FIFA’s ethics committee have formally opened proceedings to investigate Mohamed bin Hammam.

Bin Hammam, 63, was banned from all football activity for life last year after being found guilty of bribery by a FIFA ethics committee.

However, that ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on July 19 after the Qatari’s appeal was upheld on the grounds of insufficient evidence.

Following the CAS ruling, Bin Hammam was provisionally suspended by FIFA’s ethics committee again and a statement released today read: “The chairman of the investigatory chamber of the FIFA ethics committee, Michael J Garcia, today formally opened investigation proceedings against Mohamed bin Hammam.

“These proceedings follow the provisional banning of Bin Hammam for 90 days, as established by the Ethics Committee on 26 July 2012 after a preliminary investigation of the case.”

The original case against Bin Hammam was opened during his challenge for FIFA presidency, meaning Sepp Blatter retained the position unchallenged.

The FA officially opened today St. George’s Park with builders Bowmer & Kirkland handing over the keys to the facility.

A small ‘handing over’ ceremony took place outside the main entrance to the St. George’s Park football and sports complex, pill where the site’s logo was also unveiled.

David Sheepshanks, Chairman of St. George’s Park, was joined by John Kirkland, Chairman of Bowmer & Kirkland, to mark the occasion.

Speaking at the event, Sheepshanks said: “This is a real red letter day for The FA and English football. Last night Spain set a new standard for world football to try and emulate. St. George’s Park is all about the future in England and investing in our development for the long-term, so that in developing world-class coaches we can inspire excellence in our players of the future.”

Kirkland added: ““This is a very proud day for us. To be a part of this historic, inspirational project by The Football Association has been a great honour.”

With the site now in the hands of The FA and key partners, Hilton and Spire Healthcare, final fit-out will now take place, before the site opens to customers later this summer.

Rugby World Cup 2015 in England will kick off in 1, order 221 days time after the IRB Council approved September 18 as the start date for Rugby’s showcase event.

The announcement is a key aspect of tournament preparation and enables tournament owners Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL), Tournament Organisers England Rugby 2015 Limited (ER 2015) and Unions to advance preparations for what is expected to be the biggest-ever Rugby World Cup, delivering a forecasted record boost to the global Game.

The decision, made at the Annual Meeting of the IRB Council in Dublin, is the result of an exhaustive and collaborative review process which culminated in the recommendation of September 18 by Tier 1 Chairmen and Chief Executives last week as the most suitable start date within the September-October Rugby World Cup window.

A number of dates were considered, with each proposal accompanied by detailed analysis and research. September 18 was selected to maximise collective benefits for Participating Unions while ensuring the best-possible sporting and financial platform for an exceptional Rugby World Cup in England that will continue to drive forward the development of the global Game.

RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Throughout this collaborative process we have set out to achieve a Rugby World Cup 2015 start date that is good for participating Unions, good for our other major international Rugby events and ultimately good for the development of the global Game.”

“September 18 achieves just that and coupled with a robust collaborative funding model, we have collectively moved to address the challenges that face our Unions during a Rugby World Cup year.”

ER 2015 Chief Executive Paul Vaughanadded: “ER 2015 welcomes confirmation of the start date for Rugby World Cup 2015 in England. Planning and preparation is on track and this milestone announcement further focuses our operational work as we look to deliver the best ever Rugby World Cup,” said Vaughan.

“For fans, players and all stakeholders, knowing that the Rugby World Cup 2015 will kick off on September 18 and the Final will be played on October 31 at England’s iconic Twickenham stadium, brings the tournament to life and really builds excitement.”

“Our priority now is to confirm the tournament venues and, as we work through it, our aim is to showcase the Game around the country, inspiring the largest possible audience as we prepare to welcome the global Rugby family and host one of the world’s largest sporting events.”

The new financial model underpins the selection of the date and will see the IRB invest an additional £50 million in the global Game from 2012-2015. This is in addition to the £150 million that the IRB is investing in Rugby between 2009 and 2012.

Lapasset added: “I am delighted that we have a unified agreement on a way forward that will promote a business partnership with our Unions over the next four years to invest in the future of Rugby and deliver a funding model that is good for the Game as a whole and will promote the long-term strength of Rugby as the sport continues to grow on all fronts.”

