The money dispute between the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) is to be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by the former.

The BOA is currently arguing with LOCOG over whether net costs involved in the staging of the Paralympic Games should be separated from any operating profit generated by the Olympics as they face a US$16m funding gap ahead of 2012. It had been agreed on Wednesday, discount March 9, case that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would mediate between the two parties.

However, the BOA stated: “The International Olympic Committee has been extremely helpful to the BOA and the London 2012 Organising Committee in attempting to reach consensus on this very important matter and we thank them for their efforts.”

The statement added: “We are committed to reaching a resolution that is fair, equitable and ultimately contributes to the post-Games legacy from what we know will be the highly successful London 2012 Olympics.”

A five-member family of mascots for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011 was revealed at a glittering function at the Aspire Park in Doha on Thursday.

The mascots are Jerboas, see a rodent found in the deserts of Qatar. The characters are named after different locations in the North, medstore South, East and West of Qatar.

The launch of the mascots put the preparations of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011 into top gear following the launch of countdown clock, tournament logo and physical ticket sales.

The characteristics of the mascots represent the spirit and values of the host country as well as the tournament itself.

Zkriti, father of the mascot family, is named after the Zekreet area in the west of Qatar while the mother – Tranaa – is named after the Turayna area in the south of the country.

Their eldest daughter, Freha is named after the Freha area in the north of Qatar while the first son Saboog is a common name for Jerboas in the Arabian Gulf, and is associated with speed.

The youngest son in the family, Tmbki is named after the Timbic area in east of Qatar.

The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011 will be played between 7 and 29 January, 2011.

The Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) revealed a new ambitious plan in order to boost sport and their performance in the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympic Games. 

The JOC, order who hope to become a major Olympic International Committee, anabolics have been dramatically improving under the Presidency of HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein since 2003. 

The JOC’s vision is to make sport a part of everyday life for the lives of all Jordanians. 

The new plans hope to further boost sport by empowering employees to deliver an improved service to leading sports organisations, ailment in particular the Kingdom’s National Federations. 

They plan to do this by having new target driven contracts and departments streaming their operations to improve accountability. 

Lana Al Jaghbeer, JOC Secretary General commented: “The demands on the JOC are greater than ever before and this new direction will ensure that we deliver a world class service to the Kingdom’s sporting family.”

The Government of Canada have announced they will supply funding for the Canadian Curling Association (CCA) for the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Canadian Curling Trials, being held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from December 1 to 8, 2013.

“We are proud of the world-class reputation of our curlers, and our commitment will help them in their pursuit of excellence. I congratulate the Canadian Curling Association on their dedication, and I wish the best of luck to all the athletes on the road to Sochi,” said Minister of State Bal Gosal. “Through Sport Canada’s Sport Support Program, the Government of Canada is pleased to provide the Canadian Curling Association with funding for the 2013-14 fiscal year.”

The Canadian Curling Association is the national governing body for the sport of curling in Canada. The Canadian Curling Association encourages and facilitates the growth and development of curling in cooperation with its network of affiliates. It is also responsible for overseeing the Canadian national teams at world championships, as well as at Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“The Canadian Curling Association is grateful for the contribution of the Government of Canada’s Sport Support Program as we pursue world-class results in our sport,” said Greg Stremlaw, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Curling Association. “Our curlers have represented Canada proudly on the international stage, and we appreciate the support of the federal government in making that happen.”

The Government of Canada is the single largest contributor to sport in Canada and supports participation and excellence from playground to podium. Sport Canada’s Sport Support Program has approved more than $2.5 million for the Canadian Curling Association through Sport Support for 2013-14

Twickenham Stadium will host the inaugural World Club Sevens tournament on 17 and 18 August.

The new World Club Sevens brings together some of the biggest names in club and provincial rugby from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, along with some emerging names in game.

This is the first step towards expanding the tournament in the build-up to the Rio Olympics in 2016.

And Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty believes the sport has a bright future.

“Rugby is about to enter a unique era for the sport with Sevens – which is finally returning to the Olympics – at the centre of what we believe will be a huge growth in all forms of the game,” McCafferty said.

“Rugby’s long-awaited return to the Olympics means that many of the players who could be battling it out for gold in Rio in 2016 will be on show at Twickenham on 17-18 August.”

The teams already confirmed for the Twickenham event are Auckland Blues, Western Province, ACT Brumbies, Buenos Aires, New York, Los Angeles and Moscow.

English League One team, sale viagra Coventry City have revealed they have already begun the search for a new stadium for next season.

