Bei der 2012 IIHF Eishockey-Weltmeisterschaft jährt sich das Engagement von SKODA zu einem besonderen Jubiläum: Die tschechische Traditionsmarke ist bereits zum 20. Mal in Folge offizieller Hauptsponsor der IIHF Eishockey-Weltmeisterschaft. Dies ist in der Sponsoring-Geschichte von Sport-Weltmeisterschaften einzigartig und sogar im Guinness-Buch der Rekorde vermerkt.

SKODA unterstützt und fördert den Eishockey-Sport seit 20 Jahren. Sichtbare Zeichen des erfolgreichen SKODA Engagements bei den IIHF Eishockey-Weltmeisterschaften sind seit 1993 das SKODA Logo im Mittelkreis der Eisfläche, malady Bandenwerbung sowie Fahrzeug-Platzierungen am Spielfeld. Auch der Markenname des tschechischen Autobauers auf Helmen und Trikots der tschechischen, medicine slowakischen und weiteren Nationalmannschaften gehört ebenso dazu wie zahlreiche Publikumsaktivitäten außerhalb der Eisfläche.

„Eishockey passt perfekt zu SKODA. Unser Engagement in diesem faszinierenden Sport spielt seit Beginn unserer Erfolgsgeschichte in den 1990er-Jahre eine Schlüsselrolle in unserer Sponsoring-Strategie. Dies hat kräftig dazu beigetragen, site das Image und die Bekanntheit von SKODA auf den internationalen Märkten zu stärken”, begründet der SKODA Vorstandsvorsitzende Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland die Sponsoring-Entscheidung. SKODA will weltweit in den kommenden Jahren weiter wachsen und die Verkäufe bis 2018 auf etwa 1,5 Millionen Einheiten pro Jahr steigern. „Dazu werden wir vor allem international stark zulegen. Insofern ist es nur folgerichtig, dass wir das Sponsoring eines der weltweit bekanntesten jährlichen Sportereignisse langfristig ausrichten”, erläutert der SKODA Chef die hinter dem Eishockey-Engagement des Unternehmens stehenden Überlegungen.

Der laufende Vertrag zwischen SKODA und dem Eishockey-Weltverband IIHF, kurz für International Ice Hockey Federation, wurde bereits bis zum Jahr 2017 verlängert.

Durch gezielte und fortlaufend optimierte Platzierung der SKODA Werbeträger im Erfassungsbereich der TV-Kameras war SKODA bei der letztjährigen IIHF WM durchschnittlich 66,01 Prozent der TV-Übertragungszeit im Bild zu sehen. In der Spitze, beim Aufeinandertreffen zweier Teams mit jeweiliger SKODA Werbung auf Helmen und Trikots, war sogar eine Sichtbarkeit von 78,76 Prozent zu verzeichnen. Die gesamte Werbedauer für die Marke SKODA betrug hochgerechnet auf die Gesamtübertragungszeit 1.628,5 Stunden, was der Gesamtdauer von 195.400 TV-Werbespots à 30 Sekunden entspricht.

Wesentliche strategische Überlegung ist für SKODA die exzellente Abdeckung der großen SKODA Märkte in Europa durch die IIHF Eishockey-Weltmeisterschaft. Über 58 Prozent des weltweiten und fast 85 Prozent des europäischen SKODA Absatzes werden in TV-Übertragungsländern der IIHF WM erzielt. Allein 58 Prozent des europäischen Absatzes wiederum entfallen auf die zehn einschaltquotenstärksten Länder der WM einschließlich der SKODA Schlüsselmärkte Russland, Tschechien und Deutschland.

Im Verlaufe des 20-jährigen Hauptsponsorings hat SKODA immer wieder Ideen und Know-how für innovative Werbemaßnahmen und deren Optimierung geliefert, die heute in vielen Eishockey-Arenen Standard sind. Exklusive Untereis-Werbung im Mittelkreis etwa, die mit Hilfe von Textil-Inlays umgesetzt wird, die Verwendung von hochsauberem Osmose-Wasser für die Eisfläche und Fahrzeug-Platzierungen am Spielfeld sind Maßnahmen, die erstmals in der Partnerschaft mit SKODA bei IIHF Eishockey-Weltmeisterschaften verwirklicht wurden.

40 bis 50 SKODA Fahrzeuge machen bei jeder IIHF Eishockey-Weltmeisterschaft Offizielle und Gäste der WM mobil. Insgesamt haben die SKODA WM-Flotten in den 20 Jahren über fünf Millionen Kilometer zurückgelegt, oder anders ausgedrückt, über 125-mal die Erde umrundet. Nie musste in dieser Zeit eine Fahrt durch einen technischen Defekt an einem SKODA unterbrochen werden.

