Three-times winners Australia have pulled out of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup due to concerns over safety and security in the host country Bangladesh.

The Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) has withdrawn its men’s team from this month’s African Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Brazzaville, citing financial constraints and lack of Government commitment as the reasons.

Administrators of the iconic Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro have reportedly sacked 75 per cent of the arena’s staff, eight months before the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games.

The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is seeking bids from potential hosts of its 2017 Freestyle and Overall Flying Disc Championships (WFOC).

Kasperi Kapanen scored an overtime winner to earn hosts Finland a 4-3 victory over Russia in the final of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship in Helsinki.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced the entries for the 2016 Cruyff Foundation Wheelchair Tennis Junior Masters with Spain’s Martin de la Puente and Russia’s Viktoriia Lvova, last year’s boys’ and girls’ champions respectively, headlining the 12-strong field.

World Rugby chairman Bernard Lapasset is predicting a "game-changing" year for the sport as the sevens version makes its debut at the Olympic Games and the international governing body bids to continue what is said to be record participation growth.

Netball Australia has won the rights to host the Fast5 Netball World Series for the next three years, the International Netball Federation has announced.

The second edition of the Indian Badminton League (IBL), rechristened the Premier Badminton League (PBL) for the 2016 season, has begun following months of doubt as to whether the event would go ahead.

Golf’s Asian Tour has announced a major shake up of its Board of Directors following the resignation of its chief executive Mike Kerr, amid uncertainty surrounding a proposed merger with the European Tour.

Guinea has officially been cleared to host international football matches after the West African country was declared free of Ebola.

The President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) has hailed 2015 as a "successful year" for the organisation at its annual dinner and awards night in Kuala Lumpur.

The Rector Professor of the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU) has been made a member of the Club of the Rectors of Europe (CRE) at a ceremony in Oxford.

Fans of the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England helped raise in excess of £1 million ($1.5 million/€1.4 million) for the Tackle Hunger programme, World Rugby and its humanitarian partner the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have announced.