FIFA Allocates Second Round of Tickets -- Federation Focus

(ATR) Nearly 400,000 more tickets were allocated to fans who registered for the right to purchase them for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The second round of ticket allocation finished this week, just over two months before the event. Ticket sales for the World Cup began in September 2017, and FIFA said in a release that so far nearly 1.7 million ticket shave been allocated.

In the second phase most of the ticket requests came from Russian fans, with the USA, Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil leading the international requests. Of those countries only the United States did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Fans wishing to buy tickets following the two allocation phases will be able to do so online starting April 18. For those who purchased tickets during the two allocation phases, Russia 2018 will begin to deliver tickets later this month and in May.

Hong Kong Sevens Start

Two rugby qualifier events will be held alongside the traditional Hong Kong Sevens this weekend.

The always-boisterous Hong Kong Sevens is the seventh stop in the 2017-18 World Sevens Series. Currently South Africa is leading the series, with Fiji in second.

Sixteen teams will compete at the Hong Kong Sevens, while 12 additional teams will play in the World Series qualifier. The winner of the qualifier will be a core team for the 2018-19 series.

An additional qualifier for the Women’s World Series will also be held with 12 teams looking to become a core member for next year. Overall, there will be 40 rugby sevens team competing in Hong Kong this weekend.

ITTF Opens Museum

International Table Tennis Federation President Thomas Weikert traveled to Shanghai, China to open the upgraded official federation museum.

Previously ITTF maintained a museum at its federation headquarters in Lausanne. The new venue is a partnership with the China Table Tennis Museum in Shanghai.

The museum will be host more than 8,000 dedicated exhibits according to a release from the ITTF. It will aim to "detail the past century of development in the sport, and showcases exclusive exhibits such as the first pair of table tennis rackets," according to the release.

"The ITTF is pleased to see the museum entertain visitors from all over the world with a new appearance, and we will continue to give maximum support including future world exhibitions, an ITTF documentation center and ITTF liaison center, making it more comprehensive and professional," Weikert said in a statement.

"Meanwhile, the ITTF will donate items and documents to the museum after each World Championships and World Cups."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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