Spanish soccer giants FC Barcelona has reportedly acquired Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor as it’s brand ambassador for India as it looks to compete in a populated market dominated by English Premier League clubs.

According to the india based Economic Times the deal will be officially announced next month and will involve the actor promoting the club in India.

Kapoor said: “It is a huge fan moment for me. To be associated with a team that boasts of names like Messi and Xavi is just awesome. My role is to do my bit as a Barca fan. In fact, I was too tongue-tied, when Messi spoke to me.”

The Catalans also plan to tie up with brands that Kapoor endorses – Pepsi, Tata DoCoMo, Panasonic, Nissan, John Players and Hero Moto-Corp, the report added.

The European champions are entering a market that already includes English teams like Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea who are also looking for an India impact, aimed at profiting from the growing interest in the sport in the country.

FCB had recently tied up with Delhi-based Conscient Football to launch the FC Barcelone Soccer Camps, a talent-scouting project that is scheduled to kick off in January next year in the National Capital region.

As final preparations take place at Yas Marina for the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the teams, order final equipment, media and people from all over the world are now arriving in Abu Dhabi, ready for the Grand Prix weekend.

“With such a logistical event such as Formula 1, there are many deadlines to meet to ensure everything is covered and runs according to plan,” said Richard Cregan, Chief Executive Officer of Yas Marina Circuit. “With the combined support and expertise of Abu Dhabi Police, Customs, ADAC, TRA and a range of other stakeholders, we are working hard to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible, with what is set to be a climactic weekend.”

Over the last month, the various logistics teams at Yas Marina Circuit have been receiving freight deliveries from around the world. Each of the F1 teams has a wide variety of equipment that follows the schedule of races around the world, with some equipment being sent ahead via sea travel. In the last 24 hours five 747 cargo planes have arrived from Brazil carrying team cars  and equipment.

Within five hours of arriving, the Formula 1 teams will need to rebuild their cars, unpack all of their equipment, settle their teams, and prepare for the arrival of their guests.

Cregan continued: “We have been working hard to ensure that the transition from Brazil to Abu Dhabi is as seamless as possible for all the teams.  Our aim is to provide the infrastructure so that the teams can set up their equipment and be ready to race as soon as they touch ground.”

To ensure everything is in place when the fans arrive, Yas Marina Circuit has more than 200 people working across logistics, maintenance, landscaping and cleaning. This team of people is on hand all weekend to ensure it is a successful event for everyone.

ExteNet Systems, medstore Inc., viagra  a provider of distributed networks for the wireless industry, see has announced today that it has signed an agreement with AEG, one of the world’s leading operators and managers of sports and entertainment facilities, to design, build, own and operate distributed networks in multiple AEG venues located across the United States.

AEG affiliated arenas, clubs, convention centers and other facilities have received global accolades and recently dominated Pollstar’s 2013 mid-year rankings, securing 2 of the top 5 and 22 of the top 94 arena rankings for the first half of 2013.

ExteNet’s distributed networks are designed to enable participating wireless carriers to provide superior coverage and capacity to meet the extraordinary mobile connectivity and bandwidth demands in and around sports and entertainment facilities before, during and after the game, concert or other event. 

The partnership between AEG and ExteNet is to provide all guests at each selected venue with access to a communications platform capable of delivering new and exciting mobile applications.

“AEG prides itself on operating some of the most technologically advanced facilities in the world and our ability to provide our guests superior and reliable mobile and wireless connectivity is an important way for us to greatly enrich their entertainment experience,” said Denise Taylor, Chief Technology Officer, AEG. “ExteNet Systems was the clear choice for AEG because of their track record with prominent sports and entertainment venues along with their relationships with all the leading wireless carriers.”

According to Ross W. Manire, ExteNet Systems President and CEO: “We are excited to work with a leading sports and entertainment company like AEG to deploy our wireless networks and services in some of the world’s most prominent venues and facilities.”

“From the outset, our goal has been to partner with an advanced and forward thinking company that shared our vision to deliver a superior fan experience through technology platforms that are developed with both the fans and the venue in mind and, ExteNet clearly is that company,” said Nick Baker, Sr. Vice President, AEG Global Partnerships. “We are thrilled to begin work with a partner that can help us cater to today’s rapidly evolving technology and communications needs.”

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) today announced a trio of host cities for three Multisport World Championships in 2014 and 2015. 

The 2014 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships were awarded to Zittau, Germany. In 2015, the ITU Duathlon World Championships will be hosted by Adelaide, Australia, while the ITU Long Distance Triathlon will be held in Motala, Sweden. 

“Multisports are an integral part of our organisation,” said Marisol Casado, ITU President and IOC Member. “They provide an important avenue to grow our sport amongst an international audience. We are excited to bring these championships to new cities in countries with rich histories of hosting races.” 

In just its fourth edition, the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships will travel to the small border town of Zittau, Germany for the first time. While cross triathlon normally consists of a 1km swim, 25km mountain bike and 6-8km cross-country run, Zittau has proposed a 1.5km swim, 36km bike, 9km run course through the mountains. Next year, ITU’s premier cross triathlon event will be held in The Hague, Netherlands. 

