Cheltenham Managing Dir Ian Renton said, "We do not want touts ... undermining racing."GETTY IMAGES
Ticket touts at the Cheltenham Festival next week will be fined £80 ($110) "under a new initiative with the police and local authority." For the first time, touts who operate in a corridor from the town’s station to the racecourse and its surrounding areas, including car parks, "can be issued with a public space protection order and given an on-the-spot fine." The new system is "designed to clamp down on those who are selling on tickets" (LONDON TIMES, 3/8).
The local organizing committee for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan admitted Thursday that there had been "problems with payment for tickets for the event," but reassured applicants they were "working out alternative arrangements for their sales and delivery to overseas customers." On Tuesday, World Rugby said that it received 864,000 applications from fans in more than 100 countries, with 300,000 tickets allocated via an initial ballot. However, a number of fans "have had issues trying to pay for the tickets," the deadline for which was Wednesday (KYODO, 3/7).
Saudi Arabia will host a European Tour event for the first time next year. The tournament will be played from Jan. 31-Feb. 3 and form part of the early-season Desert Swing that also includes events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It will be staged at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City (AP, 3/8).
