According to London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) chairman Sebastian Coe, ticket applications for the 2012 London Olympics have far exceeded supply with more than half of the 650 sessions oversubscribed and set to go to a ballot.

More than 20 million tickets were applied for in total by the deadline, which was pushed back an hour until 01:00 GMT on Tuesday, April 26. A surge in demand caused a temporary glitch which forced the extension with the opening and closing ceremonies among the events to have been declared sold out.

Over than 95 per cent of the 1.8 million people who applied were British residents hoping to get a seat for ‘the greatest show on earth’ with a total of 6.6 million tickets having been made available for the general public at next year’s Games.

Organisers had hoped to raise about £400 million from ticket sales during a six-week window and Coe stated: “We are thrilled with the response right across the board, in all sports and all sessions.

“Certain events have seen massive demand – for example, the opening ceremony, which is more than 10 times oversubscribed, so there will understandably be disappointment and we will find a way to go back to those people with other tickets.”

Organisers revealed that track cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, triathlon, modern pentathlon, equestrian (cross country) and the opening and closing ceremonies were sell-out events. All will go to a ballot, as will most of the sessions for swimming and tennis.

A spokesman for London 2012 claimed that tickets allocated to those with insufficient funds to carry out their transactions from May 10 will not be immediately withdrawn but all applicants are strongly advised to ensure that they have enough money in their accounts to cover their applications.

Customers will receive confirmation in June, if successful, of what events they have tickets for, while unsuccessful applicants will be given further chances in June and July to buy unallocated tickets.

Coe added: “What is most encouraging is that the majority of applications are for multiple tickets and for several sports, which shows that friends and family are planning to go to the Games together.”

Thomson Sport has signed a three year deal to become the official travel partner of the National Football League (NFL) in the UK.

South Korea’s television network SBS TV has been fined US$1.64 million by the state regulator for not sharing coverage of this summer’s FIFA World Cup with other broadcasters, it has been reported.

SBS had exclusive rights to broadcast matches from South Africa, but following complaints from broadcasters KBS and MBC, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) told SBS to negotiate a share of some games.

And the KCC has now said that SBS has been fined because it did not “sincerely comply with the request” to negotiate a share of games.

Sydney FC has appointed Rebel’s Managing Director of Sports Retailing, cheap Erica Berchtold to the club’s Board of Directors, check Chairman Scott Barlow announced today.

Berchtold is responsible for merchandise, marketing and retail operations across all of retail giant Super Retail Group’s sport businesses, including Rebel, Amart Sports, Workout World and Goldcross Cycles.

She comes to Sydney FC with nearly 20 years of Australian retail experience and will advise on all merchandising and retail operations.

Chairman Scott Barlow said the appointment was an important step for the club.

“I’m very pleased to be appointing Erica as a Director to the Sydney FC board.  Erica is an expert in her field and she brings with her a broad range of skills and experience across the sports retailing sector, which will complement the capabilities of our board perfectly,” he said.

“Erica joins the board with a genuine passion for Sydney FC having been a Member for many seasons.

“I’m looking forward to working with Erica to ensure that Sydney FC can deliver the best range of retail products to our Members and fans.”

Berchtold has previously held senior management positions at Harvey Norman and Speciality Fashion Group and is looking forward to beginning her role with the Hyundai A-League’s most recognised club.

“The opportunities for a club like Sydney FC in the sports retail market are enormous and I hope to be able to help the club take advantage of them,” she said.

“Membership and support for Sydney FC is growing year on year, as well as in Australian football in general.

“It is important we achieve high standards for our supporters and meet the targets we set ourselves, as well as challenging our rivals in the retail sector.”

Erica Berchtold is also President of the Australian Sporting Goods Association.

The Official Travel Agents (OTAs) for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England have been selected, sale the Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) and Rugby Travel and Hospitality Ltd (RTH) have announced.

The appointment of leading agents from 10 nations and territories follows a comprehensive tender evaluation and selection process by RTH, order the company appointed by RWCL to exclusively manage the global fan travel and hospitality programmes. The agents will ensure fans from around the world and in the UK are offered a wide choice of travel packages based on content and price.

Official fan travel packages for Rugby’s showcase event will go on sale in 2014 with full details regarding the range of packages, sickness prices and on-sale date being announced before the end of the year.

Rugby World Cup OTA programme sales exceeded 180,000 for France 2007 and more than 100,000 for New Zealand 2011, and with more than 400,000 international visitors anticipated for the 48-match, six-week celebration of Rugby and the host nation, demand is expected to be unprecedented.

RWCL Managing Director Brett Gosper said: “The international travel and hospitality ticketing programme has been one of the major success stories for Rugby World Cup, proving a hit for sports fans from around the world with its unforgettable memories and exceptional experiences.”

