Sportradar have announced a partnership with the Malta Football Association (MFA) to launch of a pioneering educational program which will tackle the issue of betting-related corruption in Maltese football.

The ‘Say No to Match-Fixing’ integrity tour is an innovative collaboration between the MFA, Sportradar and Betaland, bringing together three of the key stakeholders with regards to integrity in sport.

The ‘Say No to Match-Fixing’ tour will be conducted by Sportradar and will educate players, referees and club officials about all relevant issues surrounding modern day match-fixing. Education, including an innovative e-learning tutorial, is the key focus of the program and will encompass aspects such as monitoring and detection systems used to identify manipulated matches and the consequences of engaging in corrupt activity.

The program is sponsored by Betaland, a bookmaker that has offices, and a sizeable customer base, in Malta. Through its involvement in this scheme, Betaland has taken the important step as a betting operator of assisting the fight against match-fixing in sport.

MFA President, Norman Darmanin Demajo, commented: “We are here today for two main reasons – the first, because we are aware of the threat that match fixing poses to the game of football, and secondly, because we are willing to do something about it. With the invaluable assistance of Sportradar and Betaland, the MFA will embark on an ‘integrity tour’ that we believe will be the blueprint of future ‘Say No to Match-Fixing’ campaigns designed to help safeguard our beloved game”.

Sportradar CEO, Carsten Koerl said “Sportradar is delighted to be a part of this ground-breaking cooperation with Betaland and the MFA. Working together with the sport federation and betting industry, we are in the strongest possible position to protect the integrity of Maltese football”.

Betaland CEO, Antonio Ricci, added: “Betaland is proud to be part of this project along with the MFA and Sportradar. As an international bookmaker, we support this important fight against match-fixing because we truly believe in sport and we intend to protect it from corruption and manipulation. For us this is a decisive partnership that goes beyond marketing and branding purposes, but wants to show clearly our social responsibility.”

News Corporation’s (NWSA) Fox Sports Media Group has acquired SportsTime Ohio, a Cleveland based regional sports network, according to Reuters.

The acquisition is expected to enhance its portfolio of regional sports channels and strengthen the company’s Fox Sports Media Group’s position in the lucrative sports entertainment business, where it competes with Walt Disney Company’s (DIS) sports coverage network, ESPN.

Moreover, with the buyout, News Corp. gained exclusive long-term local broadcasting rights for Cleveland Indians baseball games. The move will also facilitate the company to generate incremental revenues through advertising and subscriptions.

Earlier, in a similar move, the company entered into a deal to acquire 49% stake in the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES). The agreement also provides an option to the diversified media conglomerate to increase its stake up to 80% after three years.

News Corporation strives to add diverse revenue streams to hedge against the persisting economic volatility. The company is also focusing on the emerging markets to consolidate its media business, since these regions have millions of viewers.

The company remains on track to split into two separate publicly traded publishing and media and entertainment entities. There has been immense pressure from shareholders to divest the publishing arm, which has been grappling with lower operating profit compared with the entertainment unit.

An Independent Commission, initiated by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and chaired by Sir Philip Otton, will hold a hearing in April 2013 in London.

The Commission will look into issues and allegations arising out of the Reasoned Decision of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), of 10 October 2012, in relation to Lance Armstrong and the US Postal Service Team. Following this hearing the Commission will provide the UCI with its report and recommendations.

The sport’s global governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), appointed John Coates, President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport, to put forward the names of three people to comprise the independent panel. His selection has now been appointed. A hearing has been scheduled in London between April 9-26 2013, with the commission’s report published by June 1 2013.

Sir Philip Otton, formerly a court of appeal judge, will chair the commission. He and UK House of Lords Peer and Paralympic Champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Australian lawyer Malcolm Holmes QC will study all of the evidence presented by USADA to the UCI in its ‘Reasoned Decision’ that concluded that Armstrong was part of an organised doping programme at US Postal during his seven Tour de France wins.

“The appointment of these three eminent figures demonstrates clearly that the UCI wants to get to the bottom of the Lance Armstrong affair and put cycling back on the right track,” said UCI president Pat McQuaid in a statement issued on Friday.

“Rather than simply attacking the UCI, our critics now have an opportunity to be part of the solution. I would ask them, therefore, to make their representation to the Independent Commission – and to start to put cycling first.”

Armstrong was stripped of his wins by USADA, a decision later upheld by the UCI. Aside from the issues of doping, the report also contained several allegations directly related to the UCI’s activities, including the cover-up of alleged positive anti-doping tests originating from Armstrong, and a payment made by Armstrong to the UCI. Both current UCI president McQuaid and former president Hein Verbruggen were named in the report.

