The Renault F1 Team today announced a new multi-year sponsorship agreement with Japan Rags, asthma the men’s clothing brand of the LTC Group.

Founded in 1998, the LTC Group has already built an international following with 35 dedicated stores and 1,000 points of sale throughout Europe. This new sponsorship of the Renault F1 Team is aimed at growing global awareness of the Japan Rags brand to consolidate and support its international
expansion.

Gil Richardière, Co-founder and CEO of Le Temps des Cerises, commented:

“Following the LTC Group’s successful growth strategy in France – 35 own-brand boutiques, a dozen major department store displays and more than 600 points of sale – and the launch of subsidiaries in Spain and Switzerland, which gave us more than 1,000 points of sale throughout Europe, we wished to give fresh impetus to the development of the LTC Group by promoting Japan Rags through exceptional media coverage alongside a prestigious partner, Renault F1 Team. This partnership will be a key part of LTC Group’s development strategy, to launch our brand in new markets and perhaps eventually to develop a network of own-brand boutiques. This new agreement will definitely strengthen the LTC Group internationally.”

Renault F1 Team Chairman Gerard Lopez added:

“We are delighted to welcome Japan Rags to our network of team partners. This is a multi-year sponsorship agreement, and we believe that the sport’s unique global footprint, allied to our team’s growing competitiveness in the coming seasons, will enable Japan Rags to exceed its objectives for this partnership. We look forward to a strong and successful relationship together.”

The Japan Rags logo will appear on the inside faces of the rear wing endplates of the Renault F1 R30, as well as at the top of the pod-vane on the leading edge of the car’s sidepods.

ESPN Star Sports has signed up Bollywood film star Amitabh Bachchan to help promote cricket’s Champions League Twenty20 tournament in South Africa this September.

Bachchan wrote on his blog: “I have been signed on to endorse ESPN for the Champions League cricket T20 tournament to be held in South Africa in September. And because of paucity of time, we had to shoot all the promotional films and stills for print and short seconders for TV and dub it by the evening in order so they are able to release the publicity soon.

“Thankfully it has all gone off well and I have just completed the dub for what we shot in the morning. But the rush and the speed with which it all had to be done was some kind of a marvel.”

The Champions League Twenty20 brings together domestic league team from countries all over the world.

Leeds managing director David Haigh has resigned from his post following the takeover of the club by Massimo Cellino.

Haigh, who was set to become chief executive under Cellino, revealed that he had been given no choice but to leave the club following statements made by the Italian.

Cellino was critical of Haigh in an interview on Sunday in which he stated his intention to sack him once his purchase of a majority stake in the club was complete.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for Haigh said the 36-year-old still intended to take up the role of CEO as agreed as part of the contract between previous owners GFH Capital and Cellino’s Eleonora Sport company.

However, in a statement released on Friday, Haigh said: “Owing to various statements made by and on behalf of the new majority owners of Leeds United FC, I am left with no alternative than to resign as managing director of the club.

“This is a matter of particular regret to me since I was the person who first introduced Eleonora Sport to the club’s owners. I also gave them my full and constant support in the Football League’s lengthy approval process.

“I am not yet, due to confidentiality obligations, in a position fully to respond to various statements which have been made about me over recent months. As soon as I am I will address the various issues – obviously a great deal has happened these past two years.

“As is well known by those in or close to the club, my unstinting support of Leeds United throughout my time at the club has extended to loaning the club money to ensure that tax, players and staff were paid and to underpin its continuing viability – loans which to this day remain in the club.

“I also searched endlessly for suitable investors, whilst at the same time not taking any payment that was due. In addition to all this I had to deal with and manage what can only be described as the crazy situation of very limited support from those who should have supported the club and the management, whilst at the same time having little or no decision making ability.

“On occasions this resulted in my paying club running expenses on my personal cards and last minute dashes to wire personal money to the club to pay the HMRC.

“Notwithstanding, I did everything which was in my very limited power to take the club forward, to engage with the fans and the community and to keep the promises which were made to its great fans.

“I very much hope that the new owners will do the same and will deliver on the many promises and contractual commitments they have made to Leeds United, the players, the manager, the staff and fans and will run the club in the manner of the fit and proper owners they have been judged to be.

