Racing New South Wales tabled a "formal offer three months ago designed to make Kembla Grange the quarantine hub" for int'l horses aimed at The Championships. While the state's peak body continues to "explore its options to house internationals for Sydney's new autumn carnival, it has emerged they have already tried to buy property adjacent to Kembla" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 11/20). ... Hong Kong cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze has "called on authorities to repair several defects at the spanking new Tseung Kwan O velodrome" before January's int'l track meet. Lee said, "The surface is not very smooth and the pine wood doesn't seem to be fitting together properly. They said it would be fixed during the summer but the wood now seems to be shrinking" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 11/19). ... Spanish third division side Olimpic de Xàtiva has announced the "temporary expansion of their stadium" for a Copa del Rey match at home against Real Madrid on Dec. 7. The club will install "temporary stands to meet the demands for tickets at the match." Normal seating capacity at Xàtiva's "modest" La Murta stadium is 3,600 and this "will be increased to just over 6,000 seats when the temporary stands have been erected" (INSIDE SPANISH FOOTBALL, 11/19). ... The atmosphere "was lively" for Tuesday night's World Cup qualification playoff match between Portugal and Sweden, which Portugal won 3-2 to qualify, "as the temperature was rather cold." Though Stockholm's Friends Arena has a retractable roof, "Sweden preferred to keep it open and play in the elements." It was an "advantage in theory for Sweden although the climate was not expected to be extreme" (AS, 11/19).
