The Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) has released the provisional calendar for next season’s MotoGP, and there will be no race in Hungary.

The 18-race schedule was without a Hungarian MotoGP this year as the venue was not ready, and will miss out again to Aragon, Spain, which stepped in for the race this season.

Spain will now host four races for the 2011 MotoGp championship with Aragon, Jerez, Catalunya and the traditional season finale in Valencia.

The season will start in Qatar on 20 March with the British GP at Silverstone taking place on 12 June.

Provisional 2011 MotoGP Calendar:

• March 20 Losail International Circuit, Qatar*
• April 3 Jerez, Spain
• April 24 Motegi, Japan
• May 1 Estoril, Portugal
• May 15 Le Mans, France
• June 5 Catalunya, Spain
• June 12 Silverstone, Great Britain
• June 25 Assen, Netherlands**
• July 3 Mugello, Italy
• July 17 Sachsenring, Germany
• July 24 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, United States***
• August 14 Brno, Czech Republic
• August 28 Indianapolis Motor Speedway, United States
• September 4 Misano, San Marino
• September 18 Motorland Aragon, Spain
• October 16 Phillip Island, Australia
• October 23 Sepang, Malaysia
• November 6 Valencia, Spain

* Evening Race
** Saturday Race
*** Only MotoGP class

 

David Jackson has been appointed Marketing Manager for Sunderland AFC and 1879 Events Management.

The 32 year-old, ailment who lives in Sunderland, try was formerly Marketing and Communications Manager for Newcastle-based law firm Dickinson Dees and was promoted to Head of Business Development Operations for the firm’s entire UK operation when it merged to form Bond Dickinson in 2013.

Before that the Northumbria University Economics graduate had worked on a freelance basis for a number of small service companies, ambulance including various law firms and recruitment agencies, and spent time in the in-house PR and Communications departments of several Newcastle-based firms, including Watson Burton and Eversheds.

In his new role as Marketing Manager for SAFC David will oversee a team of eight staff members, specifically tasked with managing marketing campaigns for the club and its subsidiary 1879 Events Management.

This includes all relevant activities for the forthcoming concerts at the Stadium of Light featuring One Direction and multi-artist event North East Live, along with catering and events at the Stadium and National Glass Centre, Sunderland, which are both managed by 1879 Events Management.

David said: “The same principles of marketing apply for almost every sector, but moving from law into football and food is certainly going to be a change of pace for me and one I’m really looking forward to relishing over the coming months.”

IMG Challenger World, viagra 60mg the Mass Participation Sport division of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, has been awarded an extension to its contract with Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority to deliver the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon until 2015. 

As delivery partner, IMG will continue to successfully plan and manage the event with a large emphasis on operational delivery, while also providing commercial, marketing and communications support. 

During the initial three year delivery which began in 2010, IMG – together with the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority – established the event as one of the must-do long course events in the world, attracting top professional athletes, such as two-time Ironman world champion Chris McCormack and three-time champion Craig Alexander, whilst also securing over 2,000 mass participation entries. 

Greg Sproule, Managing Director for IMG Middle East, said: “IMG has harnessed the rapid and successful development of sporting events in the UAE to create and deliver an event which is attractive to both elite and amateur athletes. 

“The aesthetics, culture and points of interest in the city, combined with a challenging and exciting course give us a great event to further establish and grow over the next three years.  We are grateful for the opportunity to continue our association with the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority; they are fantastic host partners and share our vision to continue to elevate the event year-on-year.” 

The fourth edition of the event will take place on 2nd March 2013 and will be raced over three unique distances to ensure athletes experience the very best of Abu Dhabi. 

The race village and transition will once again be based at the East Plaza (Public Beach) on the Corniche. It will be a sea swim from the beach; the bike course will weave through the unmistakable scenery of the city of Abu Dhabi, featuring tree-lined roads, landscaped parks and gardens and the sparkling waters of the Arabian Gulf, which surround the city, all under the safety of completely closed roads. 

To the east of Abu Dhabi city, the bike route passes over Saadiyat Island and on to another attraction sure to whet the appetite of cyclists: Yas island, the emirate’s leisure and entertainment destination. Here, athletes in the short and long course will cycle round the Yas Marina Circuit, which has hosted four hugely successful editions of the Etihad Airways F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. 

The run course remains unchanged, heading west along the Corniche out onto the breakwater with stunning views back to the city on the return leg.  Athletes will finish at the East Plaza location. 

In addition to this, IMG Consulting’s UK based PR team, has also been awarded a three-year contract as the international PR team to the event, having successfully delivered over the previous three years. They will be leading the global triathlon, sport and lifestyle PR, working with the UAE based local agency for the event and Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority’s international offices across nine key global source markets. 

Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager at the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, added: “The IMG Consulting PR team has been invaluable the last three years in helping to position the event globally as a ‘classic’ destination race amongst the global triathlon audience.  We are looking forward to working with them again over the coming three years to cement this status and widen its appeal through travel and lifestyle audiences, as well as to communicate Abu Dhabi as the premier winter training destination for endurance athletes.

The British colony of Gibraltar has been accepted as a provisional member of UEFA on Monday following a decision by the executive committee meeting in St Petersburg.

