The Chennai Super Kings, cough reigning champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has announced two sponsorship agreements ahead of the fourth edition of the tournament, viagra which gets underway this week.

Gulf Oil Corporation will remain an official team partner, online extending their two-year association with the side and will continue on the front of the team’s playing shirt, with significant in-stadium presence on advertising boards, placards, the cheerleaders platform as the lubricant and industrial explosives manufacturer, and mining service providers looks to enhance its global recognition.

Though financial details have not been released, the deal is likely to be worth around a US$4m annual sum.

Ravi Chawla, president of Gulf Oil’s Lubes Business division commented: “Gulf Oil is an internationally recognised brand and is present in over 100 countries. IPL offers us an ideal platform for increasing visibility both within India and in markets like Middle East, Sri Lanka, UK, Australia and other cricket playing nations across the world .The key objective would be to connect with the cricket loving enthusiasts using this exciting and entertaining cricket platform.”

In addition, leading manufacturer of Indian-made alcoholic beverages including gin, rum and vodka, Tilaknagar Industries, has become the Super Kings’ official cheerleader sponsor for three years.

The Mumbai-based company will be entitled to branding on the costumes that the cheerleaders wear and the podiums on which they dance at every Chennai Super Kings match.

Amit Dahanukar, chairman and managing director of Tilaknagar Industries, stated: “It gives us immense pleasure to be associated with probably the best team in the IPL circuit. We see this engagement as the beginning of a new chapter in our corporate identity and are excited to leverage the association of a 75-year heritage of Tilaknagar Industries with the reigning superstars of the IPL circuit. I am confident that the engagement will add immense value to our businesses.”

Canada have announced they want to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) president Victor Montagliani publicly announced Thursday that he hopes hosting the “granddaddy of them all” can do for Canada what it did for the USA in the aftermath of the 1994 World Cup.

“We’ve already started our preliminary discussions with our FIFA partners and with CONCACAF, shop ” Montagliani told reporters at a press conference unveiling the CSA’s new five-year strategic plan.

“The bid would not be in until 2018-ish, generic but the process has to start now, arthritis and the first process is you have to put up your hand and say, ‘This is something that’s required, that we want to do.”

Montagliani first spoke of the CSA’s interest in hosting the World Cup back in October, but Thursday’s announcement indicated the beginning of a full-blown effort to bring the sport’s premier event to Canada for the first time.

Montagliani suggested the tournament would be due to return to the CONCACAF region by 2026, and that only three countries – Canada, the USA and Mexico – could handle hosting duties. The CSA president declined to comment on the specifics of the proposed bid, but mentioned that the USA seemed like an unlikely contender for the 1994 tournament, which ultimately proved to be a success.

“When they bid for the World Cup, I wouldn’t say the game was in a healthy state in the US, both professionally and domestically,” he said. “Their leadership group decided to put a bid together, and I think that was a bit of a lightning rod for people to come together.”

That idea of galvanizing nationwide support was a key theme for the CSA in introducing its five-year plan, entitled “Leading a Soccer Nation.” The document outlines four main priorities: investing in technical leadership, ensuring world-class performances by the national teams, encouraging the growth of the game and governing the game in a professional manner.

The British Paralympic Association (BPA) has announced that retired alpine skier Sean Rose has been chosen as an athlete ambassador for ParalympicsGB at Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

Rose will be part of the British delegation that will travel to Russia in March to support the team. He will share his knowledge and experience of competing at the Paralympics with team-members as well as BPA partners and supporters on the ground in Sochi and will support the BPA’s programme of activities that will run in parallel to the competition schedule at Games-time, order such as the newly announced Nearest and Dearest programme for close relatives of competing athletes.

A former World Cup gold medallist who represented ParalympicsGB at the Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in the sport of Alpine Skiing, erectile Rose is one of GB’s highest achieving winter athletes of recent years.

Speaking of his appointment, search Rose said: “Winter sports are my passion and I was already counting down the days to Sochi 2014 when I was invited to join the team as an athlete ambassador.

“I hope that I can use my experience as a winter Paralympic athlete to benefit the wider team and, in doing so, help them to support the athletes as they go out there and achieve the personal best performances that they’ve been working so hard towards. Although I’m not competing this time round, I can’t wait to be part of the Games experience once more and I’m excited to see what ParalympicsGB can do in Sochi.”

Penny Briscoe MBE, Chef de Mission for ParalympicsGB at Sochi 2014, welcomed him onto the team: “Sean is well-known for his enthusiasm, passion and insight into Winter Paralympic sport and he has given us a lot in his time as a successful ski racer who has competed at the highest level. It’s great that we now have him on board in the capacity of athlete ambassador, and I know he’ll be a truly valuable asset to the team when ParalympicsGB compete in Sochi.”

The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games begin on March 7, 2014.

Dallas in Texas will host the 2014 ITU Pan American Triathlon Confederation (PATCO) Championships on May 31-June 1 it has been announced.

Athletes from 38 National Federation members of PATCO, order including top athletes from Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Cuba and others will be represented at the event.

In making the announcement, Jaime Cadaval, PATCO Secretary General said: “We look forward to returning our Championships to the U.S. next year, especially to the internationally-recognized Dallas area that has been supporting triathlon events now for over 30 years.”

