In an interview with the BBC, the president of motorsport’s world governing body (FIA), Jean Todt claimed the decision to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix to the F1 calendar was made after a report revealed the country’s situation has “stabilised”.
Todt added that the FIA voted unanimously after advice from vice-president Carlos Gracia, saying: “Our special envoy had many meetings in Bahrain, even with the human rights people responsible.
“He found a stable situation, a quiet one, and we unanimously agreed.”
The race was postponed from its initial March 13 date because of pro-democracy protests in which more than 20 people died and will now be held on 30 October.
Todt added: “Carlos’s report was discussed by the World Council and the decision was taken to accept to re-programme the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2011.
“We got a request from the opposition to the government to run the event and Carlos met with many people, including those working on the circuit, those in all the suburbs of the capital, and the report came back after that.
“The messages coming out are about peace, about restoring a good situation in this part of the world. Lots of other authorities have been encouraging [things] to go back to normal. My thinking is that, as a sporting body, we must support that.”
Sports marketing agency World Sport Group (WSG) has taken strong objection to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) move to float tender for television, internet, mobile and radio rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL), announced yesterday, March 8.
In a strongly worded statement, WSG has stated that BCCI’s move is in contrary to its submission in the Bombay High Court which restrained it from entering into any agreement with any third party for the worldwide broadcast rights contract for the IPL till the dispute is resolved.
The statement from WSG read as follows: “In its strongest public statement yet, World Sport Group (WSG) today condemns the BCCI’s decision to issue a tender notice for media rights to the Indian Premier League (“IPL”) even though the BCCI is yet to have its appeal in a dispute with WSG admitted by the Supreme Court following the Bombay High Court’s ruling in WSG’s favour.
“The invitation to tender is contrary to the decision of the Bombay High Court made by its ruling on 23 February 2011 and WSG believes it is an unfair, unwarranted and unnecessary attempt by the BCCI to create facts on the ground in the context of the Supreme Court’s forthcoming consideration of the admissibility of an appeal itself.
“The BCCI has issued a tender in spite of the undertakings given by it to the Bombay High Court, and WSG is advised that the tender violates the undertaking the BCCI has given to the Supreme Court.
“WSG is currently challenging the BCCI’s unfounded termination of its contract for the IPL’s worldwide media rights outside of the Indian sub-continent. BCCI’s purported termination of the contract was in itself a contravention of the contract’s terms for termination and was based on totally false allegations for which no evidence has ever been produced.
“In the recent decision of the Division Bench of the Bombay High Court on 23 February 2011, the High Court clearly stated that the BCCI had not produced any prima facie evidence that WSG had committed any fraud and promptly invited the parties to pursue the application for the appointment of an arbitrator in accordance with the very contract the BCCI was seeking to terminate.
“WSG notes that the unusually worded public tender notice make no mention whatsoever of the current proceedings before the Supreme Court. Further, based on information available in the market, WSG is also recently aware that a broadcasting agency close to the BCCI has already made claims to third parties in certain markets that it will be broadcasting the IPL on its channels. These claims have been made prior to the tender being issued and whilst the Court proceedings were taking place.
“The BCCI’s invitation to tender illustrates its continuing unwillingness to follow due legal process. WSG will take the necessary action to protect its commercial rights and those of its licensees around the world.”
National Basketball Association (NBA) reigning champions, viagra order the Los Angeles Lakers have signed a wide-ranging 20-year broadcast distribution deal with Time Warner Cable.
The agreement, ed touted to be unprecedented in terms of length and comprehensiveness, will see Lakers games and content feature on two specially-launched regional sports networks and begin with the launch of the new services at the start of the 2012/13 NBA season.
The Lakers current major broadcast rights holders KCAL Channel 9 and major broadcast partner Fox Sports Net will both be replaced by Time Warner Cable.
No official numbers were released by either party but Tim Harris, vice president of business operations for the Lakers, was quoted by ESPN as saying: “Suffice to say, any sports team in any league in any country if they’re going to be doing a broadcast agreement, there is a component that includes a discussion of economics and economics was something that needed to make sense for the Lakers and it does.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers’ previous deal with Fox Sports West was worth some US$30m per year in fees to the franchise. It also said that Time Warner Cable had dismissed outlandish speculation that the new deal could be worth as much as $3bn over two decades once all elements are taken into account.
