South America

Rugby Union

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced that the Argentina Pampas will participate in its revamped Pacific Rugby Cup in 2014.
Business

Rio de Janeiro’s budget for hosting the 2016 summer Olympic Games will finally be announced at the end of January, according to the Bloomberg news agency.
Events

The 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards, due to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have been officially cancelled following a row over payments.
Events

Major General Fernando Azevedo e Silva, the army general responsible for co-ordinating preparations for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, has admitted that organisers are facing “very short” deadlines ahead of the event.

The 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards, sport’s multi-million dollar answer to The Oscars, is in doubt due to a row over missing payments from the Rio de Janeiro state government in Brazil.
Events

The Rio de Janeiro state government has formed a special police force to help control violent demonstrations during the 2014 Fifa World Cup and other large sporting and cultural events held in public venues.

Football

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has said Brazil’s struggles in delivering their World Cup venues on time are a consequence of beginning their preparations too late.

Football

A special 10,000-strong riot force is to be established for the 2014 Fifa World Cup in an effort to support police control during the tournament in Brazil.

Motorsport
Business

Indy Racing League, the operators of the IndyCar motor-racing series, have filed a lawsuit against the company responsible for promoting the Sao Paulo Indy 300 event in Brazil.

Handball
Events

The International Handball Federation (IHF) has announced that Qatari pay-television broadcaster Al Jazeera has become its global media rights partner for the 2015 and 2017 Men’s and Women’s World Championships.

Rugby Union
Events

Argentina is hoping to launch a team in the Super Rugby southern hemisphere rugby union club competition in 2016, according to the national union’s communications manager Guillermo Quevedo.

Football

Fifa has announced that a vanishing spray currently being used at the Club World Cup to mark out distances for free kicks will also be used for Brazil’s staging of the 2014 World Cup.

Football

Work has resumed on Manaus’ stadium for the 2014 Fifa World Cup following a fatal accident at the venue on Saturday.

Football

Brazil’s 2014 Fifa World Cup organisers have denied they are cutting corners on safety standards in a rush to deliver the stadiums for next year’s tournament.

The South American Sports Organisation (ODESUR) has announced the appointment of the Bolivian city of Cochabamba as the host of the 2018 South American Games.
Events

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach is planning to meet Brazilian government officials, including President Dilma Rousseff, in the coming weeks in an effort to accelerate preparations for the Rio 2016 summer Olympic Games.

Football
Business

Brazil-based footballers have warned that a strike is “imminent” after the Brazilian Football Confederation governing body failed to meet their demands for changes in the domestic game, according to the Reuters news agency.

Football
Events

Fifa has announced the rescheduling of seven 2014 World Cup matches, with three games in Manaus and Recife having their kick-off times pushed back.