Buoyed by their success in the World Cup in 2010, Spain is ready to push for co-hosting the 2018 tourney with neighboring Portugal, Secretary of State for Sports Jaime Lissavetsky said Tuesday.

In an address to the Spanish Football Federation's (RFEF) general assembly meeting, Lissavetsky said, "Spain's next challenge is to organise the 2018 World Cup."

Spain and Portugal hope to pool their resources -- as Japan and South Korea did in 2002 -- for 2018 after Brazil hosts the next edition in 2014.

Center Tseng Wen-ting, who led Yulon Luxgen to its fourth title in the team's history last week, was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of this year regular season for the first time in his career.

In the meantime, the player had also bagged the defensive player of the year award during the ceremony and was chosen as one of the five best players in the Super Basketball League (SBL), a seven-tam league that was set-up in 2003 and is country’s major basketball competition.

The 25-year old player led the league in rebounds and assists, a rare feat for a center.

According to local Spanish media reports, country’s track cyclist Toni Tauler, a silver medal winner at the Beijing Olympics, has tested positive for a banned substance.

Moreover, the sports newspaper AS published that the 36-year old was tested by the Spanish Cycling Federation before the world championships in Ballerup, Denmark in the month of March this year.

Further, the newspaper reported that the second analysis is to be carried out soon.

On the other hand, the federation refused to give any statement on the reports.

Spain’s uncapped Pedro and Javi Martinez drew lots to decide which of them has to wear the unwanted number two shirt at the World Cup.

While talking to reporters, Barcelona forward Pedro said, “Javi and I were the only ones left to choose a number as we were the last to arrive and the truth is that neither of us were particularly excited about wearing the number two.”

In the meantime, he also added, “SO we drew lots and I got it. In any case, it doesn’t matter and it won’t be a problem.”

The upcoming edition of the Volvo Race, the gruelling round-the-world sailing event, will depart Alicante, Spain November 5, 2011 and arrive in Galway, Ireland around July 1, 2012.

Moreover, the 11th round of the race, which was first introduced in 1973 as the Whitbread race, will include nine legs and eight stopovers on five continents and covers 39, 270 nautical miles.

Spain continued to top the FIFA World Rankings, leaving Brazil at the second position and the Netherlands at the third position, in the latest edition released on Wednesday, while Portugal gained two positions to fourth.

Meanwhile, world Champions Italy and Germany slipped one place each to fifth and sixth spot respectively, and Fabio Capello’s England team have continued their climb by progressing France into seventh.

Moreover, Croatia (10th) is back in the top 10 after a two-month absence.

According to recent reports, Sports betting machines will be in Catalunya, the Spanish region which includes Barcelona, till the end of 2011.

The sports betting through shops and machines are already legal in the Basque Country in the north and in the Spanish capital.

Meanwhile, Catalunya would be regarded as one of the leading targets for the expansion of online machines as it is one of the principal regions of population. It is confidently predicted that another of the major aims.

The presence of Egypt in the top ten of FIFA’s world rankings proved short-lived as the African Nations Cup winners slipped from 10th to 17th in the new list released during the last week.

Moreover, Egypt jumped 14 grades last month owing to their third consecutive Nations Cup triumph but, because of the vagaries of the ranking system where year-old results fall out of the reckoning, they have now dropped down the rankings.

In the opening match of the Hockey World Cup that begun on Sunday, Olympic silver medalist Spain beat the South African team by 4-2 under tight security.

After the slow start, the Spanish team recovered and then won the match.

South Africa, ranked 13th, shocked the Spanish defence twice in the first half and went 2-2 equal, but the third-ranked Spain asserted its supremacy afterward.

Moreover, Julian Hykes scored the first goal for South Africa in the 16th minute, dribbling into the striking circle before beating goalkeeper Francisco Cortes with a flick into the cage.

According to the data revealed by an Australian betting agency, Brazil and Spain are favored above England and Argentina to lift the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

However, Germany is placed at fifth position by the agency out of the 32 teams that have qualified to play in 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

New Zealand, competing in its first World Cup in a generation, is regarded as the least favorite nation to win the World Cup, followed by Honduras and North Korea.