International Tennis Federation (ITF) executive vice president Juan Margets says preparations for the Rio Olympic tennis tournament are progressing well.

Rio is set to host a number of top names including London 2010 champion Andy Murray, as well as world No.1 Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

The Rio tournament will take place out in the Olympic city taking shape in the western suburb of Barra de Tijuca, with the 165 million reais ($66.3 million) venue officially set to be ready by the third quarter of next year, overcoming early delays.

Margets said he could not deny there were early concerns at the pace of construction.

“But yesterday’s visit confirmed things are on the move. We are satisfied with how it is coming along.”

ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said in April progress was “a little disappointing” but organisers played down fears the venue would not be ready.

Margets, who heads the Davis Cup committee, insists “concern was always minimal” over the venue. Centre court will hold 10,000 people, another will have 3000 seats and an additional court will have a temporary capacity for 5000 fans.

The tennis complex will comprise seven further courts each with a capacity for 250 people and there will also be six warm-up and training courts.

The stadium will be able to host an ATP 1000 event. Rio currently hosts an ATP World Tour 500 event.

Early delays meant an ITF test event had to be put back from August next year to December.

Sports data supplier Sportradar have extended their partnership with the Belgian Pro League for a further two years.

Under the agreement, Sportradar will remain the “Official Sportsdata Partner of the Jupiler Pro League” and will be granted the rights to use, market and sub-license all pre-match and live data for the top tier of Belgian football to the worldwide betting market. 

With this renewal, Sportradar and the Pro League are continuing their long lasting partnership. In addition to the full range of data solutions targeted at the betting industry and the company’s fraud prevention services, Sportradar will also supply the Belgian Pro League with content solution products that will enable it to improve the information and analysis provided to their media partners.

“Anyone who follows Belgian football or the rise to prominence of Belgian footballers worldwide will be only too aware of how exciting the sport has become in that country. We are delighted that the Belgian Pro League have decided to re-sign with us and have allowed us to support them as they develop the attractiveness of their football to the betting and the media markets worldwide. Our range of innovative and sophisticated products and services will enhance the attractiveness of the League to bookmakers, broadcasters and ultimately the fans”, said Sportradar CEO, Carsten Koerl,

Ludwig Sneyers, General Director of the Jupiler Pro League, added: “By unlocking the potential of all the data in our matches, we can provide more entertainment and more engagement for all our fans. This was our objective and Sportradar have been helping us do just that in recent years. They are a company always looking to protect, innovate and add value and we couldn’t be happier that they are staying part of our team for another two seasons.”

The 2015 U.S. Women’s National Junior Olympic Championships is heading to Des Moines, advice Iowa, May 15-16., USA Gymnastics have announced.

Held in the Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center, the championships showcases the country’s top Level 10 Junior Olympic gymnasts and is expected to attract nearly 500 gymnasts. Level 10 is the highest level in the Junior Olympic program, which is just under the elite level.  The Junior Olympic National Invitational Tournament is scheduled for May 17 and has an expected field of nearly 200 gymnasts. Based on available records, this is the first time the event has been staged in the state of Iowa.

“The Junior Olympic National Championships is the pinnacle of the women’s Level 10 season,” said Luan Peszek, vice president of women’s gymnastics for USA Gymnastics.  “Competing in this event is the highlight of most of these gymnasts’ careers, and fans and spectators will be treated to some great gymnastics during the three days.”

The Des Moines Area Sports Commission and Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute are the local organizations working with USA Gymnastics on staging the event.

“The city of Des Moines, along with the families at Chow’s Gymnastics and myself, is very excited and honored to host the 2015 U.S. Junior Olympic National Championships,” said Liang Chow of Chow’s Gymnastics, who coached Olympic gold medalists Shawn Johnson and Gabrielle Douglas.  “We will be busy over the next year planning a safe and successful event.  This event will bring the very best Level 10 gymnasts from all over the country to Des Moines.  I hope this great event will help many of these young athletes to continue competing at the collegiate level and for some of the athletes to become an elite gymnast and an Olympian in the future.”

“We are elated USA Gymnastics has selected Greater Des Moines as host of the Women’s National Junior Olympic Championships in 2015,” said Greg Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau and Des Moines Area Sports Commission. “With strong community support and outstanding facilities, our vibrant city will offer memorable experiences for the gymnasts and their families, coaches and fans.”

Sports marketing agency Fast Track has been appointed by Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby, to manage their Official Charity Partnership with Rugby League World Cup 2013 (RLWC2013).

Fast Track, part of the CSM Sport & Entertainment group, will be advising, developing, and creating experiential activity and content to raise awareness of the charity, fundraise and build membership in the build-up to and throughout the tournament. 

The charity will return funds raised during RLWC2013 – which starts at the Millennium Stadium with its Opening Ceremony on October 26th – to develop a long-term legacy within the Rugby Football League (RFL) community which will benefit disadvantaged young people throughout Britain.

In its 30th year of operation this is the first major event in rugby the charity has officially partnered and is a move forward for the charity under new CEO, Steve Holt, who joined this year from Sport Relief. 

Steve Holt, CEO of Wooden Spoon, said: “It is a great honour for Wooden Spoon to be recognised as the Official Charity for RLWC2013 which promises to be a fantastic sporting event as part of a spectacular decade for British Sport.