Much of the report was based on the testimonies of current and former professional riders who served as team-mates of Armstrong.

Since the USADA report, the UCI’s credibility has taken a severe knock, the appointment of the independent commission will – hopes the UCI – restore its credibility and that of professional cycling as a whole. Cycling has been dogged by repeated, high-profile doping scandals over the past two decades, and the overwhelming feeling among cycling fans and, more crucially, sponsors is that enough is enough.

“The Commission’s report and recommendations are critical to restoring confidence in the sport of cycling and in the UCI as its governing body,” said McQuaid.

“We will co-operate fully with the Commission and provide them with whatever they need to conduct their inquiry and we urge all other interested stakeholders to do the same. We will listen to and act on the Commission’s recommendations.”

Although the composition of the commission was suggested by Coates rather than the UCI, there have been some questions levelled at the UCI about the actual independence of the panel.

McQuaid tried to allay fears on this point in his statement: “Some of our critics have suggested that this Commission would not be fully independent. They were wrong. The UCI had no influence on the selection of the Commission members.”

World Sport Group has today launched the sale of 61 Executive Suites as part of the National Stadium Club membership programme at the Singapore Sports Hub.

National Stadium Club is the first corporate hospitality programme of its kind in Singapore and across Southeast Asia.  As part of this programme, cialis order 62 Executives Suites including a VVIP suite will be available at the new 55,000 capacity National Stadium, the centrepiece of the Singapore Sports Hub slated for opening in 2014.

The Executive Suites complete with panoramic views, luxurious interiors, and premium amenities and services offer its members a distinct sporting and entertainment experience at the National Stadium.  Members can enjoy in-suite catering with gourmet cuisine options, a members-only car park area, a private National Stadium VIP entrance, concierge services as well as priority access to a year-round calendar of sporting events and live entertainment.

Executive Suite capacities range from 8-seaters to 30-seaters and are priced between SGD 72,000 and SGD 272,000 annually.

World Sport Group, the exclusive commercial partner of the Singapore Sports Hub, manages the sales and marketing of the National Stadium Club membership programme.

“There is an increasing demand by Singapore’s corporate community for premium corporate hospitality and the National Stadium Club’s Executive Suites at the new National Stadium will fulfill that need.  This is a world-class membership programme designed to give members the ultimate sporting and hospitality experience.  The Executive Suites offers brands and companies a unique platform to engage with business associates, clients and employees through experiences which are memorable and meaningful,” said Adrian Staiti, Senior Vice-President, Stadiums and Arenas, World Sport Group.

The National Stadium Club Experience Centre, designed and built by the award-winning marketing communications company, Kingsmen, houses a replica of a 20-seat Executive Suite and showcases the programme’s offerings.  

The Experience Centre is located at 2 Stadium Walk, adjacent to the site of the Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang.  Complimentary transportation service sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, the Official Car of the Experience Centre, is provided to interested parties visiting the Experience Centre.  Interactive sales applications and virtual reality views of the Executive Suites including their sizes, locations, layout and vantage points are available on Digital Product Partner Samsung’s latest tablets and laptops.

The RFL have announced an increase in turnover to an all-time high of £27.04m ($42.3m) in 2011 when the distribution of funds to member clubs reached record levels, order it was announced at the sport’s Annual General Meeting earlier today.

The turnover of £27.04m represents an 18.5 per cent increase on 2010 and allowed the RFL to increase payments to or on behalf of clubs and other member organisations to £9.18m ($14.36M), health the 11th increase in successive years.

That figure, which includes fees for participating in the Challenge Cup, the Co-operative Championship, insurance payments and player welfare provision, is almost triple the amount invested five years ago, when distributions stood at £3.46m ($5.41m).

The RFL also recorded a pre-tax profit for the 10th consecutive year in 2011, in spite of the continued economic downturn.

RFL Chief Executive Nigel Wood said: “The RFL’s record turnover in 2011 is a commendable achievement which has allowed us to provide unparalleled levels of assistance to clubs at a time when every area of the game is facing financial pressure.

“Whilst the governing body remains committed to building on its track record of delivering growth across the whole game, we are under no illusions as to how tough it is out there.

“The flat economic outlook means that 2011 turnover levels could represent something of a high water mark for the RFL but we will continue to strive to build on our achievements of the last 11 years.

“With the kick-off of the Rugby League World Cup just 15 months away, the organisation and the sport are well placed to take full advantage of the opportunities this exciting international competition present.”

