The Women’s EHF European Championship will be held in Serbia from 4 to 16 December 2012 following the withdrawal from Netherlands.

The Netherlands withdrew from the organisation of the flagship national team event on 4 June and the EHF opened up the possibility of the organisation of the event to its national federations.

Eleven nations expressed their interest in holding the EHF EURO including: Croatia, online Denmark, FYR Macedonia, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Sweden.The championship will be held in Belgrade, Nis, Vrsac and Novi Sad, the venues that successfully hosted the Men’s EHF EURO 2012 in January 2012. The final weekend will also be held in the Serbian capital.

Commenting on the decision, EHF President, Tor Lian, said: “I am delighted that we are to return to Serbia in December 2012, the Serbian Federation did an exceptional job of organising the men’s event and I am confident that the Women’s EHF EURO in December will be just as successful.“The huge interest from our national federations around Europe in the organisation of the event made the choice of host a difficult decision for the EHF Executive, but this underlines just how important and valuable this event has become.”

NFL’s Minnesota Vikings said Friday that team owners didn’t like a new proposal to fund a $1 billion stadium in the Twin Cities suburbs using ticket fees and other game-related charges.

The latest proposal floated by several Ramsey County commissioners was meant to replace a previous stadium financing plan that relied on a county food and liquor sales tax. Instead, it would draw $20.6 million annually from stadium user fees, an admissions surcharge, a stadium sales tax and parking lot naming rights.

The county board said the plan would generate $618 million over 30 years.

Lester Bagley, the Vikings vice president for stadium development, called the plan problematic. While Vikings owners have favored the Ramsey County site in the community of Arden Hills over options in downtown Minneapolis, Bagley said a prior agreement between the Vikings and Ramsey County hinged on the team receiving parking revenue and naming rights — and on the condition of no admissions taxes.

“When you change those things you change the underlying agreement between the team and the county,” Bagley said. “We need to refine it because of those reasons.”

Ramsey County Commissioner Tony Bennett had called the new plan a “game changer” after meeting with Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday. He later acknowledged the Vikings may not like elements of the new plan.

Dayton did not comment specifically on details of the new plan, but praised Ramsey County leaders for remaining consistent in their stadium efforts. He contrasted that with city council members in Minneapolis, who have been reluctant to throw full support behind a new stadium there.

“They all sit on the sidelines and carp about everything,” Dayton said. Later, he added: “They don’t have … the proper perspective on what’s best for all of Minneapolis.”

Earlier this week, Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission Chairman Ted Mondale and stadium negotiators unveiled a new plan to quickly build a new stadium on a parking lot just east of the Metrodome. So far, stadium supporters in the Legislature have not put their weight behind any of the numerous stadium proposals batted around in recent weeks.

Bagley said a decision is far from made.

“The Minneapolis proposal has its share of issues as well,” Bagley said.

The Vikings have wanted out of the Metrodome for years, calling the 30-year-old stadium no longer sufficiently profitable compared to other NFL venues. The team’s lease at the Metrodome expired Feb. 1, and hanging over their new stadium push has been the fear among fans that the team will leave Minnesota.

Team owner Zygi Wilf has said the Vikings want a new stadium in the Twin Cities, even if it means building on the current site of the Metrodome.

by Ismail Uddin

NCAA, health president Mark Emmert has decided that he will appoint a working committee to examine if and how Division 1 athletics need to be restructured, allergy according to an interview and report from the USA Today.

Emmert’s committee, prescription set to meet this summer, will look at “the way in which Division I is organized for the purposes of making decisions” in an effort to have non-football schools, as well as those in the Football Championship Subdivision, represented as well as possible within the NCAA’s Board of Directors.

It is not, according to Emmert’s comments, an evaluation of further splitting the competitive format of Division 1-A, such as the split between 1-A and 1-AA.

But there’s no doubt that the gap between the richest and biggest programs in college athletics and the smaller ones is widening.

Proposed legislation, such as the $2,000 stipend added to the value of athletic scholarships, has faced difficulty passing in the wake of concerns from certain schools that it will further divide the “haves” and “have-nots.”

“There’s no doubt that these initiatives and these reforms have exacerbated some of those tensions,” Emmert said, but added that it would be a “complete mischaracterization” to imply that those initiatives would be grounds for further separation in Division 1.

However, sources with direct knowledge of Emmert’s thinking told USA Todaythat Emmert has indicated behind closed doors that he wants to “examine the merits and mechanics of further subdivision if not explicitly push for it.”

