Sub-Saharan Africa

London’s Twickenham Stadium has been formally confirmed as one of the host venues for this year’s Rugby Championship after the full schedule for the national team tournament was unveiled today (Thursday), with Nelspruit in South Africa also set to stage a game for the first time.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has today (Tuesday) ruled that any competitor from Russia or Kenya that intends to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will need to be individually assessed against doping and declared eligible by their sport’s international federation (IF).

South Africa’s Sports and Recreation Minister, Fikile Mbalula, has confirmed that the country’s government has received financial guarantees from the national treasury that will ensure the 2022 Commonwealth Games take place in Durban.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and local officials have denied reports that hosting rights for the 2022 Commonwealth Games could be stripped from Durban amid ongoing concern about finances for preparations for the multi-sport event.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly holding talks with its global broadcast partner, pan-Asian pay-television broadcaster Star Sports, over the potential staging of extra editions of its World Twenty20 national team tournament, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is said to be considering launching a smaller version of its Indian Premier League (IPL) overseas.

Sanzaar chief executive Andy Marinos has said the umbrella body for the Argentinian, Australian, New Zealand and South African rugby unions will put together a 10-year strategic plan with a view to overhauling its Super Rugby club competition.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has made the surprise move of declaring Kenya non-compliant with the Wada Code and has provided an update on the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) plan to establish an Independent Testing Authority.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has suspended the South African Doping Control Laboratory’s accreditation for five months, leaving Africa without a recognised facility.

LaLiga, the organising body that operates the football league structure in Spain, has established a partnership with the Nigerian National Professional Football League (NPFL) as part of a move to strengthen its sporting, cultural and business ties with the African country.

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has signaled its intention to meet with the four national federations that were earlier this week banned from hosting and bidding for international events after having failed to meet racial transformation targets.

The South African Rugby Union’s (SARU) bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup was dealt a blow today (Monday) after Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula banned it and three other national federations from hosting and bidding for international events over failings in meeting racial transformation targets in their respective sports.

Kenya appears set to avoid sanctions from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) after its parliament finally passed a law criminalising doping.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has said the country will meet a deadline set by the World Anti-Doping agency (Wada) to improve its anti-doping measures and avoid further sanctions ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has given Kenya a one-month extension to comply with its anti-doping rules, while Ethiopia has been ordered to carry out doping tests on up to 200 athletes by November, or face further action.

Sports data provider Opta has agreed a data partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC), while rival firm Sportradar has struck a similar deal with the South African Rugby Union (SARU).

SA Rugby, the governing body of rugby union in South Africa, has announced a group post-tax profit of R16.7m (€997,000/$1.1m) for the year ending December 31, 2015 – a significant improvement on figures recorded for the previous 12 months.