The International Cycling Union (UCI) has not yet received details of Lance Armstrong’s lifetime ban from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

USADA said last month that the cyclist would be banned for life and his results since 1998 – including seven Tour de France titles won during 1999-2005 -would be expunged due to “numerous” alleged violations.

But UCI President, Pat McQuaid, said the file still has not been sent to them, despite requesting it as soon as the decision was announced on August 24.

“The dossier which USADA has certainly prepared will allow for clarification on points which remain open in this affair,” McQuaid said.

McQuaid said one of the points that requires clarifying iswhich agency has jurisdiction when it comes to sanctioning Armstrong.

McQuaid said, barring any major unforeseen issues, “the UCI does not intend to appeal” the USADA sanctions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“But we need verification” of wrongdoing, McQuaid said.

Armstrong said he would not seek to clear his name through the CAS, but he continues to deny doping during his career.

USADA claimed it has several witnesses prepared to testify that Armstrong is guilty of doping.{jcomments on}

American digital sports network, Bleacher Report has named the Donbass Arena stadium one of Eastern Europe’s crown jewels, featuring it on the Power-Ranking of the World Football’s 50 Best Stadiums.

In fact, two Ukrainian football venues were on the list, with the second one being Olimpiyskyi Stadium, located in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

Singaporean stadium The Float opens the Power-Ranking by Bleacher Report. It is the only venue in the world equipped with pitch which is surrounded by water.

Other venues that made it to the list include Sweden’s most known stadium Rasunda(number 4 on the list), Greek Georgios Karaiskakis (6 position, opened in 1896), Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium (number 33), and Uruguayan Estadio Centenario (number 48) – the only stadium honored by FIFA as a monument of the game.

Ukrainian stadium Donbass Arena takes the 16 spot on the list. “With an ever-improving club hosted by the venue, it is certain to continue to be recognized throughout the world,” writes the author of the Bleacher Report feature, columnist Thomas Atzenhoffer.

The stadium in eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk had a chance to live up to the praise on June 15, 2012. Five minutes into the match between EURO 2012 contestants – French and Ukrainian national teams the referee Bjorn Kuipers took the players off the field due to severe thunderstorm. This is when ultramodern drainage systems helped rapidly dry out the field, allowing to resume the match 57 minutes later.

Donbass Arena is followed on the Bleacher Report list by Russia’s largest stadium Luzhniki. A little further down the line isKyiv’s Olimpiyskyi Stadium – at number 21. Opened in 1923, it was originally named Red and later – Republican, the venue took its current name from the Summer Olympic Games the stadium hosted in 1980. Renovated in 2011, Olimpiyskyi has been equipped with most recent technological advancements, including fire-resistant seats and largest in Ukraine LED screens.

Notably, both Ukrainian stadiums featured in the Bleacher Report just finished hosting EURO 2012 – the European football championship. Another EURO 2012 host stadium on the Bleacher Report list is the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland. It is ranked number 23. The famous Wembley Stadium in London closes the list.

medstore sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: rgba(255, ed 255, 255, 0.917969);”>The IRB Junior World Championship 2012 in South Africa will enjoy record broadcast, online and social media coverage for an Age Grade Rugby tournament.

The premier age grade event for international teams at Under 20 level, which runs from June 4-22 in Stellenbosch and Cape Town, will be screened live or as live to more than 240 million homes in 162 territories by 17 leading broadcasters, a 14 per cent rise in coverage from last year.

The cumulative total of live coverage for the three-week tournament is projected to exceed 300 hours for the first time.

The IRB Junior World Championship 2012 Host Broadcaster SuperSport will produce live coverage of all 30 matches, the first time the whole tournament has been broadcast.

Around the world, broadcasters showing live action for the first time include NBC in USA and ESPN Star in Asia, reflecting the strong growth of the Game in these territories, alongside leading sports broadcasters such as Fox Sport in Australia, Eurosport, France TV, RAI in Italy, Sky Sports UK, Bandsport in Brazil, Fiji TV and OSN across the Middle East. For the first time Maori TV in New Zealand and TG4 in Ireland will cover the tournament.

