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.”

Leading sports marketing and sponsorship agency, price Generate, erectile has been appointed to find a title partner and support sponsors for one of the world’s most exciting arena tours, Arenacross.

Arenacross is the exciting combination of motocross racing and freestyle motocross with four events during January and February next year starting at The O2 Arena and then moving to The LG Arena Birmingham, The Odyssey Arena Belfast and concluding at The Echo Arena Liverpool. Fans can expect to see the world’s leading riders take part in the most spectacular elements of outdoor motocross racing, including huge jumps on purpose-built dirt tracks, in the countries’ leading entertainment venues .

The series of action packed events will be watched live by nationwide actions sports and family audience of over 40,000 and over one million viewers will tune in as part of a four-part TV series broadcast on Channel 4 and British Eurosport. There will also be further opportunities for sponsors to be integrated and take advantage of an exciting national print, digital and broadcast campaign. In addition, there will be a live experiential tour across all four cities.

Matt Bates, Managing Director of Events 22, said “We are very excited to be working with Generate to align title and support sponsors for this epic series of events and focus on the amazing potential for brand partnerships. We currently have Monster Energy as a partner and we understand what big sponsors are looking for and can be flexible in the way we structure our partnerships”.

Andy Muggleton, Director of Generate Sponsorship, said, “Arenacross will appeal to brands looking to engage with a family and action sports audience.  In recent years the sport has seen a huge growth in audience figures and the platform will enable sponsors to align with an event that attracts significant exposure through press, TV and an advanced social media network.  Generate are thrilled to be working with a world leading action sports event “.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has revealed UK Sport will receive £500m ($783m) over the next four years to maintain funding for Olympic sports and keep them at the same level before the 2016 Games.

UK Sport will receive £500m over the next four years to maintain funding for Olympic sports at same level before the 2016 Games as during the runup to London, David Cameron has announced.

The prime minister also used the closing day of the London Olympics to reveal he has appointed Lord Coe as his Olympic legacy adviser.

Coe, chair of the London 2012 Olympic organising committee who first led the successful bid for the London Games, will spearhead an Olympics Legacy unit in the Cabinet Office to secure the long-term benefits of hosting the Games, focusing particularly on economic and business gains.

The prime minister outlined the moves as part of government plans to build on the legacy of the Olympics for Britain.

Speaking on BBC News on Sunday, Cameron said the decision to provide £125m every year until 2016 aimed “to reward the success of the UK’s outstanding elite sport system” following the British team’s record-breaking medal success at the London Games.

“The motto of these Games has been ‘inspire a generation’. Nothing has been more inspirational than seeing our elite athletes win gold this summer,” he said.

“There’s a direct link between elite success and participation in sport. I want one of the legacies of these Games to be our athletes triumphing in Rio in 2016, and in future Olympic Games. Guaranteeing this funding will help ensure that happens.”

UK Sport, the body that distributes cash to Olympic and Paralympic sports as well as providing a number of specialist services, had previously only been guaranteed funding up until 2014.

The lion’s share of the money will come from the national lottery, with Treasury funding of £40m a year committed for the next two years.

A Downing Street statement said: “As an exception, exchequer funding is now being committed to 2016/17, to give athletes financial certainty in the crucial final two years in the runup to Rio 2016.”

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has revealed plans to build a new 82,000-seater stadium in the Paris suburbs at an estimated cost of €600m ($755m).

The stadium, that will be situated 25km south of Paris, will replace the Stade de France as the side’s home ground and is set to be completed in 2017. The hi-tech facility, currently the site of a disused racecourse, will feature a retractable roof and removable pitch with the development also set hotels and shops.

The decision to initiate a move away from what has been their playing base for the last 14 years was prompted by the FFR’s growing frustration at the constraints of the Stade de France where they must pay a reported €5m ($6.3m) per game in rental charges and also schedule matches around France’s football fixtures and concerts that take precedence.

As a result, it is understood that the FFR make only €2m ($2.5m) for each 82,000 sell out while in comparison the Rugby Football Union bank a reported €6m ($7.5m) after each Twickenham clash.

FFR president Pierre Camou said: “It conforms to what we want. One of the most modern stadiums in the world: pitch, roof, multi-functional, with exceptional comfort levels for spectators.”

Serge Blanco, who led the stadium project, said: “This Ris-Orangis site opens new horizons for our game in France. It will provide a new-generation stadium that will become a showcase for French rugby.”

 

Dublin is to take centre stage for European club rugby next year as it will host the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup.

Tournament organisers, ERC, announced today that the RDS will be the venue for the Amlin Challenge Cup final on Friday, May 17, 2013 with the Heineken Cup curtain closer going ahead the following day at the Aviva Stadium.

This decision is expected to provide a major boost to Ireland’s economy with research from the Cardiff 2011 finals showing that the economic impact to the Welsh capital amounted to €30m ($38.5m).

With both 2013 finals being played in close proximity, up to 70,000 supporters will have the opportunity to visit the city.

Speaking at the event today Leo Varadkar, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport said he expects a carnival atmosphere when the finals take place in Dublin.

“I am delighted to be here today and I’m really looking forward to Dublin being transformed into the European Capital of Rugby next year.

“Only last week we officially launched the Gathering Ireland 2013, which encourages everyone with an Irish connection to return home next year.

“I believe next year’s Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup Final will provide a real festival feel during The Gathering, and will be a great addition to our events calendar for The Gathering for next year.”

ERC Chief Executive Derek McGrath said the decision to host both finals in Dublin is a product of the success of Irish provinces in European rugby.

“The decision of the ERC Board to stage both the Heineken Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup finals in Dublin reflects the hugely positive impact Irish provinces and fans have had on European club rugby,” he said.

“ERC has already begun working with Fáilte Ireland and our local partners to ensure that the tens of thousands of supporters who will visit the city will enjoy a hugely positive experience of everything Dublin has to offer.”