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18 | Touchline issue 22 | November 2015
world sport news roundup
USA
Las Vegas to host 2018 World
Men’s Curling Championship
The World Men’s Curling Championship
will be held in the United States for the
first time in a decade when it heads to
Las Vegas in March 2018.
It is the first time a World Curling
Federation (WCF) world championship
has been held in the ‘live entertainment
capital of the world.’ The city took
notice of the sport when 51,215
spectators turned out for the World
Financial Group (WFG) Continental Cup,
which made its debut there in 2014.
The World Men’s Curling Championship
will be held between March 31-April
8, 2018, following the 2018 Olympic
Winter Games in PyeongChang, South
Korea.
The 8,000-seat Orleans Arena, which
is near the famous Las Vegas strip, will
be the venue for the event. The WFG
Continental Cup will be held there,
once again, in January 2016.
“We’re delighted to be taking the World
Men’s Curling Championship to one
of the most recognized cities in the
world, in 2018, and back to America
for the first time since 2008,” said Kate
Caithness, World Curling Federation
president.
The World Men’s Curling Championship
is held annually in March/April and
is the pinnacle of the men’s curling
season. Each year 12 teams have the
chance to compete for the title – eight
from the European Zone, two from
the Americas Zone and two
from the Pacific-Asia Zone.
In 2018, the U.S., part of
the Americas Zone,
will automatically
qualify as host.
Australia
Successful World Cup helps
Cricket Australia to net surplus
of $99 million
The highly-successful World Cup has
helped Cricket Australia bank a net
surplus of $99 million in the previous
financial year.
At its recent AGM, outgoing Chairman
Wally Edwards, who is stepping down
after 19 years of service, revealed
revenue increased from $295.9
million to $380.9 million thanks to
the one-day tournament. The World
Cup generated more than $1.1 billion
in direct spending and more than
8000 jobs across Australia and New
Zealand.
Cricket Australia also received $51
million for its share of the 2015 ICC
Cricket World Cup host net profit.
"It is one of the great financial years
for Cricket Australia. Let's hope there
are many more to come like it,"
Edwards said.
"It was the greatest World Cup ever."
Cricket Australia chief executive James
Sutherland said the strong result
this year will help offset upcoming
summers of more modest returns,
while also allowing Cricket Australia to
invest in important strategic projects
and boost its reserves.
"The World Cup was easily the biggest
sporting event this country has seen
since the Sydney Olympics and has
left a positive legacy for cricket in
Australia," Sutherland said.
The AGM heard that 1.5 million people
passed through the gates for the
Australian summer of international
and domestic cricket, and another one
million attended the 49 World Cup
games in Australia and New Zealand.
The World Cup included 20 sell outs
and a record crowd of 93,013 for the
March 29 final at the MCG.
The summer's action was also
followed fanatically online, with more
than 12.7 million fans logging on to
CA's digital properties.
U.K.
Wimbledon remains free to air
with BBC deal
The BBC has signed a new rights deal
with the All England Club to continue
broadcasting Wimbledon until 2020.
The extended three-year deal keeps
the Grand Slam free to air and includes
live online and radio coverage.
BBC director general Tony Hall said
Wimbledon "unites the nation" and
that he was "delighted" with the deal.
Novak Djokovic won his third men's
singles title at Wimbledon this year,
while Serena Williams won her sixth
women's crown.
In what is the longest partnership
in sports broadcasting history, the
tournament will continue to be played
out across BBC One, BBC Two, the BBC
Red Button and the BBC Sport website,
with live radio coverage on Radio 5 live.
The BBC first broadcast from
Wimbledon in 1937.