Australian rugby player Quade Cooper wants the Australian Rugby Union to follow the example of New Zealand and change the selection criteria for Sevens at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Australia "have a policy which guarantees its top Test stars will not be able to participate in Brazil -- insisting that only players who commit to a full season in the Australian Sevens squad can be considered for selection for Rio." It "is a direct contrast" to the policy of New Zealand, who have been able to lure players like Sonny Billy Williams and Benji Williams from rugby league with the promise that any player will be eligible for Olympic selection (ESPN, 1/25). ... A South Korean court handed down a "deferred sentence to the secretary general of a local bid committee for the 2019 world swimming championships for forging signatures of ranking officials to win the bid." The Gwangju District Court delivered a suspended six-month term to Kim Yoon-suk, "who was found guilty of forging signatures" of then-PM Kim Hwang-sik and former Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik on an early version of a bidding document that "guaranteed the central government's financial support for the championships" (YONHAP, 1/24). ... The Int'l Cycling Union has registered 31 women's teams for the '14 road season. The best teams will automatically be invited to participate in the major events on the calendar. The top five nations of the '13 UCI nation's ranking will automatically be invited to participate in Class 1 events in '14. These nations include Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, the U.S. and Australia. For a list of the rankings, click here (UCI).
