WTF Submits Application for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Inclusion

The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has today submitted its final application for inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

In the application they outlined para-taekwondo’s strong foundation, generic growth potential and global reach ahead of the IPC Governing Board’s vote on the 2020 Paralympic Programme in October 2014.

The application submission comes just one month after the conclusion of the fifth edition of the WTF’s elite World Para-Taekwondo Championships which showcased the sport’s truly global appeal. 123 athletes from 40 nations across five IPC regions registered for the event and athletes from 24 of those countries returned home as medallists, look reflecting the WTF’s success in ensuring a strong depth of field in their elite competitions. Male and female athletes competed in three weight categories across four classes defined by the WTF’s recently updated Para-Taekwondo Classification Rules and Regulations. Scientific research into classification remains ongoing as the WTF looks to create fair, evidence-based sport-specific Classification Rules in line with the IPC Classification Code.

WTF President Chungwon Choue said: “This is a historic moment for para-taekwondo and for me personally. Getting para-taekwondo into the Paralympic Games is a personal passion of mine and priority number one for the WTF. We hope that the IPC Governing Board will see that we are committed to being a valuable and loyal partner and that the unique qualities of our sport will add real value to the Paralympic Programme.

“We have been working very closely with the IPC and the IOSDs to make sure that the sport develops in line with best practices, but there is still room for further development. We are focused on improving the quality, quantity and universality of the sport and we are confident that if we have the honour of being included on the Paralympic Programme, fans will be treated to a fair, safe and exciting spectacle in Tokyo in 2020.”

Jacksonville Jaguars Signs Skyview Networks Partnership

The National Football League’s (NFL) Jacksonville Jaguars has signed a multi-year deal with broadcast technology company Skyview Networks.

As part of the agreement, the Jaguars will use Skyview’s inventory management solutions. The Jaguars will utilize Skyview’s latest application release, AdView Inventory Management, for its full menu of radio programs. With AdView, the Jaguars will streamline the contract fulfillment process and further monetize inventory through greater control and advanced reporting.

“We are excited to be partnering with Skyview Networks to integrate their AdView software into our day-to-day activation for corporate partners,” said Scott Massey, Jaguars SVP of Corporate Partnerships. “AdView gives us the ability to streamline our traffic management and provide our partners with timely proof of performance.”

“We enjoy working with the Jaguars and look forward to the upcoming season—we feel the franchise will experience a streamlined and reliable approach to managing their inventory with AdView,” said Skyview Networks president Ken Thiele. “The Jaguars have been very successful managing their rights in house; we are proud they chose us to bring Skyview into the process with our AdView application.”

FA Bosses Call for Blatter to Abandon Plans for Re-election

Sepp Blatter has come under fire after FA bosses Greg Dyke and David Gill told the FIFA president he must quit next year and should abandon any plans to stand for a fifth term of office.

Football Association chairman Dyke told Blatter, apoplectic at a meeting of Uefa’s national associations, apoplectic that he was polluting FIFA’s reputation, but it was after he and FA vice-chairman Gill emerged from the associations’ pre-World Cup conference that they delivered their staunchest attack on Blatter.

Dyke was scathing in his criticism of Blatter’s first public response, on Monday, to media allegations of bribery ahead of Qatar being awarded the 2020 World Cup. “What Mr Blatter said yesterday I found offensive. I said [to him], ‘I regard the comments you made about the allegations in the British media in which you described them as racist as totally unacceptable.

“The allegations being made have nothing to do with racism, they are allegations about corruption within Fifa. These allegations need to be properly investigated and properly answered. Mr Blatter, many of us are deeply troubled by your reaction to these allegations, it’s time for Fifa to stop attacking the messenger and instead consider and understand the message.”

Dyke said that Blatter must go if the allegations of bribery over the Qatar 2022 World Cup are proved to have foundation by Fifa’s head of ethics, the American lawyer Michael Garcia. 

Gill said: “This wasn’t about [racism], it was about issues being raised quite rightly in the British media. It doesn’t matter which media does it; it was raised in the media, and it must be addressed by the governing body of world football. To attempt to portray it as a racial or discriminatory attack is… totally unacceptable.”

Gill added: “It was a responsible [newspaper] investigation. It wasn’t done irresponsibly. It wasn’t done with any other agenda. We can’t have football being the No 1 game in the world, growing year by year, without having that responsibility around it.”

