The Tour of Qatar and Ladies Tour of Qatar have been canceled "due to difficulties attracting sponsors." Part of the Int'l Cycling Union (UCI) Asia Tour until '16, the '17 men’s edition had "recently been upgraded to UCI WorldTour status." A UCI statement said, "The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has today received notice of the cancellation of both the Tour of Qatar and Ladies Tour of Qatar. It is understood the decision follows difficulty attracting sponsor financial support." The 2016 World Championships were "also held in Qatar and only saw small numbers of fans turning out to watch" (ROAD.cc, 12/28).
Australian rugby player Paul Gallen has called for New Zealand rugby player and boxer Sonny Bill Williams to "meet him in a super bout of football stars." Gallen will retire from the National Rugby League at the end of the '17 season and is "hoping to meet cross-code star Williams in a fight later next year." Gallen: "I'm going back to footy now, I've got two weeks off and then I've got a big season ahead of me. Then this time next season we'll weigh it up" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 12/24).