The 2012 European Tour’s Race to Dubai will have a reduced bonus pool of £2.4 million ($3.7million), sale exactly half of the 2011 figure of £4.8 million ($7.4million).

The so called “refined” bonus pool will also see five more golfers earn a share of the spoils – fifteen players will benefit this year as opposed to ten in 2011.

The announcement came on the brink of the commencement of the race yesterday with the Africa Open at East London Golf Club.

There had been speculation about the very future of the event until a new deal was struck in December which will see the tournament, which started in 2009, continue through until 2014 under a new name and title sponsor – The DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

European tour CEO Keith Waters, has said: “We are delighted to have everything in place for the new three-year phase of The Race to Dubai…in DP World and Nakheel we have two incredibly strong partners fully dedicated to the future success of The Race to Dubai and the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.”

The deal would have seen World Number One Luke Donald secure £642,000 ($995,000) as opposed to £951,000 ($1.5million) for topping the 2011 money list.

The prize fund for the season closing DP World Tour Championship in Dubai (November 22-25), however, has been increased to £5.1 million ($7.9 million) from £4.7 million ($7.3 milloin). This year’s victor will reveice £844,000 ($1.3 million)– more than £51,000 ($79,000) than the 2011 figure.

Formula One is expected to lose about US$100m in revenues due to cancelling its season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix amid safety fears due to civil unrest in the nation, currently home to violent human rights protests.

Some of the “biggest losers” will be the 12 teams, as it is believed there are penalty clauses in their contracts with sponsors that would be triggered by missing a race.

The biggest-spending race sponsor is Bahrain’s Gulf Air, which pays an estimated $6m for naming rights. That fee comprises around half of the total income from advertisers at the circuit.

Despite heavy losses being estimated, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has claimed that Bahrain will not have to forfeit its $40m staging fee after calling off the race.

Ecclestone looked to clarify the situation after reports suggested that Bahrain would still have to pay the bill, so to speak, despite not actually staging the event, telling the Daily Telegraph: “The fee that is normally being paid for the event is not being paid.I am not charging them for a race they are not getting.”

Ecclestone continued: “Whether they are covered by their insurers for loss of revenues, ticket sales etc., I am not sure. But if anything is force majeure then that (the political unrest) is. It is similar to if an earthquake had struck – no one could have foreseen that a month ago.”

It is unknown as to whether or not the Bahrain Grand Prix will be rescheduled for later in the calendar with Ecclestone adding: “If and when it is rescheduled they will pay their usual fee. If everything is peaceful, which we hope it will be, then we will try our best to fit it in.”

Another suggestion has been made that would see the postponed Bahrain race allowed to take Abu Dhabi’s place on the schedule. World Motor Sports Council VP Mohammed ben Sulayem said: “Abu Dhabi and Bahrain agreed to have a big separation on the calendar to make the most of the exposure that a grand prix brings. However, this is an emergency and in an emergency we need to work together.”

Memphis Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien has lost his job at the NBA franchise.

Along with assistant general manager Stu Lash, Levien was fired from the organisation by owner Robert Pera.

The team announced the stunning moves Monday afternoon, saying “the decision was made for Jason Levien and Stu Lash to depart the organization” after discussions with management.

ESPN.com first reported the departures earlier Monday, with sources close to the situation saying a breakdown in the relationship between Pera and Levien — who helped broker Pera’s purchase of the franchise from Michael Heisley in June 2012 — led to a major shakeup in Memphis for the second successive spring.

The Grizzlies, in confirming the departures of Levien and Lash, announced that longtime team executive Chris Wallace, who has moved into the background over the past 18 months, has been re-installed as head of basketball operations “for the time being.” It is also believed that Grizzlies general counsel Dave Mincberg will take a more prominent role in the team’s decision-making going forward.

“Our franchise has made tremendous strides over the last few seasons and we thank Jason for his hard work and dedication and wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors,” Pera said in a statement. “Rest assured that we remain as committed as ever to bringing a championship to this great city and we are confident that when the new season begins our fans will be excited about both our roster and the direction of our organization.”

Dover International Speedway and American Tower, order Inc. have announced a new partnership that will see a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) installed at the track prior to Dover’s spring race weekend in 2014.

The DAS will improve cellular telephone service and increase capacity for all participating carriers on event weekends.

