Amul, new sponsor of India’s contingent going to the London Olympics, is considering sponsoring the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches.

Amul, which last week announced its sponsorship of the Indian contingent to the London Olympics, may also 

“Since the organisers do not allow sponsors’ names on players’ jerkins etc, we could make ourselves visible through use of our logos elsewhere. We already have created a combined logo with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)”, Mr R.S. Sodhi, Managing Director, Gujarat Cooperative Mill Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets dairy and food products under the Amul brand, toldBusiness Line on Monday.

Asked if Amul, India’s largest food products marketing organisation, would sponsor other games and sports, like hockey, he said it may consider sponsoring major events like the IPL.

However, Mr Sodhi said, Amul has not yet earmarked any funds for its sponsorship of the London Olympics. The decision may be taken in the next financial year starting April 1, 2012.

On February 27, Amul signed an MoU with the IOA, becoming the official sponsor of the Indian contingent in the category of dairy products. It had, in the recent past, been associated with World Cup Cricket and Formula One as well as a means to engage the youth.

Amul will soon launch a series of advertising campaigns for its dairy products to promote its association with games and sports events in the coming months.

by Ismail Uddin

It has been reported that the National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern has held discussions with executives at IMG Worldwide Inc. about the establishment of a professional basketball league in India.

Stern has stated his wish to build awareness of the NBA brand outside the USA and increase both international audience figures and revenue from  merchandise.

New York based sports-management agency IMG and  Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd formed IMG Reliance in 2010 to foster the development of sports and entertainment in India.

The marriage of NBA and IMG would be a welcome one for both organisations.

IMG Reliance has already signed a 30-year contract with the Basketball Federation of India which allows for the start of a professional league.

Managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon Paul Swangard explained his understanding of the alliance to Bloomberg.com.

“Like China, denture India will be a long-term key to the NBA’s global growth. Unlike China, look the NBA doesn’t have a century of basketball legacy to leverage. Joining forces with IMG would create momentum for the business the NBA couldn’t have generated by itself”.

It is understood that talks between Stern, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver and IMGk Chairman Mike Dolan, are still underway.

The NBA has already held grassroots events across India over the past two years, and established Adidas, Nike and Coca-Cola as marketing partners in the region as well as a partnership with Mahindra Group, which supports a community based basketball league.

In addition, this season, six NBA games are being shown live on television every week in India.

IMG Reliance has developed an athletic training academy to develop sportsmen and women in the country. It also has a similar facility in Florida and there are scholarship programmes to share talent.

Pakistani cricketing trio Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have been committed for trial at Southwark Crown Court on conspiracy charges.

The trio were given unconditional bail ahead of the hearing on 20 May, after appearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday, March 17.

All three are accused of cheating and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments following the spot fixing scandal of the fourth test of last summer’s series in England, charges they deny.

Spot fixing charges relate to an alleged plot to deliberately bowl no balls and all three players have already been banned by the International Cricket Council over the affair – Butt for 10 years, with five of them suspended, Mohammad Asif for seven years, and Amir five years – suspensions which they are in the process of challenging at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

District Judge Howard Riddle stated: “There is no doubt the allegations are very serious and I know you recognize that.”

Despite being foreign nationals, the trio are entitled to apply for means-tested legal aid to pay towards the costs of their defence as they are facing charges brought by an English court and reports suggest that one of the three has already done this, with the other tow considering following suit.

They were banned after the News of the World newspaper reported no balls were bowled at specific points in England’s innings after a payment was made to a businessman.

Craig Sesker has been promoted to the position of Senior Communications Manager for USA Wrestling, anabolics the national governing body for wrestling in the United States.

Sesker joined USA Wrestling in March 2006 as its Communications Manager, ed working within USA Wrestling’s Communications Department. He assumed his new responsibilities as Senior Communications Manager in March 2014.

“Craig Sesker has been an important part of our Communications team, doctor and has made substantial contributions to USA Wrestling and to the promotion of wrestling. We look forward to his expanded responsibility and leadership in the future, as we expand wrestling’s position with the media and the general public,” said Gary Abbott, Director of Communications and Special Projects.

Among his new or expanded responsibilities will include oversight of the production and printing process of USA Wrestler, on-site event media operations management, athlete biography and statistics record systems and working with stringers and contract staffing for USA Wrestling’s media outlets.

The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) have signed a partnership with United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) which aims to use taekwondo as a vehicle to promote the organisations’ common objectives of promoting sport-for-all and peace.

The agreement was signed by Mr Wilfried Lemke, denture  the U.N. Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, professional viagra and WTF President Dr. Chungwon Choue on the opening day of the inaugural World Taekwondo GP in Manchester, United Kingdom.

Speaking after the signing, WTF President Choue said: “The WTF has a very special relationship with the UNOSDP. We share many of the same values and we fully support the UNOSDP in their mission to support people around the world by providing them with opportunities to engage in sport.

“Taekwondo is more than a sport – it’s a philosophy. Taekwondo teaches young people discipline, fair play and sportsmanship. Young athletes learn the importance of respecting one another whatever their nationality, race or gender. These values will not only help them to be a success in taekwondo but help them to contribute to society outside of the sport.”

The partnership aims to use taekwondo as a tool to promote peace-building objectives, social inclusion and the rights of persons with a disability. The WTF Peace Corps for Para-Taekwondo will be largely responsible for carrying out the work of the partnership but will also be supported through the WTF’s involvement in the UNOSDP’s Youth Leadership Programme (YLP).

Wilfried Lemke added: “Taekwondo is an excellent partner for the UNOSDP. We look forward to collaborating with them in the future as we look to achieve the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.”

Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn will continue his pursuit of securing a groundshare with West Ham at the Olympic Stadium.

The League One club’s written request for a judicial review of the decision to grant the Hammers sole tenancy of the stadium was turned down last month.

But Hearn will now attempt to state his case at an oral hearing and is “confident” of a successful outcome.

A club statement read: “Orient would like to confirm that it has renewed its application for permission for a judicial review against the London Legacy Development Corporation in respect of their decision to deny the club Olympic Stadium tenancy.

“The club believe that in refusing permission, the judge erred in his decision on reviewing the papers, and we are therefore opting to debate the issues at an oral hearing where we are confident that permission will be granted.”

West Ham were declared anchor tenants in March and are due to move into the stadium in August 2016.