Glasgow has been chosen as the host city for the 2018 European Swimming Championships.

Scotland will stage the championships for the first time, which includes swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and open-water competitions.

The success of this year’s Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, was a huge factor in the city being successful with their bid. 

“Organising that event at such a high level is a kind of guarantee for us for 2018,” said European Aquatics Federation president Paolo Barelli. 

“Everyone had the chance to watch the outstanding success of the Commonwealth Games.”

Berlin is currently hosting the 32nd European Championships, while London will stage the 2016 event. 

Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Sport Shona Robison said: “This is a hugely important event, which will give us the opportunity to further the profile of swimming in Scotland. 

“Scotland is the perfect stage for events and we have already demonstrated that we have the world-class professional facilities needed for an event such as this with the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Strathclyde Country Park and Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool as part of the Commonwealth Games.” 

The dates for the Glasgow 2018 event are yet to be announced.

The PGAs of Europe have announced they have added Mercedes-Benz International Pro-Am supported by Eastern Motors to its schedule of tournaments for 2014.

The event will be taking place from the 27th – 30th January 2014 at Al Ain Equestrian, ed Shooting & Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates. 

The Pro-Am joins the PGAs of Europe tournament schedule at a time of the year that also features the PGAs of Europe Fourball Championship and Kempinski “The Dome” Pro-Am.

“We are always looking to provide winter playing opportunities for PGA members from across our member countries when they may be lacking competitive opportunities at home,” said Chief Executive of the PGAs of Europe, Ian Randell. “Our thanks go to Gavin Chappell and his team at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club for hosting this new event at their fantastic facility that has a proven record of hosting professional events.”

Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, venue of the MENA Tour Championship finale for 2011, 2012 and 2013, will open its doors to professionals and amateurs from around the globe for the 4 day event consisting of a practice round on the Monday and then 54-holes of tournament golf. 

Next summer’s Investec Ashes Test at the Kia Oval has sold out, making it the first Test in England to sell out before the previous Christmas.

The final game of five, which begins on Wednesday 21 August, has seen the 23,500 capacity reached for all five days.

Surrey members were first to have access to tickets, with a priority window from November 10 to December 9. Next were those chosen among 45,000 ballot entrants before those that had missed out in the ballot got their turn on Wednesday. Day five tickets were subsequently put on general release.

The only available tickets for the match are now through Kia Oval debentures, a range of hospitality packages or the ground’s Kennington Club. 

Tickets are still available for next year’s other internationals at the ground via kiaoval.com. They are two NatWest International T20s between England and New Zealand on June 25 and 27 plus five Champions Trophy games, including England versus Sri Lanka on June 13 and the first semi-final on June 19.

Surrey chief executive Richard Gould said: “Selling out these games so quickly really underlines the historic place the Kia Oval holds in the minds of cricket fans across the country.

“After seeing the Ashes created here in 1882 and staging memorable victories in 2005 and 2009, we are really looking forward to next year’s game and hopefully helping England celebrate a third consecutive win over Australia on home soil.

“As well as our Investec Ashes Test match, the ground is also staging seven other exciting international games next year – with U16 tickets for our two NatWest T20 internationals available for just £1 – so there should be plenty of opportunity for everyone wanting to experience the atmosphere of a big match at the Kia Oval to come down at some stage throughout the year.

“With so much international cricket and the unveiling of the magnificent new frontage to our historic members’ pavilion – creating a ‘front door’ for the ground that will be one of the finest in world cricket – 2013 will be a hugely exciting year for everyone connected with both Surrey County Cricket Club and the Kia Oval.”

The NFL Players Association’s 12-member executive committee urged 32 team owners to end the league’s lockout of its veteran officials, claiming owners have failed in their responsibility to create a “safe” working environment.”

“We believe there is substantial evidence that you have failed in your obligation to provide as safe a working environment as possible,” the NFLPA wrote in the letter to 32 owners.

“Your decision to lock out officials with more than 1,500 years of collective NFLexperience has led to a deterioration of order, safety and integrity,” the letter said.

