Some of the African athletes who went missing during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games have reportedly already been granted bridging visas "while their applications for asylum are assessed." Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton warned the athletes, who went on the run last month, "will be deported or detained if they overstay the visas granted to attend the sporting event" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 5/15).
The Racecourse Association is "confident that it can prevent fighting at venues from becoming an endemic problem after two weekends of violence at Goodwood and Ascot." A "mass brawl" at Goodwood on Bank Holiday weekend was followed by "similarly vicious scenes" at Ascot on Saturday, on a smaller scale (London TELEGRAPH, 5/14).
The USGA and the R&A launched a project to analyze distance in golf and gather perspectives from the worldwide golf community. The Distance Insights project will examine distance through a multi-pronged approach that includes global stakeholder engagement, third-party data review and primary research (USGA).
Cricket Australia may not replace departing selector Mark Waugh, whose exit has given its high performance arm the "opportunity to restructure the selection panel." The former cricket int'l quit his selection role to "focus on his expanding commentary duties." CA said, "A decision on structure of the national selection panel or replacement for Waugh will be made in due course" (THE AGE, 5/15).