A source familiar with the structure of such deals suggested that the Lakers could have secured as much as a 50 per cent share in the new channels.
Fox Sports had already admitted that it had tabled a significantly higher offer than its previous agreements with the Lakers in an attempt to renew the rights deal. Its exclusive negotiating period with the Lakers ran out, according to the LA Times, at the end of 2010.
Included in the deal are plans for English and, in a first, Spanish-language networks, which will utilise new facilities in Los Angeles and be made available to all cable distributors in an area including all of Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii.
Broadcast rights to live games, including pre-season, regular season and post-season fixtures, are included where the NBA’s network broadcast contracts allow.
Time Warner Cable chairman and chief executive Glenn Britt stated: “This long-term agreement represents a huge win for all Lakers fans, providing destination channels, more content and more platforms for the Lakers, one of the premier brands in professional sports today.
“It allows us to secure great ‘must-have’ content for our customers in an advantageous arrangement that affords us greater control over our own economic destiny for decades to come.”
Jerry Buss, majority owner of the Lakers expressed his delight, adding: “Time Warner has been producing quality sports programming for over a decade and the Lakers have been producing championship seasons for even longer. I am particularly proud of being part of the first ever Spanish-language RSN in the country. Together I’m confident we will delight our fans.”
The Lakers recently lost its position as the most valuable franchise in the NBA to the New York Knicks after being valued, by Forbes, at US$643 million, a figure that the company now estimate will rise to over $1bn.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has signed a four-year contract extension with Red Bull for the energy drink to remain an official supplier of the England Cricket team until the summer of 2013, capsule it has been announced.
As part of the deal, abortion Red Bull, who first became an ECB partner in 2005, will supply the team with their products at all international matches. In return it will receive a comprehensive range of sponsorship assets including in-ground advertising, ticketing and hospitality and product placement around international cricket stadia.
ECB head of sponsorship Mark Pearce said: “Red Bull is an established partner of the England cricket team and we are delighted it continues to see great benefit from its association with the team.
“Having recently regained the Ashes and been crowned ICC World Twenty20 champions this is an exciting time for the England cricket team.
“Over the coming 12 months the team has the chance to retain the Ashes down under and compete for the ICC World Cup in India in early 2011 so it promises to be a year in which cricket continues to attract huge media attention.”
Earlier this month the ECB announced Jaguar as its Official Vehicle Supplier of the England team.
NFL Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks along with MLS team Seattle Sounders FC have announced a new multi-year partnership with Skyview for their inventory management systems.
Skyview, pills an integrated play-by-play broadcast specialist, will provide its AdView Inventory Management software and Live Read Service to the franchises’ traffic department. The system will streamline advertiser contract fulfillment, managing both teams’ inventory in the same system. Skyview’s Live Read Service will also serve to track all live mentions in the broadcast, bringing them into the billing process, which is especially important for sponsor mentions dominant in the MLS broadcast format.
Skyview’s Live Read Service will serve to capture and catalogue the Seahawks and Sounders FC on-air advertiser mentions, debuting the system for the first time in MLS. With this system, the franchises have full access to a personalized web database of time stamped air checks that are fully searchable by client name, feature name or date range. These air checks can be played, downloaded and exported, allowing the franchise to bill live reads through the affidavit and invoicing process.
“We are proud to enter into the Pacific Northwest with these very exciting franchises; we congratulate the Seahawks on their success and look forward to collaborating with them in future seasons,” said Matt Stys, Vice President of Business Development for Skyview Networks. “For Sounders FC, they will benefit from our live read service, which is a natural fit with the MLS broadcast format of in-broadcast advertiser mentions. We look forward to building a long relationship as we continue to partner on play-by-play broadcast solutions.”
The United States Olympic Committee has agreed a partnership with The Foundation for Global Sports Development (GSD), treatment to launch a three-year pilot program aimed at enhancing career development for Team USA athletes.
The program is the latest step taken by the USOC to implement the recommendations of its Working Group for Athlete Career, abortion | Education and Life Skills.
“As sport administrators, we are committed to creating a sustainable program that emphasizes athlete development,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “This pilot program is fundamental to our mission, and we are extremely grateful to our partners at GSD for their generous support.”
