United States Olympic Committee to Narrow Down Candidate Cities for Potential 2024 Bid

Despite not deciding on whether it will bid for the 2024 Olympics, the United States Olympic Committee hopes to narrow down a list of cities capable of winning a bid within the next couple months.

A number of cities have professed their interest already increasing the pressure for the committee to make a bid.

“It is a very informal process and our goal is to make a decision (on whether to proceed) by the end of the year and there haven’t been any formal deadlines or submissions,” USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun said on a conference call.

“The dialogue is really around which cities do we think can put together a bid that is going to be a fantastic bid and which cities do we think have the opportunity to win.

“Before we make a final decision we need to get into fairly detailed discussions with hopefully a smaller number of cities so our objective is to be in that position within the next couple of months.”

The USOC sent letters to the mayors of America’s 35 biggest cities last year to gauge interest in bidding for the 2024 Games and has been tight-lipped ever since about the response calling the process “informal.”

Several cities are believed to have thrown their hats into the ring, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and San Diego but as yet no preferred candidate has been identified.

The last Olympics staged in the United States were the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.

The United States has not hosted a Summer Games since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and can expect stiff competition if it does enter the 2024 race with potential bids coming from Rome, Paris, Doha and Durban, South Africa.

The IOC has encouraged the United States to submit a candidate but the USOC will want firmer support before proceeding.

“We have heard plenty of encouragement from multiple IOC members about a U.S. bid so I think IOC membership is favorably inclined towards us at least considering going forward,” said USOC chairman Larry Probst.

The decision on the 2024 host will be made in 2017.

{jcomments on}

Euroleague Basketball to Adopt Google Glass for First Time

Euroleague Basketball are set to become the first European basketball competition to adopt Google Glass during their games.

The game between FC Barcelona vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria game on Thursday April 10th will generate content on eyewar computer Google Glass after a partnership with the University of La Salle.
The next step will be to bring Google Glass to the 2014 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four from May 16 to 18 in Milan, Italy.

“New technologies are providing sports organizations with new opportunities and new ways to communicate with the fans,” Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Euroleague Basketball’s Brand & Communication Director, said. “This partnership with the University of La Salle will allow Euroleague Basketball to explore the possibilities with the Google Glass, experimenting with new tools for basketball professionals and new ways of getting the fans closer to the action and to its stars.”

Fans will be able to see the action from Thursday’s game through the eyes of the protagonists: players, coaches and referees.
In marking objectives for their partnership, Euroleague Basketball and University of La Salle are pursing ways in which technology can help develop the sport and new means of interaction with fans.

This game is the first of different test projects that will help both entities understand the possibilities for building new technology applications for both professionals and fans in the future.

“We’re grateful to our partner, Euroleague Basketball, for the opportunity to implement this pilot project in such a high-profile competition,” Chris Kennett, director of the Undergraduate Business School at La Salle-Ramon Llull University, said. “Professional sports have always been a testing ground for cutting-edge technologies and the Google Glass is no different. This is a technology that will change the way we live, and sports such as basketball will be at the heart of its development.”

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Plays Down ‘toothpaste bombs’ Threat at Sochi

With security an ever increasing topic for the Sochi 2014 Olympics, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak has played down the threat of “toothpaste bombs” to the prestigious event.

Security fears have dominted the headlines leading up to the games which are set to begin on Thursday.

Two explosions in Volgograd in December killed 34 people and there have been further threats from Chechen separatists who are determined to disrupt Sochi 2014.

The latest plot, highlighted by the US Government, involves terrorists trying to place explosives disguised as toothpaste on Russia-bound flights – but Kozak insists the fact authorities are aware of it proves they are in control of the situation.

“If the info is confirmed it proves our special forces are working. We do however guarantee the safety of all at Sochi 2014,” he told Sky Sports News.

“Terror fear is a global character and in any sport or place it has its nature. On Sochi it is a little too much – the level of fear should be lower.

“The threat level is no worse than for New York, Washington or Boston – we have no specific threat.

“We are working with western European countries and the US, based on the info we receive – there is no reason to believe Sochi is under anymore threat than any other city on the planet.

“We can guarantee the safety if people as far as any other government can.”

British Olympic Association Chairman Lord Coe is also confident Team GB athletes will be safe at the Winter Olympics in Russia.

“We haven’t been appraised of any situations,” he said. “We’ve been in contact with all agencies and no overtures has been made to us about this”

Lord Coe’s view was echoed by the BOA’s Chief Executive Officer Bill Sweeney, who added: “the threat level has not changed”.

