Super Rugby is set to have a sixth South African franchise for the 2016 edition, governing body SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby) and the South African Rugby Union (SARU) has announced.

SARU CEO Jurie Roux, in Sydney for a meeting of the Sanzar executive, acknowledged the logistical problems the decision would cause but said he was relieved the union’s long battle for the inclusion of a sixth team had reached a successful conclusion.

“We have a sixth team in the competition, and that is a given,” he said. “All the models that are being discussed work around a sixth team from South Africa being included. Obviously there are issues that need to be sorted out and of course we want all our partners to be happy with the product, but at least the sixth team is guaranteed.”

Sanzar chief executive Greg Peters, meanwhile, said in an interview run on SuperSport Blitz: “We want to retain Super Rugby as the pre-eminent regional tournament in the southern hemisphere, and we want to keep it as one competition, and there are various options we are looking at to ensure that, but I can confirm that a sixth team from South Africa has been accepted.”

Peters acknowledged the “logical” argument to include a team from Argentina, in order to help the Pumas become more competitive in the Rugby Championship. He said that “if it is possible we would like to accommodate them” but added that New Zealand was also lobbying for a sixth team, and the long-standing desire to add an Asian team remained constant.

Super Rugby currently has five teams from each of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.

The ICC unveiled a new, comprehensive range of digital and social media activations for the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2013 taking place in England and Wales. 

ICC’s recently launched YouTube channel will give fans a ringside view of the on and off field proceedings at the event, with ‘Champions Trophy Daily’ showcasing exclusive player interviews and behind-the-scenes content.

Using the official event Twitter hashtag, #ct13, as well as official match and team hashtags, fans will be encouraged through the global broadcast feed, produced by STAR Sports for the ICC, to share their thoughts on the action and make this one of the most talked about cricket events.

Fans will also get a chance to become a part of the event through the #LiveEveryBall activation that encourages them to upload photos from the event via Twitter or Instagram and become part of the #LiveEveryBall hub at www.icc-cricket.com/liveeveryball

On Facebook, www.facebook.com/cricketicc, over two million fans will get access to exclusive in-depth infographics as well as a photo gallery from each match. Fans can follow all the action on Twitter with @cricketicc, which is followed by over 730,000 followers across the globe, and go behind-the-scenes with ICC’s newly launched Instagram account www.instagram.com/cricketicc.

Score updates will also be available for all matches via Twitter from @ICC_live, which will provide regular updates from all matches. Fans will also get a chance to win tickets for blockbuster matches at the event via regular competitions on @cricketicc.

Other exciting activations on the official event website, available at www.icc-cricket.com, include ‘Hot or Not’, which offers fans a chance to view and vote on their top ODI moment, and an interactive match centre with the fastest live scores, video scorecards, Hawk-Eye graphics and an array of other exciting features.

Eagle Golf will continue to manage the city-owned Indian Creek Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas after signing a five-year extension with the city in early December.

Eagle Golf has overseen operations at the 36-hole facility since 2004 and has been credited for improving the golf experience for patrons while turning the two-course facility into a positive revenue stream for the city.

“We are very pleased that we have extended our partnership with the City of Carrollton,” said Joe Munsch, President of Eagle Golf. “Indian Creek is a special place for all of us at Eagle and our partnership has been mutually beneficial. In these days of economic problems for many cities, we are proud that the courses at Indian Creek now provide a positive financial contribution to the city.”

The two golf courses at Indian Creek — Lakes and Creek — have averaged 85,000 rounds annually since 2004 and generated enough revenue to remain self-sufficient while funding continued improvements to both courses. Total revenue for the club has nearly doubled since Eagle Golf took over management.

The city of Carrollton and Eagle Golf work together to develop both short-term and long-term plans for the partnership, while Eagle handles the day-to-day operation of the facility.

“Indian Creek Golf Club is benchmarked against some of the best public golf courses in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and the management relationship that has developed between the city and Eagle has made the facility a valuable asset for the city,” said Leonard Martin, City of Carrollton City Manager.

The renewed contract allows for regular course improvements throughout the contract to keep both courses competitive in a crowded regional golf market.

Eagle Golf has been in operation for more than 28 years. Based in Dallas, the company provides a full suite of golf course management services to 30 golf courses located in major metropolitan areas in seven states. Eagle Golf’s portfolio includes seven private country clubs and 23 properties classified as premium or moderately priced daily fee courses.

Große Ehre für die DTM: Auf der Professional Motorsport World Expo in Köln ist die DTM als „Europäische Rennserie des Jahres 2012“ ausgezeichnet worden. Eine Jury aus internationalen Motorsport-Experten und -Journalisten, cialis sale zu denen unter anderem VW-Motorsportdirektor Jost Capito und der frühere Rallye-WM-Pilot Armin Schwarz zählten, doctor entschied sich bei der Wahl für die DTM und setzte damit das i-Tüpfelchen auf das erste Jahr der neuen Ära der populärsten internationalen Tourenwagen-serie. Wiedereinsteiger BMW, der neben dem Fahrertitel von Bruno Spengler gegen Audi und Mercedes-Benz auch die Hersteller- sowie die Teamwertung holte, sowie das neue Technische Reglement hatten den Fans eine außergewöhnliche Saison beschert.

