By Paul OsborneThe International Cycling Union (UCI) has awarded eight cities the hosting rights to some of its flagship events over the coming years, as a two-day meeting at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne comes to an end.

Czech Republic was named the host of the 2016 Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships, with South

city Apeldoorn as the host of its 2015 Para-Cycling World Championships, while Pietermaritzburg in South

Africa will stage the 2016 edition of the event.During the UCI meeting in Lausanne, the organisation

By Emily GoddardOlympic cyclist Karen Hanlen has been added to the New Zealand squad for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games following surgery that successfully tackled a potentially career-ending health problem.

problems, which arose again at the opening round of the International Cycling Union (UCI) World Cup in South

Africa in May.It was not until medical staff identified the problem to be linked to narrowing in the

They were the first South Americans to do so.The Uruguayan team arriving in Spain for a series of warm-up

They enlisted the support of other members of the South American football confederation (CONMEBOL) and

interested in hosting but they also made it clear that they would not attend a tournament staged in South

ended in glory but they have never lifted the trophy since, although they did reach the semi-finals in South

Africa four years ago.

By Zjan ShirinianPara-triathlon has been pulled from the programme for the International Wheelchair & Amputee Sports (IWAS) World Junior Games 2014 because of a lack of entries.

Games.The first IWAS World Junior Games was held at Stoke Madeville in 2005, with it then going to Ireland, South

Africa, the United States, Switzerland, Czech Republic, United Arab Emirates and Czech Republic again

That was the scenario, after all, which operated with such success during the last World Cup finals in South

Africa four years ago.On one level the 2010 World Cup final was contested by two football teams, Spain

Singapore parakeet.As the World Cup finals progressed, the significant action in stadiums all around South

Africa was supplemented by activity in the Sea Life centre at Oberhausen, in western Germany, where

AFP/Getty ImagesUnerringly, the German resident predicted all seven of the national team's results in South

By Paul OsborneSouth Africa has withdrawn from hosting the FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup in 2016, it

Just seven months after being awarded the tournament, the South African Football Association (SAFA)

informed football's world governing body that it would be withdrawing from hosting the event.South Africa

Africa withdrew.Germany won the 2012 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup in Japan, the last edition of the

Africa for the tournament when it was awarded last December, to pick themselves forward as alternative

Africa to bid for 2019 FIFA Women's World CupMarch 2014: FIFA opens bidding process for eight tournaments

By Gary AndersonThe International Hockey Federation (FIH) has announced two men and two women have been elected to its Athletes' Committee during historic elections at the Hockey World Cup taking place in The Netherlands.

Germany's Moritz Fürste, Australian Liam De Young, Marsha Cox of South Africa and England's Anne Panter

Moritz Fürste has been elected by fellow players to the FIH Athletes' Committee ©Bongarts/Getty Images South

made sure of their advance to the semi-finals of the Hockey World Cup in The Hague with a 3-0 win over South

Australia - who had drawn 0-0 with New Zealand earlier in the day - would join them as runners up ahead of South

12), but China could profit if either slip up in the final round of qualifiers tomorrow.The US face South

Africa, currently second from the bottom above an England team that has lost all four of its matches

as if the women in orange would have an easy time of it, but they were made to work very hard by a South

as Dutch football season endsApril 2014: Hockey World Cup stadium opens in The HagueNovember 2013: South

England, Jamaica, Malawi, South Africa and Fiji are in positions three to seven. 

recognised countries playing the sport in Asia than anywhere else and it is hoped that participating in the South

What is good is that all of the English speaking countries in Africa are now playing.

Given the cheapness and the comparative void in established team sports for women on the continent, Africa

".Like Africa, India is another area in which netball has enjoyed recent growth ©FacebookIt is hoped

By Gary AndersonFIFA has awarded the UK broadcast rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to the BBC and ITV, while German broadcasters ARD and ZDF have secured rights to the 2022 World Cup following a meeting of FIFA's Executive Committee in São Paulo.

UK, which dates back to the 1966 tournament held in England.The UK rights to the 2010 tournament in South

Africa and this year's event in Brazil are believed to have sold for around £220 million ($370 million

By Mike RowbottomArgentina's women continued to set the pace in their group at the halfway point of the Rabobank Hockey  World Cup in The Hague thanks to a 3-0 win over EuroHockey champions Germany - but they lost the services of the women widely recognised as the outstanding female player of all time, Luciana Aymar.

progressing to medal contention disappeared following their third successive defeat, by 4-1, against a South

Africa side eight places below them in the world rankings at number 11.South Africa, who had also lost

as Dutch football season endsApril 2014: Hockey World Cup stadium opens in The HagueNovember 2013: South

By Paul Osborne A slice of the profits from next year's SportAccord International Convention will go to Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF), after the pair signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Convention is yet to be decided, however, three cities, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Durban in South

Africa and Sochi in Russia have expressed their interest to host the event, with Brazil also throwing

By Gary AndersonBritish Olympic Association chairman Sebastian Coe is set to lead the discussions at the first meeting of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Youth Working Group in London later this year.

International Inspiration, young representatives from Azerbaijan, Brazil, Great Britain, Jordan, Palau and South

Africa have been selected to join Coe on the ANOC Youth Working Group.The body is one of nine Commissions

By Mike RowbottomIvo Ferriani will serve a further four years as President of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (FIBT) after receiving a huge majority vote at the FIBT conference in Monaco.

One of my aims is to develop the sport in Africa and Asia because I am sure we will find talented athletes

Cool Runnings, an experiment re-elected FIBT President Ivo Ferriani is confident could be extended to Africa

Four votes went to the remaining contender to Ferriani - Kwang-bae Kang, from South Korea, who was vice-president

By Duncan MackayAfrica will have a greater chance of hosting the Olympics and Paralympics for the first time if proposed changes to the bid process are adopted, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has claimed during a visit to Kenya. 

"Africa has produced excellent athletes and yet has not staged the Olympic Games," Bach told Reuters.

African Olympics", says IOC Athletes' Commission memberMay 2013: I believe there will be a Games bid from Africa

, says Ng Ser MiangFebruary 2013: Africa could host Olympics but suffers from "prejudice" claims HayatouNovember

2012: Hopes of South African Olympic bid rise after report concludes hosting World Cup was worth "intangible

legacy"April 2012: Exclusive: South African bid for 2024 Olympic Games imminent, says Ramsamy