Europe

London was ranked fifth in the 2014 Ultimate Sports Cities rankings in the category of Event Strategy. The Greater London Authority (GLA) leads the strategy for sports events in London and oversees the bid process for any major sports event. An organisation called London & Partners assists in winning and promoting major events for London to generate economic benefit.

Spanish resort La Manga Club has agreed a four-year deal with the European Powerlifting Federation (EPF) and International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) to host all major powerlifting competitions governed by the organisations until 2018.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that bids from Almaty in Kazakhstan, Beijing in China and Oslo in Norway will proceed to the final stages of the process to determine the host of the 2022 winter Olympic Games.

Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme has insisted that Yorkshire has “raised the bar” for future hosts of the cycling event’s Grand Départ after an estimated crowd of between four and five million people packed the roadsides in the UK county at the weekend.

England Rugby 2015, the organising body for the IRB Rugby World Cup 2015, has announced its testing programme in preparation for the national team rugby union tournament.

London was ranked second in the 2014 Ultimate Sports Cities rankings in the category of Legacy. The London 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games were a huge global marketing showcase for London. The city is delivering the legacy of 2012 by maintaining the momentum and enthusiasm for major sporting events, and using its infrastructure, logistics and expertise to host more events.

Manchester was ranked third in the 2014 Ultimate Sports Cities rankings in the category of Legacy. The city's commitment to sport has delivered impressive results not least through creating a lasting legacy for the city region. Manchester recognises that legacy is not captured via investment in major events, but by ensuring that strategies for sport development, community delivery, health and education are intrinsic to the bidding for major events.

The DBB, basketball’s governing body in Germany, has confirmed that it will submit a bid to host the EuroBasket 2015 national team tournament, which is operated by the Fiba Europe division of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).

Owen Evans reports from the PWA (Professional Windsurfers' Association) World Cup at the Yelken Yacht Club in Awazain, Turkmenistan.

Construction company Carillion has been named as the preferred bidder by Liverpool for the contract to redevelop the English Premier League club’s main stand and increase Anfield’s capacity to 54,000.

Bath Rugby’s plans to temporarily increase the capacity of its Recreation Ground have been put on hold after the local council opted to defer a decision over the English Premiership rugby union club’s development proposals until a later date.

The Team France sailing team has appointed the Infront Sports & Media agency to assist with marketing operations ahead of its participation in the 2015 America’s Cup.

Roel De Vries, corporate vice-president and global head of marketing, communications and brand Strategy at car maker Nissan, has been named as the latest speaker to join the line-up for the Leaders Sport Business Summit.

Plans to launch a ‘Tour of Yorkshire’ on the back of the English county’s staging of this year’s Grand Départ of cycling showpiece the Tour de France have taken another step forward.

Formula One’s Italian Grand Prix host, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, has promised circuit upgrades after the sport’s supremo Bernie Ecclestone said the facility is unlikely to remain on the calendar after its race contract expires in 2016.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a law that will allow private companies to swap facilities built for the Sochi 2014 winter Olympic Games for government property.