BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 30 January 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We start with motorsport: The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has extended the deadline to submit host bids for a Formula One Gand Prix in South Africa. The department says the extension to March 18 aims to give stakeholders additional time to submit comprehensive, well-structured proposals in line with Request for Expression of Interest requirements. Kyalami in Johannesburg remains a frontrunner, pending upgrades to meet the standards of governing body the F-I-A. The department’s spokesperson, Stacey-Lee Khojane, says they are committed to a transparent and competitive process:

Meanwhile, the F-I-A relieved former driver Johnny Herbert of his duties as a Grand Prix steward, saying it was incompatible with his work as a media pundit. The 60-year-old Briton won three F1 races in the 1980s and 90s, as well as the Le Mans in 1991. Herbert drew the ire of four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen of the Netherlands last year over media comments on the Red Bull driver’s behaviour on the track when he was still a commentator for Sky News.

# Cricket: MI Cape Town booked its place in the SA20 playoffs for the first time with an emphatic ten-wicket bonus-point victory over defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape at Newlands. Corbin Bosch took four wickets for 19 runs, his best figures in the competition, to restrict Sunrisers to 107. In reply, Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen put on an unbroken opening partnership of 110-runs to guide MI Cape Town to victory. Bosch says they remain focused on the task ahead:

# Rugby: World Rugby has confirmed that the Accor Stadium in Sydney, Australia, will host the 2027 men’s World Cup final. The stadium, which has a capacity of 82-thousand, will also host the semifinals, the third-place playoff and two quarterfinals. Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, which will host the opening game, Brisbane, Adelaide, Townsville and Newcastle will host the world’s best 24 teams for six weeks. Rugby Australia’s CEO, Phil Waugh, says the country has a rich history of hosting major tournaments:

# And finally, tennis: The US Open is expanding its main draw to 15 days, beginning on a Sunday for the first time in the Open era. The US Tennis Association says this decision was taken following a third consecutive year of extraordinary demand and record-breaking attendance last year. It says the Sunday start will offer main-draw access to an additional 70-thousand spectators. Wimbledon is now the only remaining Grand Slam tournament with the traditional Monday start after the Australian Open changed last year and the French Open in 2006.

Stay tuned for more news………….