The US Olympic Commitee (USOC) announced today that it has signed an agreement with Brand Acceleration (BA) to create marketing programs utilizing their patented in-lid and packaging technologies. Through the terms of this agreement, BA will create several integrated marketing and promotional rograms in an effort to drive awareness and partner activation in support of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

“Brand Acceleration’s technology and strategy will further the development of innovative corporate sponsorship and licensing programs that can deliver more options for activation to the USOC’s family of corporate partners,” said Lisa Baird, USOC chief marketing officer. “As we mark the one-year out milestone to the London 2012 Olympic Games we are continually looking to expand consumer engagement while driving reach and awareness among supporters of Team USA.”

“The USOC has mapped out an ambitious marketing program for Team USA highlighted by plans to activate at U.S. Olympic Team events and to develop the organization’s social and mobile presence,” said David Schreff, president of BA’s sports division. “BA’s programs will help take advantage of these growing social media platforms in driving awareness and support of the USOC leading up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.”

After Hong Kong and Singapore withdrew their candidacy as potential destinations to stage the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Japan has been confirmed as the sole host country of the event.

Hong Kong and Singapore informed Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) president Yoshiro Mori of their decision following an inspection tour of Japan by International Rugby Board (IRB) chairman Bernard Lapasset.

Mori told Kyodo News: “Hong Kong and Singapore have told us they are withdrawing. Japan will host the tournament on its own.”

The IRB chief expressed his confidence in the country’s safety measures which have been put in place since the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in March, and Mori added: “Some countries were saying the 2019 tournament should be held elsewhere, but I think we’ve managed to further our understanding with the IRB.”

Despite positive reviews for the event in 8 years time, the IRB has decided to move five of the six matches from the Pacific Nations Cup this summer out of Japan to Fiji with the original host nation only staging the opening match against Samoa at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground.

Road America announced today that RaceAmerica would serve as its Official Circuit Safety Light Provider.

As part of a collaborative effort, Road America will utilize RaceAmerica’s unique LED Track Safety Light System at several locations around the four-mile, 14-turn race circuit to help keep racers aware of cautions and changing track conditions during events.

RaceAmerica’s Track Safety Light System provides far more than just caution lights for racers. Built into the customized system is proprietary software, mobile monitoring and wireless functionality that will enable Road America to more efficiently utilize their safety and race control resources with the objective of keeping the racing environment safe and drivers informed in a real-time format. The gains in efficiency correlates with Road America’s constant focus on improving technology, reducing costs and providing a better and safer experience for racers and fans.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be associated with Road America, a race circuit with a storied history that is revered by racers the world over. Road America’s winning attitude and dedication to excellence is in line with RaceAmerica’s approach to our clients and business,” said RaceAmerica’s President, Dennis Laczny.

RaceAmerica’s Track Safety Light System provides an extra edge of safety for corner workers and cost savings to venues. Using standard flag colors, RaceAmerica’s safety lights combine ultra-bright four-color LEDs, multi-segment displays, flag animation and automatic switching between flags to deliver unattended flags a driver will see without being distracted. Using an overhead picture of the racecourse, the RaceAmerica Track Safety Software positions each safety light on-screen as they are located on the track. Wireless and mobile functionality allows race control officials to activate the system in real-time over the entire racecourse.

“Drivers and teams invest quite a bit of time and money to come to Road America and race, so we want to make sure we have the best and safest race environment for everyone to enjoy,” said George Bruggenthies, president and general manager of Road America. “RaceAmerica’s Track Safety Light System gives us another tool to help keep racers safe, reduce caution periods and improve the overall on-track experience for everyone. This partnership also provides a test bed for RaceAmerica to improve and adapt its technology in a real world setting. We are proud and excited to have them as a partner.”

International Boxing Association (AIBA) has appointed Calacus to provide local public relations support during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

This is an historic Olympic Games for AIBA, clinic with 36 Women Boxers competing for the very first time and 50 WSB Boxers qualified out of 250 Men competitors.

Calacus will provide strategic counsel and media relations support for AIBA during the Games, asthma using its wide range of sports and international contacts to promote AIBA’s vision and support communications around the boxing competition.

The account will be led by Calacus Managing Director David Alexander, ailment a former sports journalist at the Sunday Telegraph and The Guardian among others, and Laura Peek, a former news journalist at The Times and Daily Mail.

AIBA Communications Director Sébastien Gillot commented: “Doing good for your sport is one thing but letting the people know about it is another. With the London 2012 Olympic Games being a watershed moment for AIBA, we are pleased to welcome Calacus as a partner. We are convinced that their support will greatly contribute to the promotion of the sport of boxing as well as all of AIBA’s activities.”

Managing Director David Alexander said: “Calacus is looking forward to being part of the AIBA team during London2012. Boxing has gone through some controversial times of late but under the leadership of President Wu AIBA is leading by example and I’m sure London 2012 is going to be very exciting.”

The London 2012 Olympic Games boxing competition will take place at the ExCeL in Docklands.