Rugby Football Union CEO Ian Ritchie said that he "never considered stepping down" despite coming in for "intense criticism in the wake of England's dismal World Cup campaign." It was Ritchie, the former Wimbledon tennis CEO, who "ratified Stuart Lancaster's appointment as England head coach" in '12 and then last year gave him a new contract lasting until '20. Ritchie insists "he never contemplated quitting despite calls for his head." Ritchie: "No, I didn't. When you say 'consider' did you mean did I consider resigning? No, because I think accountability and responsibility -- you don't duck them when the going gets hard" (London GUARDIAN, 12/27). ... In a bid to "disassociate itself with the commonly used acronym, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) is planning to rebrand itself." WTF Secretary General Hoss Rafaty said that the governing body "would look to market itself as World Taekwondo for business and commercial purposes, although there are no current plans to officially change the organization's name" (GUARDIAN, 12/27).
