World Tour cycling team, impotent Omega Pharma – Quick-Step (OPQS) has announced a new partnership today with IMG, pills the global sports, fashion and media agency.

IMG has been appointed to advise on commercial rights strategy and provide sales support for the team, focused around creating new opportunities for fans and businesses to engage with the Belgium-based team.

IMG Consulting will lead the initial phase in terms of developing the commercial vision, with collaboration from other areas of IMG planned as the partnership progresses.  This will include assisting the team in creating greater value for sponsors around their existing sponsorship inventory, but also create new commercial offerings in the areas of internal engagement, rewards and incentives, engagement platforms for fans, events, and social responsibility programmes.

Rob Mason, SVP, Managing Director International, IMG Consulting, said: “We are delighted to be working with Omega Pharma – Quick-Step. The team has a long history of success and, having recruited Mark Cavendish alongside Tony Martin and Tom Boonen, future prospects look bright. We therefore look forward to playing our part in growing the partnership alongside those colleagues at IMG who will also be involved going forwards.”

Bessel Kok, Executive Chairman of the OPQS board, commented: “IMG is a world leader in the business of sport and understands the commercial space as well as anyone with insights on all sides of the fence. They were able to demonstrate a depth of experience and understanding in cycling, as well as a passionate approach to working with us. We are looking forward to working with them on the development of our commercial offering and implementing new initiatives.”

England Rugby 2015, medicine Organising Committee for Rugby World Cup 2015, have confirmed today that Sandy Park, home of Aviva Premiership Rugby side Exeter Chiefs, has been added to the long list of match venues for Rugby World Cup 2015.

The addition of Sandy Park follows the recent announcement by Bristol City Football Club of a proposed redevelopment of Ashton Gate. After discussion with the club, it was agreed that the redevelopment timetable will prove challenging for the staging of matches in autumn 2015. In order to ensure the Tournament utilises venues all over the country, an additional stadium in the South West of England has been identified.

Sandy Park meets all of the Rugby World Cup 2015 minimum standards criteria, including playing facilities, pitch size, commercial considerations and the support of the local authority. In addition, the stadium will have an increased capacity by 2015.

Debbie Jevans, England Rugby 2015 Chief Executive, said, “We are very pleased to add Sandy Park to the long list of potential match venues for Rugby World Cup 2015. We want to ensure that Rugby World Cup 2015 is a truly national event, and Sandy Park, located in the rugby heartland of the South West, gives us the option to take the Tournament as far and wide as possible. I would like to thank Tony Rowe, Chairman and Chief Executive of Exeter Chiefs, and Exeter City Council for their support over the last few weeks as we went through the process of adding Sandy Park to the long list. We are finalising venues and the match schedule in conjunction with Rugby World Cup Limited and will publish the final list in the next few weeks.”

Tony Rowe OBE, Chairman and Chief Executive of Exeter Rugby, said: “We are delighted to have been confirmed as one of the possible match venues on the long list for Rugby World Cup 2015. This announcement is exciting news not just for rugby followers, but for everyone living within the region. We have been working incredibly closely with Exeter City Council in submitting a bid we hope will bring so much to so many people. Our hope now is that we will be among the venues that will be selected for what I know will be a superb Rugby World Cup here in England in 2015.”

Pete Edwards, Exeter City Council Leader, said: “This is another great opportunity for Exeter to play its part at the heart of the South West in contributing to this exciting world event and to provide a great welcome to UK and international visitors. We are working particularly with Exeter Chiefs to try and secure the final selection of Exeter as one of the host cities for Rugby World Cup 2015 so that millions of people can get at least a glimpse of what the city and its surrounding area can offer.”

Europe’s unbelievable comeback in the Ryder Cup drew in a peak audience of more than 2.2m for Sky Sports 1.

Live coverage of a dramatic final day at the Medinah Country Club in Illinois saw Europe’s golfers rally from a 10-6 deficit to beat the USA 14½-13½.

The action got underway at 4pm with 436k (3.04%) viewers, ailment but the audience did not climb above a million until 5.50pm when the opening rounds got underway.

The ratings continued to climb as the momentum swung Europe’s way with the likes of Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy claiming US scalps.

