Despite club ambassador Ledley King’s claims earlier this week that Tottenham Hotspur’s players were "on board for the end-of-season trip to Asia for a big-money exhibition match" against Hong Kong Premier League side Kitchee, three Spurs players have pulled out of the trip "with more expected to follow." A number of players had reportedly "voiced their displeasure over the post-season trip to Hong Kong" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 5/11).
The 2017 National Rugby League Indigenous round will "open with the recital of an alternative national anthem following the singing of Advance Australia Fair at ANZ Stadium." The NRL "pushed to introduce Judith Durham’s re-worked national anthem during each game of the round" (London GUARDIAN, 5/10).
Pakistan Cricket Board Chair Shahryar Khan said that the board is "ready to send the cricket team to play a series in India despite security threats." Khan said, "We are ready to play in India, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India is not ready to let the Indian team play against us even in their own country" (DAWN, 5/11).
Over 15,000 tickets have been sold for the Int'l Cricket Council Champions Trophy 2017 to be held in England and Wales from June 1-18. Eight out of the 15 fixtures are sold out and ticket sales at this stage have already exceeded those for the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, which was also held at the Cardiff Wales Stadium, Edgbaston and The Oval. It also takes ticket applications to beyond 500,000 from 60 countries, since the ballot last September (ICC).
Managua, Nicaragua, was confirmed as the host city for the second edition of the Para Central American Games, set to take place from Jan. 21-28, 2018. Around 250 athletes from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama will compete across six sports: athletics, boccia, goalball, powerlifting, swimming and wheelchair basketball (Americas Paralympic Commitee).
