USA Gymnastics has awarded four international events in 2014 to the Daytona Beach (Fla.) Ocean Center.

The events include the World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships, Nov. 7-9; the World Trampoline and Tumbling Age Group Competition, Nov. 14-16; and the 2014 Junior Pan American Championships and Stars and Stripes Cup, May 9-11.

“Daytona Beach has truly stepped up for USA Gymnastics, and we are excited to partner with such a fun destination,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “We look forward to bringing the world’s best gymnasts to Daytona Beach and hope the community will come out and support these athletes.

“Daytona Beach is no stranger as a host for gymnastics events because the community has already staged the 2010 Senior Pan American Trampoline and Tumbling Championships and 2013 Stars and Stripes Cup (trampoline/tumbling) and will host the 2015 Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships.

The World Trampoline and Tumbling Championships, held annually except in the Olympic year, determines the men’s and women’s World champions in four events: trampoline, synchronized trampoline, tumbling and double mini-trampoline. The World Age Group Competition showcases the world’s best boys and girls in those four events in four age groups: 11-12, 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18 years of age. The two events are expected to showcase more than 1,100 athletes.

The Junior Pan Am Championships is the qualifying event for North, Central and South America in rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline to the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. The Stars and Stripes Cup is an international competition for rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, synchronized trampoline, double mini-trampoline and tumbling. The two events will be held concurrently. Both of the events combined represents nearly 1,000 athletes, coaches and officials.

The local partners for these events include the Central Florida Sports Commission, the Ocean Center, Volusia County and the Daytona Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, and National Travel Systems is a partner for the World Championships and World Age Group Competition.

“We are delighted to welcome these four prestigious events to Volusia County, something that would not have been possible without the partnership between USA Gymnastics, the Sports Commission, the Ocean Center, Volusia County Government, Daytona Beach CVB and the Volusia County hotel community,” said John Bisignano, president and CEO of the Central Florida Sports Commission. “Together, these events will have a positive economic impact for the region. We look forward to working with our partners to ensure the success of these international events in our community, as we serve our mission to drive economic development through sports.”

MediaCom Sport has been appointed to manage activation activity around Dell’s Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games brand ambassadors. 

With 12 months to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland, seek the sports marketing agency will help Dell to maximize the opportunity around this landmark sporting event by helping it connect with local schools, arthritis small businesses and Dell staff via a group of exciting young athletes. MediaCom Sport have identified and recruited four up and-coming sporting figures, allergist all of whom have a good chance of medalling at the games, to act as athlete ambassadors for Dell.

The team of inspiring athletes are: Lynsey Sharp, Scotland’s 800m runner who was recently crowned European Champion; Welsh racing cyclist, Elinor Barker, the reigning junior world time trial champion and 2013 World Championships golf medalist; and brothers Sam and Oliver Hynd (MBE), both two-time Paralympic gold medallist swimmers.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing Dell’s commitment to Glasgow 2014 alive via an exciting programme of events. These four selected Brand Ambassadors represent some of the UK’s finest emerging talent, and the dedication they have shown to their sport is truly incredible. We’re convinced that they will inspire not just future generations of athletes, but also Dell staff and businesses in general,” said James Hough, Director of Sport at MediaCom Global.

The Cox Classic presented by Lexus of Omaha will be the final Regular Season event in 2013, a key week on the reconfigured Web.com Tour schedule, it was announced by tournament director Chad Mardesen and Web.com Tour president Bill Calfee.

The 18th annual Cox Classic will be played Aug. 22-25 at Champions Run, the only course to host the event. The tournament purse will be $750,000, with a first prize of $135,000. Golf Channel will return to provide four-day coverage.

“We are very excited that Omaha will be the site for the final Regular Season event on the Web.com Tour,” said Mardesen. “We know that the support we receive from our sponsors, volunteers and from the city of Omaha will provide an incredible stage for the event and that support, coupled with the increased attention and drama that will come from that week, will make the tournament substantially stronger in 2013. Exciting things tend to happen in Omaha. The 2013 Cox Classic presented by Lexus of Omaha could prove to be our most dramatic and competitively charged year yet.”

“Cox is pleased to be the title sponsor for the 2013 tournament,” said Marilyn Burrows, Cox Communication’s Senior Vice President and General Manager. “This event has such a positive economic impact for Omaha and continues to attract increased attendance year over year. We especially value the Cox Classic’s continued focus to give back to our local charities, providing financial support for organizations that have such a positive impact and meet the many needs of our community.”