“Fast Track has unrivalled experience in both rugby codes, with the Rugby Football League (RFL), Land Rover and HSBC as fellow clients. Their experiential and content credentials and experience of working closely with the RFL will hopefully help us in this important new partnership.”

Jon Wyatt, Managing Director of Fast Track added: “Fast Track has long standing worldwide experience of delivering for rugby partners and sponsors. We know first-hand the impact a successful RLWC2013 can have on the sport and for its partners and we look forward to working with Wooden Spoon increasing their brand awareness and support.” 

The partnership was launched at the end of September with the support of RLWC2013 ambassador Gareth Thomas and Wooden Spoon ambassador Shaun Edwards at Trinity Fields School and Resource Centre in South Wales, a beneficiary of Wooden Spoon.

In 2009 the RFL became a patron and have worked alongside Wooden Spoon on community programmes aimed at significantly improving the lives of 16-19 year olds who are currently not in education, employment or training.

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) has announced today that it has reached an agreement with TTXGP to promote a new series of electric powered motorcycle road racing events.

This agreement lays the groundwork for growth and a higher profile for the sport.

The new series will initially be run as a World Cup and as a support class to other FIM Championships events. For the inaugural season in 2013, it will consist of four events in both Europe and the USA, and a Final in Asia. And for 2014, it will revert to a championship calendar with a minimum of six events over three continents.

The next milestone of this new concept comes in 2015, when this FIM Championship becomes a headline event in its own right with a global calendar.

Since first FIM World records in 1994 and the first Road racing event held in 2009 by TTXGP, electric powered motorcycles have shown huge improvements in both range and power. The new e-Road Racing series will provide an intercontinental platform for the development of electric powered two-wheelers and showcase their great potential as clean sports and road vehicles.

FIM President Vito Ippolito said: “Through this agreement, we are taking another important step towards the growth and promotion of clean electric road racing. The FIM is committed to furthering sports events for electric motorcycles which will certainly be a major component of the motor sport of the future.”

TTXGP founder Azhar Hussain considers the agreement a milestone in the development of electric motor sport: “This partnership with the FIM clears the way for a single destination for all the world’s innovators to drive the next generation of technologies for competitive motor sport beyond the grid. We look forward to working with the FIM on this exciting project.”

The name of the series and the 2013 calendar will be released shortly.

Winged Foot will again host the US Open after the United States Golf Association (USGA) announced they will host the event in 2020.

The New York venue will host the major for the first time since 2006, when Geoff Ogilvy lifted the title after one of the most infamous final days in the tournament’s history.

“We’re thrilled to bring the US Open back to this outstanding club,” said USGA vice president Thomas J O’Toole Jr.

“Winged Foot offers a spectacular setting in a dynamic market and has justifiably earned its reputation as one of the premier US Open venues in the nation.”

The course, located 25 miles north of New York City in Westchester County, last hosted the U.S. Open in 2006 when Australian Geoff Ogilvy won.

Thailand are looking to rival Singapore after revealing they are close to securing a Formula One night race around the streets of Bangkok for the 2014 season.

Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) Governor Kanokphand Chulakasem met Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone during the Singapore Grand Prix last week and it was agreed “in principle” that Thailand would host the race, Bangkok Post reported.

“It will be a city race like those in Singapore and Monaco. It will be a night race like the Singapore Grand Prix,” Mr Chulakasem was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Fees and other aspects of the deal were yet to be finalised, Mr Chulakasem added.

Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa had earlier assured the government would bear 60 per cent of the total cost and the rest would come from private companies.

In 2010, more than 100,000 people turned out to watch Mark Webber driving a Red Bull demonstration car along the capital’s Rajadamnoen Avenue.

NBA player Raja Bell will visit India from July 12 to 17 to participate in basketball events in Delhi to increase the popluarity of  basketball and the NBA.

Bell will attend the Junior NBA/ Junior WNBA National Skills Challenge Finals at Thyagaraj Stadium on July 14. The school-based programme has taught basketball to 10,000 students and 800 coaches in five Indian cities.

Bell will lead an NBA Cares clinic at Thyagaraj Stadium on the same day in conjunction with Love in Action – a New Delhi-based NGO that uses basketball to provide life-skills education to children from slums in East Delhi.

On July 15, Bell will hold  clinic for select Mahindra NBA Challenge participants, the largest community league in India, at DPS Vasant Kunj.

He will train with India’s Senior Men’s and U18 Men’s National Basketball Teams at the IG Stadium in Delhi on July 16 and 17.{jcomments on}

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed sports psychologist Magbool Babri to work with its players.

Pace bowler Mohammed Amir, who is serving a five-year ban following the spot-fixing scandal in the 2010 Lord’s Test against England, had his first session with Babri today.

“I had a good two-hour session with Amir today and the good thing is he responded well and realises how he has damaged himself and Pakistan cricket with his actions,” said Babri.

A PCB spokesman said the board decided to appoint a sports psychologist to try to prevent regrettable behaviour by young players.

“Amir’s case is a classic one. He went down the wrong path and took the wrong decisions because of his young age. We hope the players can be reformed with proper counseling,” the spokesman said.

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