The Sky Blues have been in heavy discussions with ACL, bronchi | the owners of the Ricoh Arena, over unpaid rent and are now making contingency plans.

In a statement, chief executive Tim Fisher said: “The fact is that we are being locked out of the Ricoh Arena.

“We have been told that there is no further room for negotiation and an offer that we made to get back round the negotiating table has been rejected.

“It is with great regret that we now have no alternative but to consider other arrangements for next season and we would be failing the club, its supporters and its staff if we did not start making such plans now.

“The club is keeping the relevant football authorities fully informed of developments, and we will keep everyone informed when there is specific further news.”

Coventry moved to the 32,000-capacity Ricoh Arena from their old Highfield Road ground in 2005 but were relegated to League One seven years later.

They were deducted 10 points after entering administration last month and finished the season in 15th.

SKECHERS USA, denture Inc. today announced that the company will return to the Super Bowl with two unique advertising campaigns.

The first will use humor and animals to illustrate the speed of Skechers GOrun 2 performance running footwear and is slated to air during the two-minute warning of the first half. SKECHERS will also enlist football legend Joe Montana for a second advertisement to air during the second quarter.

For the company’s performance brand, a cheetah takes center stage this year when the world’s fastest land animal goes head-to-head with a human wearing Skechers GOrun 2. Like the cheetah, Skechers GOrun 2 footwear is lightweight, sleek and fast. The Company debuted the original Skechers GOrun collection on the feet of a spunky French Bulldog during the 2012 Super Bowl, and the much adored “Mr. Quiggly” commercial achieved a third place ranking at the top of the USA Today Ad Meter, making the pooch a media darling and bringing global recognition to Skechers Performance footwear.

For the SKECHERS Relaxed Fit collection, Hall of Fame quarterback and four-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana is the face of the successful footwear line that’s designed for comfort with a roomy toe area and memory foam insole. Montana previously appeared in a SKECHERS Relaxed Fit campaign during Fall 2012 that also included ads featuring basketball and baseball icons Mark Cuban and Tommy Lasorda.

The 2013 Super Bowl campaign marks SKECHERS’ fourth consecutive year of commercials on the world’s biggest advertising platform. In its first year, the Company utilized the star power of Joe Montana to launch its fitness division, and then followed up in 2011 with Kim Kardashian in the Company’s fitness footwear. Basketball and business icon Mark Cuban joined Mr. Quiggly in 2012 for SKECHERS’ most successful Super Bowl campaign thus far.

 

The future of the Belgian Grand Prix was secured for the next three years after race organisers signed a deal with Formula One (F1) chiefs.

The Spa Francorchamps race had its fate in the balance, ambulance amid concerns it was seeking a race-share deal with Nurburgring or Magny-Cours.

The contract will run from 2013 to 2015 and is providing better financial gain for the circuit.

In other news regarding the Belgian Grand Prix, organisers will allow 5,600 spectators into the ground, after The Ticket Enterprise (TTE) collapsed, leaving fans without tickets they had paid for.

Chief Promoter, Etienne Davignon confirmed the news at a press conference and said: “We will see how we can recover (the money).

“It is too early to judge just how much we are going to lose.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) have introduced an innovative plan to more than double the prize money for the annual number one Test team from 2013 in order to boost the profile of the sports traditional international game.

England currently top the rankings, but that position may come under threat before this year’s cut-off date in April if they lose a third successive Test against Pakistan.

A press release from the ICC read: “A total of $3.8million (£2.4million) in prize money will be shared among the top four sides on April 1 2013, 2014 and 2015 after the ICC board approved a proposal to substantially increase incentives in the form of prize money to promote Test match cricket in the period before the ICC Test Championship event in 2017.”

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat added: “This worthy increase in prize money for the top four teams in the Reliance ICC Test Rankings can only be right.

“We are delighted at the growing interest and quality of Test match cricket and we must continue to promote the pinnacle form of the game before and beyond the Test Championship in 2017.”

Previously, the number one Test team received $175,000 (£110,000) but in future will receive a minimum of $450,000 (£283,000) rising to $500,000 (£315,000) in 2015.

It was also announced after the world governing body’s two-day meeting in Dubai that the ICC will have a board chairman and president from 2014 onwards, splitting the role currently filled by the president alone.

A chairman will lead the board, while the president’s function will become an ambassadorial one.

Lorgat told a press conference of the intended change following a meeting which also considered Lord Woolf’s 60-page report into the organisation’s governance.

However, there will be no decisions on the key recommendations of the independent governance review until at least the next board meeting in April.

---

Have your say on the ICC reforms here