The Eritrean national football team, which has "a history of players defecting when on international duty, have withdrawn from the African Nations Cup qualifiers." The team was "due to play newcomers" South Sudan in one of two preliminary round fixtures in April. South Sudan "now proceed to the next qualifying round in Mauritius" (REUTERS, 3/31). ... The second edition of the Indian Badminton League will be held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 15, the IBL Governing Council said on Monday. The governing council "has decided to allow franchisees to increase the team strength from 11 in the first year to 13 players." Each franchise "can pick two more players" -- Indian or foreign (PTI, 3/31). ... Commercial helicopter operator Abu Dhabi Aviation "will provide the potentially life-saving search and rescue (SAR) support for the medical crews during the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge this weekend." The medical team on board "will also study the effects of fatigue in order to assess the risk of competitor error" (GULF NEWS, 3/31). ... Edmonton, Canada and the South African city of Durban "have both formally indicated they plan to bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games." Commonwealth Games Federation President Prince Tunku Imran said that both cities "have until next March to formalise their bid proposals before the decision on the host site is made" in Sept. '15 (REUTERS, 3/31).
