The International Cricket Council (ICC) have launched online ticket sales for the Cricket World Cup semi-finals and final today, impotent February 21, via the ICC’s official ticketing partner Kyazoonga.com

With the demand for tickets for the finale of the ICC’s flagship tournament expected to reach record levels, there is sure to be great demand for the proportion of online tickets which will go on sale today at 1pm Indian time (0730 GMT).

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, said: “From the outset it was always going to be near impossible to satisfy the enormous demand for tickets. But the Central Organising Committee always wanted to provide as many cricket lovers as possible with an opportunity to experience the World Cup. That is why some tickets are now being made available online.

“With the tournament kicking off amidst extraordinary scenes in Dhaka, it was quite amazing to see tens of thousands of passionate supporters in the streets around the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium soaking up the remarkable atmosphere during the opening ceremony and the first match. All this excitement is causing an unbelievable demand for tickets which clearly outstrips the available supply.

“I am sure that the passion and support for the ICC’s flagship event will grow even further by the time we reach the semi-finals in Colombo and Mohali on 29 and 30 March, respectively and the final at Wankhede Stadium on 2 April. The on-line sales will be followed by a second phase where tickets will be made available to the general public through the stadium box offices.”

Ghana’s 2-1 defeat of the United States was watched by more than 19 million US television viewers, making it the most-watched football match ever in the United States, ratings service Nielsen has revealed.

The USA crashed out in the last 16 of this year’s FIFA World Cup, however, 19.4 million viewers tuned in to the US-Ghana match on ABC and Spanish-language channel Univision, a total which beat the 18.1 million people who viewed the 1994 Italy-Brazil World Cup final.

Vice President of Sports at Nielsen, Stephen Master, said: “This record viewership proves that soccer is as popular as it has ever been in the United States.”

In 1999 the US-China women’s final of the World Cup drew an audience of 18 million, while the England-US match from this World Cup attracted 17.1 million viewers.

FIBA’s Central Board have made key appointments to complete the composition of the Board.

The appointments included Yvan Mainini being elected President of the International Basketball Foundation (IBF).

Here is a list of the members appointed to the Board:
– Mr Richard Carrion (PUR), CEO and Chairman of the Board of Popular, Inc., and a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC);
– Mr Mark Tatum (USA), the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer of the NBA, as NBA representative;
– Mr Vlade Divac (SRB), President of the National Olympic Committee of Serbia, as Players representative;
– Ms Yulia Anikeeva (RUS), President of the Russian Basketball Federation;
– Mr Manuel V Pangilinan (PHI), President of the Philippines Basketball Federation;
– Mr Erick Thohir (INA), President of the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA).

The Central Board also appointed members to the newly-established Executive Committee. In addition to the ex officio members FIBA President Mr Horacio Muratore (ARG), FIBA Secretary General Mr Patrick Baumann (SUI) and FIBA Treasurer Mr Ingo Weiss (GER), the following Central Board members were invited to join them: Mr Richard Carrion (PUR); Mr Turgay Demirel (TUR), President of FIBA Europe; Mr Hamane Niang (MLI), President of FIBA Africa; Mr Jose Luis Saez (ESP), President of the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB); Mr Burton Shipley (NZL), President of FIBA Oceania.

The Central Board then proceeded with the appointment of three Vice-Presidents. Mr Niang (MLI), former Minister of Sport of Mali, was appointed First Vice-President of FIBA. He is accompanied by Vice-Presidents Mr Demirel (TUR) and Mr Tian Xiao (CHN), China’s Vice Minister of Sport (in charge of basketball).

Williams Advanced Engineering, apoplectic | the engineering services and technology business of the Williams Group, treatment has announced a partnership agreement with XALT Energy, supplier of the lithium ion cells for the Williams’ battery in the Formula E racing series.

As part of this new partnership agreement XALT Energy will become an Official Partner of Williams Advanced Engineering, with the company’s logo featuring on the Williams Advanced Engineering website and other marketing materials.

Williams Advanced Engineering and XALT Energy have worked closely together since June 2013 after Williams was awarded the contract to produce the batteries that will power all 40 cars competing in Formula E, the world’s first fully electric racing series.

XALT Energy have supplied the lithium ion cells for each battery and have been integrated into the Williams team to ensure that the batteries meet stringent performance, reliability and safety criteria.

Speaking about the partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering, Subhash Dhar, CEO of XALT Energy outlined; “This alliance is a testimony to XALT Energy’s high performance lithium ion battery technology and the state-of-the-art high volume manufacturing operations in Midland, USA. We are honoured to be working with Williams Advanced Engineering on this important programme and look forward to developing a long term relationship with them.”

Craig Wilson, Managing Director of Williams Advanced Engineering, added; “We are delighted to welcome XALT Energy on board as an Official Partner of Williams Advanced Engineering. The Formula E battery developed by Williams is truly groundbreaking and is pushing the boundaries of existing energy storage technology. We have been careful to source the very best suppliers and XALT are one of the world’s leading battery cell manufacturers. This partnership sets the scene for our two companies to collaborate on future innovations for applications that demand high performance battery technology across a range of industries.”

Badminton England has today launched the National Badminton League (NBL) which they hope will attract new fans to the sport.

As the first ever national league in the UK, the NBL will be shown live on Sky Sports, and gives fans a chance to get behind their favourite national players and brand new teams. All matches from every matchnight will also be available via digital streaming in the UK and across the world taking the NBL to a global audience.