O’Sullivan Backtracks on Match-Fixing Tweets

Ronnie O’Sullivan has retracted his previous statement claiming Stephen Lee is not the only player guilty of match-fixing, after stating his words were “taken out of context”.

The 37 year-old world champion tweeted the claims after Lee was found guilty of fixing seven games in 2008 and 2009.

World Snooker boss Barry Hearn called O’Sullivan’s comments “unacceptable and damaging” and asked for an explanation.

O’Sullivan stated: “I was referring to rumours from years ago when there were only a few tournaments on the circuit.”

He added: “The comments were an instant reaction to an issue which I feel strongly about, namely the integrity of my sport.

“I have no intention of undermining the integrity of the sport that I love and enjoy participating in so much and firmly believe that my tweets were taken out of context.

“The snooker circuit calendar is now full of tournaments all year round and has undoubtedly been cleaned up since World Snooker was taken over by Barry Hearn.

“I do not want my comments to leave a damaging mark on the game.”

O’Sullivan commended World Snooker for their action on Lee, and said he was aware of his obligation to report any knowledge of match-fixing. Lee will find out his punishment on 24th September.

Windsor Park Renovation Plans Granted Approval

The Irish Football Association have announced they will upgrade their national football stadium, order Windsor Park after receiving planning permission.

The £30m redevelopment will increase capacity to 18,000 by rebuilding the south end of the venue and upgrading existing stands including adding integrated lighting in the roof. There will also be improved conferencing facilities plus a new headquarters for the Irish FA.

“Receiving planning permission from DOE Planning is another major step in the Windsor Park redevelopment project and a great step forward for football in Northern Ireland,” said Irish FA President, Jim Shaw.  “The National Football Stadium plans are truly impressive and I know that once the redevelopment project is complete Windsor Park will be a stadium which we will all be proud of,” he added.

More than 80 per cent of the construction cost funded coming from government funds and is part of major upgrade to sporting venues in Northern Ireland.

Sport Minister Carál Ni Chuilín said: “The Irish Football Association is now able to move to the next stage of their ambition to create a modern stadium to cater for the needs of the whole football community. I am sure the new ground will be enjoyed by generations to come.”

It is planned that work on the project will begin in September 2013.

American Golf Agree Refinance Package with RBS for Continued Golf

The largest retailer of golf equipment in Europe, viagra order American Golf has agreed a £20m deal to refinance debt that it owes to its bank, drugs RBS.

The move is set to enable Warrington-based American Golf to achieve a target of opening six new stores per year. The company, which currently employs 700 people at 92 outlets across the UK and Ireland, saw revenues for the 12 months to the end of January rise from £86.1m in 2011 to £108.1m.

The announcement is the culmination of several months of transition for American Golf.

Last year US private equity house Sun European bought a majority stake in the company, while this summer it appointed ex-Habitat boss Kevin Styles as its new chief executive. Since then he has brought in a number of new people to run the company and transformed its distribution channels.

Kevin Styles said: “We are delighted to have finalised this transaction which provides us with the financial certainty that we need to expand our store network and online presence in the popular and rapidly growing golf industry. We are grateful for the support from Royal Bank of Scotland which helps us to enhance our long-term growth strategy and strengthen our market leading position.”

Craig Cheetham, relationship director at RBS Corporate, added: “We have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with American Golf stretching back to 1987 and are delighted to have been able to support them in this latest transaction. We look forward to being part of the company’s continued growth.”

Anheuser-Busch to Showcase Marketing Campaign for NFL Season Kickoff

Anheuser-Busch, adiposity part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, is introducing on Wednesday a new marketing campaign for its Bud Light brand, the official beer sponsor of the N.F.L. The campaign declares this to be the “Year of the Fan.”

The campaign is extensive, including a fantasy football promotion using codes on more than one billion bottles of beer; television commercials from Translation in New York, the new lead creative agency for the Bud Light brand; and covering the paper cartons for 12-packs of 12-ounce cans of Bud Light with a material that to some degree feels like a football.

Ads are also coming out for other major sponsors of the season, which begins on Wednesday. They include GMC trucks, New Era caps, Tide detergent,Pepsi-Cola, Frito-Lay snacks, Gatorade, Tropicana and Quaker Oats.

This will be the second season that Bud Light, the nation’s best-selling beer brand, will be the official beer sponsor of the N.F.L. “We had a very successful Year 1,” said Mike Sundet, vice president for Bud Light at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, as evidenced by “a lot of brand health improvement.”

“Year 2 is all about making that even bigger and even better,” Mr. Sundet said, by “making sure we focus on the fans.”

