The National Rugby League's resilience against match-fixing, "illicit drug use" and organized crime "would be increased to unprecedented levels by joining forces with Australia’s new sports watchdog." The soon-to-be-formed Sports Integrity Australia will "boast the highest level of government intelligence" of organized criminals, "bikies" and drug-peddlers, "all of which have proven to previously infiltrate the NRL" (Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH, 2/19).
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro "doubled down" on subsidizing kids' sports fees, offering a second A$100 ($72) rebate per child if they play organized sport. The Active Kids initiative "has been hugely popular in NSW but Canberra has again missed out," with no ACT government programs in place to "help families in need of support" (THE AGE, 2/18).
Tencent Games announced streaming rules for all of its game-related content. The operation "is in response to the internet governance requirements from Chinese authorities, which went into effect two weeks before." The rules are applicable to all gaming streaming platforms, productions, institutions, and streamers, "as long as their contents are based on Tencent’s products" (THE ESPORTS OBSERVER, 2/18).
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