The National Ice Skating Association (NISA) has revealed it has submitted a bid to bring the ISU World Figure Skating Championships to the UK for the first time in almost 20 years.

The bid in partnership with Glasgow City Council, medicine Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, EventScotland and UK Sport will be for the 2017 event in Glasgow.

A decision by the International Skating Union (ISU) is expected to be made after the organisation’s congress taking place in Dublin from 9 to 13 June.

Nick Sellwood, chief executive of NISA, which is the national governing body responsible for the development of the sport throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland, said: “The ISU World Figure Skating Championships were last held in the UK in 1995 in Birmingham, so it would be fantastic to bring this prestigious championship to Glasgow.

“It is one of the largest annual ice skating events in the world attracting more than 170 skaters from almost 40 countries in a superb showcase of figure skating.

“Our bid comes on the back of the hugely successful ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2012 which we hosted in Sheffield. We hope to build on this with the staging of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017.”

If successful, the ISU’s flagship event will be held in the new state-of-the-art SSE Hydro. As the biggest indoor sport and entertainment venue in Scotland, it will provide a campus-based Championship with all athlete accommodation, training and competition rinks on one site.

The 12,000-seater SSE Hydro will host 2014 Commonwealth Games events and the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships.

Men, Ladies, Pairs and Ice Dance couples from all over the world would travel to Glasgow to compete. It would be the first time the event has ever been held in Scotland.

Liz Nicholl, UK Sport Chief Executive said: “UK Sport is delighted to be working in partnership with NISA, Glasgow and EventScotland to bid for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017. We have been working hard over the last 18 months to be in a position to present a proposal to the ISU that is not only exciting and innovative, but which also has the development of Ice Skating within the UK at its core. The ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017 being bid for as part of UK Sport’s Gold Event Series demonstrates our continuing significant commitment to winter sports following the unprecedented success of Sochi 2014 where our athletes provided so many inspirational performances.”

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said: “Scotland is the perfect stage for major events, and the SSE Hydro would be a fantastic venue for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017. We have an outstanding track record for delivery in Scotland, and that has been achieved through strong partnerships at national and international level. We have an exciting and engaging bid, backed up by robust plans and a wealth of experience developed from some of the biggest events in world sport.”

World Snooker have announced the Capital Venue in Gloucester will host the qualifying rounds of the 2014 China Open from next February 17 and 18.

The Capital Venue in the south-west of England has already staged events on the World Snooker Tour this season, and will once again host the best players in the world as they compete for places in the final stages in Beijing. 

All 128 players who enter the event will play one qualifying match, with the 64 winners to go on to China for the season’s penultimate world ranking event. 

A spokesman for World Snooker said: “The Capital Venue has proved an excellent location for staging professional events and we are delighted to hold the China Open qualifiers there for the first time. 

“These qualifiers are just before the Welsh Open so it is convenient for the players to make the short journey from Gloucester to Newport.”

South African golf star Brandon Stone announced today he has appointed IMG, no rx the global sports, viagra fashion and media company, sale cialis for exclusive worldwide management and marketing representation after turning professional while also revealing Ping as a sponsor

Stone headed to the United States on a golf scholarship last year as the top ranked amateur in South Africa and has had a freshman year to remember, winning the 2013 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, the Bayou City Collegiate Championship and the Big 12 Championship. Last week, he was announced as the 2013 NCAA Freshman of the Year and a Ping First Team All-American.

Explaining his decision to sign with IMG, the industry leader which also manages his fellow countrymen Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Branden Grace, Trevor Immelman and Richard Sterne, Stone said, “I have had an amazing year in Texas and I would like to thank the University of Texas Golf coaches and my teammates for their support. I am very excited to turn professional and get started with the next phase of my golf career. I spoke to a lot of management companies but IMG, with all of their offices around the world and many decades of experience, make them the perfect fit for me. Initially, I will need invitations to play and IMG has the global influence to ensure I get the opportunities to compete in the right tournaments to give myself the best possible chance to win cards in Europe and the US.”

He continued, “My first start will be at the BMW International Open and I am very grateful for the opportunity BMW are giving me and hope I reward them with a great performance.”

Brandon will be managed by Duncan Reid out of the London office with assistance from Katie Gordine and Jacques Retief from IMG South Africa.