The letter is signed by the NFLPA’s 12-man executive committee headed by president and former Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth and six current players, including NFPA vice presidents — New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, Green Bay Packers center Jeff Saturday and Browns tight end Benjamin Watson.

They cited “poor calls, missed calls and bad game management. But the combination of those deficiencies will only continue to jeopardize player health and safety and the integrity of the game that has taken decades to build.”

Talks between the league and NFLRA broke off again Wednesday after two days with a substantial gap remaining over issues including the continuance of a defined pension benefit fund the NFLRA wants to have continued for its veteranofficials.

League senior vice president Ray Anderson said the league has warned all clubs to refrain from criticizing the replacement officials.

A side judge assigned to last Sunday’s New Orleans Saints game, Brian Stropolo was removed by the league for posting his allegiance to the Saints — posting pictures of himself wearing Saints gear while tailgating during a preseason game on his personal Facebook page.

“Coaches and players have complained of numerous errors and failures including: erratic and missed calls on egregious holds and hits, increased skirmishes between players and confusion about game rules,” the players wrote. “Many replacements have lost control of games due to inexperience and unfamiliarity with players and rules.

“The headlines are embarrassing: A scab working a game despite having been on the payroll of one of the teams, another who was assigned to referee a team he publicly supported on Facebook, and one who is a professional poker player when you propose even more stringent player rules on gambling.”

SportAccord Convention have announced that the 2013 edition of the Convention will take place in Saint Petersburg, herbal Russia from May 26-31 next year.

SportAccord Convention 2013 was originally scheduled to be held in Sochi, cheap host city of the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014. It was decided to move the location of the eleventh annual Convention to Saint Petersburg in order not to interfere with the extensive testing programme for the Games in 2013.

“We could not be happier about the prospect of holding the Convention in the great city of Saint Petersburg next year, asthma ” said SportAccord Convention Chairman Hein Verbruggen. “This decision has been under discussion with our Russian partners for a long time and we are pleased to be able to confirm Saint Petersburg as our 2013 host.”

Held in a different city every year, SportAccord Convention is a unique opportunity for international sporting leaders to engage with business, featuring a dynamic exhibition as well as the annual general meetings of governing bodies of world sport.

The 10th anniversary edition of SportAccord Convention takes place in Québec City in Canada from May 20-25, 2012.

Comcast Corp. has lost a major court case to Tennis Channel on Tuesday when a Federal Communications Commission judge effectively ordered the cable giant to carry the channel on a more widely available tier of service.

In the decision, Administrative Law Judge Richard L. Sippel ruled that the Tennis Channel had proved Comcast had discriminated against it by relegating the outlet to tiers of service available in fewer homes than Comcast’s own Golf Channel and Versus sports channel. He ordered Comcast to stop discriminating against the channel as soon as “practicable,” and pay a $375,000 fine.

“In general, the larger the interest that Comcast has in a network, the greater the distribution provided by Comcast,” Mr. Sippel wrote in the decision, which relied on federal rules that bar cable operators that own channels from discriminating against channels owned by others. The Tennis Channel is owned by a group that includes several private-equity firms, although satellite-TV firms DirecTV Inc. and Dish Network Corp. have small interests.

Comcast said it will appeal the ruling to the full FCC.

“Comcast has the contractual right to distribute Tennis Channel as it does currently, and Comcast firmly believes that the exercise of that right to minimize costs to consumers is not discrimination,” the company said in a statement, adding that the decision to supersede their contract is “unprecedented.”

The ruling, if upheld, could force broader distribution of a host of smaller cable channels—especially sports channels whose rising costs have become a source of concern in the cable business.

Sports-team owners, for instance, could have an easier time getting distribution for their own regional sports networks. Currently their main obstacle is the unwillingness of cable operators to put a network of interest to only a fraction of their viewers on a tier available to a broad number of their subscribers. But if independent owners can now claim discrimination in markets where the cable operator owns a sports channel, they may be able to wrestle wider carriage-which would likely drive up cable bills.