Rafael Nadal "joined calls for a review into the heat policy of the Australian Open after several players complained about the extreme heat in Melbourne." Nadal expressed his concern that the heat "is not safe for the players' health." He said, "Sometimes is too much and can become little bit dangerous for health. That's the real thing. It's not nice to see players suffering that much on court" (ESPN.com, 1/19).
Wales and Scotland "will make history" by facing each other in an autumn rugby test in '18. The Celtic nations "usually only face each other in the annual Six Nations and host autumn Tests against touring teams." They have played each other "only once before outside a tournament -- a 2003 World Cup warm-up Wales won 23-9." Scotland will visit Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Nov. 3 (BBC, 1/19).
Canadian F1 promoter Francois Dumontier "is totally opposed to reported plans" that Liberty Media "is about to call for an end to Friday practice sessions." He said, "Fans come to Montreal in large numbers on Fridays. I cannot imagine the Canadian Grand Prix over just two days. This is also the case in Australia and a few other places" (AUTOWEEK, 1/18).
The Hamburg District Court issued a preliminary injunction against Switzerland-based viagogo, banning the company from offering tickets for the 2018 World Cup via its viagogo.de online ticket marketplace prior to FIFA officially allocating such tickets and/or to viagogo physically possessing them. Any violation of the injunction by the company would be punishable by a fine of up to €250,000 ($306,000) or imprisonment for up to six months (FIFA).
