UK Athletics chairman, Ed Warner has branded the delay in re-opening of the Olympic Stadium as ‘a farce’.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) confirmed last week that the stadium will not re-open until 2015 at the earliest and possibly the summer of 2016 – which would be two years later than expected.

UK Athletics had planned events such as Diamond League meetings, trials and school competitions from 2014 and Warner admitted he had been stunned to learn of the delay last week.

He is not worried however about any threat to the 2017 world championships which is to be held in the stadium in Stratford, east London.

Warner said: “My biggest concern is that we have some major events planned for that stadium and we thought they were going to be from the summer of 2014 onwards.

“All of the legacy use was scheduled to start in two years’ time and now it might be four years’ time which strikes me as ludicrous and to be a paralysis of decision-making which I hope the mayor [Boris Johnson] is going to cut through.

“I wouldn’t say this is a Whitehall farce but this is fast becoming a Stratford farce.

“We want to lock into the legacy of the Games while people still remember the Mobot, Greg Rutherford, Jonnie Peacock and David Weir.

“Let’s have a bit of imagination here and let’s have a decision – we want one, West Ham want one and we all want it open as soon as possible.”

A decision is expected by December 5 and West Ham’s bid remains the favourite – it includes retaining a running track although the club want the stadium to be converted to have retractable seating over the track, but not at their expense.

Sports minister Hugh Robertson said the issue was “closing the financial gap” because West Ham do not want to pay for the retractable seating which could push the cost up to £200million.

Robertson said: “We know the 2017 world championships will be fine because that is a contractual commitment we have made. The question is how quickly can this be done.

“There is a commercial negotiation going on with West Ham and it’s a question of how quickly the Mayor and the Legacy Company can close the gap.

“There is a package on the table which includes the conversion costs that were built into the budget and a contribution from the local authority and some money that West Ham might put into it, and then there is the bill for all the things they would ideally want to do to have what they would see as a modern stadium.”

Dennis Hone, chief executive of the LLDC, told the London Assembly last week a 2014 reopening is “completely out, it would be August 2015 at the absolute earliest and possibly August 2016.”

iSportconnect, ampoule the world’s leading sports Business platform have agreed a partnership with the European Golf Course Owners Association (EGCOA).

The deal see’s iSportconnect become the official Social Media partner and exclusive networking tool provider for the upcoming 2012 European Golf Business Conference taking place in Cannes on the 21^st-23^rd November.

The partnership sees the EGCOA make full use of the prestigious pre-conference networking tool, allowing delegates of the conference to see who else is attending and schedule meetings with one another.

iSportconnect CEO Sree Varma said: “We are really looking forward to working with the European Golf Course Owners Association and hope to develop our relationship even further. The European Golf Business Conference looks to be shaping up really well and I’m delighted that delegates have the platform to connect with each other, before, during and after the event.”

EGCOA said “We are delighted to be working together with iSportconnect at this year’s European Golf Business Conference. Our theme “Recreating the golf business” ties in well with what the team at iSportconnect are doing. We welcome new technology to the industry and look to embrace these advances to improve golf business as a whole.”

The EGCOA is a trade association, which provides a range of services to support golf course owners.

The EGCOA supports owners through the dissemination and sharing of knowledge, and through the creation of a range of programs for growth of the game, and through cooperation with other EU stakeholders. The EGCOA represents more than 950 members in 24 European countries.

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.

The future of the Heineken Cup will not be resolved until next month after a five-hour meeting in Dublin yesterday ended without a resolution.

European Rugby Cup (ERC) executives said”productive” talks with all stakeholders would resume in Rome on October 8.

But Premiership Rugby, price which is representing the English clubs, pills are in dispute with with ERC after both parties agreed conflicting television contracts that due to become effective in 2014.

Premiership Rugby agreed a £152million (US$246m) contract with BT Vision, to try to establish a “dazzling new European tournament” when the current Heineken Cup participation agreement ends.

But ERC signed its own Heineken Cup broadcasting contract with Sky from 2014 and said Premiership Rugby had broken International Rugby Board (IRCB) regulations by choosing a solo deal.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) said they had not given the clubs permission to strike a separate  deal with BT Vision.