Once Europe were back in contention and the stage was set for a dramatic finale, erectile the ratings crept above 2m and eventually hit a high of 2.23m (18.4%) over the five-minute period from 11.10pm.

This was exactly the time when German Martin Kaymer calmly swept home a five foot putt to beat Steve Stricker and ensure Europe retained the Ryder Cup.

Overall, Sky Sports 1’s average of 1.27m viewers was easily the biggest ratings for the competition of the weekend, according to overnight Barb figures supplied by Attentional.

It also topped the final day of the 2010 competition from Celtic Manor in Newport, which attracted an audience of 799k (9.83%) on 4 October and was nearly three times Sky Sports 1’s slot average of 442k (2.31%) for the past 12 months.

Elsewhere, the BBC1 highlights of Sunday’s action pulled in 1.31m (17.56%) from 11.05pm to 1.05am.

Am vergangenen Donnerstag, drug 6. September, gaben der siebenfache Formel-1-Weltmeister Michael Schumacher und die Präsidentin des chinesischen Navigationsgeräte-Herstellers erlinyou Co. Ltd., Frau Jianglin Zhang, ihre neue Partnerschaft über die Entwicklung und den Vertrieb innovativer GPS -Produkte im Fahrerlager zum italienischen Formel-1-Grand Prix in Monza bekannt. Erlinyou und Michael Schumacher werden gemeinsam die innovativste Navigationslösung entwickeln.

Erlinyou ist startklar, um die nächste Generation in mobiler Navigation einzuläuten – und wir freuen uns sehr, in Michael einen Experten der Autobranche und Rennszene an unserer Seite zu haben. Als lebende Legende wird uns Michael Schumacher aktiv unterstützen, um gemeinsam mit unserer Expertise eine Navigationslösung zu entwicklen, die einzigartig auf dem Markt ist. Michaels technisches Wissen und Ehrgeiz sind seit jeher der Schlüssel zu seinem Erfolg und mit diesem Know-How werden wir das beste und innovativste Navigationsgerät entwickeln.

In den letzten drei Jahren haben wir umfassende Tests auf jedem Kontinent durchgeführt, um erlinyou als innovatiste Kraft im Navigationsgeschäft zu positionieren und wir sind stolz, eine Ikone wie Michael Schumacher als Testimonial für unser Unternehmen gewonnen zu haben.

Die Allianz zwischen Michael und erlinyou ermöglicht es Michaels Erfahrung in unsere Navigationsprodukten einzubringen. Wir hoffen Sie werden Teil unseres Michael Schumacher Teams und vertrauen erlinyou Navigationsprodukten.

Michael Schumacher wird als der beste Rennfahrer in der Geschichte der Formel 1 gesehen. Er hält alle relevanten Rekorde dieses Sports, inklusive sieben WM-Titel, 91 Grand-Prix-Siege und 68 Pole Positions. Sein weltweites Ansehen ist unerreicht.

Erlinyou ist ein international operierendes Unternehmen, das auf Navigationslösungen und Tabletcomputer spezialisiert ist, mit Hauptsitz in Peking, China und Niederlassungen in New York, Berlin, Paris, London, Milan, Barcelona, Mexico Stadt und Sao Paulo. Erlinyou (http://www.erlinyou.com) wurde 2006 gegründet und liefert innovative, erstklassige Navigationsprodukte nach Europa, USA, China und Latein Amerika. Erlinyou verbindet RDS TMC und 3D-Navigation mit cleverer Wegführung und intuitiver Eingabe. Weitere Merkmale sind: umfassendes und neuestes Kartenmaterial, Beste Sprachsteuerung und Sprachausgabe, hochauflösendes 5-Zoll Display, Sirf V GPS-Chip inkl. Bluetooth(TM) Freisprechanlage für sicheres Telefonieren während der Fahrt.

This year’s Race of Champions, an annual event in December featuring winners from various motorsport series will be hosted in Bangkok, Thailand.

Organisers said on Friday the Rajamangala Stadium, home of Thailand’s national soccer team, will follow Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic Stadium as the second venue outside of Europe to put on the event.The event, which has featured champions like Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, has been held in Duesseldorf, Germany, for the last two years.

