The International Olympic Committee (IOC) are pleased with the progress being made by PyeongChang ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

The PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee provided a five-hour venue tour Tuesday for the IOC on there three day visit, stopping at several venues and venue sites in the PyeongChang Mountain Cluster which included the sliding centre, IBC-MPC, Yongpyong resort and the Mountain Olympic Village; and the Gangneung Coastal Cluster where the Coastal Olympic Village, Media Village, Gangneung Sports Complex and accommodations will be located.

Following the tour IOC Coordination Commission Chair Gunilla Lindberg said: “Following a very detailed briefing yesterday on the status of the different venues and with only four years to go until the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games begin, it was important for the Commission to be able to survey the progress being made on the different venues.

“We are pleased to see that work on key sites like the sliding centre and coastal Olympic Village has begun. The information provided to us on site reassures us about the development of the venues that have not yet been started.

“Also, the participation of the winter International Federations and National Federations this week in our meeting shows the strong spirit of cooperation between the different stakeholders, which will undoubtedly allow PyeongChang 2018 to deliver the best venues possible for the athletes.”

The IOC’s three-day visit ends Thursday.

Australian Football League team Collingwood have revealed a net operating profit of more than AUS$5.2 million on the back of record membership.

The Magpies announced a net profit of almost $16.4 million for the financial year ending October 31, which included development funding of $11.15 million.

Collingwood raised their year-on-year revenue by $2.6 million and lifted overall turnover above $75 million, with record membership exceeding 80,000 – a new club and AFL record.

“As per our promise to supporters, the profits will continue to be invested back into the club’s two key stakeholders, being the playing group and fans,” Collingwood chief executive Gary Pert said.

“This year, we invested an extra $600,000 into our membership services and an extra $1.3 million into our football department.

“The rest of the club profits are earmarked to help fund the new community facilities bordering our Westpac Centre training ground, which will require extra club funding of $15 million over the next three years.

“It has never been more important in Australian sport to be financially sustainable, to be able to determine our own future, retain our identity and protect our brand.”

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire praised the profit and said it was great work by the entire team.

“This is a great result for the club built on the outstanding support of our members and corporate partners, strong board level leadership and the efforts of a first-class administration,” McGuire said.

“The club’s strong financial position has allowed us to create the ultimate Collingwood vision of Australian sport’s best training and administrative complex, a facility that can hold its own against the best sports clubs around the world.

“We know that to provide our players, coaches and staff with the best facilities and opportunities to succeed in an increasingly difficult environment that we must remain financially healthy and independent.”

English Premier League club, drugs Norwich City announced a three-year partnership with US global brand management experts Front Row Marketing Services.

As well as attracting top acts to Carrow Road, denture Front Row will help the Canaries to find new ways to expand their brand globally, seek identify new sponsorship opportunities for the club and implement a series of friendlies for the club around the world.

President of Front Row Marketing Services Chris Lencheski said: “We are very excited to work with Norwich City as they grow their business opportunities not just domestically, but around the world.

“There are few global properties hotter these days than Barclays Premier League football clubs, and we think the Canaries are uniquely primed to take advantage of that platform. In Delia Smith, the UK’s bestselling cookery writer and television presenter, having sold over 21 million copies of her books worldwide, the club has a majority owner who is a genuine fan, and it’s great to be working with a successful woman in a male dominated environment. She is more than simply another owner – the fans can identify with her as a fellow supporter and if she believes in a partner, that’s a major positive because she is so authentic and that resonates with consumers.”

Norwich City’s chief executive David McNally said: “I’m delighted to confirm this exciting new partnership with Front Row Marketing Services. Their depth of experience and expertise in the field of sports brand development and marketing on a global scale will continue to help us to meet our objectives of significantly expanding Norwich City’s global footprint. We very much look forward to working with them in the years ahead.”

The Ladies European Tour has announced the appointment of Golf Course St. Leon-Rot in Germany as the venue for The 2015 Solheim Cup.