Premiership Rugby believes its plan to restructure the Heineken Cup would greatly benefit the European game financially.

But, an official ERC statement issued after the meeting of 17 executives focused only the beginning of a formulation of a new Heineken Cup deal.

The statement read: “Representatives of ERC stakeholders met in Dublin today (yesterday) to begin the formulation of a new accord which provides for the structure and format of European club rugby tournaments for the 2014/15 season and beyond.

“The meeting included productive discussions regarding the future of the club game in Europe with a general resolve among all stakeholders to reach agreement towards a new accord.

“It was decided that all parties would continue the consultative process at a meeting in Rome on October 8, 2012.”{jcomments on}

Diageo opted against sponsoring the London 2012 Olympics because they were worried about the returns they were going to receive.

The drinks company chief marketing officer Andy Fennell told Marketing: “We won’t be sponsors of the World Cup or the Olympics.”

“It’s really expensive and hard to get a return.”

He added: “Brands have to do [such sponsorships] on conviction. I’m sure some of them will get real benefit from being associated with the world’s most extraordinary sporting festival.”

“Nonetheless, sickness ” said Fennell: “If they try to do two-decimal-place ROI analysis, generic they will struggle, which is why most of them had board-level corporate conviction, and that’s what needs to happen.”

The fourth edition of The Queen’s Cup, one of Thailand’s most popular golf tournaments, will will be played at the Santiburi Samui Country Club in Koh Samui from June 14 to 17.

Bangkok Airways, the Sports Authority of Thailand, Thailand PGA and Asian Tour announced Thailand’s upcoming event in a press conference.

A total prize fund of US $300,000 will be on offer.

The Queen’s Cup is held in honour of Her Majesty, Queen Sirikit. The competion is sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Thailand PGA.

Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, President of Bangkok Airways, said: “We are particularly excited to be organising this tournament for the fourth year in honour of our beloved Queen Sirikit. We have always strived to take Thai golf tournaments onto the international level and through this tournament, we hope to draw a larger number of golf enthusiasts who consequently will stimulate Samui’s tourism.”

Kanokphand Chulakasem, Director of Professional Sports Competitions Division, Sport Authority of Thailand, said: “The Queen’s Cup Bangkok Airways – SAT Samui Golf Tournament 2012 is one of the major golf tournaments each year which continues to significantly develop Thai golf to the next level. This is an excellent opportunity for Thai golfers to compete side by side with the world’s top players.”

The Queen’s Cup is sponsored by Bangkok Airways, Sport Authority of Thailand, Santiburi Samui Country Club. The competition has a several of co-sponsors— Samui Municipal and Tourism Association of Koh Samui, Bangkok Hospital Group, PTT, Kiatnakin Fund Management, Bangkok Bank, Bangkok Insurance, Sabre, Hertz Media partners are The Nation, True Visions, Bangkok Shuho and Elite magazine.

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Having replaced Bridgestone as the sole provider for Formula One tyres at the start of the season, sickness Pirelli chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera, for sale has declared his company is ready to be a long-term partner of the sport.

The firm will be paid Eur1.25m (US$1.8m) by each of the 12 teams per year for the next three campaigns under the terms of the recent agreement after the company’s previous partnership with F1 ended in 1991.

Tronchetti is hoping that Pirelli’s involvement in F1 will help to boost sales in key markets around the world, ed with India debuting on the race calendar this season and circuits in America and Russia set to be introduced in 2012 and 2014, respectively.

The Pirelli chairman told Reuters: “It is a long-term project if it’s affordable. It is always depending on costs. We left because of the cost, we came back because it was affordable and we will continue to stay if the teams are providing us the opportunity to stay. I think the experience we are making makes us more comfortable in staying in, and then it depends on costs.

“We were asked to create more emotions and we did it, with safe tyres lasting enough but not too much, which is really very difficult. We reached the target, which is more difficult to build tyres that last for the entire Grand Prix. The tyres perform well. What we did in nine months proved that we are ready to do anything.”