The NBL will feature new rules that present a fast, exciting and attacking format that’s thrilling to watch live and on TV.

The NBL will consist of six franchised teams featuring GB’s best players and new, emerging talent. 

The NBL kicks off on 6 October 2014 with monthly matchnights through to April 2015. This will then be followed by a one day knockout competition featuring the top four teams in June 2015.

The first season will consist of the following successful franchise teams: Birmingham Lions (University of Birmingham), Team Derby (University of Derby), Loughborough Sport (University of Loughborough), UoN Badminton (University of Nottingham), Surrey Smashers (University of Surrey) and Milton Keynes.

The teams will play against each other once, in a mixture of home and away matches.

Badminton England Chief Executive Adrian Christy said: “I am incredibly excited to announce the launch of the first ever professional badminton league in the UK. Badminton is booming in this country right now and the NBL gives fans a chance to get behind a team and support their favourite players.

“This amazing new project will present our sport in such an exciting way – the fastest racket sport just got even faster. It will not only showcase our current players but provide a real inspiration for younger players to want to be part of in the future.

“I am delighted that we have the support of Sky Sports, a brand who has led the way in sport innovation for many years now. Key to the NBL is taking badminton to new audiences, and Sky is brilliant at doing that.”

Sky Sports Commercial Director Richard Verow said: “We’re looking forward to working with BADMINTON England in this innovative new format.

“Sky Sports is pleased to be a partner in this move, helping to create more fans of badminton and bringing the best of the action to Sky Sports viewers.”

The Whistle, discount the first cross-platform content provider solely focused on developing entertaining, educational and participatory sports programming tailored to kids have announced a partnership with the PGA TOUR, the world’s premier professional golf tour.

As part of the agreement, the PGA Tour will become a stakeholder of the Whistle. Also programming developed by The Whistle and the PGA TOUR will be co-distributed across The Whistle’s various media platforms, as well as PGA TOUR-owned media platforms. 

“Since the creation of The Whistle, we have partnered with some of the premier sports leagues and organizations in the country,” said Jeff Urban, The Whistle co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer.  “The PGA TOUR is the premier golf organization in the world and has many of the same goals for today’s youth as we do.  We’re extremely proud that an organization like the PGA TOUR sees our value. By partnering with the PGA TOUR, together we’ll be able to work toward achieving a positive impact on kids while exposing them to all the great values and attitudes inherent in the game of golf.”

“The PGA TOUR is looking forward to working closely with The Whistle to present exciting golf-related video content to young viewers across a variety of platforms,” said Paul Johnson, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Strategic Development, Digital Media and Entertainment. “We’re very interested in expanding our reach to young people, and The Whistle provides us with a wonderful opportunity to do so in an effective and meaningful way.  We plan to leverage our resources, including the world-class production capabilities of PGA TOUR Entertainment, to build this partnership and reach new audiences.”

The PGA TOUR joins The Whistle’s ever growing list of league and sports organization partners including the NFL, the United States Olympic Committee, the Harlem Globetrotters, the US Soccer Federation and IndyCar.

Ford Performance Racing has completed a change of ownership with Rod Nash and “Rusty” French taking over the team from Prodrive. 

“Rusty and I are pleased we’ve been able to acquire a business as strong as FPR which is not only an icon of Australian sport, but one of this country’s leading specialist engineering firms,” said Nash.

Tim Edwards is going to remain Team Manager and the Australian is confident that the change of ownership will strengthen the team.

“We welcome Rod and Rusty with open arms as they are two men very committed to ensuring our team continues to be successful. They are not only extremely passionate about racing but both are very successful businessmen in their own right so I look forward to the fresh approach they can provide us across all facets of the team,” said Edwards.

While changing owners, Prodrive will still remain a strong technical and strategical partner.

“We are delighted to pass our ownership of Ford Performance Racing to Rod Nash and Rusty French. Rod has been a tremendous partner to the team over many years,” said Prodrive chairman and chief executive, David Richards.

“Last season was the most successful in the 10 year history of FPR and we are pleased to be handing it over in such good competitive and commercial health, reinforced at the end of last year by the announcement of a major new partnership with Pepsi.

“Over the last decade, I have really enjoyed being part of the Australian V8 scene and developing FPR to the competitive status it enjoys today. The races are always close and the passion the Australian fans have for the FPR team and the series itself is something I have rarely seen in any other form of motorsport.

“FPR continues to be part of the Prodrive family and we retain our close technical and commercial relationship going forwards and I will personally continue to follow the team’s progress with great interest.

“I would like to pass on Prodrive’s appreciation and thanks to the FPR team members, Ford Australia, all of FPR’s current and past commercial partners and, of course, to the FPR fans, who make V8 Supercars one of the finest racing series in the world.”

Jean Todt, the FIA President has warned that F1 “will be unsustainable if costs are not cut” by 30% over the next three years, according to the Press Association.

Todt said: “Formula One is too expensive. It’s up to the teams to work with our people and the commercial rights holder [F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone]. We need to agree what to do, otherwise it will be unsustainable.”

Todt believes that if costs are not cut, then it could “sound the death knell for the smaller teams,” particularly with new engine regulations due to come into force from 2014.

Todt added: “We must reduce the costs in order to keep everybody on board. I prefer to present it like that.”