By Tom DegunFebruary 2 - Para-dressage riders from 23 nations have qualified to take part in London 2012 following the official qualification process.

five qualification slots at the Paralympic Games.USA, Netherlands, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, South

Africa, Mexico, Singapore, Australia and France will enter teams of four riders after they qualified

By David GoldFebruary 2 - Motorcycle giant Hero MotoCorp has become the title sponsor of the Olympic hockey qualifying tournaments being held in India for the London 2012 Games.

Poland, Italy and the United States are competing in the men's tournament, while the hosts will take on South

Africa, Italy, Canada, Ukraine and Poland for the women's slot at London 2012.The two teams who come

By Duncan MackayJanuary 27 - Rome officials must wait until next month to discover whether the Italian Government will back their bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

that if Rome do not go for the Games in 2020 they face a tough challenge in 2024 when bidders from South

Africa and the United States could join the race.But Rome's campaign has been undermined by Pietro

By David GoldJanuary 25 - The former Japan Football Association (JFA) general secretary Takeo Hirata has said that Japan's rivals will be more wary of the women's world champions at the London 2012 Olympic Games this summer.

the tournament.Japan will compete with North Korea, France, Sweden, hosts Britain, Brazil, Colombia, South

Africa and Cameroon at the Olympics this summer, with the North American and Oceania representatives

By Andrew WarshawJanuary 24 - FIFA President Sepp Blatter (pictured left) has revealed why Paris lost out to London for the 2012 Olympics and why Munich never stood a chance of upsetting Pyeongchang for the 2018 Winter Games: the African factor.

interview with Kicker magazine, Blatter disclosed that German complaints about the 2010 World Cup in South

Africa led to Munich's hopes of staging the 2018 Winter Games being scuppered when the vote took place

In the build-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, [Bayern Munich President] Uli Hoeness and

By Mike RowbottomJanuary 22 - British pole-vaulter Holly Bleasdale (pictured) has catapulted herself into the Olympic reckoning for London 2012 by recording an indoor clearance of 4.87 metres, which has only been beaten indoors by Russia's double Olympic champion and multiple world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva, and which puts her fourth on the all-time list for outdoor competition.

I recently witnessed outstanding practice in South Africa and Kenya at our warm-weather training camps

Canada, the United States and Colombia, Turkey and Poland, Australia and Japan, and finally, Britain and South

Africa.

Apart from South Africa, of course, consigned to Pool A as a result.The women's draw was conducted with

By David Gold at the Waterside Theatre in AylesburyJanuary 21 - Holders Australia were pitted with the United States in Pool A of the men's wheelchair basketball tournament at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, whilst hosts Britain have a tricky group involving Germany and Canada.

basketball were present.In Pool A, Australia and the US will be joined by Italy, Spain, Turkey and South

, face Germany, whom they beat four years' ago in the final, as well as China, France and Mexico or South

Africa - who have yet to play off - in Pool B.Britain opted to be drawn alongside 2008 bronze medallists

By Tom DegunJanuary 20 - Four-time Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius (pictured) has confirmed his first meet of the summer season in Europe as he steps up his attempt to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics in addition to the Paralympics.

The 25-year-old from South Africa made history last year when he became the first amputee athlete to

By Tom Degun in InnsbruckJanuary 19 - Malaysia's Prince Tunku Imran, the new President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), has claimed that giving flexibility to host cities of the Commonwealth Games is helping to create more interest in bidding for prestigious competition.

countries have already expressed a provisional interest in hosting the event in the near future, including South

Africa, Canada and New Zealand and Prince Imran, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee

Young interns from the Commonwealth Games family are working in 15 nations; from the Caribbean to Africa

writer of this story at [email protected] storiesNovember 2011: Gideon Sam could lead South

Africa bid for 2022 Commonwealth GamesNovember 2011: Exclusive - I want lots of bidders for 2022 Commonwealth

By David GoldJanuary 17 - The United States women's team coach Pia Sundhage has arrived in Vancouver with a 20 woman squad for the 2012 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Olympic women's qualifying tournament, which is due to start on Thursday (January 19) and last until January 26. 

the last three Olympic Qualifying tournaments, and will join Great Britain, Sweden, France, Cameroon, South

Africa, North Korea, Japan, Brazil and Colombia if they win qualification.All games are taking place

By David GoldJanuary 16 - The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) women's qualifying tournament for the London 2012 Games gets underway in Canada on Thursday (January 19), with eight teams vying for two places at this summer's Olympics.

women's tournament.The two finalists will join France, Sweden, hosts Great Britain, Japan, North Korea, South

Africa, Cameroon, Brazil and Colombia at the London Games this summer.Contact the writer of this story

wheelchair basketball or meeting their favourite athletes.Four time Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius of South

Africa, who was one of the top stars in Trafalgar Square, has now become a household name and his mouth-watering

By Duncan Mackay in InnsbruckJanuary 15 - The Royal College of Art in Kensington will be the base for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) during London 2012, insidethegames can reveal.

location of Slovak House for London 2012October 2011: Exclusive - Royal Thames Yacht Club to host South

- Slovenia name King's Cross as their London 2012 homeOctober 2011: Kensington Gardens to host Africa

By Tom DegunJanuary 10 - Great Britain men's and women's wheelchair basketball team's will discover their opponents for the opening matches of London 2012 next week with the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) set to make the draw at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury on January 21.

for the Paralympic are Australia, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Britain, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, South

Africa, Turkey and the USA.The women's teams to have qualified for the Paralympic are Australia

USA.The last spot in the women's event is still to be determined but it will either go to Mexico or South

Africa depending on who wins their vital qualifying match.The evening draw in Aylesbury is one