European Athletics has announced that a total of eight cities have submitted their bids for the 2016 European Athletics Championships, pills 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships and the 2013 European Cross Country Championships.

The 2016 European Athletics Championships is subject of interest from Split, Amsterdam, Bydgoszcz and Istanbul after submitting their bids for the flagship event.

Prague, Belgrade and Istanbul have submitted their bids to host the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships. The deadline for submission of the bids was Monday 28 February.

Meanwhile the cities of Belgrade, Antalya and Dudince have also submitted bids to host the 2013 European Cross Country Championships.

Christian Milz, Director General of European Athletics, stated: “These championships along with the SPAR European Team Championships are our most important events and a vital platform for European Athletics to communicate our messages and values across the continent, so it is very encouraging for us to receive such high quality bids.”

English cricket will continue to be showcased on Sky Sports after the British pay broadcaster announced it will broadcast the next two tours  to Sri Lanka.

Sky Sports will offer live coverage of England’s visits to Sri Lanka in November this year and then again in 2018.

The agreement means Sky Sports viewers can now enjoy over 380 scheduled days of live England cricket between now and 2020. The schedule includes Test matches, One-Day Internationals and T20 fixtures home and away, beginning with March’s tour of the West Indies.

The agreement – secured with Taj Television Ltd – is the eighth rights announcement made by Sky Sports in the last three weeks.

On Monday, Sky announced a new three-year deal for the IPL from 2015 following agreements for British & Irish Lions, PGA Tour golf, Super League, WWE, Scottish Football, Cricket New Zealand and speedway.

Barney Francis, Sky Sports managing director, said: “Sky Sports is the home of televised cricket and the home of the England cricket team and this deal strengthens our schedule even further.

“We’ll offer two fascinating tours to Sri Lanka as part of an unprecedented offering of over 380 scheduled live days of England cricket over the next seven years.

“Added to our live coverage from around the world, we have never offered such choice of cricket to Sky Sports customers.”

Rajesh Sethi, Ten Sports CEO, added: “We are delighted to have a strong relationship with Sky and it always makes for exciting viewing when England are in Asia. This deal means viewers in the UK and Ireland will enjoy the next two England tours in Sri Lanka, it is great news for fans of the game.”

England will travel to Sri Lanka this November for five One-Day Internationals and two T20 matches. The second tour begins in October 2018 and is scheduled to comprise three Tests, five One-Day Internationals and one T20.

Golf Australia has announced the appointment of Gerard Kennedy as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary.

Kennedy joins Golf Australia from NRL club Melbourne Storm where he was most recently the General Manager of Operations.

Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt said Kennedy would be an excellent addition to the team.

“Gerard has a variety of experience across the finance and company operations divisions of Melbourne Storm and an obvious passion for working in sport, viagra ” Pitt said.

“His experience will be beneficial to Golf Australia and we look forward to welcoming him.”

Kennedy will begin at Golf Australia on 29 April.

The Munich bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics has received a boost ahead of the arrival of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission after signing up Metro Group as its latest corporate partner.

The IOC delegation will begin its four-day inspection of the Bavarian city’s plans for the 2018 Winter Olympics later today, March 1, having arrived in Germany on Sunday. With officials having already visited rival bidders from Annecy in France and PyeongChang in South Korea, Munich is the final stop on the IOC’s inspection tour.

International retail network Metro Group has been recruited as Munich 2018’s 11th national sponsor, and Munich 2018 CEO Bernhard Schwank said: “It is great to be able to unveil this latest asset for Munich 2018 on the eve of the Evaluation Commission visit. Metro Group’s show of commitment at this crucial time confirms that German business has faith in Munich’s chances of winning this bid.”

Meanwhile the second instalment of the ‘Living Bid Book’ series has illustrated the bid committee’s vision for CO2 compensation and the first ever climate-neutral Winter Games in Olympic history, with environmental expert to the bid, Boris Schwartz stating: “We would like to take this opportunity to set new standards in sustainability. It is very important that we make the most of Bavaria’s outstanding natural treasures whilst putting the least possible strain on the environment.”

