Balkans

The Fiba Europe division of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) has awarded hosting rights for its 2019 Women’s EuroBasket national team tournament to Serbia and Latvia.

The International Judo Federation (IJF) has cancelled plans to stage its 2017 Junior World Championships in North Korea, with the event now set to be held in Zagreb, Croatia.

Israel, Latvia, Russia and Serbia have each submitted a bid to host the 2019 edition of the EuroBasket Women national team basketball tournament.

The Football Association of Serbia (FAS) has lost an appeal against Kosovo joining Uefa, football’s European governing body.

The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) has awarded hosting rights for its 2017 European Open Championships to the Bulgarian capital of Sofia as it unveiled calendar plans for next year that will involve its first major event in Asia.

Euroleague Basketball has announced that the 2017 edition of its Final Four end-of-season showpiece will take place in Belgrade, marking the first time the Serbian capital will host the contest.

The Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC) has ordered a sprinting coach to return home from the summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after he posed as an athlete and gave a urine sample to drug testers, while Chinese swimmer Chen Xinyi and Bulgarian runner Silvia Danekova have both reportedly failed doping tests.

The International Basketball Federation (Fiba) has awarded hosting rights to Italy, Serbia and the Philippines for its three Olympic men’s qualifying tournaments, while France will stage the women’s event.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts organisation has today (Friday) announced that it will stage events in Croatia and the Netherlands for the first time this year.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has adopted a new co-hosting model for its Volleyball Men’s World Championship by awarding the 2018 edition of the national team event to Italy and Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian capital of Sofia has been named host city of the 2017 Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships and the 2018 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, while the 2018 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships will take place in Antwerp, Belgium.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has confirmed that six cities from three continents have lodged bids to host the 2018 edition of its World Championships.

European basketball’s governing body, Fiba Europe, has awarded hosting rights for the 2017 edition of its EuroBasket Women tournament to the Czech Republic.

Croatia will stage the third round of this year’s Red Bull Air Race World Championship after Sochi withdrew its hosting rights due to financial difficulties.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has announced new events in North Korea and Bulgaria for its 2015 World Tour, with a record prize fund of $3m (€2.4m) being supplied across the 23 dates.

The International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) has awarded its 2017 World Championships to the Egyptian capital of Cairo, while the evolution of the sport has continued with the introduction of a new fencing format.