“I have arranged for Sport Capital to convert some of the loans made to the club into shares and once complete, those shares will be given to the fans, so it truly will be the fans’ club.

“Leeds is a fantastic club in a fantastic city and I wish Elenora Sports, (manager) Brian McDermott, the players, staff and fans all the very best for the future.”

Finland have been announced as the host nation for the 2014 IBSA Goalball World Championships.

Finland, overnight ed whose men’s team won Goalball gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, beat runner-up Sweden in its bid to host the Championships two years from now. 

“We offer our heartiest congratulations to Finland and sincere thanks and commiserations to all other bidding nations,” IBSA Goalball Chairman Kari Marklund said. 

“IBSA Goalball looks forward to working in close collaboration with Finland in the lead-up to what promises to be a most exciting tournament in 2014.” 

Finland’s men’s goalball squad will certainly be a squad to watch at the Championships after thrashing Brazil, 8-1, in the London 2012 title game to claim its second Paralympic gold. 

In the women’s Paralympic competition in London, Japan edged China for gold at the Copper Box. 

Goalball has been a part of the Paralympic Games programme since 1976 but has been around since 1946, when it was devised to rehabilitate visually impaired veterans who returned home from World War II.

American investor Patrick Soon-Shiong has joined forces with financial services group Guggenheim Partners to prepare a bid for Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), owner of The O2 complex on Greenwich Peninsula and LA’s Staples Center.

AEG operates entertainment venues across the world and in most key US markets.

AEG said last week that it was exploring a sale of the company and had retained Blackstone Advisory Partners to assemble a list of potential bidders.

This could result in the break-up of the group, which includes one of the world’s biggest concert promoters as well as stakes in sports teams such as LA Galaxy football team, which David Beckham plays for, and a wide-ranging property portfolio.

The group, owned by founder Phil Anschutz, has been valued at more than $6bn (£3.6bn).

Soon-Shiong’s interest in the firm is thought to have been increased by AEG’s planned construction of a new American Football stadium in downtown Los Angeles, raising the prospect that he could help bring back a NFL franchise to the city.

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have confirmed a new revenue sharing deal ending a long and contentious financial dispute.

The agreement reported by iSportconnect on Tuesday govern the financial relationship between the two parties for two decades. 

The new deal between the USOC and IOC, that will take effect in 2020, was reached six months before negotiations were even scheduled to begin.

Shortly after the agreement was signed Thursday in Quebec City (Canada), IOC President Jacques Rogge expressed his delight.

“This is a very happy moment for the International Olympic Committee but I believe also for the USOC, as this agreement will definitely strengthen both sides, and the IOC will be in a position to better sanction,” said Rogge. “The USOC will enhance its possibilities in having a leading role in sports in the world.”

The deal restructures how top sponsorships and U.S. television revenue from the Olympics are shared, and it provides for USOC contributions to the IOC’s administrative costs associated with the Olympic Games.  Under the current open-ended contract dating back to 1996, the USOC has received 20 percent of global sponsorship revenue and a 12.75 percent share of the money paid for U.S. broadcast rights of the Olympics.

The IOC has maintained that was excessive and should be renegotiated.  It is believed the bitter feelings over the old contract played a part in undermining recent bids by the United States to host another Olympics.

At Thursday’s brief news conference after the new agreement was signed, neither IOC nor USOC officials would reveal specific financial terms or percentages.

USOC Chairman Larry Probst said the stage has been set for a much more collaborative relationship.

“From our standpoint we went into these negotiations with the objective of addressing the fundamental issues that were important to the IOC, and at the same time ensuring the financial well-being of the USOC on a long-term basis, and I think we were able to accomplish both parts of that equation,” said Probst.

Probst said he hopes the new deal with the IOC has removed any roadblock, and developing strategy for future U.S. Olympic bids will be discussed at a USOC board meeting next month.

The U.S. last hosted the Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002, and the Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996.

At a sports industry annual awards ceremony this evening, the Amway Center was named “Facility of the Year.”