The DAS — a series of hundreds of antennas — will be installed strategically throughout the facility, including the grandstands, FanZone, Monster FunZone, Hospitality Tent Village, Victory Plaza and within Dover Downs Hotel & Casino.

The DAS will allow mobile devices to connect to one of its hundreds of antennas in the venue, an upgraded alternative to relying on the external networks of the wireless carriers, which become overburdened with a dense population concentration at the track on event weekends.

“Essentially, the DAS will enhance mobile connectivity for our fans, sponsors, media and race teams on event weekends,” said Mike Tatoian, executive vice president and COO of Dover Motorsports, Inc. “With the evolution of smartphone technology, and the ability for our fans to get so much more out of their experience through channels like the NASCAR mobile app, connectivity is key while attending race weekends.”

NASCAR returns to Dover International Speedway May 30-June 1, 2014 for the June 1 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the May 31 NASCAR Nationwide Series race and the May 30 “Lucas Oil 200” NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. 

The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) has hired M&C Saatchi PR as agency of record through the Sochi 2014 winter games after a hotly contested pitch.

M&C Saatchi, ask which has a New York office, allergy worked the 2012 London Games on a project basis for USOC, sale which will lean on the firm for PR support through the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Weber Shandwick, Ketchum, Edelman/Matter, Hill+Knowlton Strategies and Cohn & Wolfe all took part in the review, in addition to M&C Saatchi, according to Patrick Sandusky, a Hill+Knowlton Strategies alum who is chief communications officer for the USOC.

The privately funded USOC also worked with Cohn & Wolfe on its “Raise Our Flag” campaign ahead of the London Games.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that Glasgow, discount Scotland will now host the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships.

The awarding of the event was originally stated as a European Championships but with a change to the IPC calendar the competition was upgraded to a World Championships. The announcement was made at Scotland’s national events conference ‘Scotland Prepares’, medic hosted by event partner EventScotland. 

The World Championships is the biggest event on the calendar for disability swimming outside of a Paralympic year and the competition is expected to see more than 650 athletes from more than 50 countries compete for honours. 

The venue will be the new Tollcross International Swimming Centre, the same pool that will host the swimming competitions of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. The venue is currently undergoing a £13.7million upgrade of its facilities, which will be finished in late spring of 2013. The refurbishment project will see the creation of a new six-lane, 50-metre warm-up pool to add to the existing 10-lane 50-metre competition pool. 

Xavier Gonzalez, IPC Chief Executive Officer, said: “After changing the competition cycle of IPC Swimming, we are very happy that Glasgow agreed to our suggestion of upgrading the 2015 European Championships to a World Championships. 

“Glasgow has everything needed to stage our World Championships and we are looking forward to working with British Swimming, UK Sport, Event Scotland and Glasgow City Council to make these Championships a fantastic event.” 

David Sparkes, Chief Executive for British Swimming said: “We are delighted to welcome the world’s best swimmers to the UK after announcing that we are to stage the IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow in 2015. British Swimming together with Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Life, EventScotland and UK Sport believe we can showcase Paralympic Swimming to the whole of World.” 

“We believe that we will put Paralympic Swimming and the IPC into a stronger position and in turn leave for the IPC a legacy which will prove to be an important landmark for the organisation. We look forward to welcoming the whole Paralympic Swimming Family to the friendly city of Glasgow and the beautiful country of Scotland which as we all know is passionate about sport. The Paralympics in London introduced the World to the quality of swimming and I hope that audience will embrace this competition in the same way.” 

Simon Morton, Director of Major Events at UK Sport, said: “This is incredible news for the sport, as the event will help prepare our top athletes for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio whilst providing an inspirational stage for thousands of spectators. 

“We’re delighted that the IPC Swimming World Championships will be one of the first major international Paralympic events to join UK Sport’s Gold Event Series – our programme to host some of the world’s biggest sporting events in the UK following London 2012 and Glasgow 2014.” 

Chair of Glasgow Life and the Executive Member for the Commonwealth Games, Councillor Archie Graham, said: “Glasgow’s reputation as one of the world’s leading sporting cities is growing all the time thanks to our investment in new and improved facilities and our ongoing sporting events programme. 

“The improvements at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre will create a facility that will host world-class competitions, such as the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships, as well as being open for local community use.” 

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland added: “Having already secured the IPC Swimming European Championships, it is hugely exciting that we will now be welcoming a World Championships. Scotland is the perfect stage for events and in the refurbished Tollcross International Swimming Centre we have a venue truly worthy of hosting a championship of this calibre. Welcoming the Commonwealth Games to the country in 2014 is a huge milestone but what happens after that is vital; and these championships will add to our ever growing portfolio of major events from 2015 onwards.” 

