The French government has today unveiled plans to develop in Guyane (French Guiana), located just north of Brazil, an array of high quality sporting infrastructure over the next four years.  

The plans were revealed today at Club France in London, during a special presentation involving FIFA World Cup winner, Bernard Lama, and Olympic Silver Medallist, Malia Metalla, in anticipation of Brazil hosting the world’s two largest sporting events in 2014 and 2016.   

The new developments in Guyane, which include stadia, hotels, a transport network and other facilities fit to host high performance sport, are aimed at attracting elite athletes and national teams from the world’s top sporting nations.  The developments are underway so sportsmen and women can use Guyane as a training base in the lead up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup or 2016 Olympic Games.

The GIP Guiana 2014-2016 team, which is overseeing the developments, is currently in London to learn lessons from the London 2012 organizers, present its plans to media and meet with key sporting dignitaries from around the world during the Games.  The delegation will be based at Club France in Old Billingsgate walk until Saturday, 4 August.

Roger-Michel Loupec, President of Guyane 2014-2016, said: “From 2013, the sports world will be following the rhythm of the South American continent. French Guiana, like the Pas de Calais before it, intends to offer sport federations the best possible training and preparation facilities. With no time difference, a similar climate, European standard safety conditions and free access to sports facilities, you need look no further. We await you in French Guiana.” 

Ahead of 2014, Guyane’s football facilities will be transformed, with the Edmard Lama stadium in Rémire-Montjoly and the Bois Chaudat stadium in Kourou significantly enlarged and renovated in order to attract the world’s best football teams.  Additional sporting infrastructure is also being developed across the country in time for 2016, including an international standard athletics track in Rémire-Montjoly, a 10 lane swimming pool in Cayenne, a martial arts hall in Matoury for combat sports and fencing and a water course in Montsinéry for elite rowers, canoeists and kayakers. 

Jean-Pierre Mougin, Secretary-General of the French National Olympic Committee,commented: “By spending just over €35 million over three years on the construction and renovation of sports facilities, French Guiana is addressing the growing needs of a steadily increasing young population.” 

“Over and above this, the territory’s exceptional effort in developing sports facilities provides the opportunity for French and foreign teams to train in good conditions on this European territory of South America. For all these reasons, the National Olympic Committee is carefully monitoring the project’s progress.” 

Sports federations wishing to base themselves in Guyane ahead of 2014 or 2016 will also be able to take advantage of upgraded hotel facilities and an enhanced transport system. More than 4,000 beds will be made available across the country, while the Felix Eboue international airport will have daily services to and from France, Brazil and the West Indies.

London Welsh’s appeal against the decision to block their promotion to the Aviva Premiership has been put back by a week.

The case will now be heard on June 28 – it was originally scheduled for Thursday – under agreement by all parties involved.

The independent panel will compromise of James Dingemans QC (chairman), Ian Mill QC and Tim Ward QC at a venue yet to be confirmed.

Welsh won this season’s Championship after beating Cornish Pirates in both legs of the final.

But the Richmond-based club were told just hours before the first leg kicked off in Cornwall they did not meet minimum standards criteria set down by English rugby’s Professional Game Board for entry to the Premiership.

The Exiles played the final’s second leg at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, which is thought to be their preferred venue should they gain top-flight status.

As things stand, Newcastle will remain in the Premiership next term despite finishing bottom a point behind Wasps this season.

But should London Welsh succeed in overturning an original decision that went against them, they will go up and the Falcons be relegated.

India’s biggest beer by market share, denture Kingfisher, order  believe its sponsorship of English amateur cricket will give it a firmer foothold in the UK market and displace rival Cobra Beer.

The Indian brand, shop is using its sponsorship of the England & Wales Cricket Board’s ‘Kingfisher Beer Cup’, the nation’s top amateur cricket league, as part of a fundraising initiative to drive money back into grassroots cricket.

The scheme will be spearheaded by the launch of the ‘Kingfisher Quiz and Curry Night’ next month, which invites amateur cricket clubs to host their own quiz nights.

Clubs who register online for the event are sent an interactive quiz DVD as well instructions on how to organise and promote the fundraiser.

It is part of Kingfisher’s bid raise its profile outside of the Indian restaurant sector by bolstering its ties to “aspirational sports”, particularly cricket and Formula 1. 

Laura Mitchell marketing manager at Kingfisher said: “This isn’t just another campaign for us, the idea is that we grow this into something bigger over the next few years. While cricket is our core platform, the model we’ve developed is something that could be transferable to other sports and amateur clubs.”
England international cricketer, Graeme Swann, will front the campaign in the UK for the next two years.

In December the ECB announced that National Club Championship was being renamed the Kingfisher Beer Cup after the Indian brand signed a three-year sponsorship deal.

Shekhar Ramamurthy, deputy president of Kingfisher owner, Unite Breweries, says while the brand has an established international presence in cricket, his ambition is to extend its links by investing in the recreational game.

“All the marketing activity we’re doing may look a little disparate but when you put them together the objective is to make the brand in all the markets it operates in, particularly the UK, be seen as an Indian brand with a cool international image.”

With two weeks to go until the single biggest rugby focused conference and exhibition comes to Twickenham, Rugby Expo has announced the launch of an exclusive networking tool provided by iSportconnect.com, the industry’s leading community portal combining social networking, the latest sports business news as well as events and jobs listings.

The platform will act as a virtual meeting room, so that Expo participants can interact before, during and after the event in a secured way, thanks to the site’s Strict Door Policy.

Rugby Expo, the world’s leading rugby focused business to business conference and exhibition, will this year take place at Twickenham on November 23-24.