“It’s not about being a corporate sponsor,” he added. “It’s about making the game more enjoyable for N.F.L. fans and Bud Light drinkers.”

The fantasy football aspect of the campaign is already under way, under the name Bud Light Fantasy Football League. A section of the Bud Light Web site,budlight.com, is devoted to the promotion, as is a commercial by Translation.

“Welcome to Bud Light fantasy football,” an announcer says, “where every bottle is a player.” Actors playing fans then describe how they are faring in the league, based on the codes on the beer bottle caps that they enter onbudlight.com/ffl.

“My Bud Light threw four touchdowns,” one happy fan says.

But not all bottles are winners, alas, as depicted by a morose fan who says, “My Bud Light fumbled at the three-yard line.”

Another new commercial by Translation is about fans rather than the Bud Light fantasy promotion. The spot, which features the Stevie Wonder song “Superstition,” shows the oddball and offbeat rituals that superstitious fans observe, like crossing their fingers, wearing different-colored socks, going barefoot and touching a banner as they enter a room.

The two Bud Light commercials will run during the game on Wednesday that kicks off the 2012-13 season, between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

Bud Light will run spots on all the networks and channels that will present games during the season, Mr. Sundet said, including ESPN, CBS, Fox and NFL Network.

Other elements of the campaign include a Tickets for Life Sweepstakes, a promotion to encourage recycling and ads aimed at Hispanic consumers.

Lotus Renault F1 Team Announce Substantial Loss for Last Year

anesthetist helvetica, capsule sans-serif;”>The Lotus Renault Formula One team published their latest accounts showing a whopping £34.3 million ($54.4mn) loss last year.

According to media reports, the company’s final year as an owner in F1 saw the team register the loss, following post-tax profits of £4.8m ($7.61mn) the year before. 

The Guardian said that a major reason for the slump was the exodus of sponsors after the team was charged in September 2009 for orchestrating a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Turnover in the year to 31st December 2010 dropped by 49% to £82.2m ($130.4mn), with the loss of title sponsor ING accounting for £41m ($65mn) of the total.


NBA Cuts 11% of Workforce

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has cut 114 jobs, pills 11 percent of its workforce, as part of a plan to reduce US$50million in costs.

The cuts come two weeks after the league locked out its players following a failure to reach an agreement with team owners on a new labour contract.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass said: “The layoffs are not a direct result of the lockout, but rather a response to the same underlying issue; that is, the league’s expenses far outpace our revenues.”

The NBA and its players disagree over how to split money from a league that said it will lose about US$300m this year from revenue of about US$4.3bn. Owners want to tighten payrolls, while players say they should not be punished for management errors. The NBA said in April that 22 of the 30 franchises are losing money.

Bass said: “The roughly 11 percent reduction in headcount from the league office is part of larger cost-cutting measures to reduce our costs by US$50m.”

The cuts were primarily made from departments including marketing, community relations, player programs, broadcasting and information technology.

According to Bass, the reductions would have happened regardless of the lockout and the workers will not be rehired once the dispute is over. The cuts are the first major job losses in the NBA since they had cut 275 workers in 2008.

In October 2008, Stern announced a 9 percent cut on its U.S. staff after season-ticket sales slowed.

Most of Sri Lankan Women’s Cricket Side Join Armed Forces

With Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) having failed thus far to find a sponsor for the nation’s women’s side, the majority of the Sri Lanka squad have signed up for jobs in the armed services.

The cricketers will not take part in any combat operations and can hone their sporting skills while in uniform, while Shashikala Siriwardene captain of the side, told BBC Sinhala service she also expects to be recruited by the Sri Lanka navy soon.

After some 90% of the national cricketers in the pool have already been recruited, with 14 out of 30 joining the air force, and 13 recruited by the navy, Siriwardene stated: “I hope all 30 members of the national pool will soon find jobs in the security forces.

“The cricketers will be playing for the army, navy and air force cricket teams and have the freedom to train for our national commitments.

“None of the players are required to take part in combat or even clerical duties.”

A search for a sponsor of the women’s team was launched in the spring of 2010, with the hope of finding a financial backer for a two-year period. The authorities have now been trying to get sponsors on a tournament basis following the failure of their initial plans.

Siriwardene added: “During our recent two tournaments, it was Mobitel Telecommunication that sponsored us.”

An SLC spokesman told BBC Sinhala service that the search for a permanent sponsor was still continuing. However, according to Channaka de Silva, sports editor of the Daily Mirror English daily, women’s cricket is suffering and will continue to suffer because, unlike the men’s game, it has failed to attract a dedicated fan base.