CAROLINE WOZNIACKI signed a deal with a Singaporean company to launch her own crypto token on Thursday, with the firm saying that it hoped former footballer MICHAEL OWEN or boxer MANNY PACQUIAO "would be the first to sell such a token next year." Global Crypto Offering Exchange lists Pacquiao and Owen as private investors in the company, alongside a member of Abu Dhabi's ruling family, SHEIKH KHALED BIN ZAYED AL-NAHYAN (REUTERS, 10/18). ... One of the "main promoters" of women's football in Mexico, MARBELLA IBARRA, was killed, aged 44. Ibarra was the founder of Mexico's first professional women's football team, Xolas de Tijuana. Her body, which "showed signs of torture, was found wrapped in plastic sheeting in Rosarito," a beach resort south of Tijuana. She disappeared last month and her family believed she was kidnapped (BBC, 10/18). ... Women's int'l footballer WANG SHUANG became the first Chinese player to score in the Champions League. Dubbed "Lady Messi" by fans, the forward scored the second goal in Paris St. Germain's 2-0 win over Swedish side Linkoping (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 10/18). ... Former Pakistan cricketer DANISH KANERIA admitted to his role in a spot-fixing case involving former Essex County Cricket Club teammate MERVYN WESTFIELD on Thursday, more than six years after he was banned by the England & Wales Cricket Board. Kaneria, who repeatedly denied any involvement "in trying to engineer particular situations in a game," was banned for life by the ECB in June '12 for "cajoling" Westfield into accepting money (REUTERS, 10/18). ... Former Kenyan Sports Cabinet Secretary HASSAN WARIO and athlete KIPCHOGE KEINO were arrested on Thursday in connection with the 55M Kenyan shilling Rio Olympics scandal (THE STAR, 10/18).
