International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM) president Dr. h.c Klaus Schormann has unveiled a new concept to the sport, the Pentathlon Stadium. 

Now a spectator can watch 5 disciplines in 5 hours with 1 ticket from 1 seat. The revolutionary innovation will make its Olympic debut in Rio 2016 (currently in discussions).

Schormann said: “The main change that will occur is the fencing discipline. All the fencing action will now take place on one piste in an exciting, ladder, knock out system that ranks the fencers based on the results of the traditional fencing round held the day before and has them battling one another to improve their place and determine the overall winner.” 

The Pentathlon Stadium, is the latest innovation in Modern Pentathlon, after the highly successful implementation of environmentally and spectator friendly laser shooting & the combined event in London 2012 which resulted in it’s the highest ever media interest at the Olympic Games.

“All these innovations target the world’s youth, as they are the future of our sport. The young athletes were the first to try laser shooting at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, and they will benefit from the new Pentathlon Stadium concept, as it will make the sport quicker and more exciting which is attractive to the fast paced life of today’s younger generation,” he added.  

“The next 4 years are set to be very exciting for UIPM, as we continue to grow our sport internationally, as reflected by 6 different nations from 3 continents winning medals at in London 2012 and as we increase our appeal to the youth, through our fun, innovative technology and our new development event Triathle.”

Forward Market Media (FMM), together with the 2013 Outback Bowl, today announced that fans can access tickets through their new reservation system.

Through this partnership, the Outback Bowl will utilize FMM’s innovative software platform to give fans the ability to reserve the right to purchase tickets at face-value if their beloved team secures a slot in the game scheduled for New Year’s Day, 2013, in Tampa, Florida.

The Outback Bowl’s new “TeamTix” ticket reservation system provides the ultimate fan experience as teams compete throughout the season, and brings affordable access to those fans who most want to see their teams in action. This year’s forward market platform features refined navigation tools, an improved, user-friendly interface and enhanced social media connectivity.

Here is how it works: Football fans from across the nation can go to the official Outback Bowl site to purchase a “TeamTix” reservation for the game for as little as $10. If their team receives a berth in the Bowl, that fan purchases a ticket to the game at face value. If the fan’s team is not selected for the Bowl, the reservation expires. Fans can also resell or trade their ticket reservation in the Outback Bowl’s hosted market exchange, where reservation prices rise and fall based on each team’s on-field performance and demand for tickets. In addition, special team-specific Twitter hashtags will enable fans to closely follow their team’s forward marketplace to buy, sell and trade in real time.

“College football fans are among the most dedicated in the world, and we are very pleased to bring a new level of ticket access to those passionate fans of SEC and Big Ten teams vying for contention at the Outback Bowl,” notes Jim McVay, CEO of the Outback Bowl. “Forward Market Media has provided an innovative solution to the challenge of ensuring that fans of the teams playing get into the seats they covet on New Year’s Day, and we’re pleased to make this partnership part of our offering.”

“We are delighted to be teaming up with the Outback Bowl, a game with a long tradition of bringing football fans and their families to Tampa to ring in the New Year,” said Scott McKibben, CEO of Forward Market Media. “As fellow fans of the sport, we are pleased to help our partners deliver on the promise of a great fan experience through better ticketing options.”

The first FIFA World Cup to be held in the Middle East is one step closer to becoming reality as the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee today appointed CH2M HILL a global full-service consulting, allergy  programme management, cheap design, construction, and operations firm to ensure the successful delivery of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has direct responsibility for building competitionvenues which includes the proposed stadiums and training sites while maintaining a coordination role for non-competition venues required by FIFA, in addition to major infrastructure works such as the New Doha International Airport and the proposednationwide metro network.

The multi-phased, rigorous procurement process took over six months to complete.  After a pre-qualification process, six multi-national firms were invited to submit bids.  Multiple global and local consultants and legal firms assisted the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee to ensure a fully transparent and well managed procurement process.

Commenting on the appointment, Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee Secretary General, Hassan Al Thawadi said, “The appointment process for this contract began immediately after winning the bid in December 2010.  We were cognizant of the importance of ensuring that the correct foundations were put in place at the start of our journey toward 2022.  We studied all the proposals with the utmost care in order to ensure that we selected the right partner.  While the proposals we received from those companies that made the shortlist were impressive, it was important to us that the appointed company met the set criteria we had in mind, in addition to complimenting and understanding the vision of our committee.  We believe that CH2M HILL is the ideal partner.”

Al Thawadi added, “Our work with CH2M HILL in planning delivering a successful World Cup will require cooperation with and assistance from local stakeholders and partners, from both public and private sectors.  The road ahead will be challenging.  Today’s appointment is a key initial milestone on our journey.”

CH2M HILL’s role will continue for two years after the tournament to ensure implementation of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee’s legacy commitments.

