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Weekly sports agenda: Winter Olympics, three rugby tournaments, and the field hockey World Cup

Relax News
Friday 19 February 2010 01:00 GMT
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Among major upcoming sporting events: the Winter Olympic Games come to a close; rugby fans see the Six Nations, IRB Sevens, and World Club Challenge; the Men's Field Hockey World Cup in India; the French Open Footbag Tournament.

Rugby Union: Six Nations Championship
Weekends until March 20
London, England; Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland; Rome, Italy; Edinburgh, Scotland; Cardiff, Wales.

Six nations play to contest the trophy in a 15-match, five-weekend tournament of top-level European rugby. Last year's champions Ireland are looking strong, while England and France also won their opening matches. Tickets are available from each host nation's Rugby Union, linked to from the tournament website's Championship Info section.
http://www.rbs6nations.com

Endurance: Libyan Challenge Master Trek
February 21-23
Ghat, Libya

The Challenge is a 205 km (122 mile) race within the country of Libya, starting out from the city of Ghat and winding through the Akakus mountains. Competitors are issued just a GPS device, a map, and a few liters of water doled out at each checkpoint dotted along the course. Other than that, participants must be self-sufficient with regard to food, clothing and equipment in the harsh conditions of the labyrinthine Akakus mountain range. The Akakus's alternating rocks and dunes ensure the course becomes a disorienting, slow-burn assault through Saharan surroundings. Trekkers' progress can be tracked via the official website as they seek to conquer, or be conquered by, just one small part of the formidable Sahara.
http://www.libyanchallenge.com

Ball sports: 11th French Open Footbag Competition
February 26-28
Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Paris, France

Footbag, similar to the game that many know as 'hackey sack', has the first of its three internationally sanctioned events in the form of the French Open. The Open consists of a full singles and doubles Footbag Net schedule, a tournament game which is like volleyball played with a footbag (a small, fist-sized ball) which is kept in play only by use of the feet rather than arms or hands. There are also freestyling competitions and a Circle Kicking tournament. Players and teams can register via the Footbag website.
http://www.footbag.org

Skiing: Vasaloppet Week
February 26 - March 7
Dalarna, Sweden

The annual ski festival in Sweden encompasses a host of short, middle, and long-distance alpine races over various distances, but soon enough all attention turns to the Vasaloppet itself, the oldest of the 15 Worldloppet and a 90km ski marathon that runs its course between the towns of Sälen and Mora. Competitors must finsh the race in less than 12 hours - the average finishing time is 5h30m, and winners usually complete the distance in 4 hours for the men's class, closer to 4h45m for women. There is also a non-competitive 90 km race called the Öppet spår, and a 9 0km team relay held as part of the week's other diversions.
http://www.vasaloppet.se

Olympics: XXI Olympic Winter Games Closing Ceremony
February 28
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The 21st winter quadrennial's  17-day sporting extravaganza closes with a grand ceremony on Sunday, February 28. All other events will have concluded by the previous day, other than the men's finals in Cross-Country Skiing and Ice Hockey. Tickets for the closing ceremony can be ordered from the Vancouver 2010 website and are available for $175, $300, $500 or $775 Canadian dollars (€125, €210, €350, €545). Gates will open at 1:30pm and proceedings commence at 5:30pm (March 1, 1:30am GMT).
http://www.vancouver2010.com

Field Hockey: Men's Hockey World Cup
February 28 - March 13
New Delhi, India

The 12 competing teams are split into two pools. Pool matches take place from February 28 to March 9, and only the first and second-placed teams proceed to the semi finals on March 11. Various play-off places are up for grabs in matches played March 11-13. The competing nations have been selected by merit of their performance in recent continental or other qualifying hockey tournaments. Joining the hosts India in Pool B will be Australia, England, Pakistan, South Africa and Spain; in Pool A are World number one Germany along with Argentina, Canada, Korea, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Tickets cost from 100 Rupees (€1.55) for a group stage match's general admission and up to 7,500R (€120) for a V.V.I.P. ticket to the final.
http://www.worldhockey.org/worldcup

Rugby League: World Club Challenge
February 28
Leeds, United Kingdom

Winners of the 2009 Australian National Rugby League, Melbourne Storm, meet two-time Challenge champions and current Super League Grand Final winners the Leeds Rhinos at the English side's home ground Elland Road to contest the World Club Challenge trophy. Ticket prices range from £10 (€11/$16) for children up to £50 (€55/$80) for adults' pitchside seating. The official broadcast partner is Sky Sports, while domestically the BBC have access to highlights.
http://www.superleague.co.uk/tickets_event.php?id=13
http://www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk

Endurance: Tokyo Marathon
February 28
Tokyo, Japan

The Tokyo marathon's course runs from the city's Metropolitan Government Building, past the Imperial Palace and Hibiya Park, stretching south of the city center towards the Shinagawa district and back north to Asakusa before heading towards the finish at the International Exhibition Center. One of the most popular marathons in Asia, it is also a crucial part of the Japanese men's selection process for the 2010 Asian Games in China this November. Registrations for this year's marathon closed in August 2009 - those wanting to register for 2011 should do so from March onwards.
http://www.tokyo42195.org

