Architects across the globe have submitted plans for a redesign of the Kasumigaoka National Stadium with ambitious designs developed of what will become the centrepiece of the 2020 Games if Tokyo’s bid is successful next year. 

The Japan Sport Council has selected a total of 11 out of the 46 entries for the international design competition to update and remodel the venue in preparation for Tokyo’s Olympic and Paralympic bid along with the 2019 Rugby World Cup, when it is due to host the final. 

Japan was the first Asian country to host the Games in 1964 and the stadium featured then. But it has since been targeted for redevelopment and if the 2020 Olympic Games bid is successful it could be transformed into a contemporary masterpiece. 

Among the competing firms are Zaha Hadid and Populous from the UK who both had parts to play in the construction of the Olympic village in Stratford, London. They will be competing with companies from Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey to redesign a Stadium that will become famous around the world if Tokyo beat rivals Istanbul and Madrid in the race to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. 

Tadao Ando, the chairman of the jury who drew up the shortlist, said: “As it has come time for the National Stadium to be rebuilt after half a century from its creation, we have called for ideas from near and afar with the hope of realising an architecture of the finest quality that embodies the technology and intellect of our present age. 

“We have since received numerous ambitious proposals in response to our call.” 

There are several structural challenges to overcome such as the narrow space available to build upon. Zahid Hadid’s plan for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium has the same wave like roof that she designed for the London 2012 Aquatics Centre and looks particularly impressive among the other bids.

Bradford Bulls takeover by businessman Omar Khan has been given a seal of approval by the Rugby Football League (RFL).

The RFL’s board of directors took a decision via a conference call to transfer membership to OK Bulls Ltd, the new company established to take the Super League club out of administration.

Bradford’s membership was suspended when they went into administration on June 26, but the club were re-admitted after Khan and MP Gerry Sutcliffe provided the information required to complete due diligence.

Blake Solly, the RFL’s director of standards and licensing, said: “The board’s decision finally closes the door on much of the uncertainty that has surrounded Bradford Bulls in recent months.

“The club’s new owners have co-operated fully with the RFL throughout this necessarily extensive process and we look forward to working with Mr Khan and Mr Sutcliffe in the months and years ahead.

“The decision to grant membership is an important step that will help the board to determine which competition Bradford Bulls will compete in from 2013.”

Sutcliffe welcomed Tuesday’s announcement but called on the RFL to make a quick decision on the club’s Super League status.

“We’re very pleased, it’s a step in the right direction, but it’s still frustrating not knowing about our Super League status,” he said.

“We’re making progress and talking to sponsors and people who have the club at heart but we’re not able to sell season tickets or put our business plan forward until we know that.

“We believe we have proved we’re a Super League club but until we get that tick we can’t move forward.”

NASCAR’s new partnership with Twitter created to enhance fans’ experience and interaction with the sport has officially got going.

The initiative began in preparation for Sunday’s Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR. The first of its kind with any sports league or organization, this new product will create an enhanced live event experience on Twitter atTwitter.com/#NASCAR.

Twitter.com/#NASCAR showcases the best Tweets and photos from NASCAR insiders in an effort to bring the behind-the-scenes story to life for fans during NASCAR race weekends. The page includes Tweets from drivers, pit crew members, families, media, NASCAR representatives and other industry constituencies like race tracks and sponsors. Fans also have an opportunity to see their Tweets featured.

Using a combination of sophisticated algorithmic signals and Twitter’s editorial curation, Twitter.com/#NASCAR features the highest quality, most engaging content about the race and NASCAR. Behind-the-scenes photos, exclusive content and innovative and original Tweets will likely have the best chance of being featured on this new live event page.

Jack Dorsey, co-founder and executive chairman at Twitter, said:“Twitter brings fans closer to the sports and moments they’re most passionate about,” said . “The innovation of the NASCAR organization, the spirit of the fans, and the personalities of the drivers all shine on Twitter, making NASCAR a natural partner for us. Twitter.com/#NASCAR will offer fans an all-access pass to the race weekend action as it unfolds on the track, in the pit, in the garage and in the stands.”

While currently up-and-running, Twitter.com/#NASCAR will be most active on race day before, after and in conjunction with the Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR from Pocono Raceway.

In support of this new NASCAR event page, NASCAR’s broadcast television partner will be engaging with audiences via Twitter as an integral part of TNT’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage throughout the summer. As part of an evolving relationship between Twitter and Turner Sports, Twitter.com/#NASCAR will be thoroughly integrated into the race broadcast via innovative graphics and with TNT’s on-air team displaying some of the most relevant and engaging Tweets on a touch-screen TV.

“Throughout Turner’s 30-year partnership with NASCAR, we have consistently striven to be innovative,” said Jeff Behnke, Turner Sports senior vice president and executive producer. “This new relationship with Twitter is going to allow Turner Sports to engage the viewers in several new and creative ways, therefore making social media a key component of our six-race series this summer.”

Built to support the live race broadcast, this new experience gives fans a complementary insider’s view of the action as it unfolds on the track and on Twitter. During a race, when fans click on #NASCAR, search for #NASCAR on Twitter.com or visit Twitter.com/#NASCAR, they’ll reach a new Twitter experience where they will see the most relevant Tweets from their favorite NASCAR drivers, NASCAR families, teams, commentators, celebrities and other racing fans and personalities.

