Caterham and its Formula One engine supplier Renault have joined forces to design develop and build future sports road going sports cars.

This agreement reflects a similar passion and expertise in sports and motorsports vehicles.

The future vehicles will be distinctive, differentiated, and carry the respective DNA of Alpine and Caterham Cars, the automotive division of Caterham Group. They will be built at the Alpine plant in Dieppe, Normandy, in France.

Caterham Group will own 50% stake in the Automobiles Alpine Renault company, currently 100% held by Renault SAS. The Societe des Automobiles Alpine Caterham, which will be resulting from this partnership, shall be created in January 2013. It will be managed by Bernard Ollivier

This project, which ensures the Dieppe Plant a sustainable future, was made possible thanks to the incentive and to the substantial support and commitment provided by the French State and the Région Haute Normandie which also involved the contribution of Dieppe Maritime.

“I have not felt as excited about a new venture since I launched AirAsia in 2001 and I want to thank Carlos Ghosn and Carlos Tavares and everyone in our new Renault family for having the belief in Caterham Group to create this partnership,” said Malaysian entrepreneur Fernandes.

He added at a press conference: “If you look at Formula One, there’s only Ferrari and McLaren, which are extremely expensive. We’ll produce a car that many more people can afford with F1 technology.”

Carlos Ghosn – Chairman and CEO of Renault: “This innovative partnership with Caterham embodies a long standing ambition, the creation of a sports car with the Alpine DNA. It carries both opportunities for the Dieppe plant and the development of its historic know-how.”

Carlos Tavares – COO Renault, said: “Our ambitions of reviving Alpine depended on our ability to find a partner in order to ensure the economic profitability of such an adventure. Right from the start, we wanted to place the Dieppe plant at the heart of the project. Today, through our partnership with Caterham Group, we can enter a new phase,  the design of a vehicle that will embody the very essence of Alpine, a vehicle that will rekindle sporting passion once more. It could become a reality within the next three or four years.”

Kamarudin Meranun – Caterham Group Deputy Chairman, added: “Formula 1 was always our entry point into the car business. Our original plans to develop a partnership with Lotus were put aside in spectacular and well documented style, but now we have a far better chance to develop Caterham Cars in partnership with Renault, working with Caterham Technology who are also integrally involved in this new venture. Our F1 team has already been working successfully with Renault Sport F1 since the start of the 2011 F1 season and I am thrilled that now we are adding to our track partnership by joining forces with Renault on the road. Together with Renault we have now created an opportunity for Caterham Cars to grow into the next stage of its development from a very well respected niche brand into a serious player on the global motoring map.“

Bernard Ollivier – CEO of Societe des Automobiles Alpine Caterham, commented:
“I’m very proud of the trust placed in me by both shareholders. The road map for each car is clear and simple, respect the DNA of both Alpine and Caterham Cars. With the passion and expertise of the staff dedicated to this project, we are sure of meeting this aim.”

Lebanon have been awarded the FIBA 2013 edition of the biennial meet which serves as the regional qualifier for the 2014 World Championship beating competition from Philippines.

FIBA Asia secretary general Hagop Khajirian, and a Lebanese, thumb said the Philippines would be on line to get the 2013 hosting rights should Lebanon later declare it’s not ready to stage the event as it did in 2011.

It’s a sad news for the Philippine cage officials who thought they were able to make a good case for the country in a 20-minute audio-visual presentation before the FIBA Asia executive board.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan, executive director Sonny Barrios, former ABC secretary general Mauricio Martelino and PBA commissioner Chito Salud made the presentation for the Philippines.

Pangilinan and Salud were already with the national team making a courtesy call on Ambassador Manolo Lopez in the Philippine Embassy when they heard of FIBA Asia’s decision.

Dirty politics might have come into play with Lebanon looking so confident, sending only star player Fadi El-Khatib to present their bid.

“I think I covered everything,” said El-Khatib, in casual wear, after his presentation.

The Philippines was the first to present, and Filipino officials were of the impression that they would get the nod of the board.

“They’re very friendly and they’re all very open. Their only question was the schedule. We said we’re flexible,” Pangilinan said.

The PBA commissioner assured the group that the PBA would free up its schedule the whole months of August and September.

In the end, the board chose to bring the event Lebanon.

Indian businesses bought all seven Sri Lanka Premier League franchises in the recent auction.

Wadhawan Holdings bid US $5M for the Wayamba Wolves and Number One Sports Consulting offered US $5M for the Kandurata Kites.

The Uva Unicorns and Ruhuna Rhinos went to Success Sports and Pearl Overseas respectively for US $4.6M Indian Cricket Dundee bought the Basnahira Bears were bought for US $4.3M.

The Uthura Oryxes at $3.4M went to Rudra Sports and Varun Beverages spent US $3.2M on the Nagenahira Nagas.

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The chairman of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Control Panel, Jean-Luc Dehaene, will participate in a discussion about football finances at the fourth annual Leaders in Football conference later this year.

Dehaene, the former Belgian Prime Minister, has been labelled by UEFA president Michel Platini as the man in charge of the economic destiny of European football, as the Financial Fair Play system is to be phased in over the next three years.

Dehaene joins several big name signings for Leaders in Football, with Football Association chairman David Bernstein and Greg Clarke, chairman of the Football League, having been confirmed as speakers in recent weeks alongside FIFA Executive Committee members Dr Michel D’Hooghe and Jim Boyce.

