Asia

The World Curling Federation (WCF) has signed a global development partnership with the Chinese Curling Association (CCA) ahead of Beijing’s staging of the 2022 winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The organising committee for the Tokyo 2020 summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will look to settle its budget between Y1.6tr (€13bn/$13.6bn) and Y1.8tr, according to the Kyodo news agency.

The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) has awarded hosting rights for its 2017 European Open Championships to the Bulgarian capital of Sofia as it unveiled calendar plans for next year that will involve its first major event in Asia.

China Media Capital has led a “multi-million-dollar” investment in HaiQiu Sports (HQ Sports), the sports technology company that was co-founded by former China national team footballer Sun Jihai.

Tokyo will construct a new volleyball arena for the 2020 Olympic Games after a proposal to use an existing facility was scrapped, city Governor Yuriko Koike has confirmed.

Television replays will be used to assist referees for the first time in a Fifa competition during the Club World Cup, which starts in Japan today (Thursday), football’s global governing body has confirmed.

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board has approved venues for baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing at the Tokyo 2020 summer Olympic Games.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has warned organisers of the 2018 Paralympic winter Games in Pyeongchang that they must do more to engage people ahead of the event in South Korea.

Roger Federer and Serena Williams have withdrawn from this year’s International Premier Tennis League amid financial concerns surrounding the competition’s upcoming Indian event.

The One Championship mixed martial arts promotion has unveiled its calendar for the 2017 season, with new dates announced for Vietnam and Shanghai and further events planned across Asia as it looks to expand into new markets.

The Wanda Sports division of Dalian Wanda is targeting a double-digit profit margin by 2020 with a view to listing on the stock exchange, according to chairman of the Chinese conglomerate, Wang Jianlin.

The NHL Players Association (NHLPA), the representative body for players in North America’s National Hockey League (NHL), has rejected a proposal from the league that would allow players to compete at the 2018 winter Olympic Games in exchange for an extension to the current collective bargaining agreement in place between the two entities.

Fina, the global governing body for aquatic sports, has become the latest major sports body to strike a partnership with the Alisports division of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Tokyo 2020 has laid out the proposed venues for the five new sports on the programme for its summer Olympic Games, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today (Friday) repeated its mantra that the current proposed budget for the event is not acceptable.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has unveiled a partnership with the Wanda Sports division of Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda under which the Tour of Guangxi, a new UCI WorldTour race, will be established.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has announced that Taicang in China will stage its 2018 World Race Walking Team Championships after the Russian city of Cheboksary had its hosting rights withdrawn.