„Auf die Auszeichnung als beste europäische Rennserie gleich im ersten Jahr einer neuen DTM-Ära sind wir sehr stolz. Durch die Rückkehr von BMW und unser neues Technisches Reglement, das auf Anhieb für eine unglaubliche Leistungsdichte zwischen den drei Herstellern Audi, BMW und Mercedes-Benz gesorgt hat, haben wir eine Saison erlebt, die an Spannung und Faszination kaum zu überbieten war und unseren Fans sowie allen Beteiligten viel Spaß gemacht hat“, sagte Walter Mertes, Vorstandsmitglied des DTM-Rechteinhabers- und -vermarkters ITR e.V., der am Dienstagabend auf einer Gala-Veranstaltung in Köln den Preis entgegen nahm.

„Den Showdown beim letzten Rennen in Hockenheim mit dem Triumph von Bruno Spengler und BMW hätte selbst ein Hollywood-Regisseur nicht besser inszenieren können. Der große Zuspruch unserer Zuschauer und die Wertschätzung durch die Experten-Jury gibt uns zudem viel Rückenwind für die kommende Saison“, sagte Walter Mertes weiter. Die DTM setzte sich beim Votum der Jury gegen die Blancpain Endurance Series, die Protyre Formula Renault BARC und die Superstars International Series durch, die ebenfalls nominiert waren.

„Die DTM steht seit vielen Jahren für tollen Motorsport in einem absolut professionellen Umfeld. Sie ist mittlerweile zum Maßstab für viele andere Rennserien geworden“, begründete Jost Capito, VW-Motorsportdirektor, die Jury-Entscheidung für die DTM und meinte: „Wir freuen uns, dass wir auch in den nächsten Jahren im Rahmen der DTM mit unserem Scirocco R-Cup unterwegs sind.“ Auch von Armin Schwarz gab es Lob. „Die DTM hat eine internationale Rennserie mit absoluten Top-Piloten und sehr schnellen High-End-Rennautos geschaffen und diese für die deutschen Automobilhersteller wichtige Serie über viele Jahre aufrecht erhalten. Ich kenne keine andere national geführte Serie auf einem solchen Level“, sagte der Rallye-Profi.

„Die DTM ist die einzige europäische Rennserie, die professionellen Motorsport und langfristiges Marketing zielorientiert praktiziert. Mit Formel-1-Aussteiger BMW gelang es nun, mit einem Dreimarken-Wettkampf wieder Zuschauer-Attraktivität zurückzugewinnen, die man bereits verloren hatte. Zudem hat man mit dem neuen Rennfahrzeug ein Novum auf die Räder gestellt, das sowohl bei der Sicherheit als auch bei der verwendeten Prototypentechnik Maßstäbe setzt und weit über die FIA-Vorgaben hinausgeht. Deswegen ist die DTM für mich aktuell die kompletteste europäische Rennserie“, sagte Wolfgang Sievernich vom Fachmagazin motorsport-guide, der ebenfalls der Jury angehörte.

Neben der DTM als Serie wurde auch das in der DTM engagierte Mercedes-Benz-Werksteam HWA ausgezeichnet. Der Rennstall wurde zum Motorsport-Team des Jahres gewählt und bescherte der DTM eine zweite Trophäe. „Sie haben die DTM-Titel 2012 unheimlich knapp verpasst, aber die konstant hohen Standards, die HWA setzt, wurden von der Jury anerkannt, sowohl im Bereich der Leistungsfähigkeit als Rennteam auf der Strecke als auch in ihren technischen Fähigkeiten im Bereich des Designs, der Konstruktion und der Betreuung von Rennwagen. HWA bleibt die Messlatte in der DTM“, hieß es in der Begründung der Jury.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, not one of Silversone’s biggest fans, has offered an unexpected show of support to the organisers of the waterlogged and traffic-jammed circuit heading into this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

“I’m not a big supporter of Silverstone, but in all fairness they’ve done a good job,” said Ecclestone when interviewed on Sky Sports F1, “If the weather was suitable for the car parks then things would be perfect. But because of the rain, things – they’re not dangerous, but if you got in there you might not get out.

“The rain is not their fault,” he continued. “England has been flooded; people’s houses have been flooded and they’ve been left stranded in the streets,” he said. “It is no different here than anywhere else.”

Since the 2000 British Grand Prix earned Ecclestone’s ire with its chaotic scenes of muddy fields and endless traffic jams, the British Racing Drivers’ Club which owns Silverstone has invested heavily in updating the facility. An entire new pit lane complex opened last year as the culmination of the modernisation program that included a new dual carriageway, improved drainage and 27 acres of hard-standing car parks.