“This race will be a perfect opportunity for Thais to see some of the world’s greatest drivers and represents another step by the government in its efforts to promote racing and automotive sports in the Kingdom,” Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports Chumphol Silpa-archa said in a statement.

“We aim to bring Formula One to Thailand as well.”South East Asia already has two races, with Malaysia and Singapore on the calendar.

The minister was quoted in March as saying Thailand could meet the conditions to host a Formula One race as early as 2014.

Formula One teams are looking for justification from F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone over the schedule of next season’s race calendar after it was already signed off without their support, according to media reports.

Under the Concorde Agreement, which divides up the commercial revenues of the sport, teams have to give approval to a calendar if it contains more than 17 races and if more than half of these events take place outside Europe and the United States. 

The 2012 calendar was published recently by the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, and contained 20 races – 11 of which can be classified as ‘flyaways’.

The Formula One Teams’ Association has reportedly written to both F1’s commercial rights-holder Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt in the belief the calendar was drawn up without the Concorde Agreement procedure having been followed. 

There are concerns about the logistics and costs of the final sequence of races, with the sport set to visit Singapore, Japan, Korea, India, Abu Dhabi and Brazil, as well as the inaugural US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas between the 23rd September to 25th November. 

Ecclestone reportedly rejected the teams’ concerns, stating they have the choice of competing. 

According to media reports, the F1 boss said: ‘They don’t have to go if they don’t want to. They are lucky we have got races. Otherwise they would all go out of business’

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that the England v West Indies Test Match, medic due to be held in Cardiff next year, symptoms will be put back out to a competitive tender process for bids by other host international venues.? ?

The decision was taken by the ECB Management Board after Glamorgan County Cricket Club advised the ECB that it would be late in making its payment of the staging fee for hosting the recent England v Sri Lanka npower Test Match in Cardiff. ?It has now been agreed that the club will be given an extended period in which to meet the financial terms of its staging agreement.  ? ?

ECB chief executive David Collier said: “This decision has been taken following close consultation with Glamorgan CCC and with a view to assisting the club in developing a sustainable long-term business plan for staging international cricket.? 

“ECB recognises that the club has made considerable investment into developing and upgrading the SWALEC stadium and that this has brought considerable benefits to the wider game in England and Wales.” 

No decision is expected on the awarding of a new venue for next summer’s West Indies Test Match until the ECB has finalised the international match schedule for 2012 in its entirety. Glamorgan CCC was awarded the 2012 test match by ECB’s management board last December acting on the recommendation of the Major Match Group and following a competitive tender process.  ?

Collier added: “Glamorgan CCC has assured ECB that it will fully comply with the terms of the staging agreement in relation to its future international matches and further discussions will take place between both parties to ensure that the club continues to remain on a sound financial footing.? 

“While it will not be permitted to stage the West Indies Test Match next year, the club will continue to host a One-Day International against India later this summer and South Africa next year.

“It will also be free to bid for the ECB’s new match packages for 2013-2016 along with all other international venues and any application received will be considered on its merits.”’.

National Basketball Association (NBA) team owners have authorised a lockout of the league’s 450 players if a new labour accord isn’t in place when the existing collective bargaining agreement expires tomorrow.

The 30 owners made the decision during almost five hours of meetings at a Dallas hotel yesterday

The owners’ 11-member labor-relations committee can enact the lockout when the labor accord with the National Basketball Players Association ends tomorrow night.

NBA Deputy Commissioner, shop Adam Silver, capsule said: “The owners authorized the labor relations committee to do whatever steps were necessary to effectuate a new collective bargaining agreement and so that committee has the full authority of all 30 teams to act in whatever way they deem appropriate.”

Further talks with the players’ union are scheduled for tomorrow.

NBA Commissioner David Stern said: “I sure would like to see us make a deal. Not making a deal should give everybody apprehension.”

With a work stoppage, the NBA would join the National Football League, which locked out its players in March following the expiration of a labour contract. That dispute has continued for more than three months.

Without an agreement, the league is likely to lock the players out on July 1, creating the third work stoppage in NBA history.

The dispute stems from the disagreement on how to split revenue from a league that made about US$4.3bn last season.