Based on recommendations from the working group, the USOC will hire dedicated staff charged with guiding career development for Team USA athletes and assisting with the transition away from elite sport. The staff – featuring a director of athlete services and three career development coaches – will report to Benita Mosley, USOC chief of organizational excellence.
“The USOC is in a unique position to lead a culture that values and addresses how elite athletes transition from competition to their next endeavor,” said Mosley. “As a former athlete, I am thrilled to be a part of this new program, which will support American athletes by providing them with the skills they need to be successful, both on and off the field of play.”
GSD joins the USOC’s Official Career Management Services Sponsor, Adecco, and Official Education Provider, DeVry University, as the latest supporter of the USOC Athlete Career Program. The ACP was established in 2005 to provide career training and job placement assistance to both current and retired Team USA athletes.
“At Global Sports Development, our focus is supporting elite athletes who dedicate their time to inspiring youth around the world,” said Steven Ungerleider, GSD executive board member. “We are honored to support the long-term needs of Team USA athletes, and enhance their opportunities to achieve excellence beyond the world of sport.”
A long-time supporter of the Olympic Movement, GSD is dedicated to delivering programs that promote sportsmanship, education, fair play and ethics to youth around the world.
“One of GSD’s core values is teamwork and we are delighted to join the USOC in supporting Team USA,” said David Ulich, GSD executive board member. “These athletes spend their formative years preparing to represent their country at the highest level, and the Athlete Career Program recognizes a vital resource that will help American athletes prepare for life after competition.”
The cities of Brasov (Romania) and Lausanne (Switzerland) have both submitted their applications to the International Olympic Committee before the 28 November deadline to host the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “We are delighted that Brasov and Lausanne are in the running for 2020 and want to bring the spirit of the Youth Olympic Games to their cities. Both candidates have signalled their strong interest in hosting the YOG, ed and we look forward to receiving each bid’s vision on how these Games can best reach young people and benefit their communities in a sustainable way. It promises to be a close race all the way to the election in 2015.”
The first edition of the Winter YOG was held in Innsbruck in 2012, with the second edition scheduled to take place in Lillehammer in 2016. Innsbruck hosted the 1964 and 1976 Olympic Winter Games, while Lillehammer held the 1994 Olympic Winter Games.
Approximately 1,000 athletes take part in the Winter YOG, which last a maximum of 10 days and are held at a time of year that best suits the sporting calendar and climate of the host region. YOG hosts are encouraged, wherever possible, to use existing venues to stage the Games.
The next deadline in the 2020 bid process is 12 December 2013, the date when Brasov and Lausanne must submit the signed 2020 YOG Candidature Procedure.
Timeline – 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020 Bid Process:
– Signature of the 2020 YOG Candidature Procedure: 12 December 2013
– Submission of the YOG Candidature File and other documents: 17 June 2014
– Shortlist of YOG Candidate Cities by the IOC Executive Board: 2-3 December 2014
– Report by the IOC Evaluation Commission: April-May 2015
– Election of the Host City of the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2020: July/August 2015
iSportconnect, the world’s largest private network of sport business executives, last night hosted an impressive panel of high-profile executives at the iSportconnect Directors’ Club London.
The event, in Question Time format, covered a range of pertinent topics ranging from the recent doping scandal in Australia, the exponential increase in sports broadcast and sponsorship rights. to the benefits of foreign investment in UK sport.
The event, in partnership with Generate Sponsorship, was hailed a huge success, with the esteemed speakers including Sir Craig Reedie, Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, Ian Ritchie, the RFU Chief Executive Officer, Tim Ellerton, Global Sponsorship Manager of Heineken and Nigel Howe, Chief Executive of Reading FC.
The event opened with a question about what the ‘game-changer’ in the sports industry was likely to be and the answers focused around digital advancements and innovations, particularly when it is around stadia and how to improve fans’ experience. Digital Replacement Technology was discussed as an interesting way for sponsors to capitalise in regions they don’t have a physical presence.
The conversation turned to discussing the value of broadcast rights and sponsorship rights and whether the industry was going to hit a ‘glass-ceiling’. The debate discussed sports from football to tennis and the recent significant deals being brokered in the industry (i.e. BT Vision).