However, the torrential weather leading up to this weekend’s British GP defeated even these new measures and left the circuit appealing to the estimated 30,000 fans relying on general public car parks in order to attend the race on Saturday to stay away.

The big problem has been the circuit’s need to rely on using surrounding fields owned by local farmers to cope with the massive spike in cars needing to be parked over the weekend. These fields can’t realistically be covered and have been reduced to quagmires by the weeks of torrential rainfall to sweep over Britain during the wettest June on record. 

“It is difficult for them to do what they could have done, which was to cover all the car parks,” conceded Ecclestone.

The circuit itself issued an update on the parking situation via Twitter on Saturday morning.

“The majority of those that did come to the venue this morning are now parked, we have had to resort to bumper to bumper parking,” the circuit said. “Please enjoy the day and be patient on departure.

“We have teams working in the grass car parks now to try and improve the conditions for tomorrow to give us the best chance of getting everyone in safely. An update on the parking situation and what we advise you all do will be announced later this afternoon.”

Full Sail University has announced its latest collaboration with ESPN and production company Habana Avenue to produce the opening sequence for the 2012 NBA Finals.

The sequence began airing on June 12, 2012 during ESPN and ABC’s opening night NBA Finals coverage from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The professional multiday shoot took place at Full Sail Live, the university’s on-campus performance and production facility, and included ESPN and Habana Avenue staff, as well as four Full Sail University staff members and twelve students.

Over the course of the five-day production, Full Sail students had the opportunity to work alongside and shadow ESPN and Habana Avenue staff. The sequence featured images of past NBA finals projected over a live crowd, and ESPN’s projection mapping technology was used on the seats and scoreboards to intersperse NBA jersey graphics with live audience footage.

“Through the Full Sail University Sports Lab powered by ESPN, select students have the ability to take part in high level professional productions including this year’s NBA Finals Intro,” said Mike Retherford, Full Sail’s Director of Production, who oversaw the shoot along with Full Sail Live Venue Director, Dave Arias. “This type of event is a valuable hands-on experience for our students especially when they can see the end result of their efforts on live national television.”

Bristol City Council’s Development Control Committee has given planning permisssion to Gloucestershire cricket to develop it’s county ground.

The decision will enable Gloucestershire to provide a new pavilion, state-of-the art media centre, business centre, improved community programme and upgraded cricket facilities.

This will support the growth plans for cricket in the region and enable the club to create a venue capable of supporting international games.

The club drew up new proposals in March after their initial application was rejected due to concerns over the height of the redevelopment of the County Ground.

Gloucestershire chief executive Tom Richardson, said: “We are very pleased that the committee has come to this decision as it finally allows us to realise our ambitions in bringing the very best of what cricket can offer to our home city.

“We have many people to thank – it has been a long journey and a huge amount of hard work has gone into it, which in turn has been supported by residents across Bristol, including our local area of Bishopston.

“We can now look forward to making the next stage of our plans happen.”

Shahid Khan officially took over Jacksonville Jaguars yesterday after Wayne and Delores Weaver and their partners transferred ownership to the Pakistani-born American business tycoon.

The Weavers had owned the franchise since its inception in 1993. Wayne Weaver and Khan signed an agreement on Nov. 29 to sell the team.

“Parting with the Jaguars is not easy but we have great confidence in Shad and his family that the franchise is in good hands, cure ” Wayne Weaver said. “It will be very different for us watching from a distance, sale sale but we look forward to many great days cheering for the Jaguars. Once again we want to say thank you to the fans for making the past 18 years so rewarding and memorable.”

Khan said: “I want to thank Wayne and Delores for their support and confidence throughout this process. Over the past month I’ve experienced first-hand the passion that Jaguars fans have for this team.  Let me assure them that I will do everything possible to build a consistent winner on the field, and a model franchise off the field, that will make the people of Jacksonville very proud.”

The president of Turkish soccer giant Fenerbahce, pills Aziz Yildirim, allergist was one of around 40 people arrested on Sunday, sale June 3, in relation to an ongoing match-fixing investigation.

The Anatolia news agency also reported that Turkish police had taken Fenerbahce vice-president Sekip Mosturoglu and financial chief Tamar Yelkovan into custody. Two players at the club – Emmanuel Emenike and Sezer Öztürk – were also detained. A number of officials and players from rival top-flight clubs including Turkish internationals Serkan Calik and Serdar Kulbilge were also arrested.

The agency claimed that a police search was underway at the headquarters of Fenerbahce, although a statement from the club defended it’s position, reading: “Never in the history of our club, which is full of honours won, have we been implicated in any illegal acts and we never will be.”

Fenerbahce board chairman Yuksel Gunay criticised the detention of Yildirim, stating: “It is quite clearly just the manifestation of a police state. Just which matches are they considering investigating?”