“This is an exciting weekend for the NASCAR industry,” said Marc Jenkins, NASCAR vice president of digital media. “We are pleased to be able to partner with Twitter and bring a great cutting-edge digital experience to our fans. This is a great extension of our strategy of innovation in the digital space to enhance the fan experience with our sport. Reflective of the strength of NASCAR’s fan base and the sport’s cutting-edge use of social media and Twitter in particular, the sanctioning body is pleased that Twitter partnered with NASCAR to launch this product and we look forward to a long and healthy relationship coming out of this weekend’s launch in Pocono.”

After the Gulf state of Bahrain declared a three-month state of emergency on Tuesday, March 15, it appears that the nation’s hopes of staging Formula One action this year have all but diminished.

The Sakhir event was postponed after a political uprising in the country, though Formula One Management and the sport’s governing body have held out hope of returning to Bahrain later in the year with the season now set to start in Melbourne later this month.

Organisers of the Bahrain grand prix were given until May 1 to decide whether or not they will be able to stage the race later in the 2011 calendar, though fresh protests and the new state of emergency deems this highly unlikely, particularly as FIA president Jean Todt implied on Tuesday that the deadline for a decision would not be extended.

A statement from FIA president Jean Todt on Tuesday, read:“As you all know, on advice from the Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF) we have had to skip the inaugural grand prix in that country due to severe social unrest.

“We have asked our Bahraini colleagues to inform us by May 1 on whether the race can take place. We wish them well in their ongoing attempts to resolve their issues.”

On Monday, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were called in to help restore order in Bahrain and guard key facilities after more political protests erupted.

Dorna Sports, hospital MotorLand Aragón and the Government of Aragón today signed a new agreement which will see the Spanish circuit feature as a main venue on the MotoGP calendar until at least 2016.

The extension comes after the race won the prestigious IRTA ‘Best Grand Prix’ award in recognition for being the best organised event on the calendar last year.

As part of the agreement MotorLand was confirmed as a permanent circuit on the MotoGP calendar for the next six years, pills having initially been introduced as a reserve circuit for 2010 in which it eventually hosted the 13th round of the season.

The agreement, health signed yesterday, March 1, was announced at the Headquarters of the Government of Aragón, where Dorna CEO Mr Carmelo Ezpeleta, Vice President of the Government of Aragón and President of MotorLand Mr José Angel Biel, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism and Vice President of MotorLand Mr Arturo Aliaga and General Director of the Aragón Institute of Public Works and CEO of MotorLand Aragón Mr Antonio Gasión were all in attendance.

IMG and Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) have inked a deal to add two IMG produced events, pills the prestigious Manhattan Beach Open and the Atlantic City Beach Volleyball Tournament, generic as additional stops which brings the 2013 AVP season to seven events and $1M in prize money.

IMG has a long history of producing high profile and high quality events and the AVP Tour has long been known as the crown jewel of beach volleyball tournaments. This alliance is testimony to the commitment of both companies to produce the world’s best professional beach volleyball events and to increase the popularity of this ever-growing sport.

With this new contract, AVP adds two exciting new locations with the well- established and well-storied Manhattan Beach Open, and the debut of the Atlantic City Beach Volleyball Tournament, which will be a premium northeast event. Earlier this year, several of the world’s top beach volleyball pros signed exclusive deals with the AVP including Olympians Kerri Walsh Jennings, Phil Dalhausser, Todd Rogers, April Ross, Jen Kessy, Jake Gibb, Sean Rosenthal and Nicole Branagh.

“We are pleased to announce the IMG-AVP deal for the Manhattan Beach Open and Atlantic City,” said James Leitz, SVP, IMG Worldwide and executive producer of IMG’s beach volleyball events. “We view this agreement as a positive step for the sport — that together with the AVP, we are pushing beach volleyball in the same direction. We can’t think of a better way to showcase the best beach volleyball players in the world than in Manhattan Beach – home of the longest running tournament in the sport, and in Atlantic City through our new partnership with the Atlantic City Alliance.”

“We are excited to announce an alliance with IMG that adds two stops to our tour and showcases the best of the beach on both coasts,” said Donald Sun, AVP owner. “We are equally as excited for what this partnership can mean for the fans, the athletes and the sponsors.”

MATCH Hospitality AG, malady the worldwide exclusive rights holder of the FIFA Hospitality Programme, viagra 40mg has appointed Cartan Global as an Exclusive Sales Agent in Cayman Islands, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, as well as an Authorised Sales Agent in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay for the sale of the Official Hospitality Programme of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013.

Cartan Global is also the authorised sub-agent of SportsMark, who is the Exclusive Sales Agent of MATCH Hospitality in the USA. Positioned to offer the Official FIFA Hospitality Programme in nine international territories, Cartan Global will provide corporate clients and resident fans of these countries with a range of exciting packages for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the upcoming FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 also held in Brazil.

Jaime Byrom, Executive Chairman of MATCH Hospitality, commented: “After Cartan Global’s successful partnership with MATCH Services for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, MATCH Hospitality is delighted to welcome them back as a partner in our global network of Sales Agents. Cartan’s considerable experience and leadership in the international sporting event world will provide corporate clients and soccer fans alike an experience of a lifetime during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.”

Daniel Gamba, Executive Vice President of Cartan Global, said: “With just under 500 days to go until the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, we are pleased to announce our continued relationship with MATCH Hospitality for this event. Our expertise in logistics and large group management promises groups interested in traveling to this unforgettable event an opportunity to do so with one of the most experienced and long running sports travel companies in the world. The exclusiveness of the Official FIFA Hospitality Programme cannot be understated, and Cartan’s event knowledge and management services are undoubtedly the perfect complement to such a unique offering.”