Gill said he was “surprised” that Blatter had gone back on his own suggestion – made last year – that he would make his fourth term of office his last.

“I think the very fact in 2011 he was clear that it was for four years. I think that should’ve been the situation. To have him change his mind is disappointing.” Asked if Blatter should go, he said: “Personally, yes. I think we need to move on. But what I do think we need is a fully, frank and honest debate. That’s just my personal opinion. There are 209 countries voting for the new president [next year] and what I would like to see is a full, frank, open debate about what Fifa need, who the candidates are in order to fill those objectives, then we can move it forward.”

Gill said it was “irrelevant” that Blatter had not voted for the Qatar 2022 bid. “He should, as a chief executive effectively of the organisation, [be in control.] The World Cup is their biggest product; this is the one that generates all the income for Fifa every four years. It is the most important competition in world football so if I was the chief executive of it then I should be very concerned.

“If I was the chief executive and I had these allegations and these concerns I wouldn’t look at them negatively and blame people for bringing them forward – I would say, is there something there, how do I investigate them properly how do I get myself comfortable on the process? That would be my concern.”

The head of the Dutch FA, Michael van Praag, later added his criticism: “I took the floor [at the meeting] and I said [to Blatter]: ‘This is nothing personal but if you look at the reputation Fifa has built over the last seven or eight years, with accusations of corruptions, bribery and all kinds of old-boys network things: Fifa has an executive president and that means you are responsible. You don’t make it easy on yourself because you said Qatar was the wrong choice. All these problems occurred when you were president so I believe that you should not run any more’.”

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First Ever Middle East iSportconnect Directors Club a Huge Success

The hugely successful inaugural Middle East iSportconnect Directors Club event took place yesterday afternoon.

iSportconnect, in partnership with INTERACT and supported by Dubai Sports Council, brought together key stakeholders in the world of sport to discuss the crucial issues in sport business in the region. There was enthusiastic debate, in a closed door environment.

The first ever iSportconnect Middle East Directors’ Club took place at the Amwaj Rotana Hotel in Dubai, UAE.

The Directors Club event kicked off with Dr Ahmad Al Sharif, Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council presenting an opening speech welcoming guests to the Club. He announced there would be an international event soon hosted in Dubai. Dr Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Vice President, FIA, President, ATC UAE, then presented a passionate and engaging keynote address on his personal experiences as a sportsman and how important it is for the UAE to engage the youth and train and educate them in sport.

The keynote speech was followed by the panel discussion with Rashid Al Kamali, Sport Event Manager of the Dubai Sports Council, Nick Tarratt, Director, International, PGA European Tour, Bassam Saydi Saydi, Marketing Director, Red Bull, Azat Muradov, Secretary General of Turkmenistan National Olympic Committee and Alastair Ruxton, Commercial and Legal Director at Falcon and Associates.

ISC_Dubai_Crowd

The iSportconnect Directors’ Club is a series of exclusive events where a specially invited audience can offer questions to speakers through a ‘Question Time’ style panel, followed by a networking reception. Yesterday’s event delved into the future of sport across the world in general and the region in detail. Real insight was offered from the panel and delegates who came from a range of different sectors.

Michael Cunnah, Chairman of iSportconnect said: “I am absolutely thrilled with yesterday’s Directors’ Club event as the first ever to be held in the Middle East. There was much interactive debate and discussion between the panel and delegates. I hope everyone had a great time and we look forward to further expanding the Directors Club events throughout the Middle East.”

After the panel discussion, delegates were invited to a networking dinner in a relaxed environment.

The iSportconnect Directors’ Club events started in London and has now expanded across the world to Paris, Munich, Milan and now Dubai. It is iSportconnect’s intention to return in the near future to host events in both Abu Dhabi and again in Dubai.

Log on to isportconnect.com and continue the debate on twitter through #iSCDirectorsClub

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Berlin Cut from 2014 FINA World Cup Calendar as Events Announced

FINA, malady the world swimming body, viagra 100mg has announced the new destinations for their World Cup competition with Berlin not included amongst them.

Whilst changing stops is nothing new in FINA’s history this change comes as a surprise as Germany has been the only country to always host a world cup stage every year since the competition started in 1988 with the German capital being one of the regular stops. 

7 of the 8 planned stops for the 2014 FINA world cup are to remain the same, allergy with only Berlin being replaced by Hong Kong. 