Taking place just three weeks after the World Cup final, when the sporting world is truly aware of the power and potential of rugby as a global sport, Rugby Expo 2011 will also play host to more than 50 leading speakers from across the sports industry, an expected 40 rugby focused exhibitors and more than 1,000 attendees over the two days of the event.

This year’s event has been re-designed to create a new approach to its structure with the aim of adding more value and benefits for our exhibitors and sponsors and more content, learning and networking opportunities for the delegates in attendance.

For more information, please visit www.rugbyexpo.com

The PGA TOUR and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms have announced a deal to enter into a five-year integrated marketing partnership. Beginning in 2011 the agreement will make IHG an official partner of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour in the hotel and resort category.

In addition, Crowne Plaza^® Hotels & Resorts will extend its title sponsorship of the PGA TOUR’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial through until 2015.  Crowne Plaza has served as title sponsor of the historic event since 2007.

Jim Abrahamson, President, The Americas, IHG stated: “We are extremely pleased to announce this new long-term relationship with the PGA TOUR, which includes extending our sponsorship of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. This partnership provides a terrific opportunity for IHG to showcase all its eight brands and bring to life our award winning loyalty program for fans as well as the PGA TOUR’s membership base of players from around the world.”

PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem added: “We are delighted to extend our tournament sponsorship with Crowne Plaza and to expand our relationship with InterContinental Hotels Group. The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial is one of the most storied tournaments on the PGA TOUR, as well as one of the leading tournaments in terms of charitable giving, and Crowne Plaza’s sponsorship is important to continuing this legacy. Also, by welcoming IHG as an Official Marketing Partner, our players – as well as their families and caddies – will receive valuable benefits and room options throughout the year.”

As an Official Marketing Partner of the PGA TOUR, IHG will provide a variety of benefits to players, including:

• * A designated number of room nights for players across all three Tours
• * Platinum status in the Priority Club® Rewards program for all members
• * Preferred rates for all players, caddies, media partners and PGA TOUR staff across all of IHG’s brands
• * For several players who participate in a special program that includes personal appearances with IHG guests at tournaments and/or use of their name and likeness, additional benefits will include an increased number of complimentary room nights per year

IHG also will invest in PGA TOUR assets including media, special events, TPCs and charitable activities. PGATOUR.COM will feature a “hotel finder” on the tournament pages that will allow fans to easily book hotel rooms at one of IHG’s 4,500 properties when traveling to these events.

Tim Gavin has been re-elected as President of the New South Wales Rugby Union.

The NSW legend, therapy who represented the Waratahs on 83 occasions including 30 as captain, unhealthy | was elected for a further 12-month term at the NSW Rugby Union Annual General Meeting held at Moore Park on Monday.

Under the Union’s constitution, rx he will now spend a third and final year in the position, with fellow former NSW captain Mick Mathers continuing as Vice President.

In his report to the AGM, Gavin acknowledged the support of the Honorary Life Members and congratulated all affiliates on another successful year of community rugby in New South Wales. A moment was taken to remember two great men of New South Wales Rugby who passed away during 2013. Vale outstanding halfback and captain John Hipwell and NSW Schools administrator Ewart Robson.

NSWRU recorded a financial loss of $82,506 for the year ended December 31, 2013, attributed to a decrease in funding from Australian Rugby Union and increased property costs.

The International Judo Federation (IJF) have signed a contract with the organization of the World Judo Masters, viagra buy | Tyumen 2013, which will be held in Russia on May 25th and 26th.

The ceremony took place in the presence of the IJF President, Marius Vizer, the Governor of Tyumen, Vladimir Vladimirovich Yakushev, the President of the Russian Judo Federation, Vasily Anisimov, and the President of the European Judo Union, Sergey Soloveychik.

Yakushev declared how happy he was to have such an important event coming to his region: “We are very proud to welcome the international judo family in Tyumen and the best judo players in the world. We have already organized the Open World Championship, last year in our city and it was a great success. Chelyabinsk organized the European Championship and every year, Moscow welcomes the Grand Slam. The Masters will once again put the focus on judo in Russia and it is a great honor for us.”

Vizer underlined the fantastic results obtained by Russia during the last Olympic games in London: “It shows the dynamism of Russian Judo. It shows that judo, as a sport, has a lot of success, but it also shows that judo is an incredible educational tool and this is something that is really crucial for the development of judo in Russia and throughout the world. In 2014, we will also be present in Russia, in Chelyabinsk for the World Judo Championships.”

Anisimov added that he was also really proud of his team and of all the work that is done in his country, by his federation to support the IJF and the development of judo. “Judo is the best sport and Tyumen will be the capital of the best sport in May”, said Mr. Anisimov.

beIN SPORT, ed the new independent 24-hour global network dedicated to live and exclusive coverage of the world’s best international sports, recipe announced it has selected Bob Gold & Associates, a full-service public relations agency, to lead its North American communications program.

“Bob Gold & Associates is widely recognized in the cable TV and telecommunications industry for its award-winning work for programmers, distributors and suppliers,” said Yousef Al Obaidly, managing director of beIN SPORT. “Bob Gold & Associates will serve as an invaluable partner.”

Following one of the most successful network launches in recent history, beIN SPORT is currently available to over 55 million subscribers of the nation’s largest satellite and cable TV companies – including DIRECTV, DISH, Comcast, and others.

Among the programming that can only be seen on beIN SPORT is coverage of the top soccer leagues and tournaments from Europe and South America, including Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, France’s Ligue Un, South American World Cup Qualifiers and Copa America 2015, as well as the away games for the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team in the qualifying rounds of the 2014 World Cup.

“beIN SPORT is everything that an international sports fan ever wanted in a channel,” said Bob Gold, president and owner of Bob Gold & Associates. “We are excited and honored to be working for such a world-class organization.”