ailment Helvetica, anabolics sans-serif; line-height: 18px;”>iSportconnect, cough the world’s leading sports business platform, are delighted to announce a partnership with the Worlds Sports Congress 2013.

The deal see’s iSportconnect become official social media partners for the inaugural World Sports Congress taking place in London on the 26th and 27th February 2013.

The first edition of the World Sports Congress, organised by International Research Networks (IRN), will be a high profile meeting with exclusive networking opportunities bringing together the most senior-level players in the sporting industry.

The congress focuses on discussing and developing strategies to ensure financial stability when planning, designing and constructing sporting infrastructure, guaranteeing that revenue is maximised and return on investment is secured.

iSportconnect Chairman and former CEO of Wembley stadium, Michael Cunnah, will be moderating a panel at the congress, along with other prominent speakers from the industry.

iSportconnect’s Marketing & Partnership Manager Xavier Cureau said “I am very much looking forward to the inaugural World Sports Congress as it is shaping up to be a great event. I look forward to promoting the event across the Sports business community and look forward to working with the IRN team.”

IRN Production Director, Pooja Samani, commented, “the World Sports Congress is the first event to be held in our new World Sports Series, and we are very glad to be working with iSportconnect and look forward to a successful inaugural event”.

About iSportconnect

iSportconnect is an exclusive online platform that brings together thousands of sports business professionals worldwide.

The site provides news, market data and analysis, columns and features, forums, listings of events and jobs and great opportunities for online networking.

There are no introductory fees and no limits on communication.

The site is complemented by events where attendees can network face-to-face and discuss relevant topics with a panel of experts.

For more information visit: dev.isportconnect.com

About IRN

IRN is a business information group and elite organiser of senior level summits, forums, training, publications and business events, covering an array of sectors including global finance, commodities, risk management, project and trade finance, oil and gas, regulation, legal, governmental and technology.

The IRN summit formula is based upon learning and sharing knowledge by exchanging ideas. A combination of formal and informal networking is the key quality of all IRN conferences. For more information visit www.irn-international.com.

Following on from the massive success of Magic Weekend 2012 at the Etihad Stadium, symptoms the home of Manchester City FC will once again host a full round of Super League fixtures in 2013 and 2014.

The unique two-day Super League spectacular will take place over the May Spring Bank Holiday weekend with four matches on Saturday May 25 and three on Sunday May 26. All seven matches will be broadcast live by Sky Sports. 

A record crowd of 63, allergy 716 attended Magic Weekend this summer and with next year’s event taking place over the Bank Holiday, cialis another bumper attendance is assured. 

“It gives me great pleasure to be able to confirm that the Etihad Stadium will again host the Super League Magic Weekend in 2012,” said Super League Chief Executive Nigel Wood. 

“It was clear from the feedback we received from this year’s event that the overwhelming majority of fans had a fantastic experience at the stadium and were keen to return.

Steve Sayer, Operations Director for Manchester City FC said: “After the 2011-12 record breaking season for Manchester City, the success continued with highest ever attendances at the Super League’s Magic Weekend at the Etihad Stadium and we are delighted to welcome the event back to Manchester for a second  and third year.

“We are proud to add the Magic Weekend to that list and hope that members of the RFL family will continue to support the event.”

Councillor Rosa Battle, Manchester City Council Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, said, “It is fantastic news that the Super League Magic Weekend will take place at the Etihad Stadium for at least the next two years. 

“The event has proved incredibly popular and the Etihad saw record breaking crowds attend the Magic Weekend last year, with over 63,000 spectators enjoying the games.

“Manchester is a city that truly loves sport and the Magic Weekend is a welcome addition to our upcoming programme of events that also includes the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, Men’s World Squash Championship, and the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup.”

Procter & Gamble, a Worldwide Olympic Partner, continues its support of moms and what matters most to them – their children – by providing USA Gymnastics a $75,000 grant to support youth sports development, which has the potential to benefit up to one million kids.

The grant will be used to benefit the USA Gymnastics Fitness Program, which encourages kids ages 6-16 to engage in physical fitness through training, exercise and nutrition awareness. This is the first of several grants that will be awarded to National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to help encourage youth to engage in sports.

