BASEBALL hopes to submit a joint bid with softball in an effort to gain reinstatement to the Olympics for the 2016 Games after both sports were controversially dropped from the programme for London 2012.

Several baseball federations, including those of Japan, Europe and Africa, have written to the IBAF supporting

 AUSTRALIA'S bid to host the 2018 World Cup today received a powerful endorsement in London today from Mohamed Bin Hammam, a member of the FIFA Executive Board.

President Sepp Blatter had said that he wanted a European country to host the 2018 World Cup as South Africa

 MIKE FENNELL, the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), today encouraged Abuja's bid to follow Glasgow and host the 2018 Games.

bid was comprehensively defeated by the Scottish city last November, including claims of racism after Africa

Durban in South Africa and an Australian city still to be chosen have also expressed an interest in bidding

  THE race to host the 2018 World Cup is set to get even more crowded with three other countries ready to join the bidding it emerged today.

It is widely predicted that with 2010 tournament to be held in South Africa and the 2014 event in Brazil

Blatter said: "We are now playing in South Africa and South America, and Australia is also in the Southern

 AUGUST 15 - ENGLAND, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are among 10 countries set to bid for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

 They could face opposition from Australia, Italy, Japan and South Africa.  

    THE Prime Minister has already labelled it the "decade of sport" and England are the favourites to follow the 2012 Olympics by hosting the 2018 World Cup and, as DAVID OWEN reports, deals could be done at the highest level to ensure that happens

competition, as is widely expected, the 2022 tournament would stand to be in Asia, North/Central America or Africa

stability, to return to football’s prosperous European heartland after two tournaments away in South Africa

  AUGUST 5 - AT ATHENS in 2004 the estimated 40,000 British spectators who travelled to support Team GB were one of the stories of the Olympics but there will be a lot less in Beijing, it was revealed today.

people who were happy to travel to Germany for the 2006 championships being not so keen to go to South Africa

 AUGUST 18 - NIGERIA is to launch another bid to host the Commonwealth Games despite its disappointment at being beaten to host the 2014 event by Glasgow, a leading Government official said today.

Abuja hosted the All Africa Games in 2003 and the National Stadium built for that event will be the centrepiece

Ogbulafor said: "We had a similar experience [to Beijing] in Abuja towards hosting of the All Africa

Games, roads were constructed, a Games Village was built and one of the best stadiums in Africa was built

officials that with Delhi hosting the 2010 edition of the event that it will be time to stage it in Africa

Durban in South Africa have also expressed an interest in bidding.  A decision is due in 2011.

  ENGLAND, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are among eight countries announced today as bidding for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

South Africa are listed among those bidding but are expected to withdraw to concentrate on the 2019 World

countries have also expressed interest in the 2019 tournament – Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, South Africa

  ALAN STOREY (pictured), one of Britain's top distance coaches for more than 30 years, is to leave his post as the senior performance manager for endurance, UK Athletics confirmed today.

Kate Reed, 25, an athlete he was coaching, while they were together on a funded training trip to South Africa

  ALAN STOREY (pictured), one of Britain's top distance coaches for more than 30 years, is to leave his post as the senior performance manager for endurance, UK Athletics confirmed today.

Kate Reed, 25, an athlete he was coaching, while they were together on a funded training trip to South Africa

 AUGUST 7 - COLIN MOYNIHAN (pictured), the chairman of the British Olympic Association, said today that Beijing staging the Games is important if the Movement is to be "internationalised".

Moynihan said that it was important that the Olympics were soon held in Africa or India but that cost

 AUGUST 7 -BRITAIN'S Sir Craig Reedie (pictured) has failed to win a seat on the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) ruling Executive Board.

Also, the IOC picked Durban in South Africa over Hong Kong to hold its General Assembly in 2011, when

It will be the second IOC Session held in Africa, and first since Cairo, Egypt, in 1938.

  THE Queen's Baton Relay is expected to pass through 71 countries and cover 150,000 kilometres on its way to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, its organiser has revealed.

, the New Delhi Games baton will cover 10 countries in Europe until December 8 before departing for Africa

  THE Beijing Olympics have not even taken place yet, let alone the 2012 Games, but, as insidethegames well-connected columnist DAVID OWEN reports, the race host 2016 is already hotting up

all over the world from dogsledding in Yukon to cricket in Chicago and football in Japan and South Africa