Procter & Gamble will announce a new marketing campaign for their London 2012 sponsorship by targeting mothers through a Thank You Mom’ campaign.

The ‘Thank You Mom’ campaign will help improve the everyday lives of athlete’s moms around the world.

The announcement will come through a live webcast on friday during the kick off of the Youth Olympic Games at Innsbruck. Tennis star and gold medal Olympian, Roger Federer, will video in from Australia together with Paula Radcliffe, Women’s Marathon world record holder, who will also video in from a high altitude training camp in Kenya.

IOC chief, Dr. Jacques Rogge, and Marc Pritchard, Global Marketing and Brand Building Officer, P&G will lead the announcement.

Procter & Gamble will allow thousands of moms of Olympians to really experience the Olympic Games with their children by providing services and event tickets in London.

The company also commits to help the lives of children by establishing and sustaining youth sport programs around the world.

A one-year broadcast rights renewal will see Sky Deutschland air the Formula One across Germany, allergist Austria and Switzerland for the 2011 season.

The extension will carry the broadcasting contract into its 16th successive campaign and the company has guaranteed to show all the footage of the three practice sessions, cheap qualifying and the final race, generic without advertising interruptions.

The German F1 fans will be pleased about the deal which will enable them to watch fellow countryman Sebastien Vettel attempt to retain his title as well as legendary driver Michael Schumacher.

“This is a great Christmas gift for motorsport fans in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Only we can guarantee the real Formula One experience to viewers.” said Carsten Schmidt, director of the pay-TV platform’s commercial arm.

Formula One Group CEO Bernie Ecclestone added: “We are very satisfied to continue with Sky, which has been a long-term partner for us.”

A three-year deal has been struck between the German Golf Association (DGV) and pharmaceuticals company, Medicom Pharma to become a major sponsor as of 2011.

The contract will see the company’s logo emblazed upon the membership cards of 620,000 affiliated German golfers. Medicom will now be involved alongside the DGV in promotional activities, providing an array of special offers for the association’s members. The deal is reported to be wort a mid-six figure sum each year according to sponsors.de. The company joins the likes of Vodafone and Audi AG as major sponsors of the association.

“Through our commitment, we want to show that with our supplements, made using the latest scientific evidence and in accordance with German law, anyone can improve his golf game. Our products help every athlete improve his general well-being, which is a substantial advantage before, during and after the game. As an avid golfer, I look forward to working with the German Golf Association.” said Medicom Pharma managing director Daniel Rexhausen.

 

European sports network Eurosport has secured live TV and online rights to the MCE British Superbike Championship, it has been announced.

The network has agreed a five-year deal, enabling it to retain the domestic UK Superbike championships up until 2015.

Eurosport’s agreement with MotorSport Vision (MSV) will see the Superbike series broadcast live and exclusive in the UK, with race action also seen across Europe on Eurosport 2.

MSVR chief executive Jonathan Palmer said: “I am delighted that MSV has agreed a new five-year contract with Eurosport to broadcast British Superbikes live throughout the world.

“BSB is the most successful national motorsport series in the UK, attracting more spectators and a greater TV audience than any other motor racing in Britain, whether on two wheels or four.”

Director of British Eurosport, Dave Kerr, added: “I am thrilled that we have been able to retain the British Superbike Championship on British Eurosport.

“We have worked really closely with MSV to grow the popularity of this great championship series and I believe this deal is an endorsement of our excellent production, comprehensive coverage and consistent scheduling.

“I’d also like to thank our increasingly large number of loyal and passionate viewers for making the show a major ratings success for us.”

 

Scottish Premiership team Hibernian have poached Motherwell chief executive Leeann Dempster in an appointment that will see Rod Petrie take a step back from the day-to-day running of the club.

Dempster will take over as chief executive of the relegation-threatened Scottish Premiership club on June 1, a role that the under-fire Petrie has filled on an interim basis.