Reid, who also manages Ernie Els and Branden Grace, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Brandon to IMG and believe he has a very bright future ahead of him.  His achievements over the past couple of years have been remarkable and along with his fantastic golfing ability he is an extremely charismatic young man who will be very appealing to sponsors.”

PING Signs On as Sponsor 

Stone also revealed he signed an agreement to play with PING equipment.

As part of a multi-year agreement, Stone will wear a PING hat, carry a PING staff bag and play a minimum of 11 PING clubs, including a PING driver and PING putter. Financial terms and the length of the agreement were not disclosed.

PING Chairman & CEO John A. Solheim, said: “Brandon is a wonderful example of a young man coming up through PING’s amateur program, which reaches into every corner of the world to identify and develop talent. Our South African distributor, Doug Vilas, has had a connection with the Stone family for many years, so there’s a comfort level with Brandon that we feel contributes to his success. He has incredible skills but on top of that he has a great work ethic, and his determination makes him very tough to beat. Yet with all of his early success, he has a good head on his shoulders. He’s well-grounded. We look forward to continuing our relationship and giving him what he needs to achieve his goals.”

The Australian Footbal League (AFL) is open to restoring one of Melbourne’s disused suburban stadiums to help poorer clubs make money from low-drawing games.

Chief executive Andrew Demetriou says Carlton’s training base Princes Park and Richmond’s Punt Rd Oval are both options.

The AFL and all clubs met last week met to discuss ways to counter a growing gap between the AFL’s rich and poor clubs.

The inability of the smaller Melbourne-based clubs such as the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne to compete financially is exacerbated by poor deals at Etihad Stadium.

There have been calls for the AFL to help by buying that venue early, rather than wait until 2025 when it’s due to take ownership under its current contract.

But with the AFL unwilling to meet the current asking price, Demetriou says there is a realistic prospect of refurbishing a third Melbourne venue.

“There is. Particularly when you consider that our commitment to the number of games at (Etihad Stadium) goes down in 2014,” Demetriou said.

“We have got a number of games that would be attractive in an 18-20,000 seat venue, games we know we’re not going to get more than that.

“But if you’ve got a full house in a ground you can get a great atmosphere.”

Three of the Kangaroos’ home games at Etihad last season drew fewer than 20,000 spectators, while the Bulldogs had two such matches, all of which would have cost the clubs money.

The league has conducted a feasibility study on Princes Park and found it to be a viable option.

It’s the most recently-used suburban stadium for AFL home and away games, the last of those in 2005, and is still used for pre-season matches.

The Kangaroos, who already play two home games in Hobart, have also pushed to play some in Ballarat.

But while the AFL is open to that idea, the current Victorian Government’s unwillingness to help fund a stadium upgrade is a sticking point.

GVA has completed the sale of Aston Wood Golf Club in the West Midlands on behalf of Struan Investments Limited, allergist following a short public marketing campaign.

Designed by renowned professional golfers and course architects Peter Allis and Clive Clarke, allergist the 18-hole Aston Wood Golf Club is located in Little Aston, just 12 miles outside of Birmingham city centre.  Opened in 1994 and set in 160 acres (64 ha), the course sits adjacent to Four Oaks Park and is well connected to the rest of the West Midlands via the nearby M6 and M6 Toll motorways.

Offers in the region of £2.25 – £2.50 million were invited for the freehold property, which comprises an 18 hole 6,604 yard (par 71) golf course, practice facilities, purpose built greenkeepers’ building and a recently refurbished 8,934 sq ft (830 sq m) clubhouse that includes a substantial function room, lounge bar, members lounge, pro shop, and changing facilities.

Ben Allen, of the Hotels and Leisure team at GVA, said: “With its well-designed course, and affluent trading location on the outskirts of Birmingham, it is easy to see why many consider Aston Wood Golf Club to be one of the West Midlands’ premier proprietary golf courses.

“Our marketing campaign generated a high level of interest and resulted in strong competitive bidding for the Club.  This sale provides further evidence that the recent economic turmoil has had little impact on the value of a good quality, profitable freehold golf course such as this.’’

Colin Crawshaw, the new owner of Aston Wood Golf Club, said: ‘‘I am delighted to have purchased Aston Wood Golf Club and look forward to working with the current team to further enhance the offering and standards at the Club’’

English Premier League’s Arsenal has announced the launch of its new Arsenal Lotto in partnership with the MyLotto24 Limited subsidiary of Hamburg-based online lottery operator Tipp24 AG.