Maureen Campbell, Chair of Scottish Swimming said: “Scottish Swimming is delighted to see the IPC World Championships coming to Scotland. Tollcross is a first class facility and the city of Glasgow will provide a fantastic welcome to competitors from all nations 

John Atkinson, National Performance Director of British Disability Swimming said: “Hosting a home championships is a great benefit to the home nation in terms of developing its athletes and support staff, it provides a real focus that could be used to continue to motivate all in the sport.”

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and the Minnesota Vikings took a major step forward today in building a new multipurpose, drugs world-class stadium as the two parties jointly agreed to hire architectural firm HKS Sports & Entertainment Group to provide design services for the new stadium.

In a public meeting, impotent the MSFA board unanimously accepted the recommendation to enter into a contract with HKS.

“We collectively selected HKS because they have exceptional qualifications and offered the most unique approach. They have designed world-class stadiums and they understand how to create successful multipurpose stadiums, canada viagra ” said MSFA Chair Michele Kelm-Helgen. “They have exceptional experience in roof design which really set them apart from the other firms. They consistently raise the design bar on every project they are involved in.”

HKS designed the two most recent NFL stadiums – Cowboys Stadium in Texas and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana. The firm has extensive experience developing innovative sporting venues for collegiate and professional teams.

“Selecting an architect is one of the most important decisions we will make during this stadium process,” said Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf. “Through extensive research and collaboration with the Stadium Authority, it became clear that HKS’ creativity and qualifications made them the best firm for this project. Having watched NFL games inside both of their most recent stadiums, we strongly believe HKS will deliver the ultimate game day experience for Vikings fans while also ensuring this facility serves all Minnesotans throughout the year.”

HKS has pledged to work with a local architectural firm for a portion of the design and has committed to hiring 19% targeted businesses– 11% minority and 8% women-owned firms for portions of the contract. The contract is for design services and is in the amount of $34 million, which includes fees for subcontractors.

“We are excited to begin work on the new multipurpose stadium. We learned a lot from building the Dallas and Indianapolis stadiums and we look forward to leveraging our experience in the design for the Minnesota Vikings,” said Brian Trubey of HKS. “Our design approach is: Listen, Innovate and Deliver. We are excited to begin our process with the people of Minnesota. We will soon have a local architecture firm as a partner, and are excited to hire targeted businesses to help with our design work.”

HKS, the MSFA and the Vikings will begin a public meeting process on October 15 in front of the Minneapolis Stadium Implementation Committee at 4:00 pm, followed by a second public meeting in Minneapolis as well as meetings across the state.

Brendan Guilfoyle, Bradford Bulls administrator has set a deadline for rival bidders looking to acquire the club.

Guilfoyle, partner at The P&A Partnership and administrator at the Bradford Bulls, has set a deadline of 12pm tomorrow (Friday 10 August) for any further unconditional offers for the club.

He said the deadline has been set following a flurry of interest from potential buyers this week. It emerged today that Bradford City FC are behind the latest bid for the beleaguered club.

“There could now be up to five interested purchasers for the Bradford Bulls,” said Guilfoyle.

“It’s in everyone’s interest that we get a deal over the line as quickly as possible. Therefore, we have set this deadline of noon tomorrow for unconditional offers from anyone who can show that they have funds in place and a business plan.

“In addition to the offer from Super League (Europe) Ltd and an unconditional offer the Rugby Football League (RFL) considered yesterday, I understand that the RFL may have other parties interested in buying Bradford Bulls. The ABC consortium has reluctantly withdrawn. I have another group from Bradford still considering whether to make an unconditional offer.”

Guilfoyle stressed that any offers must be unconditional and advised potential bidders to consider a number of factors.

“Any purchaser is taking a chance on whether the club will be continuing in the Super League or playing in the Championship next season. If it’s the latter then the owner will still be paying Super League wages for up to 20 players for the next year.

“As well as paying rent to the RFL for Odsal any new owner will probably have to make capital investment in the ground before the next round of Super League franchise bids in 2015.”

At the time of its offer, SLE said it had taken “decisive action” to secure the future of Bradford Bulls by tabling an offer on behalf of the Super League clubs.

Earlier, a conditional bid for the Bulls by the ABC consortium was rejected by the RFL on the basis that the nature of its offer was unacceptable.

Bradford Bulls entered administration in June and are reportedly £1.5m in debt.