IPC Athletics, the int'l federation for para-athletics, announced that Dubai will stage the first IPC Athletics Asia-Oceania Championships from March 3-8, 2016. The event is part of IPC Athletics' strategy to give para-athletes more opportunities and is expected to attract 600 athletes from 45 countries (IPC Athletics). ... Ireland will make increasing the "spirit of co-operation among sporting bodies" a "key part" of its bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Croke Park will be one of six Gaelic Athletic Association grounds that will "form part of a bid likely to be submitted within the next two months." GAA Head Of Community Development in Ulster Ryan Feeney said, "To host the World Cup would be very positive for the whole of Ireland and the GAA would be glad to be part of that." Competition for Ireland is "likely to come" from South Africa, Argentina and the U.S. The 2019 Rugby World Cup will be held in Japan (LONDON TIMES, 10/25).
GOING INDOORS: Glasgow hopes to bring the European Indoor Athletics Championships to Scotland in '19. The Emirates Arena is the proposed venue and Glasgow expects to be UK Athletics' sole nominee. The venue hosted badminton and cycling at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and will stage the Int'l Invitation match in late January. The city is also bidding to host the figure skating World Championships in '17 and 2016 Olympic swimming trials (BBC, 10/24). ... Infront Sports & Media has rolled out its new mass participation running series for amateur runners in China. The inaugural events have been staged in Beijing in August and in Shanghai in October. The "Happy 10K," held across five major cities in China, is proving popular with participants and regional media. Leading brands have also taken up sponsorship opportunities. Coca-Cola, headphone maker Jabra, nutritional supplement maker Met-Rx and sportswear maker ODLO have engaged in fan activation (Infront Sports & Media).