“We are delighted to announce the appointment of 15 leading Official Travel Agents for Rugby World Cup 2015. This is a key tournament milestone and the announcement so far in advance of the tournament is another indication that we are on track to deliver an exceptional Rugby World Cup.”

“Fans who book through OTAs will also be playing their part in the growth of world Rugby, with the tournament’s commercial programme providing the financial engine that enables the IRB to invest record sums in high performance programmes, tournament and development structures to increase participation and competitiveness within the world Game.”

RTH Chief Executive Andrew Burton said: “All of the OTAs appointed are committed to providing the best possible service and tournament experience for Rugby fans throughout the world who will travel to England in 2015.”

“With more than 400,000 supporters expected to travel to England for the tournament, fans will have the opportunity to choose from a variety of match ticket inclusive supporter tours, offering a wide range of ways to experience the tournament in 2015.”

The appointed OTAs are:

Argentina
Delfos Tours
Tower Travel

Australia
Flight Centre Australia
Gullivers Sport Travel
Qantas Holidays Ltd
Sportsnet Holidays

Europe
ATP Events

France
Couleur Rugby
Eventeam

Great Britain
England Rugby Travel

Ireland
Club Travel

Japan
Japan Travel Bureau

New Zealand
All Blacks Tours

North America
Great Atlantic Travel

South Africa
SA Rugby Travel

The Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) has signed a new partnership with Infront Sports & Media. 

The agreement will help to support the overall development of Basketball in Turkey with the core focus on the TBF BEKO Basketball League (TBL) – making Infront the property’s exclusive global marketing and media partner. Turkey, cialis has a predominantly youthful population of 75 million people, viagra where sports has a special place in the social culture.

The partnership covers media and marketing on a national and international level – in the first instance helping to build, ampoule implement and service a successful central marketing platform for the TBF BEKO Basketball League. 

Under the agreement, Infront will re-define the marketing platform – offering for the very first time, centrally marketed sponsorship packages across the TBF BEKO Basketball League, which after football is positioned as the second most popular sports league in Turkey. A total of six exclusive sponsorship packages for brands will be available.

In terms of television exposure, Infront will be authorized to distribute the international media rights for the league, in addition to servicing and selling the existing domestic rights moving forward. Overall, the TBF and its commercial partner aim to significantly increase exposure and the accessibility of Turkish basketball across all media platforms. Further, Infront will contribute its experience in media production and digital content creation to significantly improve the overall media product and scope of Turkish basketball content.

Turgay Demirel, President of the Turkish Basketball Federation, said: “This is the first time that a Turkish federation has fully aligned with an international sports marketing company to develop its major properties. We are convinced that it is of long-term benefit for Turkish basketball and all its stakeholders – most importantly the fans, the clubs, the athletes and the sponsors. With its extensive experience in basketball and a proven track record in strengthening the commercial impact of major sports properties on an international level, Infront was the very best choice for us to move forward.” 

Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront, said: “Basketball is a key pillar of the Infront portfolio and we are very proud of the TBF’s trust, expressed by this long-term partnership. Our aim is to support the federation by boosting the brand profile and strength of the BEKO Turkish Basketball League. This will encourage growth well into the future and eventually leave a lasting legacy. Thanks to our all-encompassing role, we will follow an integrative approach and set a benchmark for the future development of sports events and series in Turkey. The country is a strategic growth market for the Infront Group and we look forward to contributing to the development of its sports industry.”

Following the attention the NRA 500 has received for just the name of the race, viagra order NASCAR will take a closer look at race sponsorships in the future, arthritis the sanctioning body said in a statement Thursday.

Tracks negotiate their own naming rights deals, and Texas Motor Speedway announced last month that the National Rifle Association would sponsor its Sprint Cup Series race, scheduled for Saturday night.

Race sponsorships typically generate at least $1 million or more for racetracks. The sanctioning agreement tracks have with NASCAR states that “NASCAR reserves the right to approve or disapprove any advertising, sponsorship or similar agreement in connection with the event.”

NASCAR approved the sponsorship, and Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said Thursday there has been no public outcry over the sponsorship. He said he was not concerned over the timing of the race coinciding with the gun control debate and voting in Congress.

But NASCAR spokesman David Higdon released a statement that indicated the timing of a sponsorship and the perception of NASCAR will be used to determine whether to approve race sponsorships in the future.

“The NRA’s sponsorship of the event at Texas Motor Speedway fit within existing parameters that NASCAR affords tracks in securing partnerships,” the NASCAR statement said.

“However, this situation has made it clear that we need to take a closer look at our approval process moving forward, as current circumstances need to be factored in when making decisions.”

While there could be a perception that NASCAR is endorsing the NRA’s political platform, NASCAR said that is not the case.

“NASCAR has no official position on the gun rights debate,” the NASCAR statement said. “Our fans, racing teams and industry partners come from all walks of life and thus have varying points of views and opinions.

“As a sport, we are in the business of bringing people together for entertainment, not political debate.”