It is believed the decision came to drop Berlin as a World Cup host following the European Long Course Swimming Championships which is to be held in Berlin in August. However this has raised some eyebrows as Qatar’s capital Doha is not only hosting the 2014 FINA World Championships in December but will also be the first to welcome the beginning of the World Cup Meetings. Other sources believe that it is due to the fact that with 6 of the stops being in Asia or the Middle East and only 2 in Europe, Europe’s economic powerhouse simply cannot justify the expense of two major meets in the same year. 

Many argue that the 2014 FINA World Cup has lost one of its best attended and well organised and that the new destination will make travel more expensive with trips back and forth to each continent.

FULL CALENDAR

August 27-28 Doha (QAT)
August 31 – September 1* Dubai (UAE)
September 29-30 Hong Kong (HKG)
October 4-5* Eindhoven (NED)
October 8-9 Moscow (RUS)
October 24-25* Beijing (CHN)**
October 28-29 Tokyo (JPN)
November 1-2 Singapore (SIN)

* dates to be confirmed
** place to be confirmed

AECOM to Provide Design Consultancy for Qatar 2022’s Al Wakrah Stadium

AECOM Technology Corporation, adiposity a leading provider of professional technical and management support services, ampoule announced today that it has been selected to provide design consultancy and construction supervision services for the Al Wakrah Stadium and Precinct for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has appointed AECOM, in association with Zaha Hadid Architects, as the design consultant for the project.

Al Wakrah will serve as a host city for a 2022 FIFA World Cup stadium and precinct, and is located approximately 12 miles south of Doha. It is one of the oldest inhabited areas in Qatar, with a rich cultural heritage evidenced by its traditional Islamic architecture, historical buildings, distinctive mosques and archaeological sites.

The stadium will have a tournament capacity of 45,000 spectators during the games and, by using modular best practice design, the number will be reduced to 20,000 spectators for the legacy program in Qatar. Another important element of the design project will be the integration of cooling-technology systems with climate-control requirements for renewable energy production.

“We are delighted to be involved with the 2022 FIFA World Cup program and to support the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee,” said AECOM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John M. Dionisio. “This is an exciting time for Qatar, and our global team of forward-thinking sports experts is well equipped to meet the challenges that a project of this caliber demands.”

The vision set by the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee is one that embraces the cultural heritage of the host city and the adjacent historical Qatari settlement of Al Wukair. Incorporating this identity will be a crucial part of the stadium design and enhancing the fan experience.

Gary Player Partners with Revolution Golf to Produce Promotional Video

Golfing icon Gary Player and Black Knight International have announced a multi-year partnership with Revolution Golf, allergist an online golf learning website, ed to produce a comprehensive instructional golf media series with the Black Knight.

The instructional multimedia production and DVD box set, titled “A Game For Life,” is scheduled for release soon and will feature the keys to the Grand Slam winner’s success with instruction, tips, and advice acquired through his illustrious 60-year professional career.

“I have had a wonderful time filming with the Revolution Golf team and I am excited to share all the ins and outs on and off the course that helped my golfing career,” said Gary Player. “My biggest hope is to inspire viewers to get out on the course, practice the correct techniques to lower their handicap, and most of all enjoy the game.”

Player brings his unparalleled knowledge to Revolution Golf’s lineup of highly respected players and coaches, which includes top American instructor Jim McLean. The addition of Player is an exciting development for Revolution Golf’s portfolio on a global scale.

“Being able to add a world renowned golfer of Gary Player’s caliber to the Revolution Golf team is thrilling,” said Justin Tupper, Revolution Golf Co-Founder and CEO. “The level of fun, entertainment, and education that Gary Player brings to this instructional series will greatly appeal to the more than 1 million current RevolutionGolf.com subscribers and will surely inspire millions of new and long-standing golfers worldwide who are seriously interested in improving their game through lessons on golf technique and life in general from one of the all-time greats.”

“We are truly excited about teaming with Revolution Golf to create a phenomenal production giving a complete look into Gary Player’s three dimensional golf and fitness philosophies,” said Marc Player, CEO of Black Knight International. “Revolution Golf offers the best model for instructional multimedia and we are excited to see the finished product as soon as possible.”

Hireko Golf Acquires SK Fiber Shafts

Hireko Golf, one of the golf industry’s most complete sources for golf clubs, announced that it has purchased SK Fiber Shafts to strengthen their commitment to becoming the largest online retailer of custom fit golf products and components.

