The Spanish Basketball League (ACB) decided to "provisionally" register Real Betis for the '17-18 season. The ACB also announced that the upcoming season, in which 18 teams will compete, will begin on Sept. 30. The vote on whether to include Real Betis saw nine ACB clubs support the team's inclusion, with seven voting against it and one, Burgos, abstaining (EL PAÍS, 8/11).
Team New Zealand's "SOS to the Government" for NZ$5M ($3.66M) following its America's Cup win included a plea from Manager Grant Dalton that "it would be great to tell the team" he could "pay their salary after next week." Dalton requested the funding "as soon as possible in order to secure our core team." He explained in a letter to NZ Minister for Economic Development Simon Bridges that until details for the next America's Cup are agreed, the team "could not secure sponsorship commitments" (NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 8/13).
Cricket ACT CEO Cameron French said that maintaining independence from Cricket NSW is a "key issue for his board, dismissing rumours they could be absorbed into the bigger state." He also reassured the Canberra cricket community the ACT Comets program will "continue to be run out of the nation's capital," with the Phillip Oval centre of excellence due to be completed Nov. 1 (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 8/11).
South Africa Rugby Union CEO Jurie Roux suggested that adding the Cheetahs and Kings to the Pro14 "may lead to the South African national team selecting a radically changed side for future European tours." Roux revealed that the Springboks "may end up picking a different XV heavily involving players from the two Pro14 sides for those fixtures in the north," compared with the team that takes part in the June Tests at home and the Rugby Championship (London TELEGRAPH, 8/12).
Millions of dollars have been "injected into" the Hong Kong equestrianism team to improve its medal prospects "as for the first time Hong Kong will take its own horses and a strong support team to the National Games in Tianjin later this month." A source said that the amount would be no less than HK$10M ($1.28M) (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 8/13).
