Sport New Zealand is considering a review into sport integrity, "as concerns over doping, match-fixing, corruption and other issues grow." The Crown Entity, which is responsible for the leadership of the sport and recreation sector, "confirmed its focus on the area in ministerial briefing papers for the new Labour government." A Sport NZ release said, "Globally the value of sport has been undermined in recent years by doping, match-fixing and other forms of corruption" (NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 12/7).
Andrew Forrest's hopes of launching the Indo Pacific Rugby Championship in '19 "hit a roadblock:" Rugby Australia is "still refusing to fully endorse the competition." Forrest's team has been in negotiations with the governing body for months. The IPRC needs to be endorsed by RA "before it can then be approved by World Rugby." However, given the IPRC will run at the same time as Super Rugby, RA has "demanded more control over the new competition and is apparently willing to offer only temporary endorsement" (AAP, 12/8).
Manny Pacquiao "hopes to unearth the next Chinese world champion" and help grow the sport with an academy in the "largely untapped country." He and Chinese sports development firm Dancing Sports held a signing ceremony in Beijing this week that included plans to build a Manny Pacquiao Int'l Boxing Academy in the capital (AFP, 12/7).