Golf Course St. Leon-Rot is located near Heidelberg and only an hour’s drive away from Frankfurt. The club has hosted many leading professional and amateur events including the Deutsche Bank SAP Open with triple champion Tiger Woods, viagra buy as well as one of Europe’s leading youth tournaments, sale the Allianz German Boys & Girls Open.

In addition to boasting 36 holes of championship golf, the venue has built some of the most spectacular practice facilities in the world with the aim of developing the most talented junior golfers in Germany.

Also the event has picked up Allianz as the event’s insurance partner and SAP as global technology partner of the 2015 Solheim Cup as the final two Global Partners for the event who will join PING and Rolex to complete a strong family of global brands in 2015. Allianz and SAP are both German brands with international business which have been instrumental in bringing the event to Germany in 2015 and will work with the Ladies European Tour, Deutsche Golf Federation and Golf Club St. Leon-Rot to ensure the event is a great success both domestically and internationally.

Alexandra Armas, Executive Director of the Ladies European Tour, said: “We are delighted to be taking The 2015 Solheim Cup to Germany and to Golf Club St. Leon-Rot who have such a strong international reputation for both hosting major international tournaments but also for developing the most talented juniors in Germany. The Ladies European Tour looks forward to working with all parties involved in the project to make the event a great success including the Deutsche Golf Federation and welcoming global brands Allianz and SAP to the family of international partners which is a great endorsement of the profile of the event.”

“The Solheim family is thrilled with the selection of the Golf Club St. Leon-Rot as the site for the 2015 Solheim Cup,” said John A. Solheim, Chairman and CEO of PING. “It is a wonderful golf facility that will provide a difficult test for the professionals and juniors. I know the team at the Club will provide everyone with an exceptional experience. It is very special to welcome two new partners in Allianz and SAP for the event. Their worldwide reputations certainly add a great deal to the Solheim Cup.”

Dietmar Hopp, President of the Golf Club St. Leon-Rot, commented: “Our vision is to see the golfers we support taking their place at the top of the world game, demonstrating just what can be achieved. For this, young golfers need sporting role models to inspire them and drive them on in their everyday training, examples from whom they can take a lead. At the Solheim Cup our athletes will get to see the world’s best professional women golfers live, providing them with a unique and valuable experience for their career.”

German player Sandra Gal, a member of the victorious 2011 European Solheim Cup Team, stated: “I can’t wait for Germany to host the 2015 Solheim Cup. It will be a fantastic experience for our golf in Germany and its upcoming talents to witness the excitement of such a prestigious event like the Solheim Cup. I am sure my home country will be a great host.”

Der rheinland-pfälzische FDP-Vorsitzende Volker Wissing kritisiert im PHOENIX-Interview scharf die rot-grüne Landesregierung nach der Nürburgring-Pleite. “Ich glaube, ampoule dass die rot-grüne Landesregierung nicht die Kraft hat zur Sanierung. Die grüne Wirtschaftsministerin ist ein ordnungspolitischer Totalausfall.” Weiterhin hält er Ministerpräsident Kurt Beck für “schwer angeschlagen” und bewertete dessen Rolle bei der Verwendung von Steuergeldern für den Nürburgring als “Trauerspiel”. Dies würde dem Steuerzahler teuer zu stehen kommen, there so der FDP-Politiker gegenüber PHOENIX. Wissing forderte Beck zur Niederlegung seines Amtes auf: “Wenn ein Ministerpräsident in Zeiten einer Schuldenkrise mehrere hundert Millionen Euro Steuergelder sinnlos aus dem Fenster wirft, dann ist sein Rücktritt eine Selbstverständlichkeit.” 

Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) vice-chairman Eric Boullier believes the organisation has an important role to play in improving Formula 1, even though some big-name teams left the organisation at the end of last year.

Boullier, who believes the fact that teams like Ferrari are still involved in discussions about cost cuts, testing – plus played an official part in this week’s FOTA Fans’ Forum – is important.

