OCTOBER 30 - RUSSIA, widely considered to be one of England's biggest rivals to stage the 2018 World Cup, still have to formally declare that they will bid for the event, the country's Sports Minister said today.

If as, expected, the World Cup returns to Europe in 2018 after being staged in South Africa in 2010 and

  OCTOBER 24 - ENGLAND'S bid to host the 2018 World Cup has been left in limbo after FIFA's ruling Executive Committee failed to reach agreement today on the bidding process.

non-European countries would decide to bid for the later tournament because it is expected that after South

Africa have hosted the 2010 tournament and Brazil the 2014 event that the World Cup should be staged

  OCTOBER 23 - FIFA, football's world governing body, are tomorrow set to officially fire the starting gun on the race to host the 2018 World Cup.

With the 2010 tournament being played in South Africa and the 2014 event in Brazil, a northern hemisphere

Executive Committee members will also receive progress reports on South African preparations for the

  OCTOBER 22 - A CALL has started for Steve Nash (pictured), one of the country's leading basketball players who has British parents, to oversee Canada's preparations for the 2012 Olympics in basketball and football.

Canada's footballers have already been eliminated from the qualifying rounds for the 2010 World Cup in South

Africa and their basketball team failed to qualify for the Olympics in Beijing earlier this year.  

A close friend of Owen Hargreaves, Thierry Henry and Steve McManaman, Nash was born in South Africa but

His father, John, was born in Tottenham and played professional football in South Africa, and Nash grew

  OCTOBER 22 - A CALL has started for Steve Nash (pictured), one of the country's leading basketball players who has British parents, to oversee Canada's preparations for the 2012 Olympics in basketball and football.

Canada's footballers have already been eliminated from the qualifying rounds for the 2010 World Cup in South

Africa and their basketball team failed to qualify for the Olympics in Beijing earlier this year.  

A close friend of Owen Hargreaves, Thierry Henry and Steve McManaman, Nash was born in South Africa but

His father, John, was born in Tottenham and played professional football in South Africa, and Nash grew

  OCTOBER 20 - SOUTH AFRICAN ATHLETICS is aiming to make London 2012 its most successful ever by winning

Athletics South Africa (ASA) high performance co-ordinator Wilfred Daniels said at a training camp in

There is a growing call in South Africa to prioritise Olympic sports, by choosing only a few codes that

"I hope an South African sprinter will soon break 10 seconds for the 100m.”  

South Africa made its Olympic debut in 1904 in St Louis but was banned after the 1960 Games because of

  OCTOBER 16 - SOUTH AFRICA'S successful Paralympic team, led by swimmer Natalie du Toit (pictured)

  South Africa finished sixth in the final medals at the Paralympics in Beijing, winning 30 medals

The fund is the biggest offered to the South African Paralympic team since they were readmitted to world

silver medal in the long jump at the Olympics, received R500,000 (£28,130) from an incentive fund from South

He was also given a further R1 million (£56,410) by Athletics South Africa.  

to her personal best in the women’s 800m to take the silver medal behind Mokgadi Caster Semanya of South

Africa, who set a Games record, while Shaunagh Brown from Gillingham took bronze in the women’s discus

  OCTOBER 15 - ENGLAND and Scotland had another successful day at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, winning four gold medals, four silver and three bronze between them.

58.43 metres, nearly eight metres further than the best throw of silver medallist Maria Badenhorst from South

Africa.  

He beat Warren Karsten of South Africa and Singapore's Jia Hao Ng into second and third place respectively

while the BMX World Championships in 2009 and 2010 will be held in Adelaide and Pietermartzburg in South

Africa respectively.  

while the BMX World Championships in 2009 and 2010 will be held in Adelaide and Pietermartzburg in South

Africa respectively.  

23 - A CUDDLY leopard with a green afro and named Zakumi will be the mascot of the 2010 World Cup in South

Africa.

Africa to the African Cup of Nations title in 1996.  

This will be the first World Cup held in Africa, and preparations have brought concerns about delays,

FIFA President Sepp Blatter was in South Africa last week.  

He visited stadiums and met with former President Nelson Mandela, who helped South Africa secure the

Blatter also said South Africa needs to generate more excitement about the tournament.  

  SEPTEMBER 23 - ENGLAND will host the 2010 women’s Rugby World Cup at a series of venues across London, it was announced today by the International Rugby Board (IRB).

Rugby Football Union Women (RFUW) and Rugby Football Union (RFU) fought off competition from Germany, South

Africa and Kazakhstan to host the event.  

  SEPTEMBER 22 - AUSTRALIA are determined to win its bid to stage the 2018 World Cup and are refusing to accept popular wisdom that it is destined for a European country, the chief executive of the country's football federation insisted today.

  With South Africa due to stage the 2010 tournament and Brazil the 2014 edition, world governing

  SEPTEMBER 20 - SOUTH AFRICA are not to bid against England and Wales to host the 2015 Rugby World

  The South African Rugby Union Board have decided to recommend to the Government's Presidents Council

Mandela, wearing a Springbok rugby shirt and cap, presenting the William Webb Ellis Cup to winning South