The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has announced today an increase in the prize purses for the 2014 World Triathlon Series and World Cup events.

This year, ITU has increased the bonus pool by $177,000 (all USD), making it the biggest ever with a total of $755,000 available to the top 35 men and women. With $2.2 million dollars up for grabs, the WTS remains one of the richest triathlon circuits worldwide. 

After boosting the grand total for the World Cup circuit by nearly $300,000 last season, the prize money will remain the same this year, bringing the sum for the two series to just under three million dollars. 

“We increased the bonus money to reflect the new structure that requires athletes to compete in five World Triathlon Series races en route to becoming the World Champion,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado, “Athletes will now be more rewarded for competing across the Series as a whole.” 

The Edmonton Grand Final will offer a $280,000 pot to the winners, while the ITU World Champions will each take home an extra $5,000 from previous years, with the winning athletes awarded $40,000 in the men’s and women’s races. ITU is also providing a travel subsidy to its National Federations for athletes competing in both the Stockholm and Edmonton stops.

The 2014 ITU World Triathlon Series opens on April 5-6 in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Wasserman Media Group, a leading sports and entertainment marketing company, have announced they will purchase the world-famous San Francisco footrace Bay to Breakers from AEG.

Wasserman will now preside over this historic 12-kilometer event, which dates back to 1912 and spans from San Francisco’s Embarcadero to Ocean Beach.

“We are excited and proud to be the new stewards of one of the greatest footraces in the world,” said Casey Wasserman, Chairman and CEO of Wasserman Media Group. “Our goal, first and foremost, will be to maintain the traditions and the individual color of this beloved race. This is an iconic event, one that is central to San Francisco’s social fabric, and we are committed to preserving its history and traditions.

“There is no doubt that since acquiring the Bay to Breakers in 2004, AEG has been very successful in operating and furthering the reputation of one of the premiere events of its kind.  We thank them for their stewardship and allowing us the opportunity to take the event to an even higher level,” Wasserman added.

“While we weren’t actively pursuing a buyer, after meeting with Casey and his team, we were convinced that their passion for events as special as the Bay to Breakers along with the investment they are prepared to make and the platform they have to showcase this historic event makes them the ideal ownership group to raise the bar even higher for the Bay to Breakers,” said Dan Beckerman, President & CEO, AEG.

“The enthusiasm and commitment that Casey and the Wasserman Media Group team have brought to the table has convinced us that they are dedicated to devoting the resources and investment to helping the Bay to Breakers reach even greater heights while preserving the reputation, traditions and iconic standing that the race become known for,” said Kristin Bachochin, Sr. Vice President AEG Sports.

Founded in 1912 Bay to Breakers is one of the most popular footraces in the world drawing over 50,000 participants and 100,000 spectators annually. 

Former England cricket captains and Ashes legends Andrew Strauss and Michael Vaughan have signed up as ambassadors to front Wolf Blass’s Ashes broadcast partnership with Sky Sports in 2013/14.

Strauss, medic who was captain for the victorious 2009 and 2011 Ashes series, look and Vaughan, herbal who skippered the unforgettable 2005 triumph, will both feature in TV sponsorship idents as part of the brand’s official ‘Wolf Blass Yellow Label’ partnership with Sky Sports coverage of this summer’s Investec Ashes as well as the next series, in Australia, this winter.

Wolf Blass has a long association with Cricket and had a strong presence in UK media during both the 2005 and 2009 Ashes series, including sponsoring highlights on Five in 2009.

Andrew Carter, Managing Director of Treasury Wine Estates EMEA, said: “We are incredibly excited to have two inspiring leaders like Andrew and Michael signing up to be Wolf Blass brand ambassadors for this year’s Ashes. They are both people who represent the essence of triumph, much like Wolfgang Blass, the founder of the Wolf Blass brand.

“This campaign will centre around the heartland of Wolf Blass wines, ‘Yellow Label’ – the UK’s favourite premium Australian wine.  These wines have delivered quality and consistency for more than 40 years,” he said.

The idents will be shown throughout each day’s play on Sky Sports, during replays and also catch-up TV. 

To help drive the platform, TWE has appointed sports marketing agency MediaCom Sport to manage all activation activity.

“Wolf Blass has a fantastic cricketing heritage and we’re looking forward to developing and deepening its association and involvement with the game with a shared essence of triumph. Strauss and Vaughan, are two heroes of the Ashes and the brand couldn’t have more appropriate ambassadors during what promises to be a fantastic summer of cricket,” said James Hough, Director of Sport at MediaCom Global.

GOLF 20/20, ed  the collaboration of leading organizations representing all segments of the United States golf industry, reports golf’s economic impact of $68.8 billion in 2011.

In a study conducted by SRI International, findings are based on several core segments (golf facility operations, golf course capital investment, golfer supplies, tournaments and associations, and charities) and enabled categories (real estate, hospitality and tourism).

When indirect and induced economic activity driven by the golf sector is taken into consideration, a total impact of $176.8 billion was generated.

Highlights include: 1.98 million jobs, $55.6 billion wage income, 25.7 million golf participants and15,751 traditional golf facilities.

In November 2012, GOLF 20/20 announced the game’s charitable impact of $3.9 billion. Golf as a fundraising vehicle includes an estimated 12,000 golf facilities, 143,000 events, 12 million participants and raises $26,300 average per function.

“The economy has endured two significant recessions the past decade and golf has fared well,” says Steve Mona, CEO of the World Golf Foundation, administrator of GOLF 20/20. “The health and growth of the game has a direct bearing on jobs, commerce, economic development and tax revenues for U.S. communities and industries.”

Golf’s core industries alone exceed the economic impact of spectator sports, the performing arts, and the amusement and recreation industries.