Leaders in Football will take place within the Leaders Sports Summit, which brings together five leading conferences including Sponsorship, Digital Sport, Performance and the business of Horse Racing, over two days on October 5-6 at Stamford Bridge, the home of Barclays Premier League soccer club Chelsea.

Temporary structures specialist Neptunus has announced that it has been awarded a major contract by Prestige Ticketing to supply a corporate hospitality venue for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Neptunus structures will provide 11,500 square metres of space over three floors with an impressive three-storey high glass atrium entrance and construction of the 3,000 capacity venue in the Olympic Park will begin early next year.

The hospitality venue will be situated only metres from the Olympic Stadium and Prestige Ticketing’s operations director, Sue Creed said: “We were impressed by Neptunus’ ability to meet LOCOG’s stringent sustainability policy, in the design and construction of their structures, as well as deliver the project at a competitive price.”

Neptunus has provided structures for high profile events including The Wimbledon Tennis Championships, Royal Ascot, Twickenham and Masterpiece Fair, London.

April Trasler, UK managing director at Neptunus, added: “We are delighted to have won such a major contract and look forward to being part of a world renowned event. 

“It is testament to the hard work that goes in to continually developing our product portfolio and ensuring it meets changing industry needs.

“Our structures are designed with modern recyclable components which means that at the end of any hire period the equipment is checked, cleaned and returned to our hire stock for the next use, providing a highly sustainable solution.”

Kunshan in China and Lima, denture Peru, search have been announced as host venues for BWF Major Events.

While the South American capital will stage next year’s BWF World Junior Championships, the eastern Chinese city got the nod from the BWF Council for the BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals in 2016; just days after this year’s edition of the event concluded here in New Delhi, India.

The winning bids were announced by BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer this evening after delegations from the prospective hosts had rolled out their plans for the respective events.

Kunshan was up against Jakarta, Indonesia, and when the outcome was revealed, officials from Kunshan and the Chinese Badminton Association jumped to their feet in delight. In their presentation, the visitors outlined intentions to host the tournament at Kunshan Sports Centre with a seating capacity of more than 5,000. The representative from the Badminton Association of Indonesia unveiled plans for the Thomas & Uber Cup Finals to be held at the well-known Istora Senayan Stadium which seats 6,000 spectators.

“This is the second time we have bid for a Major Event in badminton and we have finally won, declared Kunshan Vice Mayor, Guan Fengliang; ironically alluding to his city’s loss in the race for the 2015 BWF World Championships to Jakarta late last year.

“We will make full use of this precious opportunity and we will contribute to the promotion of badminton worldwide. We will share the charm of Kunshan and we invite you all to Kunshan.”

Meanwhile, though Lima was the lone city vying for the World Juniors, the Council needed to ensure its bid met the relevant criteria, especially as the proposed venue – the National Sports Village – is currently under construction.

“We would like to thank the BWF for the confidence shown in us,” said President of thePeruvian Badminton Sports Federation, Zarko Cukic.

Noting that Peru has hosted various international conferences and meetings in recent years – including top sporting events – he called the World Juniors “an opportunity to promote badminton in the region and for officials to get more experience”.

“We will be able to consolidate the BWF brand in our region. We are awaiting all of you with open arms.”

Sandy Park, home to the Exeter Chiefs, has been announced as the host of the LV= Cup 2013 / 2014 Final.

The final takes place on March 16 and promises to not only showcase some of the best up and coming rugby talent in the country but provide a truly memorable experience for supporters.

The lucky competition winners gathered at the stadium today at the launch of the LV= Cup, donning their club colours to take over captaincy duties for a photo session, before putting their rugby skills to the test on the Sandy Park turf alongside players from the LV= Cup teams.

Chosen to host the LV= Cup Final, state-of-the-art Sandy Park became the home of the Exeter Chiefs in 2006 and has since gone on to become a favourite with rugby fans; staging the 2007 Churchill Cup fixtures, an international ‘A’ game between England Saxons and the Irish Wolfhounds last year, and most recently, the Greene King IPA Championship double headers. The stadium is also set to host three Rugby World Cup fixtures during the 2015 competition.

As well as staging this seasons LV= Cup Final, host Exeter Chiefs also counts the 2013 LV= Breakthrough Player and England U20 star, Jack Nowell in its ranks.

Speaking at the announcement today, Tony Rowe OBE, Chairman & Chief Executive of Exeter Rugby Club said: “As a club we are thrilled to have been selected as the venue for the LV= Cup Final. Over the years we have hosted a number of top games, not just in the Premiership and in Europe, but also a clutch of international fixtures including the Churchill Cup.

“As rugby supporters know Sandy Park is a great match-day experience and we’ve no doubt that will be evident when the LV= Cup Final is held here. We look forward to welcoming all fans to the West Country for what will be the first silverware of the season.”

Head of Sponsorship at LV=, Claire Jeromson also added: “It’s really exciting to have the LV= Cup Final at Sandy Park this season. Judging by the success of last year’s final and coupled with the rugby heartland of Exeter, we are looking forward to another strong cup campaign and something the whole rugby family can really enjoy.

“With the likes of Jack Nowell going onto achieve big things, it proves the good health of the domestic game but also highlights the young talent that the LV= Cup gives valuable game time to.”