Former sprinter ANA GUEVARA will be Mexico's sports minister once ANDRÉS MANUEL LÓPEZ OBRADOR is inaugurated as president in December. Olympic Silver Medalist Guevara was appointed to the post by ESTEBAN MOCTEZUMA, who will lead the Secretariot of Public Education. Guevara, 41, will be "the first woman in history to lead Mexican sport" (AP, 8/7). ... The Bermuda Tourism Authority named former Olympic track athlete HAZEL CLARK director of sports business development (BTA). ... Esports event company DreamHack expanded its brand partnerships division with three new hires. Nordic games industry veteran MARTIN SIRC was named head of brand partnerships key accounts, while former Google manager STEVEN NORRIS will serve as head of brand partnerships new business. NASIM ABU QUOTA will join the new business team as a senior sales exec (THE ESPORTS OBSERVER, 8/10).
COACHES/MANAGERS: Premier League side Crystal Palace Manager ROY HODGSON signed a one-year extension to keep him at Selhurst Park until '20 and hailed the club hierarchy for its "hard work" recruiting players in the transfer window. Hodgson, 71, took over at Palace in Sept. '17 and led the club to an 11th-placed finish (REUTERS, 8/10). ... Former Japan int'l KEISUKE HONDA was named GM of Cambodia's national football team "just a week after signing" for A-League side Melbourne Victory. However, Melbourne Victory was "quick to assure fans" that its "marquee signing" would not miss A-League matches, being available to Cambodia "only when the competition paused for FIFA-sanctioned international dates" (London GUARDIAN, 8/12).
