Reuters Sports Schedule at 1400 GMT on Wednesday, March 29

Reuters sports schedule at 1400 GMT on Wednesday: SOCCER Premier League We will have all the latest news ahead of this weekend's Premier League fixtures which include Liverpool against Everton and Arsenal versus Manchester City. (SOCCER-ENGLAND/, expect throughout) FIGURE SKATING Medvedeva out to emulate Kwan at world championships HELSINKI - Russian Evgenia Medvedeva starts her bid to become the first woman since Michelle Kwan in 2001 to win back-to-back world titles as the competition begins with the short programmes. Twice champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford aim to set the standard in the pairs short skate. (FIGURE SKATING-WORLD/(PIX), moving shortly, by Pritha Sarkar, 500 words) SPORT BUSINESS More whistleblowers are talking to WADA, says Reedie LONDON - Several whistleblowers have approached the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) through a new programme set up after revelations of rampant state-sponsored doping in Russia, WADA President Craig Reedie said on Wednesday. (SPORT-DOPING/WADA (TV), moved, by Alan Baldwin, 400 words) Business of Football event with David Bernstein LONDON - Panel discussion between David Bernstein, former Manchester City FC, FA and Wembley chairman, and Alex Horne, former FA CEO and MD of Wembley on the business of football. The discussion will focus on working in the corporate side of football. (SOCCER-BUSINESS/, expect by 1600 GMT/10 AM ET, by Alan Baldwin, 400 words) ICE HOCKEY Federation to cover NHL costs at 2018 Winter Games - IOC BERLIN - The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has agreed to pay NHL players' travel and insurance costs to try to lure them to the 2018 Winter Olympics but team owners have set more commercial demands, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday. (OLYMPICS-2018/NHL, moved, by Karolos Grohmann, 450 words) Olympics or not, NHL ready to make push into China TORONTO - With or without the Olympics the National Hockey League will join the sporting stampede into the coveted China market with the league expected announce on Thursday pre-season games in Beijing and Shanghai. (ICEHOCKEY-NHL/CHINA (PIX), moved, by Steve Keating, 700 words) TENNIS ATP/WTA: Miami Open (to 2) Kerber battles Venus in quarter-final clash Top seeded German Angelique Kerber faces 11th seed Venus Williams in quarter-final action while third-seeded Simona Halep of Romania battles Britain's Johanna Konta in the other quarter-final at the Miami Open. (TENNIS-MIAMI/WOMEN (TV), expect by first lead by 0000 GMT/8 PM ET, 400 words) Nishikori, Nadal eye semi-final berths Japanese second seed Kei Nishikori faces unseeded Italian Fabio Fognini in quarter-final action at the Miami Open while fifth-seed Rafa Nadal battles Jack Sock in the other last-eight clash at the Miami Open. (TENNIS-MIAMI/MEN (TV), expect by first lead by 0000 GMT/8 PM ET, 400 words) GOLF ANA Inspiration (to April 2) Heat on for world number one Ko at women's major RANCHO MIRAGE, California - Defending champion Lydia Ko is feeling pressure at the top of the world golf rankings as she heads into the ANA Inspiration, the season's first women's golf major, at Mission Hills Country Club. (GOLF-WOMEN-INSPIRATION/ (PREVIEW), expect by 2200 GMT/6 PM ET, by Larry Fine, 400 words) Commissioner says global appeal fuels LPGA LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan says the tour's global appeal has fueled their success and helped make women's and girl's golf grow at an extraordinary rate. (GOLF-WOMEN/WHAN (INTERVIEW, TV), expect by 2100 GMT/5 PM, by Larry Fine, 500 words) U.S. Women's Open about golf, not Trump, says Whan The upcoming U.S. Women's Open this July at Trump Bedminster, owned by the U.S. president, has led some to push for the event to be moved but LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan and most players feel the championship is about golf and should not be impacted by politics. (GOLF-WOMEN-TRUMP/, expect by 2300 GMT/7 PM ET, by Larry Fine, 400 words) NBA Warriors visit Spurs in clash of West heavyweights The Golden State Warriors visit the San Antonio Spurs in a possible preview of the Western Conference final while the Boston Celtics try to pad their slim lead atop the Eastern Conference when they host the Milwaukee Bucks in two of the 10 games on the National Basketball Association schedule. (BASKETBALL-NBA-HIGHLIGHTS/, expect by 0530 GMT/1:30 AM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 800 words) NHL Penguins battle Blackhawks Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins, in a tight battle for top spot in the Metropolitan division, host the Chicago Blackhawks while the Los Angeles Kings visit the Calgary Flames in two of the four games on the National Hockey League schedule. (ICEHOCKEY-NHL-HIGHLIGHTS/, expect by 0530 GMT/1:30 AM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (expect by 0000 GMT/8 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 500 words) (Europe desk editor: Ed Osmond)