IRB Acting Chief Executive Robert Brophy commented: “The agreed model directly addresses the challenges faced by our Unions by delivering an equitable business outcome that provides certainty, promotes stability as well as proactively addressing the issue of reduced revenues for participating Unions during a Rugby World Cup year. This new financial model will also see our investment increase across Tier 2 and Tier 3 Unions, IRB Regions, Sevens and strategic development tournaments.”

The Minnesota Vikings will start a new media campaign on the team’s stadium efforts during tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup in Green Bay with fans watching the Vikings-Packers game on either KARE 11 or ESPN seeing television ads based on the team’s stadium advocacy video unveiled on Saturday, allergy November 5.

The Vikings media campaign is designed to drive accurate information on the stadium issue, viagra arm fans and supporters with the facts, unhealthy and remind everyone what the Vikings mean to Minnesota. Online, radio, print and television advertising elements will be included over the next several weeks, and the team will begin making community stops around the State to discuss the issue.

Lester Bagley, Vikings Vice President of Public Affairs and Stadium Development, said:  “This team is followed by over two million Minnesotans every week and is an important piece of the fabric of this State. We have a great story to tell, and it’s time for us to take the case for a new stadium more directly to the public.”

The team’s :30 and :60 television spots, along with the complete stadium advocacy video and new Arden Hills stadium images, are available for download on the team’s media-only ftp site (instructions attached) in the file titled “New Vikings Stadium.”

The 2011 European Tour will feature three new events in a season that will contain a minimum of 50 tournaments and finish in December for the first time.

The Race to Dubai starts on 9 December, 2010 at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa and ends on 11 December at the Dubai World Championship.

New tournaments in Bahrain, Sicily and Malaysia punctuate the year.

The December finish in 2011 should allow following European Tour seasons to be completed in a calendar year.

European Tour chief Keith Waters said: ” The Race to Dubai will conclude in December for the first time in 2011, enabling us to introduce a schedule based on the calendar year, which has been our stated intention for some time now.

“We anticipate, therefore, that the 2012 season will commence in January that year and conclude in late November.”

The new events in 2011 are the Volvo Golf Champions at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain from 27-30 January, the Sicilian Open from 17-20 March and the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia from 17-20 November.

Wentworth will host the European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, for the 31st time and 28th in succession, from 26-29 May.

Three tournaments will have new venues with the Ballantine’s Championship taking place at the Blackstone Golf Club in Seoul, the Hassan II Golf Trophy at the Golf de Palais et Golf de L’Océan, in the Moroccan town of Agadir and the Omega Mission Hills World Cup being held at the Mission Hills Resort, Hainan Island.

Waters added: “We are extremely encouraged that The 2011 Race to Dubai comprises not only many of our established tournaments in addition to some new events and venues but also three significant month-long runs in designated locations.

“We start with four weeks in South Africa then four in the Gulf and later in the year there is a similar sequence with the Iberian Peninsula Swing.”

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has been attacked outside his London office and robbed of jewelry worth $314, ask 000.

A new and exciting basketball season takes flight this week on the wings of Turkish Airlines Euroleague superstars flying through the air with the greatest of ease. The way in which its star players and coaches inspire fans was the focus as Euroleague Basketball presented its new international marketing campaign, #NoJumpNoGlory, on Tuesday. 

 

Website: http://nojumpnoglory.com/

Youtube video: Click here

Downloadable video: Click here

The jump is essential to basketball. Without it, the sport wouldn’t be the same. Rising higher to shoot better, to dunk stronger, to block shots and to rip rebounds is the step-ladder to basketball glory.

Off the court, jumping higher is a symbol for reaching objectives, meeting new challenges, overcoming difficulties and rising to the occasion in many other ways.

The airborne Euroleague star, always reaching higher in pursuit of excellence, is the protagonist of Euroleague Basketball’s theme for the 2014-15 season: No Jump, No Glory.