The elite race would kick-off the qualification period for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, allowing athletes to earn valuable points on behalf of their national federation that eventually help determine the number of Olympic spots allotted – a maximum of three men’s and three women’s spots in Rio for each nation.

“This is a great opportunity for us to welcome talented athletes from all of the PATCO countries to compete in an established venue here in the United States,” said Rob Urbach, USA Triathlon Chief Executive Officer. “We are honored to host this event as athletes begin the journey of qualifying for the 2016 Olympic team for their respective countries.”

The PATCO Triathlon Championships were first held in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 1997. This will the first PATCO Championships hosted by the United States since 2009 in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has clarified a vote, which led to L Sivaramakrishnan replacing Tim May on the ICC Cricket Committee, resulting in the international players’ association asking for an investigation amid suspicions of vote fixing.

Cricket’s governing body says it has seen no evidence that test captains were put under pressure to vote for former India international Sivaramakrishnan as a player representative on the ICC’s Cricket Committee.

The ICC says a re-vote was taken in the election after “clarification of the process,” but it has no evidence of any pressure to back Sivaramakrishnan because of the influence of the powerful Indian cricket board.

ICC said in a statement: “In January this year, because of confusion in the voting process for such representatives (for example in respect of what should happen in the case of a tied vote and, where teams had different captains for different formats of the game, which captain should be entitled to vote), the ICC Board considered the matter carefully, and following clarification of the process to be followed, decided that another vote should be taken.

“Subsequent to the re-vote, the ICC is concerned to note a number of factual inaccuracies appearing in the media in respect of the results of the voting and the underlying basis for the board decision that a re-vote was necessary, as well as unsupported allegations of impropriety in the voting process.”

Following its 2013 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four National Championship win, ed Yale University announced it has reached an agreement with IMG College, prostate the nation’s leader in college sports marketing, cure for a multi-year athletics sponsorship consulting arrangement.

English League Two side, Bristol Rovers have been given the go ahead to build a new stadium. 

Local councillors voted on Tuesday to approve a proposal by Sainsbury’s to redevelop the Memorial Stadium site.

The planning committee voted in favour of the proposal and this allows Rovers to press ahead with building the UWE Stadium in Frenchay.

The decision – which the club claims will give Bristol a much-needed international class stadium – will now be referred to the Secretary of State, who now has 21 days to comment on the scheme.

At the meeting Rovers chairman Nick Higgs said: “We are here this evening to consider the Sainsbury’s mixed use application. I would like to draw your attention to the bigger picture and the importance of saying yes to this proposal.

“The application in front of members tonight provides Bristol with the opportunity to build an international sports stadium that can compete with cities such as Cardiff, Swansea and Reading, to whom we are consistently missing out on hosting national events.

“It could also help Bristol Rovers to spring up to top flight football, and bring a huge investment to Bristol.

“The new stadium is designed to FIFA and International Rugby standards, giving a capability to host international matches. This would bring sporting recognition to the region, with the additional revenue and business opportunities that would follow.”

The design of the new stadium is with a 21,700 capacity, but it could be increased to 26,000 and then again to 35,000 if it is needed.

English Super League rugby team, herbal Hull KR have announced they are in discussions with local businessman Tony Larvin over his offer to make a huge investment in the Super League club.

The 48-year-old Larvin is thought to be ready to plough up to £15m into the Humberside team to transform their fortunes.

Rovers have a debt of around £2m and talks are reportedly at an advanced staged.

A club statement on their website reads: “In light of recent coverage in the media we can confirm that club representatives have met with Tony Larvin regarding a substantial investment in Hull Kingston Rovers.

“Those meetings took place prior to Christmas and again earlier this week.

“At this stage there will be no further comment until such time as the necessary proof of funds has been delivered to the club.”

If the deal goes through, medicine Larvin will take full financial control, with chairman Neil Hudgell and vice-chairman Rob Crossland remaining on the board.

Spain’s Andalucia Masters tournament has been cancelled, the European Tour confirmed on Wednesday.

No reason was given for the late decision to call off the event due to be played from October 18-21, but Spain’s recent financial crisis and A change of government in the Andalucia region appears to have been the trigger for the cancellation.

The local authorities in Andalucia announced on Monday that the tournament at the Valderrama Golf Club would not go ahead, and have now formally confirmed that decision to the European Tour.

“The European Tour regrets to announce that the 2012 Andalucia Masters, due to be played at the Club de Golf Valderrama, Sotogrande, on October 18-21, will now be cancelled.

“The Junta de Andalucia confirmed this decision by letter which they also announced by a press release on Monday September 10th.

“Despite discussions with the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, and a formal legal agreement with the Junta de Andalucia, the tournament will not take place.”

George O’Grady, the chief executive of the European Tour, expressed his disappointment at the news and stressed that steps would be taken to ensure the event returns to the calendar in future years.

”This is extremely disappointing news to receive, especially at such a late date,” said O’Grady. “We have been long-term partners with the Junta for over 25 years.

“We have worked together to promote the region, and the Junta de Andalucia and The European Tour have enjoyed an exceptionally strong and committed long-term partnership.

“We feel the disappointment not only for our Members and all committed to broadcasting and reporting this tournament and the region on a global scale, but also for the many visitors, especially from northern Europe, who coincide their vacations with the tournament. We will work with the Junta to rectify this situation both now and in the future”.