The Int'l Cricket Council Women's World Cup 2013 will be staged in two Indian cities -- with Mumbai still hosting the majority of games and some group and Super Six Stage matches being relocated to the Odisha city of Cuttack. Pakistan's matches will be held at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. The final remains scheduled for the Brabourne Stadium, the home of the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai on Feb. 17 (ICC). ... The countdown to the 2014 World Cup will reach the 500-day mark on Monday as hosts Brazil is "making progress on all fronts after a stuttering start." FIFA General Secretary Jérôme Valcke said, "We have entered the finishing straight in our preparations for these extremely important events in the home of the five-time world champions" (DPA, 1/27). ... India "will host the prestigious Asian Athletics Championships in Chennai in July as the continental athletics body on Saturday gave its go-ahead to the event." The Asian Athletics Association had allotted the Championships to Chennai way back in May, but "element of doubts arose" after the Indian Olympic Association "was banned by the IOC last month on the ground of government interference" (PTI, 1/26). ...The Opening Ceremony of the 2013 PyeongChang Special Olympics in South Korea "will be held Tuesday at the YongPyong Dome in the YongPyong Resort, Gagwon province." About 3,300 athletes and officials form 111 countries "will compete in the eight-day athletic contest" (KOREA HERALD, 1/27).
