Cycling: The road cycling World Championships in 2018 will be held in the Austrian city of Innsbruck, the sport’s governing body (UCI) said yesterday. “I have no doubt that Innsbruck will provide a stunning and challenging route for riders to compete on, as well as a wonderful, unique backdrop that can only add to the spectator and viewer experience,” UCI president Brian Cookson said in a statement on the organisation’s website. This year’s event takes place in Doha, Qatar in October.

Rugby Union: Kieran Brookes may be in line to play in England’s Six Nations opener against Scotland after the Rugby Football Union announced he would link up with Eddie Jones’s squad. The tighthead prop was originally slated to miss at least the start of England’s campaign after undergoing surgery on a knee injury he suffered in Northampton’s game against Racing Metro on December 19.

Golf: South Korean Song Young-han held his nerve to edge his role model, world number one Jordan Spieth, by a shot to win the Singapore Open in a weather-delayed finish yesterday. Song returned to par the last three holes of his final round for a one-under 70 and 12-under total of 272, claiming the first title of his career after a number of second place finishes on the Japan, Korean and OneAsia Tours. Double major winner Spieth, who also returned to the Sentosa Golf Club early to sink a five-foot birdie putt on the 18th, his only shot of the day, finished with a five-under 66.

Swimming: The Japanese city of Fukuoka will host the 2021 World Aquatics Championships and Doha, the capital of Qatar, will stage the 2023 edition, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) announced. Fukuoka will be staging the championships for the second time after being awarded the 2001 edition while Doha’s championships will be the first to be held in the Middle East. Budapest, in Hungary, had originally been earmarked to host the 2021 championships but, instead, stepped in to stage the 2017 event after the withdrawal of Mexican city Guadalajara, who cited financial problems. Fukuoka and Doha were chosen ahead of Chinese city Nanjing for the 2021 and 2023 editions.

Motor Racing: The Force India Formula One team have taken on 16-year-old Russian Nikita Mazepin, whose billionaire father Dmitry is owner of mineral fertiliser producer Uralchem, as a development driver. “My goal is to race in Formula One in the future and today’s news takes me closer to achieving that objective,” the teenager said in a statement from the British-based team yesterday. Apart from Force India duties, Mazepin will race for Hitech GP in the European Formula Three championship this year.

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