Turner Sports has partnered with a trio of social media service providers to boost the community and social elements of NCAA Basketball tournament March Madness.

The network is working with Mass Relevance, health an Austin, Texas-based developer of a social curation platform to filter and collate Twitter and Facebook posts related to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

In addition to hashtagged school name posts, Mass Relevance will help locate and collect social media content referencing other tournament facets, such as players, coaches, alumni, and even area codes: During Virginia Commonwealth’s unlikely run to the Final Four last year, “804” became a popular Twitter hashtag, referencing the school’s central Virginia area code. The content will run in a tournament-specific Twitter feed within the March Madness Live player.

Mass Relevance has worked with several sports and entertainment entities and brands, including the New York Giants, NBC Sports, MTV and Pepsi.

Also working with Turner for a second year on social media curation is Ball State University’s SportsLink program, in which students will help guide and develop social conversation around the tournament that appears in the feed within the player.

Michael Adamson, Turner Sports vice president of new products and services, and a Ball State alumnus, said: “The tournament is really as much a festival as it is a sporting event. So we’re putting a lot of emphasis this year on these social features, looking to combine the best of automated platforms with human curation.”

Video sharing is also coming to March Madness Live for the first time. Turner has expanded its partnership with San Francisco-based technology outfit SnappyTV to allow users to easily grab and share clips of action from the tournament in near-real time. The video clips, up to 15 seconds in length, can then be easily sent to personal blogs, other websites, Twitter and Facebook.

Turner worked with SnappyTV last summer on a similar effort for the PGA Championship. The video sharing is only for the broadband version of March Madness Live this year, and is not yet available on smartphone or tablet platforms. For SnappyTV, which has also worked extensively with networks on video sharing around scripted TV, March Madness Live will represent its biggest sports-related effort to date.

by Ismail Uddin

The World Golf Championship (WGC), described as the world’s richest golf event, will be hosted in South Africa from next year after a US$10m event featuring the sport’s top 70 players was unveiled yesterday, April 12.

The event will be called the Tournament of Hope and will be used to create awareness of poverty and AIDS in Africa, although host cities and dates are yet to be confirmed, in an announcement made just two days after South African Charl Schwartzel won the 75th edition of the Masters in Augusta, Georgia.

Sunshine Tour commissioner Gareth Tindall said the five-year deal to stage the WGC event was clinched after meetings with representatives of the US PGA Tour and the International Federation of PGA Tours in Augusta last week, stating: “This is without doubt the most significant milestone in the history of professional golf in South Africa.What is even more significant is that we have the commitment that we will host this World Golf Championships event for a period of five years.”

Tindall added that organisers will look at the first weekend of December for the event even though that would clash with Tiger Woods’ Chevron Challenge and when asked about the possible clash, Tindall said: “They will have to move it.”

The Tournament of Hope will be only the second WGC event outside the United States after the HSBC Champions in China.

A list of partners ahead of the 2011 Formula One season has been announced by the Red Bull Racing team which includes Total, Rauch, Pepe Jeans, Casio, Singha Beer, FXDD, Geox, Pirelli, Alpinestars, Platform Computing and Siemens.

The announcement was made at the launch of its 2011 challenger, the RB7, which was unveiled by 2010 World Champion Sebastian Vettel and his team-mate Mark Webber.

Christian Horner, Team Principal of Red Bull Racing, stated: “The team’s been very focused on RB7 over the last few months; Adrian didn’t release his drawings any earlier than normal, so the whole design group and production team have done a remarkable job to produce this car in the shortest possible time. It’s a long season, the longest in F1 history, and we have some great opponents, but we are very motivated and will be working hard to hold on to the two world titles.”

The team’s Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey added: “It’s always a special moment when a car runs for the first time. The big challenge for us this year was the reintroduction of the KERS system. It’s always a challenge to find solutions, which don’t compromise the aerodynamics of the car. This season, with McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all having KERS, we need to get it to work, simply for performance off the line.”

Lancashire County Cricket Club is looking to sell the naming rights to its Old Trafford ground, it has been reported.

Other cricket clubs have taken similar decisions this season, including Durham which saw the Riverside become the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground, while Surrey’s home has been sponsored by Fosters and AMP in the past and is now the Brit Oval.

Lancashire chief executive Jim Cumbes said: “We will explore all options – it is in our minds to sell the naming rights.

“But it would have to be right for the ground because Old Trafford is such an iconic name and such a strong brand.

“Half the world knows it as a football ground and the other half know it as a cricket ground.

“If it fits with the name of Old Trafford then it is something we are looking at.”

Lancashire is hoping to host an Ashes test in 2013.