The 13-time league champions revealed that the Arsenal Lotto has been designed to give fans a chance to win life-changing amounts of money twice a week while simultaneously supporting The Arsenal Foundation grant-making charity.

“We have been looking for ways to engage fans even more in the good work the club does in its community and its charitable projects,” said Ivan Gazidis, Chief Executive Officer for Arsenal and a trustee for The Arsenal Foundation.

“While some may wish to volunteer or participate in fundraising events, others may look for a more simple way to engage and raise money. The Arsenal Lotto gives them this option.”

Arsenal described the Arsenal Lotto as a ‘first of its kind in UK football’ and stated that it invites supporters over the age of 18 to select six numbers online via ArsenalLotto.co.uk plus additional bonus and ‘legend’ numerals from zero to nine each Wednesday and Saturday. Each line costs one pound while average jackpots are expected to be worth £4.7 million with rollovers of up to £36 million.

“This launch is a game-changer for any organisation wishing to harness the power of lottery,” said Egidio Messito, Chief Executive Officer for MyLotto24.

“Most important of all, thousands of young people will benefit from projects The Arsenal Foundation funds.”

The IndyCar motoring series is already on the hunt for a new title sponsor even though their current title sponsor, anesthetist IZOD, still has three years running on its contract.

IndyCar executives have approached current series sponsors and brands about becoming the presenting sponsor of the series in a deal that would make them title sponsor at an undetermined date. The series’ top executives have approached Verizon and Firestone, two of its existing partners, and one company outside its collection of sponsors with the proposal.

“What we’ve given them is a presenting [sponsorship] that rolls into a title,” IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said. “I’d like to see us have a presenting sponsor by next year.”

Bernard said that the series still has a long-term deal with Izod that runs through at least 2015 and added that the sales effort is designed to prepare the series for the future by helping IndyCar secure long-term sponsorships in the technology and tire categories and the funding it needs to expand the number of races it holds.

“IndyCar and Izod have and have had a great relationship,” Bernard said. “I look forward to working with their senior management in the future.”

Izod deal may not be renewed following an executive change at Izod parent company Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. Longtime President and Chief Operating Officer Allen Sirkin, who championed the IndyCar deal, is retiring. Sources familiar with the company say his replacement as chief operating officer, PVH Chief Financial Officer Michael Shaffer, has been less enthusiastic about the more than $60 million deal Izod signed in 2009.

Izod is in the third year of a six-year agreement that included two options for two-year extensions that would take the deal through 2020. 

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has set a deadline of one week for organizers of next year’s US Grand Prix to save the Texas race by proving they have the finances in place to sign a deal.

Ecclestone had wanted organizers to sign a contract by Wednesday, but extended his deadline to next Wednesday when the World Motor Sport Council will ratify the 2012 calendar. 

Ecclestone told The Associated Press in a telephone interview: “The deadline hasn’t been met, so we are still trying to make it happen. They need to get some money and a pen … as soon as possible. They know full well. Deadlines are terrible things because people always go to the end of the deadline. But if it isn’t all signed before the World Motor Sport Council meeting, it can’t happen.” 

Financial backers of the race in Austin, Texas, include billionaire businessman Red McCombs. The race would mark Formula One’s return to the United States for the first time since 2007 where it was hosted at the Indianapolis Circuit in Indiana.

The Circuit of the Americas officials, the track developers, have said they will pay Formula One’s sanctioning fee. However, a dispute over signing a final contract and the long-term financing has not been resolved. 

Ecclestone said: “They are struggling to get the financial side sorted out — that’s the problem,” . “They are trying to do it. It would be a loss to everyone (if it didn’t happen). They would like the race to take place … I’d rather see the race happen than not.” 

Circuit of the Americas spokesman Jeff Hahn said track officials would have no comment on the deadline extension. 

The dispute has been caused by F1’s decision to scrap a previous contract it had with Tavo Hellmund, a former race driver with long family ties to Ecclestone who was originally granted the right to stage the U.S. Grand Prix. 

The deal with Hellmund was recently canceled over a contract breach, and F1 officials instead have been negotiating with Circuit of the Americas. 

If the 2012 race in Texas is canceled, F1 will still return to the U.S. the following year in New Jersey. A 10-year deal will put the race along the Hudson River waterfront, providing views of the Manhattan skyline.