“I think the key thing is that even if some teams left officially the organisation, they are still committing on the main subjects – which are the RRA, and the testing agreements,” Boullier told Autosport.

“Teams are still actively working together, and FOTA also is now about thinking of changing the way we want to operate, and the way we see it perceived in the paddock.

“If all the teams are not together, it is a different position in the paddock. But there is still some interest for me for all the teams to sit down together and to participate in F1 development – and this kind of [fans’] forum is a good example.”

FOTA non-members Ferrari and HRT both sent representatives to speak on the panel at this week’s Fans’ Forum in Barcelona – something Boullier thinks bodes well for the future.

“It means the basis of FOTA is still remaining,” he said. “It has changed, it will change again, but I think the F1 teams should at least, for the fans, be together.”

Boullier also believes it important that FOTA continues with the Fans’ Forum, after another successful event in Barcelona was attended by more than 200 people.

“For me it is good to have fans which actually can ask you direct questions, and it is good to be in contact directly with the fans,” he said. “I think we should do this.

“I am clearly in favour of this contact with the fans of F1 and it is good to see them happy, to meet different people – and we are happy to be available for them to answer their questions.”

by Ismail Uddin

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club have announced a record surplus of over half a million pounds for the year to the end of September 2011.

The impressive figure of £542, illness 210 ($830, adiposity 725) is almost treble that of last year’s pre-tax surplus of £189, viagra discount 370 ($290,135), an amount that was the still the best from any of the 18 counties.

A statement from club chairman Peter Wright attributed the club’s excellent financial position to several factors. He said, “Strong ticket sales for international matches, coupled with a significant increase in Friends Life t20 attendances and a rise in membership numbers contributed to the financial results.

“Last year presented a number of challenges, not least a round of bidding for major matches, and delivering a record surplus against that backdrop reflects tremendously well on the people and the systems that we have in place at Trent Bridge.”

One of the main reasons for  Nottinghamshire’s success iis that they managed to secure Ashes Tests in 2013 and 2015; a Test against India in 2014; and numerous one-day international matches, putting them second only to Lord’s in terms of England Test match grounds.

The main reason for the success of their bid was almost certainly the redevelopment work that has been carried out at the ground in recent years, latterly under the leadership of departing chief executive Derek Brewer, which has created an outstanding arena for international cricket. The resulting excellent financial position that the club now find themselves in has already seen them strengthen their playing staff considerably over the winter period, with James Taylor and Harry Gurney recruited from Leicestershire, and Michael Lumb from Hampshire.

After 15 hours of talks Wednesday, medic NBA owners and players finally seemed to be making some progress over the labour dispute with discussions expected to resume today at 2pm.

NBA Commissioner David Stern, diagnosis said: “The energy in the room has been good, therapy the back and forth has been good,”

Throughout the day there were multiple reports that the two sides made progress discussing “system issues” — things such as the luxury tax and length of contracts. Both sides confirmed that.

Derek Fisher, Union President said: “We were able to work through a number of different issues today regarding our system. We can’t say that major progress was made in any way but there was some progress on some of our system issues.”

That leaves the big issue, the split of revenue, or basketball related income (BRI) untouched. BRI was not discussed at all on Wednesday, both sides confirmed.

“I think we’ll turn to the split when we finish with the system…” Stern said. “Right now it has been profitable to turn to the system.”

In the old system the players got 57 percent of BRI, they have offered to come down to 52.5 percent, but the owners have not budged off 50 percent. The system issues the two sides discussed would impact salaries and BRI, but at the end of the day the split is the key issue.

However, some in the negotiations believe that if they can solve the system issues the BRI will become easier and almost fall into place.

This may or may not happen but movement was made in the bargaining session that left a general sense of optimism that things might be moving forward again.

“I can’t describe (the progress made) other than to say it’s better than not making any progress at all,” Stern said.