He will continue as non-executive chairman and said in a statement: “We are delighted that Leeann is joining Hibernian. I am certain she will be a tremendously important signing and will provide the daily leadership needed next season to help achieve the board’s plans and meet the aspirations of supporters.

“Leeann is an outstanding football leader with a proven track record. In addition to a desire for sporting success, I know from our numerous discussions that there is a shared belief in the direction of travel towards increased involvement of supporters and greater community engagement.”

Dempster said: “I believe that to succeed in a sustainable way in the long term we need to grow club resources, re-engage lapsed supporters and strengthen the club collectively.

“As a big city club, Hibernian has a fantastic opportunity to build on the great physical assets and grow attendances through increased engagement and success on the pitch. I am looking forward to the challenge.

“There are a number of initiatives that we will be able to announce to supporters in due course and that will show we want to meet the shared ambitions of supporters. We want a vision that everyone can buy into so they can play their part in the future of our club.”

Sport Ngin announced today that is has been selected to develop and manage a full suite of technology solutions for USA Wrestling, sale the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States.

In addition to providing member state associations and clubs with websites and association management tools, clinic Sport Ngin will collaborate with USA Wrestling to develop membership and tournament management technology solutions including live scoring, scheduling, volunteer management, score-clock integration, video streaming, and more. As part of the landmark deal, Sport Ngin becomes a “Preferred Sports Technology Provider of USA Wrestling.”

“Sport Ngin provides us an opportunity to seamlessly connect our membership, market our sport, and provide our associations and clubs with easy-to-use technology solutions,” said Rich Bender, executive director of at USA Wrestling. “Through this partnership, the Sport Ngin platform will greatly improve the communication and engagement with our members and the hundreds of thousands of people who are connected to the USA Wrestling family including athletes, coaches, officials, family members, fans, and the media.”

Minneapolis-based Sport Ngin specializes in the execution of digital sports content strategy, design, marketing, and member and tournament management solutions. With more than 400,000 sports organizations, teams, leagues, clubs, associations, and tournaments currently using its proprietary software platform, the company is one of the largest privately held sports technology companies in North America.

“We’re extremely pleased that USA Wrestling has chosen Sport Ngin as a preferred technology provider,” said Justin Kaufenberg, co-founder and chief executive officer of Sport Ngin. “We are confident our platform will help USA Wrestling take a significant step forward as it continues to re-invent and re-establish the sport. Leveraging Sport Ngin’s innovative technology, and through a shared vision, this is a great opportunity to advance the sport at a critical time.”

Sport Ngin is currently working with over 35 USA Wrestling state associations to design, migrate, and launch a network of state websites. With a common design theme and consistent branding, the state association websites will facilitate improved communication of news, events, and membership information and establish the USA Wrestling brand at a local level. The membership and tournament management solutions are currently in development and will launch prior to the 2014-15 USA Wrestling membership season.

“We’re incredibly excited about this partnership,” said Les Gutches, Associate Executive Director of Programs and Strategy for USA Wrestling. “The tools and technology that Sport Ngin provides will allow us to deliver enhanced benefits to our membership – including state associations, individual athletes, coaches, and officials – and create more efficient avenues to market our sport and communicate to our constituents.”

India may have it’s first professional Beach Soccer Championship after Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) announced that it is looking to organise the event in Goa next month.

The Goa Football Association (GFA) and The Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) are backing the officially sanctioned event, which will become a bi-annual feature in India.

The tournament will see the participation of prominent players from Goa’s popular football clubs and other prominent teams from around the country.

This first edition of the tournament will be held in Goa from February 7-10, in accordance with official sporting rules as laid out by BSWW. The tournament boasts of an exciting format of the sport of soccer, one that requires a fun surrounding, the right attitude and minimal equipment.

The teams will comprise of 10 players each – five on field and as many substitutes. The duration of play will include three periods of 12 minutes each, with a break of three minutes. In case of a tie at the end of regular time, there’s a three-minute extra time, before the penalty shootout.