“We are excited to end our Regular Season in Omaha next year,” said Calfee. “There will be a lot at stake with the Cox Classic presented by Lexus of Omaha being the final stop to determine which 25 players earn their PGA TOUR cards off the Regular Season money list and which 75 advance to the four Finals events that will begin the very next week. The Cox Classic is a great tournament on the Web.com Tour and enjoys strong community support. We know it will provide a great atmosphere for the end of the Regular Season and all that will be on the line.”

Beginning in 2013, all 50 PGA TOUR cards for each new season will come through the Web.com Tour. The Regular Season will run from February through the Cox Classic in August, followed by four Finals’ events in September, to be played in Fort Wayne, Ind., Charlotte, N.C., Columbus, Ohio and Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

World Superbike action will be returning to the fabled Corkscrew and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and spanish circuit Jerez after the venues announced it has reached a three-year agreement with Infront Motor Sports.

Infront confirmed today that a three-year deal has been arranged stating “the United States round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship will take place at the Californian circuit next season and in 2014 and 2015.” The last time World Superbike riders competed at Laguna Seca was eight years ago when Chris Vermeulen won both races on the Ten Kate Honda. 

“We are absolutely delighted to be returning to Laguna Seca for the US Round for the first time since 2004. Over the ten-year period in which we were last there, medical we witnessed an extraordinary growth in interest and in overall attendance and we are sure that this event will once again become one of the most prestigious on the calendar. The return of Laguna Seca to the Superbike World Championship, site with its six competing manufacturers, will definitely be a boost to the championship’s growth in the US market as California has a special tradition and offers significant opportunities for the motorcycle industry, sponsors and media,” said Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports, in the press announcement. 

This means both of the world’s premier motorcycle road racing leagues will now be competing at California’s prestigious road course as MotoGP races there too. 

“We have a strong history with World Superbike and are thrilled to have them commit to a three-year race schedule,” said Gill Campbell, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca CEO/general manager. “Their return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca solidifies our position as THE premier circuit in the U.S. for motorcycle racing.” 

The question now is whether the U.S. will get two World Superbike rounds or was 2012 the last year for an event at Utah’s Miller Motorsports Park. The venue has hosted the lone U.S. World Superbike round since 2008. 

Infront Motor Sports announced it added Jerez de la Frontera to the 2013 schedule as well. The deal with the popular Spanish circuit is comparable to the one arranged with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, a three-year collaboration from 2013 – 2015. The first race will take place on October 20, 2013, and will be the final round of the 2013 World Superbike season. 

“We are delighted with the addition of another prestigious name to our World Championship calendar. Jerez de la Frontera is a circuit that is synonymous with great motorbike racing in general and is situated in a catchment area with an extraordinary sporting tradition and cultural heritage. It gives us great pleasure to return to Jerez for the first time in over twenty years and we are sure that together we will work hard to make the event a great success,” said Flammini. 

The only World Superbike race held at Jerez de la Frontera was back in 1990 when Raymond Roche doubled up on race wins. Roche would go on to win the World Superbike championship that year.

Glamorgan County Cricket club have reported an operating loss of £1.7million for the financial year ending December 31 2011.

The Welsh county’s financial performance was influenced by the £1.2m loss sustained from staging England’s rain-affected Test against Sri Lanka last May.

The retained loss for the year amounted to £3m after the club took into account additional charges associated with the SWALEC Stadium re-development project.

Last month Glamorgan announced that terms had been agreed with their existing lenders and new investors for a financial restructuring that will put the club on a sound financial footing for several years.

Glamorgan chief executive Alan Hamer said: “Our 2011 results put into perspective the financial challenges the club has faced over the past few years.

“The challenging economic environment and the burden of servicing the debts were compounded by the losses incurred in staging last year’s England v Sri Lanka Test match and further one-off charges.

“If you exclude these, cialis the underlying performance of the business was comparable to the previous year. Whilst last year’s financial results were extremely disappointing, online the club’s financial future looks much improved and our accounts have been given a clean bill of health by our auditors.

“Last September, prescription the club was awarded a gold international match package by the England and Wales Cricket Board, which will now see the SWALEC Stadium stage a further 17 days of international cricket in the next five years at greatly reduced fees.

“Our 2012 membership numbers are also the highest they’ve been for the past five years and over 60% of the tickets for both this year’s England v South Africa one-day international and Friends Life t20 finals day have already been snapped up.”

