The National Rugby League "will trial a revolutionary iPhone and iPad application during this weekend’s NRL Auckland Nines tournament -- which if approved will help combat match-fixing and insider trading."
Developed over the past 12 months, the app "will also move to deliver on the NRL’s promise of bringing fans closer to the game with supporters and commentators alike set to receive on-field information during live play with the push of a button" (Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH, 1/29). ... The British Basketball League "is seeking legal advice over a statement from the domestic game's governing body which appears to raise doubts over the continuation of the league's licence."
Basketball England said that a "licence review committee has been set up to consider all options" before existing contract arrangements are renewed.
The BBL "has run professional basketball in England since 1987" (BBC, 1/28). ... FIBA on Wednesday announced "the formation of a task force to lay a new foundation for the sport in Japan," and former J.League Chair Saburo Kawabuchi was appointed co-chairman.
The move signaled "the willingness of the Japan 2024 Task Force, which was unveiled at a Tokyo hotel during a news conference, to think outside the box -- outside the sport, literally, for leadership." The 78-year-old Kawabuchi "brings a fresh voice and an outside perspective on sports governing, and is recognized as a leader within the Japanese sports community." Ingo Weiss, a member of FIBA’s central board and German Basketball Federation chairman, "joins Kawabuchi as the task force’s other co-chairman" (JAPAN TIMES, 1/28).