By James CrookApril 6 - The team draws have been made for football, volleyball, basketball, water polo, rugby sevens, and field hockey at next summer's Universiade in Kazan, and the Phillippines men's basketball team have cursed their luck as they were handed the unenviable task of facing reigning champions Serbia.

men's basketball teams have been drawn into four pools, with Russia drawn against Germany, Ukraine, South

medallists from two years ago Brazil take on Canada, France and Peru.In the women's football, Russia, South

Korea, Chinese Taipei and South Africa are in Pool A, China will begin the defence of their crown against

By Emily GoddardApril 5 - The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has revealed the schedules for the women's hockey World League semi-finals taking place in Rotterdam and London in June as the competing teams step up their preparations for the 2014 World Cup qualifying tournaments.

reigning Olympic champions, the Netherlands, playing on home soil against an elite field that includes South

first day.Day two sees India take on Belgium, Germany playing New Zealand, Japan against Chile and South

Africa and Spain in Pool B.London 2012 silver medallists Argentina, China, the United States and Italy

Africa face Spain.Argentina are up against China, the United States and Italy in Pool A of the 

Africa facing Australia and England meetingt Spain.The quarter-finals are due be played on June 27,

By Tom DegunApril 3 - Golf legend Gary Player has revealed his huge disappointment at missing out on the chance to design the course for the Rio 2016 Olympics when the sport will return to the Games following a 112-year absence.

The 77-year-old South African, who won nine majors in a glittering career, saw his Gary Player Design

Gary Player of South Africa (blue shirt) gives putting lessons to Brazilian golfers Cristian Barcelos

By Tom DegunApril 2 - Former Olympic and Commonwealth Games representative Tommy Yule has been named by British Weight Lifting as their new performance director and has been charged with leading the team to success at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The 37-year-old was born in South Africa but grew up both in Scotland and England and therefore represented

By James CrookMarch 28 - Host nation for the Li Ning Badminton World Federation (BWF) Sudirman Cup, Malaysia, claim they are content with their draw for the tournament this May, and are setting their sights on reaching at least the quarter-finals.

Group 1B features joint number three seeds Thailand, South Korea and Hong Kong while Group 1D will be

are in Group 3A and Switzerland, Vietnam, Australia and Lithuania are in Group 3B.Group 4 features South

Africa, the Philippines and Kazakhstan.The 13th Li Ning Sudirman Cup is due to take place at the Putra

fierce after all.Besides London, the other bid hitter out there would be 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts South

Africa, particularly with the continent having never staged the Commonwealth Games.

They also have a perfect bid leader in Gideon Sam, President of the South African Sports Confederation

But he has since gone eerily quiet on the subject, making a South African bid not quite the formality

South Africa could produce a formidable bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games after successfully staging

By James CrookMarch 20 - With 100 days to go until the tournament kicks off, the match schedule for the 2013 International Rugby Board (IRB) World Cup Sevens in Moscow has been announced, pitting reigning champions Wales against Uruguay in their opening fixture.

day of Sevens with many potentially spectacular fixtures, including Fiji v Wales, Australia v France, South

Africa v Scotland, bookies favourites New Zealand against the United States and England taking on 2009

Zealand are the favourites to clinch the World Cup with British bookmakers, best-priced at 9/4, with South

Africa following at 4/1 and England, Fiji and Samoa all priced at 13/2 in third.Defending champions

Africa v Ireland completing the first round of ties in the pool.The final pool games will take place

By Tom DegunMarch 20 - Commonwealth Games England (CGE) have welcomed London's interest in mounting a bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the city but said they are still assessing whether or not to move for the event.

original choice, Johannesburg, was stripped of the event amid concerns of concerns about the way South

Africa would treat black and Asian athletes.And when Manchester were awarded them for 2002, at the Commonwealth

By Tom DegunMarch 18 - London is set to launch a bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, according to the Mayor of London Boris Johnson's Olympic legacy adviser.

original choice, Johannesburg, was stripped of the event amid concerns of concerns about the way South

Africa would treat black and Asian athletes.Government backing for any bid from London is likely, with

certainly end any hopes that Cardiff has of staging the Commonwealth Games in 2026.Canada, New Zealand, South

Africa, Singapore and Sri Lanka are other countries currently considering bids for 2022, but it remains

By Duncan MackayIf Marius Vizer was looking to pick the brains of a couple of political heavyweights to get some tips for his campaign to become the new President of SportAccord then he had the perfect opportunity during London 2012.In what was a stunning picture opportunity for the head of the International Judo Federation (IJF), Russian President Vladimir Putin showed up at ExCeL to spend his only day at the Olympics  in London watching judo, and was accompanied by British Prime Minister David Cameron.

an important stop on the road map which Vizer set out for judo when he took over as President from South

Games, because we have to know the reality of sport in some countries in the world, particularly in Africa

By Emily GoddardMarch 12 - The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has named the 16 teams heading to Rotterdam and London in June to compete at the last of the two women's Hockey World League semi-final tournaments.

World League semi-final Meanwhile, hosts England, Argentina, Australia, China, the United States, South

Africa, Spain and Italy will play at the second event, the Investec Hockey World League semi-final.The

third-seeded team, when they finished ahead of Spain – who they could meet again in the semi-finals.South Africa

England will face South Africa Australia and Spain after being drawn in Pool B Argentina, China, the

US and Italy will feature in London's Group A, with England, Australia, South Africa and Spain playing

By Duncan MackayMarch 11 - The Queen's Baton Relay for next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will travel nearly 120,000 miles around the world, covering 71 countries and territories in 248 days, before arriving in Scotland in time for the Opening Ceremony on July 23, it was announced today.

Delhi, host city of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.It will then travel sequentially through Asia, Oceania, Africa

, South America, the Caribbean and North America before returning to Europe and the Home Nations and

nbsp;Nauru, the smallest island on the route, and St Helena, following a unique four day crossing from South

Africa on the RMS St Helena."

By Duncan MackayMarch 10 - Issa Hayatou has been officially re-elected unopposed as President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for a record seventh four-year term.

Danny Jordaan, organiser of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, was again overlooked for a place

 He was elected by an overwhelming majority ahead of Danny Jordaan, who had led South Africa's

By Emily GoddardMarch 9 - New Delhi has been named as the host of two of the International Hockey Federation's (FIH) major upcoming events, with the men's tournaments of both the Hero World League Finals and Hero Junior World Cup set to take place in the Indian capital.

Canada, England, Spain, Egypt, France, Germany, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan and South

Africa are confirmed for the event.Meanwhile, the inaugural Hero Hockey World League Finals are scheduled

By James CrookMarch 9 - The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has held a demonstration atop the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai prior to the launch of the 2013 Fujairah Open International Championships.

Federation to the rest of the world." said Choue"The Poomsae Championships last year were our first event in South

this year, and are starting by rewarding the loyal taekwondo supporters in the Middle East and North Africa