The acquisition adds a further strong golf brand to an already powerful portfolio that includes Acer, Dynacraft, Power Play, iBella and Karma Grips.

“SK Fiber is an established innovative brand that is trusted by golfers at every skill level,” said Hireko Golf CEO Gineta Lin. “Through this acquisition, we’ve added a premium quality, highly recognized name to our golf shaft portfolio while gaining a valuable competitive advantage in the clubmaking market.”

Since 1999 SK Fiber graphite golf shafts have been recognized by many of the world’s best club fitters, golfers and equipment manufacturers as the most consistent graphite shafts in the industry. By sourcing premium composite materials, implementing leading edge design technologies and paying strict attention to quality control, SK Fiber consistently delivers technically advanced golf shafts that deliver consistent performance for golfers of all skill levels to play their personal best.

“We’ve long admired SK Fiber’s enthusiasm for incorporating performance technologies into its shafts,” commented CEO Gineta Lin. “SK Fiber’s owner and chief designer Charles Blume will combine his expertise and talents with Hireko’s research and development department to continue developing technically advanced golf shafts that deliver consistent performance for enhancing golfers’ experiences on the golf course. This partnership is a win-win relationship for golfers and component buyers alike.

While Hireko will continue working with and sourcing from the same factory in Korea, the distribution of the SK Fiber shaft line will be moved to Hireko’s corporate and warehouse center in the City of Industry, California. Hireko’s expanded product selection, lower prices, superior custom service and technology centric design focus is the centerpiece in their strategy to become a leader among clubmakers, clubfitters and golfers worldwide.

FIA World Touring Car Championship Sees 45% TV Audience Increase

TV audience figures for the first six events of the FIA World Touring Car Championship in 2012, anesthetist improved by 45 percent compared to the previous season.

Figures were unveiled by Eurosport Events, viagra the championship promoter, arthritis following the midseason broadcast report published by independent German institute IFM.
Over 471 hours of coverage, the cumulative global reach totalled to 254 million viewers worldwide, against the record figure of 175 million achieved on the same period in 2011.

Especially good performances were delivered by free-to-air channels in Germany (RTL), Hungary (MTV), Morocco ( 2M) and Japan (TXN network, including TV Tokyo and TV Osaka).

Ulrich Lacher, Managing Director of IFM, commented: “WTCC – unlike many other series – again shows a healthy increase, continuing the trend from the previous years. We attribute that to the growing popularity as a result of the good TV distribution of the series, which has made its way onto a number of major national networks in key motorsport markets like Japan, USA, China and Germany. The series is expanding beyond pan-continental broadcasters like Eurosport and Star Sports.”

Antonios Argyropoulos, Head of Media Rights Distribution, Eurosport Events, said: “WTCC can now look at another record breaking season with the conservative aim of exceeding the mark of half-billion viewers in 2012.”

WTCC benefits from TV coverage, including  programmes in Europe, Americas, Japan and the Asia-Pacific regions through 87 broadcasters and in 180 countries around the world.

Sauber F1 CEO Gets Part Ownership of the Team

Formula One team Sauber have announced today that CEO Monisha Kaltenborn will be a part owner of the team owning one-third of the team.

Peter Sauber, Team Principal of the Swiss-based outfit, said that Kaltenborn, 41, had received the stake in the Sauber Group “in the interests of continuity”.

“When BMW pulled out of Formula One in 2009, Monisha Kaltenborn was instrumental in the team’s survival and since then she has been doing outstanding work in her capacity as CEO,” Sauber said.

“Transferring one third of the stake to her represents an important step for me in providing continuity. My desire is to ensure that the company continues to be led as I would want over the long term.

“Monisha Kaltenborn and my son Alex, who joined the company as Marketing Director in 2010 and has since also been a member of the Board of Management, both embrace this aim. It means we can offer our employees a positive outlook for the future.”

Sauber, who is also President of the Board of Directors of all Sauber Group companies, will retain the remaining two-thirds share.

He reacquired ownership of the team following BMW’s decision to withdraw from the sport midway through the 2009 season.

That decision left their future in jeopardy for several months. However, Sauber regained their place on the F1 grid after Toyota subsequently announced that it was withdrawing its team.

Kaltenborn, who joined Sauber as head of their legal department in 2000, added: “For me this step is a mark of the greatest possible trust, which I will do everything in my power to justify.”