The 2013 Maybank Malaysian Open will carry an increased prize fund of $2.75M when the event returns to Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club from March 21-24. Tournament promoters GlobalOne announced that the prize purse will rise by $250,000 for the 52nd edition of the event, which has formed part of the the European Tour int'l schedule since '99 (European Tour). ... The UAE plans to host an inter-Arabian Gulf Rugby Sevens tournament to boost the sport regionally, ahead of the 2014 Asian Games and the 2016 Olympics. The event is also part of a drive to get Sevens into the West Asian Games (REUTERS, 9/6). ... FIFA President Sepp Blatter Friday said that Japan is being considered to host the 2019 Women's World Cup, "even though the country will stage the Rugby World Cup the same year." The 2019 Rugby World Cup will be played in Japan Sept. 6-Oct. 20 and Blatter said that Japan "could hold the women's tournament beforehand" (AP, 9/7). ... The Laureus Academy announced Rio de Janeiro has been chosen as host city of the Laureus World Sports Awards for '13 and '14. It will mark the first time the event will be held in the southern hemisphere since it began in '00 (XINHUA, 9/8).
