Sebastian Coe, the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), believes the new

pursuing a strong reform agenda within the sport and believes athletics must look at methods to attract new

begins next month and will see Australia take on Usain Bolt’s All-Stars, China, England, Japan and New

Zealand in a new look athletics format at the Lakeside Stadium.Competition is due to be held on February

The only thing stopping us is our imagination and the courage to try something new."

A hurdles relay, the 60 metres "speed sprint" and an "elimination mile" have been confirmed as new disciplines.Also

Czech Republic, China and France were among the winners of the opening day of action at the World Junior-B Curling Championships in Östersund in Sweden, where the final places for the 2017 World Junior Curling Championships are up for grabs.

beating Finland 10-3, as are Poland, 6-5 winners against Japan, and Turkey, 6-2 victors at the expense of New

Zealand.

Slovakia, who proved too strong for England in a 6-4 success.England bounced back from their loss to beat New

Zealand 8-4 and lie in fourth spot.

Sapporo 2017 have announced that tickets for next month's Asian Winter Games are now on sale.

China, South Korea and Kazakhstan.There will also be the added interest of athletes from Australia and New

Zealand competing for the first time.This follows an invitation to Oceania athletes by the Olympic Council

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President N Ramachandran will seek crunch talks with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in a bid to resolve the row which has seen the body suspended by the country’s Sports Ministry.

IOA claimed they would not be able to reply before the deadline, however, as Ramachandran is away in New

Zealand over the holiday period.They had asked for 15 days to explain their reasons but this was denied

Sports Minister Vijay Goel announced the suspension of the IOA last week ©Getty Images"I am away in New

Zealand, on a personal issue relating to my family," Ramachandran said in a statement published on the

On my return in the New Year I shall discuss this issue with the OCA and the IOC after their offices

The Ethiopian Olympic Committee (EOC) has commemorated double Olympic champion Miruts Yifter, who died last month at the age of 72.

Yifter was unable to compete.It came after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused to ban New

Zealand, whose national rugby union team had toured South Africa - then banned from the Olympics because

Paul Coll has become the first player from New Zealand to appear in the top 20 places of the Professional

year-old had to battle through qualification to claim the title in Britain and is the first man from New

Zealand since Ross Norman to break the top 20.There was no change to the top seven spots in the rankings

South Africa’s AB de Villiers and Trent Boult of New Zealand have started 2017 by being confirmed as

recently named an ICC Emerging Player of the Year, moving 19 places up from 48th to 29th.Trent Boult of New

Zealand is top of the ODI bowling rankings ©Getty ImagesSpinner Mitchell Santner also had a big leap

up the table as the New Zealander went from 50th to 34th place following his nation’s 3-0 series win

Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), has sent a celebratory new

published on the OCA's website, Al-Fahad Al-Sabah wished everyone involved in sports around Asia a Happy New

first time in the Games' history, there will also be the extra element of athletes from Australia and New

Zealand competing.This follows an invitation to Oceania athletes by the OCA, after a request by Australian

interest this time, as athletes from two Oceania National Olympic Committees (NOCs) - Australia and New

Zealand - will be competing alongside Asian National Olympic Committees."

Cities and countries bidding for major events can be bracketed into three broad categories.

Strong Los Angeles and Paris attempts for 2024 should be the proof of this new approach but the latest

The event was meant to show off a new European power but, partly because they exacerbated criticism by

The participation of the "Western" nations of Australia and New Zealand and other Oceanic countries alongside

IOC may have been trying to put a positive spin on a difficult year in its President Thomas Bach's New

Shot put superstar Valerie Adams has been made a Dame in the New Year's Honours amid several other accolades

for members of the sporting movement in New Zealand.

 David Howman is another top New Zealand official recognised in the New Year's Honours List ©Getty

the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).He previously served chair of the New Zealand Sports Drug Agency

between 2000 and 2003, as well as chair of New Zealand Tennis and a Hillary Commission for Sport, Fitness

former two-time world champion and Los Angeles 1984 Olympian rower led Rowing New Zealand from 1994

“It is a great honour to be awarded the Companion of The New Zealand Order of Merit," he said.

Organisers of the eighth Asian Winter Games, due to be held in the Japanese city of Sapporo next year, have unveiled the official medals of the competition.

China, South Korea and Kazakhstan.There will also be the added interest of athletes from Australia and New

Zealand competing for the first time.This follows an invitation to Oceania athletes by the OCA, after

Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) chief executive officer David Collier has said the awarding of hosting rights to the 2025 World Cup nine years ahead of the tournament is an “important step” to developing the sport.

amongst the RLIF members which augurs well for the future.”In 2017, the World Cup will head to Australia, New

Zealand and Papua New Guinea with the tournament due to take place between October 26 and December 2

.Australia are the defending champions, having beaten New Zealand 34-2 in the 2013 final, which was played

Teenage swimmer Tupou Neiufi, who represented New Zealand at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, has been

honoured to receive a scholarship named after Robert Courtney, another South Aucklander who was one of New

New Zealand won 21 medals, including nine golds, at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games ©Getty ImagesNeiufi

The launch of the new scholarship programme comes a few months after New Zealand’s most successful Paralympics

International Cricket Council (ICC) for using “obscene” language during today's one-day international defeat to New

Zealand in Nelson.

Hayder accepted the charge as a result of the incident, which happened when he was hit for four by New

Zealand batsman Neil Broom in the first ball of the 19th over.The ICC said he had breached level one

points within a two-year period, they will be converted into suspension points and he will be banned.New Zealand

Knights.”Bangladesh appeared to be in with a chance of successfully chasing the 252 runs required to beat New

Zealand but collapsed, losing their last nine wickets for just 79 runs after reaching 105-1.Broom was

The Minister for Pakistan's Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), Riaz Hussain Pirzada, has said that the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) decision to allow Pakistan to play their Davis Cup tie against Iran at home in Islamabad is a "major breakthrough" for the revival of international sport in the country.

in test cricket, for the first time since the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced their new

Pakistan last hosted a Davis Cup tie in Islamabad against New Zealand in 2004.