MENA

French prosecutors who are investigating allegations of wrongdoing in relation to the award of the 2021 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships to Eugene in the US are also looking into the award of other hosting rights, a source close to the probe has told the Reuters news agency.

Jadwa Investment, a Saudi Arabia-based, privately-owned investment bank, has reportedly been appointed to provide assistance to a number of Saudi Professional Football League clubs as they seek to become privatised entities.

Qatar’s Finance Minister has revealed that the country is spending close to $500m (€469m) a week on infrastructure projects to prepare for its staging of football’s Fifa World Cup in 2022.

The Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) has awarded hosting rights for the 2017 Asian Youth Para Games to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The club crest of Real Madrid will be altered under a new retail partnership the Spanish LaLiga football club has signed for the Middle East market.

Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation president Mohamed Al Kuwari has said the country’s desert stage cycling race will return in 2018 after this year’s edition was cancelled.

The Asian division of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) has announced that the Lebanese capital of Beirut and the Indian city of Bengaluru will host the inaugural editions of new national team tournaments.

Fifa has today (Friday) welcomed the decision of the Commercial Court of Zurich to reject a lawsuit brought by labour unions which alleged that world football’s governing body had failed to use its influence to ensure fair treatment for migrant labourers working on Qatar’s infrastructure projects for the 2022 World Cup.

The United Arab Emirates will host the inaugural edition of a new Twenty20 cricket tournament later this month, the Emirates Cricket Board has announced.

International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) deputy president Khalil Al-Mohannadi has announced that he will stand for the presidency of the sport’s world governing body during this year’s elections.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has confirmed that this year’s Tour of Qatar and Ladies Tour of Qatar events have been abandoned, with the body citing a lack of backing from sponsors as a reason for the cancellations.

Former WorldTour team Lampre-Merida is set to continue into the 2017 season after being granted a two-year licence by the International Cycling Union (UCI), however its backing has switched from a Chinese entity to a United Arab Emirates-based body.

The Qatari government has rejected a report by Amnesty International that has claimed that long-awaited reforms to the country’s labour laws will not have a significant impact on workers on the ground.

World Sailing has been forced to open a fresh bidding process for the second consecutive edition of its Youth Sailing World Championships after the Israel Sailing Association (ISA) withdrew its hosting rights to the 2017 edition of the event.

The TCR International Series has added four new races to its calendar for the 2017 season, with Georgia set to stage a major motorsport event for the first time.

Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), which is responsible for delivering the stadia and infrastructure for football’s 2022 Fifa World Cup, has awarded the main contractor contract for the tournament’s proposed centrepiece to a joint venture made up of Qatari and Chinese firms.