Adelaide, Australia will debut as the host of the 2015 ITU Duathlon World Championships. Though the race will be a first for the beachside city known for its sports culture and festivals, Australia previously hosted the 2005 ITU Duathlon World Championships in Newcastle. The coveted duathlon event is slated be split between Ottawa, Canada and Cali, Colombia in 2013 and will return to Spain in 2014. 

The biggest event on the ITU long distance triathlon calendar will be staged in Motala, Sweden in 2015. Situated between larger cities Stockholm and Gothenburg alongside beautiful Lake Vattern, Motala will become the second Swedish city to stage the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, with Sater having hosted the 1999 and 2004 championships. 

Event organisers have proposed a 2-lap 4km swim, 3-lap 120km bike, and 3-lap 30km course for the 21st edition of one of the most grueling events on the ITU schedule. Next year, the long distance world champions will be decided in Belfort, France, while Weihai, China will host in 2014.

IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, has bought a majority share in Enetpulse, the global provider of live sports data.

Enetpulse is the exclusive worldwide distributor of official live scoring data for the ATP and the WTA, the organizers of the top men’s and women’s professional tennis tours.

This follows IMG’s recent strong minority share in a new joint venture with Bloomberg Sports to provide enhanced marketing, sales and production assistance for both the existing Bloomberg Sports analytics products, as well as a new series of projects.

Michel Masquelier, President of IMG Media, said: “IMG Media continues to adapt to the demands of the media landscape in order to maintain our position as the only sports agency that can service every aspect of media distribution on behalf of our clients.”

“The supply of data to the sports business world is becoming increasingly important and Enetpulse, with their progressive vision, excellent technological infrastructure, key federation relationships and industry expertise, is a company who are at the forefront of this market.”

“We have strong relationships within tennis, in particular with the ATP, so this is a good fit for IMG and our clients. We believe strongly that governing bodies, promoters or personnel should share in any revenue that involves data used for digital entertainment platforms and predictive analytics from their sport.”

Leo Noer, CEO of Enetpulse, said: “After 12 years of operation I am delighted to confirm that my team and I will now become part of the IMG family. This announcement marks an exciting next step in the history of Enetpulse and we are looking forward to fulfilling a key role within IMG Media.”

“As the exclusive worldwide distributor of live scoring tennis data for the ATP & WTA, Enetpulse are already at the forefront of an exciting and dynamic time for the global sports data market. As such, we welcome the opportunity to now being part of a company that shares our vision and desire to be the market leader in this space.”

Murray Swartzberg, Senior Vice President, ATP & WTA Tour, added: “We are delighted that IMG Media and Enetpulse will be working as one to maximize the potential of data from the ATP and WTA. IMG is a company that has a long and successful history in the world of tennis and I’m sure the expansion of its media operation into sports analytics will be a huge success as well.”

Since announcing the five-year ATP and WTA contracts in September 2011, Enetpulse have secured agreements with several major leading operators for the supply of its data.

Enetpulse will become the data arm of IMG Media, where its purpose will be to service data exploitation within the scope of the IMG broad media representation agreements with governing bodies.

Jerome Valcke, FIFA secretary general has defended the world governing body’s ranking system, but admitted it can throw up situations that seem “not very logical.”

Valcke said the rankings, which determine whether teams will be seeded in the draw for the 2014 World Cup, still presented “a good picture of the level of international football” but said FIFA wanted to be able to better explain how they worked.

The current rankings have England fourth after rising two places following their qualification for the last eight of Euro 2012, while Brazil lie 11th. Spain, Germany and Uruguay are the only teams currently ranked ahead of Roy Hodgson’s side.

Italy, who beat England at the Euros, are sixth. Brazil have fallen from fifth to 11th but, as 2014 World Cup hosts, they do not play any competitive qualifiers – which means they do not gain as many ranking points.

“I know that these rankings are sometimes quite difficult to understand due to the level and numbers of criteria that are taken into account,” Valcke said.

“There are teams who are playing more friendly games than other teams and you can see a difference which is not very logical – but the ranking, I would say, is clearly still a good picture of the level of international football.

“There have been internal meetings… to discuss the ranking of the different nations. We want to be able to explain in an easier way how this ranking is based.”

FIFA’s rankings are based on an international side’s results over the previous four years, with more points awarded from competitive matches than qualifiers.

They are weighted more strongly towards matches in the final stages of World Cups and continental tournaments.

Central Concrete, a U.S. Concrete Company, has been selected to supply its high-performing, low-CO₂ concrete for the new San Francisco 49ers Stadium.

In choosing Central Concrete, the San Francisco 49ers and the Turner/Devcon Construction team are demonstrating their commitment to sustainability. Central is recognized for engineering higher-performing concrete compared to traditional concrete, while using materials that reduce the structure’s carbon footprint.