A cross-section of Euroleague stars, Dimitris Diamantidis of Panathinaikos Athens, Emir Preldzic of Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul, Felipe Reyes of Real Madrid, Robertas Javtokas of Zalgiris Kaunas and Sinan Guler of Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul, Alex Abrines of FC Barcelona and Georgios Printezis, of Olympiacos Piraeus, Fernando San Emeterio of Laboral Kutxa Vitoria, Vitaly Fridzon of CSKA Moscow and Dogus Balbay of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, lend their talents, their thoughts and their passion for reaching higher to #NoJumpNoGlory

The campaign will mark all the key moments of the season with examples of players, coaches, fans and others going higher and higher to reach their goals with the values of team work, self-improvement, braveness and humility that Euroleague athletes put into practice every single day.

To the soaring sounds of the Messengers gospel choir preaching that no, it cannot be done, don’t even try, the Euroleague star can only hear the opposite – “Go for it” – as he embodies the human urge to strive for excellence by rising above the doubts: #NoJumpNoGlory

Likewise, the new campaign, which was produced with AFTERSHARE.tv, will also give Turkish Airlines Euroleague fans the opportunity to reach for glory by participating in different social media-based contests with prizes that range from Final Four VIP tickets to money-can’t-buy experiences with the protagonists of the campaign, players and coaches. “We wanted to bring basketball even closer to fans. This campaign wants to inspire all the people that face challenges or difficulties every day and overcome all the negative messages and don’t give up. Our stars know very well that they need to have courage to face those challenges, jump over them and reach the success” states Roser Queraltó, Euroleague Basketball Chief Business Development Officer.

Dimitris Diamantidis of Panathinaikos Athens

“A jump is a very important part of the game that every player needs to succeed in the game. You want to succeed in basketball but if you also want to succeed in your personal life you have to jump every day. If I want to succeed and I want to make something both in basketball and in my personal life I’ve got to make one step per day. My biggest jump in basketball is what I’m doing right now, to be part of one team that has succeed in the Euroleague many years and be part of this team, and in my personal life I’ve created a family and have a small daughter, and for me this is my biggest jump.”

Robertas Javtokas of Zalgiris Kaunas

“A jump in basketball means everything. You can take rebounds, you can block the shots, you can score and be part of the game. The jump is one of the main things in basketball. It’s when you get hurt and you get better like I had in my accident and I came back and played basketball. It was a big jump for me.”

Dogus Balbay, Anadolu Efes Istanbul

“A jump literally means something that you need to reach the basket, grab a rebound or do a block. Everything is connected to jumping in basketball as a vital thing. In life, a jump symbolizes to me the moment when you have to skip something to go to a different situation, you have to make a jump.”

Alex Abrines, FC Barcelona

“A jump in basketball shows your power, also in life when you do a big change for better in your life, you know that even if the rim is at 3,05 m. you know that with a jump you can reach it and it is the same thing in life.”

The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) today unveiled plans for the WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series, unhealthy an international programme of elite competition that is set to continue increasing the exposure, arthritis popularity and quality of taekwondo competition worldwide when it launches in 2014.

The Grand Prix Series was submitted to the WTF Council for ratification in Aruba on 21 November, at the same meeting that saw IOC member Aïcha Garad Ali named the governing body’s newest council member. The Grand Prix will initially feature four stages in four different continents. 256 athletes will take part, with the top eight men and women coming together for the annual Grand Prix Final. Test events are due to commence in 2013. The Grand Prix will be funded through a combination of sponsorship and the sale of media rights to key markets, especially Latin America, Asia and, increasingly, Europe.

WTF President, Chungwon Choue, commented on the new competition: “The Olympic Games in London triggered a surge in international interest in taekwondo – there is now a real appetite for more regular top-class taekwondo on the global stage. The WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series is an excellent opportunity for athletes to take part in an international competition of this magnitude in between Olympic Games and World Championships.

“It will allow the sport greater media exposure and the athletes more of a public voice. I believe that this competition will inspire youth all over the world to take part in a competitive sport where skill and discipline are paramount and which heralds global friendship.”

WTF Secretary General, Jean-Marie Ayer, said: “The aim of the Grand Prix Series is to give athletes better exposure and to continue to raise the standard of competitions worldwide.

“We see it as a virtuous circle: higher quality, higher profile competitions will help us deliver better return on investment for existing sponsors and attract new ones; more sponsorship revenue will help us to continue raising the quality and profile of our competitions, and so on. This is a very exciting moment for the global taekwondo family.”