By Nick Butler at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte CarloLima will host the 130th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in 2017 after defeating Helsinki in an election here.

won comfortably with 54 votes, against 30 for its Finnish rival.It will be the third IOC Session on South

D.C. will launch a bid.Other countries reportedly considering attempts are Germany, Qatar, Istanbul, South

Africa, Italy, Azerbaijan and France.Contenders for the 2024 Olympics must submit their candidacies

Qatar, Azerbaijan, Germany, Turkey, France, Italy and South Africa might have something to say about

If successful, it would mark the third IOC Session in South America in a four year period, following

By David Owen at the Fairmont Hotel in Monte CarloSenior International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Sam Ramsamy is soon to be given a leadership role on the Durban 2022 Commonwealth Games bid team, in a signal that the bid is finally poised to crank up into higher gear, insidethegames understands.

Federation General Assembly.The Durban Commonwealth Games bid is seen in some influential circles in South

Africa as a possible prelude to a bid from the city for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.If it proceeds

with this ambition, Durban may very well face a domestic rival for the right to be South African candidate-city

October 2014: Exclusive: Evaluation Commission for 2022 Commonwealth Games announcedSeptember 2014: South

African Government is "engaged" in Durban bid for 2022 Commonwealth GamesMay 2014: South Africa calls

By Paul OsborneSouth Africa have won the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens after a superb 33-7 victory over

star of the show in the Sevens Stadium as he matched brilliant attack with sturdy defence to power South

Africa to victory.It was Smith who posted the first points on the board after a strong burst down the

the Aussies to level the score through Pama Fau just before the break.The second half was where the South

We didn't play our best in Australia but this was a fantastic event for us," said South African captain

South Africa over powered Australia to cruise to a 33-7 victory in the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens

By Nick ButlerA bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup could form part of a three-pronged Italian effort to host major sporting events, with plans to stage the 2022 Ryder Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics also in place.

Not just Rome and Milan but also in the south, either Palermo or Bari and also to Genoa, Turin and Florence

edition due to take place in Japan.But, with Ireland having also formal confirmed a bid yesterday, and South

Africa, Argentina and the United States other potential contenders, the competition is likely to remain

By Nick ButlerAn All-Ireland bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup has been given the green light this morning by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU).

Although no opposition has been confirmed, there is likely to be a strong international challenge, with South

Africa, Argentina, Italy and the United States other nations reportedly considering bids.Of these, South

Africa is considered an early favourite, although Durban's bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and a

possible South African bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics could take priority.No date

By Nick ButlerConfusion has reigned ahead of the scheduled start of the African Sports Council Regional Five Youth Games in Bulawayo today, with the Opening Ceremony delayed, teams and equipment having not arrived and venues for several sports not ready. 

due to take place from today until December 15 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city 220 miles to the south-west

had still reportedly not arrived.As well as the host country, athletes from Angola, Lesotho, Namibia, South

Africa, the Seychelles and Swaziland and are also due to compete in a range of Olympic and Paralympic

By Emily GoddardAustralia are leading the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series seedings after three wins on the opening day of the first round in Dubai.

stake for the top four teams at the end of the series next May, the squad saw off competition from South

Africa, France and Spain to take wins of 36-0, 24-10 and 39-0 respectively at the Sevens Stadium in

facing France and the US battling Canada in the quarterfinals, while the bowl semi-finals will see South

Africa facing China and Spain taking on Brazil.Contacting the writer of this story at emily.goddard@

Africa, China and France become core sides for Women's Rugby Sevens World Series

By Paul OsborneThe eyes of the rugby sevens world will be firmly fixed on the United Arab Emirates over the next couple of days as the 2014-2015 Women's Sevens Series gets underway in Dubai.

DubaiOctober 2014: Women's rugby sevens confirmed for Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth GamesSeptember 2014: Fiji, South

Africa, China and France become core sides for Women's Rugby Sevens World SeriesJuly 2014: Canada and

By Paul OsborneThe International Triathlon Union (ITU) has confirmed a number of key dates on the Para-triathlon calendar for 2015 as the sport prepares to make its Paralympic debut at Rio 2016.

According to current dates, the seasonis due to start in London, South Africa with the 2015 East London

seventies a few of us were chatting to the late boxing promoter Harry Levene about his recent holiday in South

Africa, a country then still in the vicious stranglehold of apartheid."

sexist and homophobic.A sample of the axed Cardiff boss's charmless musings includes the following:On South

By Brian OliverWhen the sport finished it was party time in Almaty, host city for the 2014 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships that concluded on November 16. The grand ballroom at the Royal Tulip hotel was the venue for the end-of-event banquet, a lavish affair that featured singing, dancing, traditional music, awards presentations and a feast of Kazakh food.The expensive wine flowed freely, nowhere more than on the Chinese delegation's tables. Athletes, coaches and officials, most of them dressed in the team's vivid western-style leisurewear, repeatedly toasted each other and were clearly there to enjoy themselves.When the compere asked...

Our country and South Korea are divided, and hostile.

They want to use weightlifting to invite the world - even South Korea and the United States - to North

It was historic because, for the first time, a South Korean sports team competed north of the border:

The one that really mattered was that South Korea should be invited.

Now there are 10,000 worldwide, from Brazil to South Africa, to Australia to China, and this has helped

By Paul OsborneLondon 2012 Olympic gold medallist Claressa Shields spent just 11 seconds in the ring in her opening bout of the Women's World Boxing Championships at the Halla Gymnasium in Jeju City as she began her pursuit for a first senior world title.

The American 75 kilogram boxer took just three seconds to end the challenge of Uganda's East Africa

today.Kovacs, who would go on to take the European title, was favourite to secure her third world title in South

By Nick ButlerZambia's Government has been praised for providing financial support for five young Para-athletes to attend an international competition.

1,200 under 20 athletes expected to attend from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, South

Africa, the Seychelles and Swaziland, as well as Zambia and Zimbabwe.The event, which consists of both

By Daniel EtchellsHundreds of international martial artists will descend on Scotland this weekend as the 2014 Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships take place in Edinburgh.

included on the programme of sports for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, to be held in either Durban in South

Africa or Edmonton in Canada.Among the competitors at the Championships is Great Britain's Jade Jones