A decision on whether to grant full membership to the colony, which has a population of only 28,000, and allow it to become UEFA’s 54th member will be taken by the full Congress in London next May. 

Gibraltar’s case has been strengthened by a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling that UEFA has to consider its membership.

Spain still claims sovereignty over Gibraltar after it was ceded to Britain under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.

An edict from the Consejo Superior de Deportes to all sports federations in Spain says they should block any membership application from organisations in Gibraltar.

If Gibraltar is admitted to European Championship qualifiers it would be the smallest country to compete, smaller even than San Marino, who play England next week.

English Premier league team, Fulham have been granted permission to turn Craven Cottage into a 30,000-seater stadium.

They are set to expand the capacity of the ground by an additional 4,300 seats.
The decision was made by Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council’s planning applications committee on Thursday.

The changes will see a new upper tier added to the Riverside Stand, while planning consent also allows for the partial demolition and rebuilding of the western ends of the Putney and Hammersmith stands.

The club will add an upper tier to the currently single-decker Riverside stand, while the western ends of the Putney and Hammersmith stands behind the two goals, will be partially demolished and reconstructed.

“This modest expansion, which will be carried out in a sensitive and sensible way, will allow the club to remain competitive in the top tier of English football,” council leader Nicholas Botterill said.

“It will also remove the existing, rather ugly, Riverside Stand.”

Alistair Mackintosh, the Fulham CEO, said the club was delighted with the decision, adding: “Craven Cottage is synonymous with Fulham FC, and it is vital that the club is given every opportunity to develop the facilities available to ensure that it can continue to prosper and compete and remain at its home for the long term.

” I am confident that an increased capacity and major improvements to the facilities can help us deliver the chairman’s vision of long-term growth and self sustainability for this football club.”

Women’s Rugby in South America is starting to take off after the first women’s Sevens circuit in the Region was launched in Brazil.

The “Super Sevens” gets underway in San Jose at the end of June and is designed to promote the shorter format of the sport ahead of the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro while also assisting with the development of women’s teams in Brazil.

“This is great news for women’s Rugby and bodes very well for Brazil as they look towards Rugby’s return to the Olympic Games in Rio 2016,” said IRB Head of Development and Performance Mark Egan.

“It follows on from a very successful CONSUR Sevens tournament in Rio earlier this year and, in February 2013, that event will again take place in Rio for what will be the regional qualifying tournament for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 in Moscow. So clearly, these are exciting times for Rugby Sevens in South America,” he said.

The Brazil women’s team did well at the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 in Dubai, making it through to the Bowl final and lighting up the tournament. It also took part in three recent IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cups in Dubai, Hong Kong and London.

President of the Brazil Rugby Union (CBRu) Sami Arap Sobrinho said: “Women’s rugby is growing all over the world and we are proud that Brazil is very much part of that success.”

“Today we have a national team that has been South American champion eight times in a row and has represented the Region proudly on the world stage. We believe we can develop further and achieve even better results. That is why we are rewarding the women’s clubs with this high-level national competition. The more they play together, the stronger they will become,” said Arap Sobrinho.

There will be one Super Sevens event held each month for the next five months with each being hosted by a club with support of the local Union and under the supervision of CBRu. There will be 10 core teams participating, made up of the top six sides in the Brazil Sevens 2011 plus four other teams invited by mutual agreement between the local Union and CBRu.

Kenya is hoping to secure $5 million (£3.2 million) to help market itself during London 2012, it has been revealed. 

Brand Kenya, the agency set-up by the Government in the East African country to help bring investment into the country, is currently searching for a property that can act as “Kenya House” during the Games.

The group will also Kenya’s remarkable success in distance running to help give a positive image of the country and persuade people to invest there.

Since making its Olympic debut at Melbourne in 1956, Kenya has won a total of 75 medals, 23 of them gold, including six at Beijing in 2008.

“We want to market Kenya not as a sporting nation, but an investment destination,” said Mary Kimonye, the chief executive of Brand Kenya. 

“We are seeking funds from the private sector through a partnership that will enable us sponsor a number of events in the Kenya House.

“The level of funding we are looking for from companies that we want them to raise is about $5.5 million (£3.5 million/€4.2 million).”

A number of groups, including Export Promotion Council, Export Processing Zones, Kenya Investment Authority and Kenya Tourism Board, are already working together to raise money to fund the project.

“Kenya’s competitive advantage as a country to do business was boosted mainly by its superior infrastructure, capacity for innovation, quality of education, sophistication of financial markets and exotic natural resources,” said Kimonye.

Kenya House will probably be located in central London and will showcase the country’s tourism, culture, coffee and food markets.

The plan has the support of Kipchoge Keino, the godfather of Kenyan distance running who won the 1500 metres at Mexico City in 1968 and who is now the chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya.

Kenya’s team won a total of 14 medals at Beijing 2008, including victory in the men’s 800m for Wilfred Bungei, their best ever performance and hopes are high they will do even better in London.

“We have our brand as our athletes have done us proud in the past sports events,” said Keino, who claimed a second gold medal at Munich in 1972 when he won the 3,000m steeplechase. 

“We have the best tea, coffee, tourism, culture. Let’s put together and sell what we have.”