Top sporting teams and leaders have flown to Shanghai for the inaugural Australia-China Sports Summit "aiming to help break down stereotypes of an Australia boasting only brawn, and of Chinese athletic disinterest outside the Olympics." Australian Federal Sports Minister Greg Hunt said that the government recognized "the power of sport to act as a bridge facilitating connectivity and promoting trade" between the countries (THE AUSTRALIAN, 10/17).
The Welsh Rugby Union changed its int'l player selection policy and "scrapped the so-called Gatland's Law." Heading into this season and next, players with clubs outside Wales required one of four wildcard picks to represent their country, with that figure dropping to two for the '19-20 World Cup season. WRU CEO Martyn Phillips announced Wales will now follow an "Australian-style rule." If a player has won 60 caps or more, his int'l prospects "will not be affected." The new policy takes effect immediately (PA, 10/16).
Former University of Minnesota AD Joel Maturi thinks it is "insane" that some of the major NCAA schools "make a large amount of money through sports." But he said that "it is the reality," and he hopes that Japan can use the U.S. as a reference when it starts its own version of the collegiate governing body. Speaking to Japanese collegiate and governmental athletic officials and administrators late last month, Maturi said that he could give them some "suggestions and recommendations" of what might work in Japan, but "did not intend to tell them what to do" (JAPAN TIMES, 10/16).