Tim Ellerton: “There was a lot of passion in the room around broadcast rights and sponsorship rights and whether the bubble is about to burst – from tonight’s evidence, it would look like probably not, but time will tell.”
Sir Craig Reedie: “I enjoyed the interaction between the broadcast and sponsorship elements and the analogy of what is happening in the United States – we tend to think nationally, whereas in fact, there are a lot of very good messages from international conduct and international business that might be of value to your business here.”
John P Campbell from Visa Europe
The debate carried on with an interesting conversation around measurement and how to truly value your sponsorship – the consensus was the Advertising Equivalent Rate model was only part of assessing the true value of our sponsorship package.
Ian Ritchie summed up things nicely with this statement: “It is about balancing the objectives of your organisation – is it there to make profit (like a football club) or to aid a game as in governing bodies and invest into that sport (like the RFU). There is not a common solution for everybody because people have different objectives to what they are trying to achieve – that’s fine, as long as we recognise the difference.”
Founder and CEO of iSportconnect Sree Varma, said, “The iSportconnect Directors Club is going from strength-to-strength and we enjoyed our biggest ever attendance of sport industry professional at last night’s event. The feedback from delegates has been overwhelmingly positive and the Question Time style format continues to get the best insights out of our panellists. We look forward to welcoming the sports industry to future iSportconnect events.”
More pictures here:
iSportconnect chairman Michael Cunnah with Nic Coward, Premier League and Paul Vaughan
Directors’ Club attendees all listening intently
The debate rolls on…
Attendees include:
Top executives across the industry will be attending, including: English Premier League, The FA, RFU, IRB,ITF, Manchester United FC, Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, Tottenham FC, LTA, UK Athletics, West Ham FC, English & Wales Cricket Board, UK Athletics, Liverpool, QPR, Ascot Racecourse and WMRT and a string of sponsorship brands including Visa, Heineken, Jaguar, Thomas Lyte, Red bull, Paddy Power, HotelPlanner.com and many more.
Follow us on @iSportconnect and carry on the debate through #iSCDirectorsClub.
The Capital Improvement Board has voted to extend the contract with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers for one year for the use of Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The deal will give both sides the time to come up with a long-term agreement.
“The main charge of the Capital Improvement Board is to equip, run, and keep tenants in our facilities, and that is what we’re doing by locking in the Indiana Pacers for another season,” said Ann Lathrop, CIB President.
“I did it with the understanding and hope that we are going to get dollars for public safety, and this is what this has all been about for me and the majority of the members,” said Maggie Lewis, Indianapolis City-County council president and CIB board member.
“Mayor Ballad believes this is a good solution. It helps move the city forward,” said Marc Lotter, spokesman for Mayor Ballard. “We have some serious financial challenges both at the city level, but also with the CIB, and so giving this one-year extension with the Pacers, and having them agree to that, is very important because it gives us time to solve the longterm fiscal issues that we face.”
The Chinese National Olympic Committee has rejected a request by the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) to include Rugby Sevens in next year’s East Asian Games in Tianjin.
Top ARFU officials, vice-president Trevor Gregory and secretary-general Ross Mitchell, put forward the sport’s case for inclusion at the Games to senior Chinese Olympic officials at the recent Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly in Macau.
“We were told there was no room for inclusion of sevens. It is very disappointing as we had hoped sevens could continue to be a medal sport at the East Asian Games,” said Gregory, who is also the chairman of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union.
Hong Kong, which hosted the last East Asian Games in 2009, included sevens. But mainland officials said the programme for Tianjin was full with 22 sports to be played. Nine countries will take part.
“We cannot understand China. On the one hand they find it difficult to field their best team in international sevens competitions because their PLA players are not allowed permission to go overseas, and yet when they host an international event which will feature all the top Asian countries in rugby, they turn down the chance,” said Mitchell.
“If the International Rugby Board had stepped forward and said they would fund the whole tournament, then I’m sure the Chinese would have been happy to include sevens. But the IRB has already said they don’t have the budget for this.”
At the 2009 Games, the HKRFU paid for the entire cost of staging the rugby competition for men and women at the Hong Kong Stadium.{jcomments on}
