Populous, anabolics architects of the London 2012 Olympic stadium, Sochi 2014 Olympic stadium and Soccer City 2010 World Cup stadium, have been selected as designers of the new Rostov Stadium.

This will be the fourth stadium that Populous has designed in Russia to be used for the 2018 World Cup, together with Kazan, Saransk, Sochi.

In September 2012 the eleven host cities that will organise the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia were announced. The sixty-four matches will be staged at twelve venues. Among the host cities are: Moscow, being the only city with two stadiums selected, Saint Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Saransk, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don and Yekaterinburg.

Part of an overall landscape, this urban design is planned for the whole region. It is inspired by the ancient earthworks along the banks of the river, the Kurgans. These archaeological mounds of earth were used for burial pagan rituals, creating major forms in the landscape.

The stadium will have a capacity of 45,000 seats for the World Cup and will be scaled down to 25,000 seats in legacy. The concept had embraced sustainable credentials, as it will be the core of a green city project, which protects the wetlands to the south of the river.

Damon Lavelle, Principal at Populous, commented “It’s been a pleasure to work with Intex, the city and the governor of Rostov-on-Don to promote the project. After our experience on the World Cup in 2010 and London 2012, we are certain that the stadium will be a great catalyst for the city and this part of the river.“

Rugby Super League’s Huddersfield Giants have agreed a partnership with National League One Rugby League outfit Batley Bulldogs.

The agreement will see the Giants and Championship side exchange players, and Huddersfield say Batley will benefit from their welfare scheme, including medical cover.

Giants Managing Director Richard Thewlis said: “We were a prime mover behind the change away from reserve grade to a partnership scheme and Batley were the obvious choice for us to start talking to.

“We had firm ideas of what we wanted and in long conversations with Batley became aware of a clear gap in their offerings to their players and worked out a great way we could help.

“Whilst finances throughout the game are very tight we have welfare high up on the agenda so were surprised to find that overall the level of medical provision for part time players was not where we envisaged.

“John Kear and the Batley club are keen for that to change so we have devised a way whereby in essence Batley players can receive immediate Super League level medical treatment should they be injured.

“Furthermore as the season develops and our partnership grows we have a number of ideas that both clubs can benefit from but these will come in time.

“Naturally the main driver for us is to have a team for our fringe players or players returning from injury to play but again I would stress that we have no rights to our players being selected – every football decision at Batley remains 100% with John Kear.

“Our players who are not in that week’s main squad will train alongside the Batley lads and it’s up to them to earn the shirt there and then perform.”

MetLife announced today that it has completed its purchase of Reynolds Plantation, viagra order Georgia’s premier golf and resort community located on Lake Oconee.

The acquisition includes The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, cheap six championship golf courses, arthritis four full-service marinas and nearly 5,000 acres of undeveloped golf and waterfront property.

“We are extremely proud to own Reynolds Plantation, a premier community with world-class amenities,” said Robert Merck, senior managing director and global head of real estate investments for MetLife. “Reynolds Plantation is an exceptional addition to our real estate portfolio and we look forward to investing in Reynolds Plantation’s future to ensure it continues to be recognized for the extraordinary lifestyle it offers.”

As previously announced, Daniel Corporation will oversee the day-to-day operations at Reynolds Plantation. The Daniel team will work in cooperation with MetLife’s Atlanta Regional Office, led by Regional Director Tom Coakley. The Atlanta office manages the company’s real estate investments in the southeastern United States.

“Since announcing the acquisition in May, we have been working closely with members and the staff to ensure we fully understand the opportunities and priorities at Reynolds. As a result, and with the input and guidance from several stakeholders, we successfully established a new club, which has been well received by members and helps lay a strong foundation for future growth,” said Coakley.

“Over the past few months, we have had the opportunity to learn more about the great people and amenities that make Reynolds Plantation a wonderful community,” said Charlie Tickle, chairman and CEO of Daniel Corporation. “We are looking forward to this opportunity to ensure that members continue to enjoy an outstanding quality of life at Reynolds while also enhancing the economic viability and sustainability of this great community.”

Reynolds Plantation represents the latest addition to MetLife’s portfolio of real estate investments in Atlanta and the southeastern United States. Other properties include Georgia Pacific Center, Georgia 400 Center, Rocca Apartments and 12^th & Midtown.

Die Bundesliga-Stiftung und die Deutsche Sporthilfe starten eine neue gemeinsame Kampagne. Unter dem Motto “Sportler für Sportler” unterstützt und begleitet die Bundesliga-Stiftung bereits seit 2008 intensiv die Athleten der Deutschen Sporthilfe.

In dem heute vorgestellten Spot, der sowohl im Internet als auch im TV zu sehen sein wird, packen Stars aus dem Fußball, Handball und dem Wintersport mit an und bereiten die Sportgeräte symbolisch für die Sommerspiele in London vor. Uli Hoeneß, Präsident des FC Bayern München, schraubt Spikes auf Sprintschuhe, Biathlon-Olympiasieger Ricco Groß pumpt Bälle auf, Ski-Olympiasiegerin Maria Höfl-Riesch, näht noch schnell den Sporthilfe-Badge an ein Trikot. Schließlich schaut auch Handball-Ikone Heiner Brand um die Ecke, während er die Schrauben an einem Hochleistungs-Bike festzieht. Die Botschaft: Gemeinsam für unsere Athleten in London!