Tronchetti also expressed an interest in staying in the sport even if competition between suppliers is ultimately allowed, adding: “It is easier in a sense because to produce tyres for a few teams you can make the fine tuning with each of them.”

Volkswagen is to make a return to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2013, abortion  confirming a five-year commitment to the WRC with its first full campaign following an 18-month period of testing and development. 

The firm will develop a World Rally Car version of its popular Polo model, viagra order designated the Polo R WRC, ambulance complete with four-wheel drive and a 1.6-litre turbo engine to conform to the new-generation World Rally Car regulations launched for this season. 

Simon Long, CEO of North One Sport, said VW’s decision to switch its focus from off-road events to the WRC was another boost for the championship, adding: “The WRC is the pinnacle of rallying; it’s all about being the world’s best and Volkswagen is right up there as one of the world’s best automotive brands. Coming hard on the heels of the BMW and MINI announcement this is yet another vote of confidence in the future direction of the WRC.” 

“The WRC is all about innovation – whether that’s on the sporting, technical or promotional side. We’re finding new ways to connect with fans, new ways of developing the sport and the technology beneath it, and that very much mirrors what VW are looking to do as a business and with its Polo.”

Volkswagen’s head of marketing, Luca de Meo added: “The WRC is a global platform and this is one very important reason from a marketing and brand point of view we supported this project. 

“With 13 races on four continents this event has enormous media impact. It is broadcast in more than 80 counties – I think more than 500 million people are enthusiastic about it – but this is just the beginning. It is for sure one of the most important event platforms in the world.”

French Ligue 1 football side Saint-Etienne has signed a long-term commercial partnership deal with sports marketing agency Sportfive, it has been announced.

Sportfive has been handed the responsibility of sponsorship and marketing activities, public relations and media support.

Sportfive will also be assisting the club in maximising the commercial possibilities in relation to the proposed development of the side’s stadium, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. Plans for redevelopment were approved a year ago, with the stadium due to be expanded from a capacity of 35,000 to 41,000, in time for the 2016 European Championships.

Sportfive director general, Christophe Bouchet, said: “This new partnership with the club will build on the strategy that has been in place since 2007. Sportfive will accompany Saint-Etienne in the renovation of Geoffroy-Guichard and it will benefit from our years of experience in this field.”

President of the club’s administrative council, Bernard Caiazo, added: “Saint-Etienne is very honoured to link up with Sportfive to continue to develop our commercial activity and we are happy to have, on top of this, an expert in exploiting (the commercial possibilities of) stadia, with reference to the impending transformation of Geoffroy-Guichard.”

Digital sports content group PERFORM today announced they will integrate the Global Sports Media’s data feed in data specialists Opta.

The feed provides sports information including fixtures and results for over 1,500 leagues and competitions globally.

The integration will simplify PERFORM’s sports data offering to digital media customers in order to provide the best and most flexible product for its clients.

As part of the integration, Global Sports Media (GSM) – which was 100% acquired by PERFORM in 2011 – will cease to provide services under that brand, whilst all current GSM clients will become part of Opta’s customer base.

The combination of GSM’s breadth of coverage alongside Opta’s market leading and unique rich data products marks a significant step for the Group in consolidating its position as the world’s leading provider of digital sports data to the media sector.

Opta, which itself was acquired by PERFORM in July 2013, is the official data partner for a number of rights holders including the English Premier League and America’s MLS and works with many leading broadcasters, media groups, football clubs, bookmakers and brands including the BBC, Sky Sports, BeIN Sport, L’Equipe and Arsenal.

Ian Campbell, Commercial Director, Content Distribution (Media) at PERFORM said: “This integration ensures we take the best of GSM and combine it with Opta’s powerful brand and innovative data approach to provide customers with the total sports data solution that is suited to their individual requirements.”

Aidan Cooney, Opta’s Managing Director added: “This is an exciting evolution in Opta’s data offering. GSM provides a breadth of data that is unrivalled in the market, which combined with Opta’s detailed analysis, ensures we now provide the most comprehensive sports data solution on the market.”