Endurance: Snowshoe Marathon
March 6
Pittsfield, Vermont, USA

One of the Peak Race series, the Snowshoe Marathon enforces a 10-hour completion limit and four laps of ungroomed 6.5 mile (10.5km) trail to circuit. There is also a half-marathon available and a "fun" run for those wanting to give the sport a try. The prize fund is $700, with $200 going to men's and women's first place finishers. The Vertical Ice Climbing Enthusiasts team will also be on hand to premiere a new film about ice climbing in New England.
Registration: For $75, each entrant is guaranteed a beanie hat and a vital post-race meal as well as a chance to take on the course. The 100-mile, 15-lap event is $125.
http://www.peakraces.com/snowshoe

Endurance: Midlands Ultra Triathlon
March 7
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

The Midlands Ultra is a 1.8km swim, 60km road cycle, and a 15km on-road / offroad run based in the Midmar Dam Nature Reserve, about an hour's drive away from Durban. There is also a sprint category, with distances a third of the Ultra. The Midlands Ultra is two weeks before the South African Triathlon Championships and six weeks before the Ironman South Africa, so for some hardened athletes it will be all part of training for even tougher events. All funds raised go towards Wildlands Conservation Trust projects.
Registration: R460 (€44) for the ultra or R240 (€23) for the sprint.
http://midlandsultra.co.za

Odd sports: Westpac Birdman Rally
March 7
Melbourne, Australia

The Birdman Rally, part of the Melbourne city festival that runs March 5-8, is an annual occurrence, as men (and women) line up in various costumes and contraptions and attempt to fly across the Yarra river. The event is free to enter and free to watch.
More information available at That's Melbourne.com

Extreme sports: Winter X Games Europe
March 10-12
Tignes, France

The Winter X Games come to Europe for the first time, and the French ski resort of Tignes will be hosting. ESPN, the creators of the X Games, have teamed up with French TV network Canal+. Superpipes and slopestyle competitions for skiers and snowboarders will be accompanied by a snowmobile freestyle demo. While ESPN and Canal+ are expected to carry the majority of televised events, with some footage available from the official site, those wishing to spectate from the snowy slopes are advised to check Tignes' Winter X Games site.
http://winterxgameseurope.canalplus.fr

Athletics: IAAF World Indoor Championships
March 12-14
Doha, Qatar

With events in track racing, long and high jump, shot put and pole vault among others, the IAAF World Indoor Championships occur every two years, in tandem with the Outdoor version. Day tickets cost from 10 QAR (€2 / $2.75).
http://www.doha2010wic.com

Endurance: Abu Dhabi Triathlon
March 13
Abu Dhabi

With a total prize fund of $250,000 (€184,000), this triathlon under the burning sun certainly has its fair share of gold up for grabs. The full-length course encompasses a 3km swim in the Emirates Palace Hotel's lagoon, a 200km bike ride that takes in Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, the Yas Marina Formula One circuit, and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque before culminating in a 20km run around the waterfront Corniche. Registration costs are $180 for the full length race, $123 for the half distance course, and $272 for three-person relay teams (€90, €132, or €200).
http://www.abudhabitriathlon.com

Odd Sports: Ultimate Typing Championship
March 14
Austin, Texas, USA

Part of the South by South West cultural festival taking place in Austin, Texas, the Ultimate Typing Championship finals are a culmination of a five-month elimination which started with web-based typing challenges, before moving on to a semi-final knockout round in early January. The two finalists facing off in March are Sean Wrona, a 25-year-old statistical programmer, and Nate Bowen, a 31-year-old web and iPhone developer, both able to hit typing speeds of 150 words per minute.
http://www.ultimatetypingchampionship.com

Wrestling: Osaka Grand Sumo Tournament
March 14-28
Osaka, Japan

One of six Grand Tournaments held throughout the year, each of the events' 15 days sees wrestling action take place from early morning (8:30am) to late afternoon (5pm) across several divisions, with top wrestlers performing last, and of course the colorful ritual Bow Ceremony to cap each day's proceedings. General admission tickets cost 2,000 YEN (€16), while at the upper end of the scale remaining box seats reach 10,300 YEN (€83).
http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng

Skiing: FIS World Cup Finals
March 19-22
Lugnet, Falun, Sweden

The International Ski Federation's World Cup tour that started in November 2009 ends in central Sweden with a three-day championship schedule, following on from the penultimate meet in Stockholm on March 17. The cross-country discipline involves a mix of distance and sprint races. For the men, Norwegian Petter Northug has a clear advantage over his nearest rivals, while in the women's category it is Justyna Kowalczyk who heads the field.
http://www.fiscrosscountry.com

Rugby Union: IRB Sevens World Series
March 19-21
Adelaide, Australia

The 12 core national sides are again joined by four guest nations, this time in Australia, March 19-21. Despite England's Ben Gollings leading the individual points scorers, his side is in fourth, with New Zealand, Samoa and Fiji at the vanguard after four of the 8 series' tournaments. Australia, in fifth, will be looking to make their home advantage count. Tickets for this Australian leg of the IRB Sevens tour cost between AUD 17 (€11/$15) for general admission on the first night to AUD 200 (€130/$178) for a three-day family pass.
http://www.adelaidesevens.com.au

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