UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said that the governing body will "fast-track" the implementation of video assistant referees for the Champions League knockout stages this season. UEFA opted against using VAR this season, "despite the technology being employed by major European leagues" in Spain, Italy and Germany, as well as the World Cup. But Ceferin "flagged recently" that a report being prepared by UEFA referee execs could allow its exec committee to "revise its stance." It also agreed on Monday to "roll out the technology" in this season's Europa League final and next June's finals of the Nations League (REUTERS, 12/3).
The China Women's Open in December will be the inaugural tournament of the World Golf Series. The new event will take place from Dec. 13-16 at Orient Golf & Country Club in Xiamen, China (World Golf Series).
It was "officially confirmed" that Portugal will host the Nations League finals in June. The Euro 2016 winner qualified for the finals by finishing ahead of Italy, with Poland relegated from that group. UEFA confirmed Portugal will host the semifinals, final and third-place playoff from June 5-9 (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 12/3).
Two new races are to be added to the spring horseracing schedule in Sydney next October, without Racing NSW "needing to fund them using current industry revenues." Cox Plate Day -- the fourth Saturday in October -- will feature a race for sprinter-milers worth as much as A$10M ($7.3M) The event could be a 1,400m race run three weeks after the Epsom Handicap and a fortnight after The Everest. The second race being developed for the spring will "likely be for a seven-figure amount but the conditions under which it will be run have not been flagged publicly" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 12/3).