Ab sofort wird dieser Spot im TV (unter anderem bei Sky und Sport1) sowie im Internet zum Beispiel bei bundesliga.de zu sehen sein. Ziel ist es einerseits, zusätzliche Aufmerksamkeit und Respekt für die Leistungen der Sportler zu schaffen und den Teamgedanken für Deutschland zu stärken. Andererseits dokumentieren Bundesliga-Stiftung und die Deutsche Sporthilfe mit dem Spot ihre langjährige Zusammenarbeit zum Wohle der Sportler.

“Nach der erfolgreichen Reihe mit Spots unter anderem mit Felix Magath, haben wir nun einen Film zusammen mit Stars verschiedener Sportarten geschaffen. Im Vordergrund stehen dabei die Solidarität der Sportler untereinander, der gegenseitige Respekt und die Unterstützung füreinander. Das ist der Geist unserer Aktion ‘Sportler für Sportler’ “, sagt Kurt Gaugler, Geschäftsführendes Vorstandsmitglied der Bundesliga-Stiftung.

“Der Spot ist das nach außen hin sichtbare Ergebnis der sehr fruchtbaren Partnerschaft zwischen der Deutschen Sporthilfe und der Bundesliga-Stiftung. Wir freuen uns sehr über die Solidarität der Bundesliga mit allen Sportlern”, erklärt Dr. Michael Ilgner, Vorstandsvorsitzender der Deutschen Sporthilfe.

Die Bundesliga-Stiftung fördert Projekte in den Bereichen Integration, Kinder, für Menschen mit Behinderung und für Sportler anderer Sportarten. 

YMS Promotion Ltd and Infront Motor Sports have secured a deal that brings the FIM Superbike World Championship to Russia starting in 2012 for a 10-year contract.

The accord, advice which will have a ten-year duration, stipulates that next year the FIM Superbike and Supersport World Championships will make their first appearance in Russia at the Moscow Raceway circuit on the outskirts of Moscow. YMS Promotion will officially organise the event.

Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports, declared: “In the last few months we have been working very closely with Alexander Yakhnich and his team and we have managed to define all the details in preparation for the arrival in Russia of the championship in 2012. To hold a race in Moscow, in the very first year, was our declared intention and we are therefore extremely satisfied with the choice of Moscow Raceway, a truly state-of-the-art circuit that is in an advanced phase of construction, and which will be completed in a few months time. World Superbike will be the first championship to arrive in Russia, a demonstration of Infront Motor Sports’ commitment to opening up important new markets for motor sport.”

Alexander Yakhnich, CEO of YMS Promotion Ltd added: “We are delighted to be able to officially represent such a prestigious championship as Superbike in Russia. We know that months of hard work lie ahead of us for the organization of the event but we are certain that in August everything will be ready to give a worthy welcome to the Superbike and Supersport Championships and their protagonists. The commitment of my group for the development of motorcycle sport in Russia will also be shown by the debut of the Yakhnich Motorsport team in the 2012 FIM Supersport World Championship with Russian rider Vladimir Leonov and another rider still to be decided.”

The date scheduled for the event is 26 August 2012.

The former president of the global governing body of motorsport (FIA), Max Mosley, has criticised the decision made on Friday, June 3, to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix to this year’s Formula One calendar.

The FIA, now led by Mosley’s successor Jean Todt, announced that its World Motor Sport Council had decided the Sakhir race could take place on October 30, with the inaugural Indian Grand Prix shifted to December 11 to accommodate the change to the schedule. Having been scheduled to open the 2011 season in March, the Bahrain Grand Prix was postponed due to political unrest in the country.

F1 commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone told The Guardian on Saturday that “unusual circumstances” led to the decision to reintroduce Bahrain to the calendar, and added: “It went through the World Council. The FIA sent people out there to check on the situation, they came back and reported everything is fine.”

However, Mosley warned that the decision to bring Bahrain back to the schedule “will cost Formula 1 dear”, writing in the Daily Telegraph: “Surely the line has to be drawn when a sporting event is not mere entertainment in a less-than-perfect country, but is being used by an oppressive regime to camouflage its actions.”

Mosley added: “If a sport accepts this role, it becomes a tool of government. If Formula 1 allows itself to be used in this way in Bahrain, it will share the regime’s guilt as surely as if it went out and helped brutalise unarmed protesters.

“By agreeing to race there, Formula 1 becomes complicit in what has happened. It becomes one of the Bahrain government’s instruments of repression. The decision to hold the race is a mistake which will not be forgotten and, if not reversed, will eventually cost Formula 1 dear.”

The decision to reinstate the Bahrain Grand Prix is believed to also be a boost for the delayed Indian Grand Prix, new to the F1 circuit, by affording the organisers with more time to ensure the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida, is completed.

Gladstone Dainty, President of the USA Cricket Association, is attempting to arrange another set of matches involving New Zealand later this year, with the potential of staging in New York. 

Dainty told ESPNcricinfo: “We’re very seriously looking to do something in August. We don’t have another [team] yet, but we’re looking to do something in August.” 

USA hosted New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Florida last May for a pair of Twenty20 games that took place shortly after the conclusion of the World Twenty20 in the West Indies. 

While matches may again be played in Florida, New York could also become a viable option after Dainty revealed plans to install a turf wicket at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field. A USA XI played two matches against a West Indies XI captained by Brian Lara at the same ground in 2006. 

Dainty added: “We’re still working on getting this facility in New York going. I’m hoping that it’ll be ready by August.”