Chairman Barry O’Brien added: “Over the past 12 months, the club has had to deal with some significant challenges. Action has now been taken to address these and the other factors contributing to the losses incurred in 2011.

“The recent announcement confirming that the club had successfully restructured its finances will have a material beneficial impact on the club’s future financial performance. We can look forward to 2012 and beyond with renewed confidence.”

by Ismail Uddin

NBA star Kevin Garnett is set to acquire a limited share in Italian soccer club, Roma, according to the Associated Press.

The American-owned soccer team recently confirmed that the 35-year-old Boston Celtics star accepted an offer from James Pallotta, one of the four Boston executives who closed a deal in August to become the first foreign majority owners of a Serie A club.

Pallotta also is a minority owner of the Celtics.

Garnett is following in the footsteps of other NBA superstars who are putting their money in other sports.

Earlier this year, the Miami Heat’s LeBron James obtained a small stake in Liverpool from the Fenway Sports Group.

The Garnett and James deals are linked because new Roma President, Thomas DiBenedetto, is also a limited partner in the Fenway group, which owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

National Football League (NFL) team owners have been permitted to continue their labour lockout of players while awaiting an appeal ruling on their request to overturn a court order for them to end the ban.

The league is appealing U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson’s order directing them to end their embargo on player transactions and access to team facilities, sale | made on April 25. Nelson ruled that the suing players had shown a likelihood they would be irreparably harmed if the lockout continued.

The U.S. Court of Appeals granted the owners’ stay request yesterday, discount May 16, sildenafil citrate sale online enabling them to maintain the player ban, first imposed on March 12, until the panel rules on the merits of the NFL’s challenge to Nelson’s order.

The appeals court panel said in its 2-1 decision: “The district court gave little or no weight to the harm caused to the league by an injunction issued in the midst of an ongoing dispute over terms and conditions of employment.”

On April 29, the same panel, by the same margin, granted a temporary stay of Nelson’s ruling enabling the owners to re-impose their ban.

David Howman, director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), has suggested there would be a greater “enthusiasm” for catching doping cheats if different countries were responsible for testing each other’s athletes.

Howman claimed such an approach would help to make testing procedures more thorough across the globe whilst warning that the criminal underworld “controls a significant proportion of world sport” through drug trafficking and illegal betting.

Howman stated: “Why don’t we get France to drug test Germany and Germany to drug test France? Perhaps there would be more enthusiasm for catching cheats from another country.”

The WADA chief added that his warning about widespread criminal involvement in world sport had come from sources at Interpol and law enforcement agencies, “some of whom are actively engaged in projects that are trying to address the issue”.

He added: “They say the underworld is involved in betting and in distributing steroids and it’s the same jokers, it’s not anybody new. I have been saying this for five or six years and now Interpol are justifying it. They now have the numbers and the information and they are really worried about it.”

In an interview with BBC Sport, Howman also said that he believed some scientists at doping laboratories were opting not to report borderline cases. “It’s human nature,” he added. “You get a borderline case and you think: ‘What are the implications going to be? It’s going to be challenged, therefore I am going to be before a tribunal, I’m going to be rigorously cross-examined, I’m days away from the office.’ All those sorts of things go through a human’s mind.”

Birmingham will welcome top athletes from around the world next summer as the city hosts another big sporting event.

The city council has signed a three-year deal with UK Athletics to bring the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix to the Alexander Stadium.

It becomes one of 14 venues worldwide to host a meeting as part of the Diamond League.

Organisers say the events can attract 50 million TV viewers.

The Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr will join the ranks of New York, Rome, Shanghai and Monaco in staging the Samsung Diamond League meet in the summer of 2011.

The leader of Birmingham City Council, Cllr Mike Whitby said: “This is another major sporting coup for the city of Birmingham, underlining our status as Britain’s sporting city.”

UK Athletics Chief Executive Niels de Vos described it as “massive” for Birmingham.

“One of the reasons the IAAF, the International Federation, was keen to come to Birmingham was because of its reputation.

“It’s always hosted great meets.”

Commonwealth Heptathlon Champion and Birchfield Harrier Louise Hazel described it as an “amazing opportunity for Birchfield Harriers and the Alexander Stadium.”

Plans for a £12.25m redevelopment of the stadium were given the green-light in September.

They include a 5,000-seater stand with office space.

Council Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport Cllr Martin Mullaney said the development would be self-financing.

“What we’ve worked out is that the rent from the office space underneath [the stand] will actually generate enough money to pay back the building costs of the stand overall.”