The PGA of America formed a strategic alliance with Lake Hills Resorts Group, one of the largest multi-course owners and operators in South Korea, to create PGA of America Academies in the country. The agreement marks the first int'l facility licensing partnership for the PGA. The academies will feature junior and adult development programs, as well as education programs to help train local professionals (PGA of America).
Australian rugby players will take their pay dispute with the National Rugby League "on to the playing field this weekend by wearing green strapping tape in a show of solidarity for their union." Rugby League Players Association CEO Ian Prendergast on Tuesday confirmed the players were "intent on publicly venting their frustration over the failure to strike a deal" with the NRL for a new collective bargaining agreement (THE AUSTRALIAN, 7/26).
Drugfree Sport New Zealand's decision to test schoolboy rugby players for the first time "kicked off a debate" centered around "ethics, attitude and social responsibility." The top four first XV finals series in Palmerston North during September will host the "pioneering move" after concerns about players' use of supplements and "whether banned substances are being used in the ambition to reach the professional rank" (NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 7/26).
More than a third of athletes across 13 different sports "believe match-fixing has taken place," and some said that they had been "approached by fixers in the past year." The research by "FIX the FIXING" surveyed more than 600 athletes. The results revealed that about 35% of those questioned believed games had been fixed while 20% were "aware of manipulation within the last 12 months" (REUTERS, 7/25).
There will be no Hockey India League in '18 with Hockey India deciding to "give the league a break next year" and return in '19. Speculation on the future of the league had been "floating for a while now, citing various reasons including franchise disinterest and financial viability" (THE HINDU, 7/25).
Nearly three quarters of a million more U.K. women have "taken up cycling" since '13. Three times as many men "rode bikes regularly" as women in '13, leading to the #WeRide initiative to get 1 million more women cycling by '20. British Cycling CEO Julie Harrington said, "Four years on, I am pleased to say that the sport is in a different place" (BBC, 7/26).