Meanwhile Munich Olympic bid officials have indicated they will resume talks with a land owner unwilling to cede his property for the 2018 Winter Games, according to the Associated Press. Some farmers in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the planned site of the Alpine skiing events, have refused to give up their landed needed for the sports facilities.

ONE World Sports has secured the broadcast rights for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

The high-definition coverage starts with four regular-season games in February, abortion immediately following the Olympic Winter Games, and continues in April with live or same-day coverage of the league’s two conference finals and championship series. KHL content will be distributed across all the network’s platforms, spanning the linear channel and broadband and mobile via the network’s “Watch ONE World Sports” app.

“The addition of the KHL provides some of the best hockey the world has to offer to the ONE World Sports’ line-up” said Alexander “Sandy” Brown, president and CEO of ONE World Sports. “With a significant number of NHL alumni in the KHL, we anticipate that our coverage will attract hockey fans across North America. Additionally, our multiplatform rights give those fans the opportunity to watch the games and highlights on the screen of their choice.”

The Sri Lankan city of Hambantota, bidding to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games, claimed yesterday, February 27, that all the facilities needed to host the event, including the venues and infrastructure, would be built and finished nearly two years ahead of schedule if their bid is successful.

Ajith Nivard Cabraal, the co-chairman of Hambantota 2018 and the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, made the bold claim, stating: “We are making 2016 a byword for our Hambantota 2018 bid.

“Our commitment to all CGAs (Commonwealth Games Associations) is that all of the venues and the entire infrastructure for the Games will be completed by December 2016.

“This means that we can use 2017 for all the test events throughout the venues, including the Games Village.”

Cabraal’s pledge was made in an attempt to allay fears that if the the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) choose Hambantota, ahead of only rivals Gold Coast, they face the prospect of similar problems that overshadowed the build-up to last year’s event in New Delhi.

The promise to create a compact “Sports City” has been made by Sri Lankan Officials. They revealed that the construction will be developed alongside existing major infrastructure developments, including the new sea port and second international airport, with work already underway, as well as a high-capacity public transport system and new road network.

The Sri Lankan Government are convinced that the promise can be a vote winner when the CGF meets at its annual meeting in St Kitts and Nevis on November 11 to choose the host city.

Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister and the co-chairman of Hambantota 2018, stated: “Sports City will be instrumental for Hambantota in winning the bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

“All the athletes participating in the Games will find it tailor-made to suit their specific sporting requirements.

“They will relish the opportunity to compete in venues full to capacity with spectators, with a great atmosphere and in facilities that exceed their expectations and enable them to strive for personal best performances and medals.”

British Eurosport have announced they will televise the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship after extending their agreement with promoter, clinic IMG Motorsport.

British Eurosport, who televised the FIA European Rallycross Championship last year, will broadcast all rounds bar Finland, Sweden, Canada and France.

Highlights and repeats will also form part of the comprehensive package, with a season preview and review similarly in the pipeline. The commentary team will continue to be led by respected ‘Voice of Rallycross’, Andrew Coley.

“British Eurosport’s commitment to televising the entire FIA World RX Championship this year – the vast majority of it live – is a tremendous boost to our rapidly growing series,” said Martin Anayi, Managing Director of the FIA World Rallycross Championship for IMG Motorsport, a division of IMG, the global sport, fashion and media company.

“With its exhilarating blend of flat-out, wheel-to-wheel rallying and circuit racing, rallycross’ popularity is very much in the ascendancy, and the fact that UK-based fans will be able to follow all of the breathtaking action on TV is excellent news. Rallycross is well-acknowledged to be one of the most thrilling sports to witness trackside, but it is also one that lends itself perfectly to the small screen.

“All of us at FIA World RX are immensely enthusiastic about the prospect of working closely alongside British Eurosport again this season, and we are looking forward to seeing the increased coverage and promotion that will accompany it – as, I’m sure, are all of the championship’s fans.”

“Rallycross was a popular fixture on British Eurosport’s scheduling in 2013, and the advent of the new FIA World Championship this year is another great fillip for the sport,” added British Eurosport Managing Director, David Kerr.

“We are looking forward to collaborating with FIA World RX promoter, IMG, to further spread the reach of this exciting sporting discipline.”