The NBA announced the Orlando Magic will face Flamengo, the current champion of the Brazilian Pro-Basketball Tournament and FIBA’s Intercontinental Cup, in the NBA Global Games Rio 2015 on Oct. 17 at HSBC Arena. It marks the third consecutive year that the league will play a preseason game in Brazil. In addition to the on-court action, NBA Global Games Rio 2015 will feature a variety of activities off the court, including NBA Cares community programs. The game also will be supported by a variety of partners and will be available globally on TV and digital media platforms, with significant social media support (NBA). ... Renault "has offered no guarantees that early-season engine problems will not resurface at Sunday's race in Bahrain." Renault F1 Managing Dir Cyril Abiteboul: "Due to logistics of back-to-back races a complete guarantee will be hard. We have made improvements" (BBC, 4/16). ... Thousands of supporters "are set to miss out on this year's Irish Cup final as criticism mounts over the venue and ticketing arrangements for the decider."
Northern Ireland Football League Premiership sides Portadown and Glentoran fans "were angered by having to purchase tickets through Ticketmaster, and having to pay a booking fee."
The final was then moved from Windsor Park to the Oval "because of cracks in the structure of the West Stand." Around 4,000 fewer tickets "will be available as a result of the switch" (BBC, 4/15).