Central will be supplying an estimated 80,000 cubic yards of concrete for the auger cast piles and the overall stadium structure. The mixes selected are expected to reduce the overall carbon footprint by 23 million pounds of CO₂.

 

JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd., medstore a fast-growing, vertically integrated solar power product manufacturer, today announced that the company is set to launch advertising campaigns for the German National Soccer Team.

Soccer is the number one sport in Germany with millions of fans following the games at the stadium and on television.The collaboration was facilitated by Infront Sports & Media, the leading international sports marketing company and marketing partner of the DFB (Deutscher Futball-Bund). JinkoSolarcampaigns made its first appearance at the qualification match for the UEFA EURO 2012 against Belgium in Düsseldorf on 11 October 2011.

Under the terms of the three-year sponsorship agreement, JinkoSolar has banner advertising rights for all home and away games of the German National Soccer Team. Additional marketing opportunities include presence on the stadium scoreboard and brand exposure in the quarterly publication DFB-Journal as well as the stadium magazine DFB-Aktuell.

Arturo Herrero, Chief Marketing Officer of JinkoSolar, said: “We are very pleased to be an advertising partner of the German National Football Team for its outstanding reputation in the league and dedication to the game, which holds striking similarities to JinkoSolar’s commitment to producing high quality green products that meets international quality and environmental standards.

“We are proud of the fact that we select our partners in a diligent fashion, only aligning ourselves with organizations that adhere to the same values we do. Our advertising partnership with the German National Football Team serves our overall purpose of continuing to promote the widespread adoption of solar energy in Germany and across Europe.”

Stephan Herth, Executive Director Summer Sports of Infront, added: “The partnership with JinkoSolar is another successful example of our continuous attempts to connect brands with new markets, whilst demonstrating at the same time the positive appearance and international appeal of the DFB Team.JinkoSolar is the first Chinese-based brand to activate a marketing initiative with German football on a national team level and will highly benefit from the wide reach of the respective games in Germany and abroad. On the other hand, German football is gaining an advertising partner of outstanding international recognition.”

Renault is fully committed to remaining a part of Formula 1, ailment even though the French manufacturer it set to revise its strategy from the start of next year.

As Autosport.com revealed at the weekend, denture the Renault car company is poised to wind down its presence with its current works team so that the outfit can pursue a major commercial partnership with Lotus Cars.

But rather than that move signalling that Renault is closer an exit from the sport, the company’s CEO Carlos Ghosn has indicated that it is actually looking to expand its involvement throughout the grid.

Although Ghosn would not confirm the specific change of plan at Renault, or the Lotus tie-up, he told media that it would remain involved to some extent with its current outfit.

“What I can tell you is that Renault will be associated with this team, whatever happens: associated in connection with the supply of engines and chassis, and with the technology around the chassis,” explained Ghosn.

“Aside from this, there may be financial agreements, marketing agreements to suit our interests. There may be more developments, but for the moment, there is nothing. What I can tell you is that we will be, more and more, technology suppliers to many teams involved in Formula 1.”

Sources have suggested that despite the likely Lotus tie-up, Renault’s moniker will remain part of the team name until at least the end of 2012.

“Name changes, they are everywhere,” explained Ghosn. “What is key is to keep the name Renault.

“Under the auspices of the Renault F1 Team, yes, we can have other associated names. But it should be noted that, as part of Red Bull, you now have Red Bull Renault.

“The name Renault might appear in a few more teams because we do not want to give the impression that we are exclusive to one team.

“We are currently developing our technology with a number of teams.”

When asked whether or not Renault was planning to sell its stake in the team, amid speculation either Genii Capital or Lotus itself could buy it, Ghosn declined to give a firm answer.

“I’m not going to give direct reports of discussions which we’ve had or haven’t had,” he said.

“Everything concerning the financial situation of this team or that team is tactical. We are not in Formula 1 to own a particular team; we are in Formula 1 to promote the Renault name and promote Renault technology.

“We will do whatever is necessary to do so at a lower cost and with less investment. We are not going to put more resources than necessary into achieving that aim.”

Source: Autosport.com

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) have named Marco Polo Del Nero as their new president.

Marco Polo Del Nero has been elected as the new president of the Brazilian Football Confederation and will take office next year.

Del Nero, currently president of Brazilian club Figueirense, will take up his position in 2015 having been elected unopposed on Wednesday.

He will take over from incumbent Jose Maria Marin – who had held the position since 2012 and is the man responsible for delivering this year’s FIFA World Cup.

Del Nero, the current vice president, promised “administrative continuity” on being handed the post.

“In all these years, as a sports director, I learned from many companions, as has happened with president Marin,” Del Nero told a press conference.

“The intelligent man is one who seeks to learn more and more.

“The president and his administration, of which I am a part, achieved important advances, such as bringing football to the whole country.

“But of course, there are aspects that need to be improved and for which we will seek and accept suggestions throughout the sporting world.” 

Del Nero took former CAF president Ricardo Teixeira’s seat on the FIFA Executive Committee when he resigned in 2012, and he is also a member of the CONMEBOL Executive Committee.