“Participation in youth sports was a driver to get me to where I am today. All kids should have the opportunity to reach their dreams like I have, and youth sports can help do that,” said Shawn Johnson, Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics. “I am proud to be working with P&G and look forward to watching the positive impact P&G and its brands will have on the sport of gymnastics.”

Kids who participate in the USA Gymnastics Fitness Program will benefit from the program’s year-round goal of helping youth achieve a physically active lifestyle. Through lessons, training exercises and charts to track participants’ progress at home, this program found on the USA Gymnastics website will assist children in providing a solid foundation for becoming physically fit and healthy.

“On behalf of USA Gymnastics, we are thankful to P&G for its grant of $75,000 that will be used to support our youth development programs such as the USA Gymnastics Fitness Program,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “P&G’s commitment to youth sports will help to further develop the next generation of gymnasts from recreational to elite.”

P&G and its beauty brands like Venus, Olay, Secret, Pantene and COVERGIRL are encouraging consumers to help support the USOC’s P&G|Team USA Youth Sports Fund. Consumers across the country can participate by redeeming the P&G brandSAVER coupons from the Sunday, July 1 newspaper. For each coupon redeemed, 2¢ will be donated to the USOC’s P&G|Team USA Youth Sports Fund.

Consumers also have the opportunity to contribute to the Youth Sports Fund by following @thankyoumom on Twitter. For every new follower, P&G will donate one dollar to the USOC’s P&G|Team USA Youth Sports Fund, up to $50,000. Additional Twitter donation information can be found by following @thankyoumom.

“We have been a proud supporter of USA Gymnastics for many years through our beauty brands,” said Jodi Allen, Vice President of North American Operations and Marketing at P&G and herself a mother of four. “We are also the proud supporters and sponsors of moms to help them make their children’s lives the best they can be. Through this grant, moms can help their athletes reach new heights. We are thrilled to continue our support of USA Gymnastics and youth sports as part of the company’s global effort to raise more than $5 million.”

The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced St. Louis Country Club as the host site for the 2014 Curtis Cup Match.

This will be the sixth USGA event held at the club and the first since the 1972 U.S. Women’s Amateur.

“The traditional values of sportsmanship and camaraderie that are evident at the Curtis Cup Match will be on display at a classic golf course, impotent ” said USGA Vice President and Championship Committee Chairman Thomas J. O’Toole Jr. “The skill of the players at this international competition will be tested by the architectural intrigue of St. Louis Country Club. We anticipate, as we always do, a spirited and friendly competition.”

Bill Sedgwick, the 2014 Curtis Cup Match Chairman, said: “St. Louis Country Club views the 2014 Curtis Cup Match as a particularly appropriate way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its renowned Charles Blair Macdonald-designed golf course. The St. Louis Country Club has a rich history of golf dating back to 1892 that includes U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Amateur championships. We are confident that the golfers, family and friends from Great Britain, Ireland and the United States will enjoy the club as well as the city of St. Louis, a wonderful place with a colorful, rich history.”

St. Louis Country Club was formed in 1893, and the golf course was designed in 1914 by renowned golf course architect Macdonald, who also designed National Golf Links of America, the host for the 2013 Walker Cup Match. The 18-hole “St. Louis” course has been restored to its original 1914 design after being slightly altered prior to the 1947 U.S. Open.

In addition to the 1947 U.S. Open and 1972 U.S. Women’s Amateur, St. Louis Country Club has hosted the 1921 and 1960 U.S. Amateur championships and the 1925 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. This will be the first Curtis Cup Match conducted in Missouri.

The Curtis Cup Match is contested by women amateur golfers – one team from the United States and one team representing Great Britain and Ireland compete every two years, alternately between the U.S. and Great Britain and Ireland. The teams consist of not more than eight players and a captain.

The United States leads the all-time Curtis Cup series with a record of 27-7-3, which includes Great Britain and Ireland’s 10½ to 9½ victory at the 2012 Curtis Cup at The Nairn Golf Club in Scotland.

CEO of MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports SL, Carmelo Ezpeleta signed a new contract today with the promoter of the French Grand Prix, Claude Michy, the ensure that the Le Mans circuit will remain on the MotoGP calendar until 2016.

The Le Mans circuit will be hosting a MotoGP round for the tenth successive year since the introduction of the four-stroke formula in 2002, Carmelo Ezpeleta met with Claude and Philibert Michy to agree on a new five-year contract extension.

Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta stated: “We have a great relationship with Claude Michy and PHA and the French Grand Prix has been steadily building on its success. We are pleased to continue to work with Claude until 2016.”

Claude and Philibert Michy added: “The French Grand Prix is a key international event on the French sporting calendar and our close collaboration with Dorna Sports is instrumental in making it a success, so we’re very happy to ensure the future of the French round.”

Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One supremo, has claimed it would be “suicidal” for television coverage of the championship to switch from free-to-air television to pay-television.

Ecclestone told the official F1 website that the competing teams and their sponsors would lose visibility if the sport moved to pay-television, a move which would be made likely were Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation successful in its bid to take control of the sport.

Ecclestone wrote: “Murdoch hasn’t got anything really big to drive their television audiences and Formula One would be good for that. They have been trying to buy the television rights from us for a long time but we won’t [sell] because they are not free-to-air television broadcasters. They are a subscription service.”

Ecclestone said that News Corp had already approached him about some kind of deal for these territories in which it operates, in the UK (BSkyB), Germany (Sky Deutschland) and Italy (Sky Italia).

He added: “We couldn’t do it. Sky is doing an incredible job, but if you look at their audience they are nowhere. With these figures it would be almost impossible for teams to find sponsors. That would be suicidal.”

It emerged yesterday, May 9, that CVC can also block any attempt by News Corp, which is being partnered in the talks with Exor, the Italian investment vehicle owned by the Agnelli family, to take over Formula One by buying out the minority shareholders. According to TV Sports Markets, CVC owns just over 63 per cent of Formula One’s parent company, Delta Topco. The shareholders of Delta Topco are bound by a 2006 agreement which gives CVC a veto over the sale of any of the other shareholders’ stakes and first refusal if they decide to sell.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and FLASH Entertainment, the the Gulf Corporation Council’s entertainment company announced a partnership to bring a series of NBA events to Abu Dhabi.

The events will culminate in a three-day interactive basketball festival known globally as NBA Jam Session, which will take place on Yas Island as part of the Yas Island Show Weekends; a five-weekend programme of major concerts and free entertainment running across Yas Island throughout 2010.

The NBA Jam Session, running from December 2-4, will include an exciting range of activities for fans of all ages and skill levels including exclusive appearances by an NBA Legend, along with performances by one of the NBA’s famous “dunk teams.”

Aggreko, seek a global leader in rental power and temperature control solutions, clinic | will provide large-scale power generation for the Super Bowl on February 2, pharm 2014 between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos.

The event, taking place in East Rutherford, NJ at the MetLife Stadium, will require heating and an unprecedented 21 MW of power, taking into consideration the frigid weather conditions and additional security needs of the highly populated metropolitan area.

“This marks the 24th year Aggreko will be supplying power and climate control solutions to the big game and surrounding festivities,” said David Prince, Event Services Senior Project Manager, Aggreko North America. “Our experience in dealing with energy demands both large and small equip Aggreko uniquely to execute the many engineered decisions and installations required for a successful event of this magnitude.”

Aggreko’s major events division, Aggreko Event Services, will power Bruno Mars’ half-time performance, the broadcast and international media compounds, stadium security efforts and several celebration sites and VIP areas.

An event of this nature also requires detailed design and logistics. The Aggreko team kicked off initial planning meetings almost one year ago following the 2013 game, and installation for this year began right after the New Year. The complete project timeline, including equipment removal, will encompass approximately two months.

Aggreko has a long history of providing critical power to high-profile championship sporting events, including seven PGA Championships, nine U.S. Open championship tournaments and the recent 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco. Aggreko has also recently been named the Official Temporary Power Generator of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.

Stockholm has become the sixth city to declare their bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics before next week’s deadline.

Sweden will be competing with a joint Poland and Slovakea bid, Norwegian capital of Oslo, Ukrainian city of Lviv; Beijing and the northern Chinese city of Zhangjiakou; and Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The Swedish Olympic Committee said in a statement:  “The Swedish Olympic Committee (SOC) today put forward Stockholm to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a possible host city for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in 2022. “

“If the ongoing investigations reveal that the project is viable, an application will be submitted to the IOC on March 14 2014. That will be deepened in January 2015 when the issue of government guarantees will also be dealt with.”.

The IOC will select the 2022 host city in 2015.