GOLF 20/20 is a unique collaboration of all segments of the golf industry, from associations and manufacturers to golf course owners/operators and the media. It was launched in 2000 and is designed to unite and activate the industry around key strategic initiatives that increase participation and retention, involvement and interest in the sport.

LADA Sport and Lukoil have confirmed they are finalizing a deal to join forces in an all-Russian partnership for competing in the 2013 FIA World Touring Car Championship.

Evgeny Malinovskiy, symptoms head of Lukoil Racing said: “We are in the final stages of the negotiations and close to sign the agreement with LADA Sport. We hope that our support and experience in WTCC will help LADA Sport and that we will be one of the best teams.”

After an encouraging participation with one LADA Granta car driven by James Thompson in two WTCC events – Hungary and Portugal – during the 2012 season, therapy next year the Avtovaz Group will be represented by two cars, medic run under the banner of LADA Sport Lukoil, with Russian driver Aleksei Dudukalo joining Thompson in the team’s line up.

LADA Sport principal Victor Shapovalov commented: “We are very pleased and proud with Lukoil’s decision to support our WTCC programme. The whole team are very motivated and work flat out to develop competitive cars for our drivers. We are very excited looking forward to the start of the season. Testing said that the Granta is a fast car, with a powerful engine. We believe that Aleksei and James will be in the position to fight for top positions in every race.”

Bernie Ecclestone visited the London’s Olympic Park on the weekend against a backdrop of F1 being considered as one of four bids involved in the legacy planning of the site once the 2012 games are over.

The F supremo was impressed by the number of people supporting the London games. “It’s surprising how many people have come out,” he said. “It’s good. I’m sure we’d get big crowds.”

The Intelligent Transport Services company is the driving force behind the F1 project and Ecclestone added: “Somebody is looking about going into the centre of the arena and out again, so whether it’s going to happen or not, we’ll have to look and see.”

The other three bids related to the future of the site are all soccer-based, with West Ham United being favourites. Leyton Orient are also in the bidding, as well as the University College of Football Business. An F1 future for the site is thus regarded as being a long shot.

The 80,000 capacity Olympic Stadium will be reduced to 60,000 after the games, will retain its running track and will host the World Athletic Championships in 2017.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has said that it is possible that more than one bid will be successful. The two football clubs have ruled out a ground share, however, to potentially a joint lease deal may prove possible if permission was forthcoming for the running of a London-based grand prix in and around the stadium site.

Such approval would not be the work of a moment, however, and the LLDC has said that a decision is expected by autumn.

The Philippines is behind only China and the US and the world’s the top NBA follower on social networking sites.

Outside China and the US, the Philippines has the most Facebook followers of the NBA, ahead of Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico and France.

The island nation leads Indonesia, Brazil, the United Kingdom and India in terms of twitter followers.

Around 280 million fans follow the NBA on social networking sites worlwide.

Miami Heat’s Filipino-American, Erik Spoelstra, coach said: “The one thing about the Philippines is they are rabid basketball fanatics, and it’s been that way for a while. They’ve been following us now for the last couple years as well.”

{jcomments on}

Croke Park bosses are optimistic of staging an NFL game in 2013 following the American Football organisation’s decision not to come to Dublin in 2012.

NFL heads have been looking for a second European venue to host a game in 2012 with Croke Park touted as a possibility but in a year crammed with sporting events and with a college football game already scheduled for Dublin this autumn, NFL bosses have decided to defer any further expansion.

On Friday the NFL confirmed details of this year’s International Series in Wembley when the St Louis Rams take on the New England Patriots this October, the first of the annual “home” games which the Rams have signed up to play in London over the next three seasons.

The announcement came as no surprise to Peter McKenna, stadium director of Croke Park, who said that the Dublin bid committee have been looking beyond 2012 for some time now.

“There has been an ongoing dialogue between ourselves and the NFL, so we’ve been aware for a while now of their decision to only hold one game in Europe in 2012,” McKenna said.

“There’s a lot of activity in the European sports market in 2012, which they had to take account of. But we’re still very much in the running for 2013, so we’re optimistic that we’ll be able to bring the NFL to Dublin then.”

The case for a Dublin game in 2013 gathered pace earlier this week when Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II conceded that any game involving his franchise was “more likely” to happen next year, thus avoiding a clash with the college game between Notre Dame and Navy in the Aviva Stadium on 1 September.

Rooney’s father — Dan Rooney, the American Ambassador to Ireland — has made no secret of his desire to bring the Steelers to Dublin, but the final call on teams and a venue will be “very much an NFL decision,” McKenna says.

No timeline for a final decision on 2013 has been set by the NFL, although a date in January or February of next year would be in keeping with previous announcements. Details of Wembley’s first-ever American football game, between the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins in 2007, were publicly confirmed in February of that year.

Regardless of when the decision is made, Croke Park will be prepared, McKenna insists.

“From a stadium perspective, we’d certainly be able to manage a quick turnaround and get ready in a short space of time. From a marketing perspective, I’d imagine that the sooner plans are put in place, the better,” he added.

“But the NFL are experts at this, they know exactly what they’re doing.”

An estimated 10,000 American football fans are due in Dublin for Notre Dame v Navy this autumn, providing a much-needed cash injection for the Irish economy. Considering the bigger stadium capacity and the higher profile of an NFL regular-season match, a successful bid by Croke Park is projected to be worth about €50 ($65m) million, although McKenna admits that “it’s very hard to know.”

“At an estimate, it might generate somewhere in the region of €50 ($65m) million. There’d be a lot of visitors flying in and that will obviously be of huge benefit for hotels, restaurants, bars, taxis. It’s a multi-million euro stimulus anyway.”

Whats your take on NFL’s latest expansion plans, discuss here

Three Besiktas officials have been arrested as the match-fixing investigation that has shocked Turkish football continues.