half performance, with Courtney Halle scoring South

Belgium claimed a dramatic win over defending champions Germany today to reach the final of the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup in Lucknow, where they will face hosts India.

Australia.Earlier in the day, a last-gasp strike from Koji Yamasaki gave Japan a 2-1 victory over Asian rivals South

13th-place finish in the competition.Kota Watanabe scored in the 55th minute to put Japan into the lead, but South

goal.Yamasaki’s goal arrived from an overtime penalty corner, deflecting in from five metres out to condemn the South

which is scheduled to take place on Sunday (December 18) prior to the final.Tomorrow’s action sees South

Africa meet New Zealand in the ninth-place play-off and Austria go up against Malaysia in the 11th-place

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has revealed that Costa Rica will host the inaugural Beach Flag World Championship in 2017.

member in 2005.Currently, the IFAF is composed of 103 member nations on six continents - North and South

America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.All possess national federations dedicated solely to American

French duo Charles Dorange and Tim Mourniac took the early lead in the Nacra 15 competition at the Youth Sailing World Championships in Auckland as the class made its first-ever appearance at the event.

Borcherding of the United States and Italy’s Alexandra Stalder and Silvia Speri.Mack van den Eerenbeemt of South

Africa, who has previously competed at the Youth Olympic Games, holds top spot in the boy's RS:X but

FIFA Council member Wolfgang Niersbach has failed with his appeal against a one-year suspension from all footballing activity for failing to report possible misconduct as part of an investigation into the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

misconduct during Germany's successful bid to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which they were awarded ahead of South

Africa ©Getty ImagesThe verdict on Niersbach comes after German prosecutors gained access to an encrypted

he allegedly made to banned former FIFA vice-president Mohammed bin Hammam.The German bid defeated South

Africa by a narrow margin of 12 votes to 11 back in 2000 after New Zealand's Charlie Dempsey abstained

Russia beat holders United States 16-15 in a sudden-death penalty shootout to earn their place in the semi-finals of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Women's Youth Water Polo Championships at the Sir Owen Glenn National Aquatic Centre in Auckland.

and Canada will subsequently contest the 11th-place play-off.Meanwhile, Japan claimed a 15-7 win over South

Africa in the 13th-place play-off.The semi-finals are scheduled to take place tomorrow.They will be