The announcement was made by Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily at the prestigious Sports Business Awards in New York City, which annually recognizes excellence and outstanding achievement in the business of sports.

“We are extremely honored and humbled that Amway Center has been named as the best sports facility in the nation for 2012,” said Orlando Magic Chief Executive Officer Alex Martins, who was on-hand to accept the award.  “The judges have recognized that the facility has been designed and operated with the patron in mind first. We thank Street and Smith’s for this honor and congratulate all of the other very worthy finalists on the success of their facility.”

The Orlando Magic served as the developer of the new Amway Center.

Opened in the fall of 2010, the Amway Center was designed to reflect the character of the Central Florida community, meet the goals of the users and build on the legacy of sports and entertainment in Orlando.

The building’s exterior features a modern blend of glass and metal materials, along with ever-changing graphics via a monumental wall along one façade. A 180-foot tall tower serves as a beacon amid the downtown skyline.

At 875,000 square feet, the new arena is almost triple the size of the old Amway Arena (367,000 square feet). The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified building features a sustainable, environmentally-friendly design and unmatched technology, including 1,100 digital monitors, the tallest high-definition video board in an NBA venue and multiple premium amenities available to all patrons in the building.

“To have the Amway Center recognized as the “Sports Facility of the Year” is a testament to the vision, tireless support and triumphant spirit of the Orlando community,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Receiving this coveted award is not only incredibly gratifying but further proof that teamwork makes it all possible.”  

Orlando’s NBA franchise since 1989, the Magic’s mission is to be world champions on and off the court, delivering legendary moments every step of the way.

On the court, Orlando has won five division championships (1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010), had seven 50-plus win seasons, and won the Eastern Conference title in 1995 and 2009.  Off the court, on an annual basis, the Orlando Magic gives more than $2 million to the local community by way of sponsorships of events, donated tickets, autographed merchandise, scholarships and grants.

Orlando Magic community relations programs impact an estimated 75,000 kids each year, while a Magic staff-wide initiative provides more than 6,000 volunteer hours annually. In addition, over the last 22 years more than $17 million has been distributed to local non-profit community organizations via the Orlando Magic Youth Fund (OMYF-MFF), a McCormick Foundation Fund since 1994, which serves at-risk youth.

European soccer’s governing body, price UEFA is planning to broadcast six consecutive days of national team qualification matches as part of a new media and marketing program.

Gianni Infantino, search general secretary of Nyon, illness Switzerland- based UEFA, said the move to take control of qualifiers for international tournaments like the World Cup and European champions was the “the biggest sporting project of UEFA since the creation of the Champions League in 1992.”

“We think we should raise the status of national team football, raise it to the top level,” Infantino told an audience at the Leaders in Football conference at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge in London.

The proposal means national sides could play Thursday, Friday or Saturday and followed by another game two days later, with the final match taking place on Tuesday. Infantino said UEFA wanted to create a brand for the national qualifiers similar to the Champions League, which has its own anthem, a group of sponsors and fixed kick-off times on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The group’s main decision-making body needs to agree to the proposal before they can come into force. Infantino said that’s likely to be a formality after UEFA’s 53-member associations “unanimously” supported it at a meeting in Cyprus last month.

Centralizing the rights allows smaller nations to focus on soccer development without having to fret about drawing a popular national team such as England or Germany to boost revenue, Infantino said.

Hispania Racing, herbal HRT F1 Team announced that it has reached an agreement with Williams F1, cialis who will supply the Spanish team with its proprietary gearbox technology.

The arrangement will commence to support Hispania Racing’s 2011 programme and will extend for the lifecycle of the current Cosworth engine technology.

Colin Kolles , Hispania Racing, HRT F1 Team Principal: “This technical partnership is a significant step forward for Hispania Racing, HRT F1 Team to improve its performance, and we are very happy to do this together with an engineering company and race-team like Williams F1, which has an impressive track-record and astonishing heritage.”

Alex Burns, Williams F1’s CEO: “This is a logical partnership given Williams and Hispania’s mutual relationship with Cosworth. Our gearbox technology has consistently proven itself as both competitive and reliable, and hence this agreement will be a positive development for both organizations.”