The 30,000-employee CH2M HILL has more than 300 offices globally, including a footprint of 2,000 staff in the Middle East, of which 200 are based in Qatar. Mobilisation of the key and core programme management team will start in mid-February.

“We are proud to contribute our global programme management experience to help deliver a landmark 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.  Our team brings a proven track record that will assist the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee in delivering world-class facilities in a sustainable manner,” said Lee McIntire, CH2M HILL’s Chairman andChief Executive Officer.

Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee Technical Director, Yasir Al Jamal, said, “We are delighted to enter into this partnership with CH2M HILL.  Over the next six months we will be working together to develop our road map, which will provide us with deliverytimelines for the projects that will occupy us in the coming ten years.”

by Ismail Uddin

English Premier League newcomers Swansea FC’s Liberty Stadium is continuing to make losses, leading to an estimated deficit of over half a million pounds.

The draft figures contained in a Swansea council report show a projected loss of £118,000 ($186,300) for 2010/11.

The stadium, run by Swansea Stadium Management Company (SSMC), is the home of Swansea City and the Ospreys.

The Swans and the Ospreys moved to the £27 million ($42.6m) Liberty Stadium in 2005 after the council paid most of the money to build it.

The figures will be discussed by the council on Thursday, along with facilities such as the national pool.

A report to the council cabinet said the projected loss of £118,000 ($186,300) meant the stadium now had a cumulative loss of about £533,000 ($801,507).

“Under the joint venture signed by the parties, responsibility for guaranteeing all losses rests with the clubs,” it said.

Former England Rugby captain Bill Beaumont has announced he will stand against France’s Bernard Lapasset for chairman of the International Rugby Board (IRB).

Beaumont, 59, is one of England’s best known ever players who has been vice-chairman of the IRB since being elected in 2007.

The former lock, who captained the team to the Grand Slam in 1980, was capped 34 times by England and seven times by the British Lions.

Beaumont’s decision to stand against Lapasset, who fronted rugby sevens’ successful campaign to get on to the Olympic programme at Rio de Janeiro in 2016, at the IRB meeting in Auckland on October 19 is a surprise in the light of the current controversy surrounding the Rugby Football Union (RFU).

Beaumont is a member of the RFU Management Board but is trying to distance himself from the controversy surrounding John Steele’s sacking as chief executive and the subsequent fall-out.

Beaumont said: “I am putting myself forward as Bill Beaumont the individual. I’m keeping out of all the RFU trouble. The people around the IRB table know who I am and what I stand for.”

Beaumont, a member of the IRB Council since 1999, is not planning to lobby against 63-year-old Lapasset, who succeeded Ireland’s Syd Millar as chairman at the election in Paris in 2007.

“What you see is what you get,” he added.

To be elected Beaumont needs the support of the majority of the IRB Council, which has 26 members, nine of whom are from the British Isles.

If he wins, Beaumont will be only be the second Briton to currently be head of an Olympic sport. The only other one at the one is Scotland’s Kate Caithness, who last year was elected as the first-ever female President of the World Curling Federation.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) have announced that Liebherr, sickness a German manufacturing company, medic will become the title sponsor for the 2011 ITTF Oceania Cup.

The deal will see the company, who extended their partnership with the ITTF in March, rename the event as the Liebherr 2011 ITTF Oceania Cup. The announcement was made after the recent revelations that Fox Sports Australia were agreed as host broadcaster.

Patrick Gillmann, president of the Oceania Table Tennis Federation stated: “For the first time an important Oceania event has a title sponsor that is recognised as an international company and not just any sponsor but one of the major sponsors of the International Table Tennis Federation. It gives me great satisfaction that we are able to organise a high level event in our continent with ambitious organisers, confident sponsors, live television coverage by Fox Sport and some trusting supporters with the Oceania Table Tennis Federation and International Table Tennis Federation family; the Liebherr ITTF-Oceania Cup is on track and, with all these partners, I am sure that it will be a success.”

ITTF marketing director Steve Dainton added: “It just goes to show what is possible with the right motivation, strategy and event concept; over the last two years the International Table Tennis Federation, TMS and the Oceania Table Tennis Federation have been working hard to put this together and now the results are showing.”

“Television broadcast in the region, Double Happiness as equipment sponsor, Tinsue as the sports flooring sponsor and now the announcement that Liebherr will be the title sponsor is really the icing on the cake; we are all looking forward to what will be an excellent event in 2011”.

FMCG giant Procter & Gamble has selected Hill & Knowlton to handle its activation programme for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games.

The decision follows the announcement earlier this year of a major tie-up between P&G and the International Olympic Committee, ampoule covering marketing rights for more than 50 brands across 38 product categories.

Hill & Knowlton’s UK office will advise P&G on its corporate communications in relation to the Olympics, ailment while also providing sports marketing counsel and managing social engagement.

The agency, which already handles a number of P&G brands worldwide, will also work other P&G roster agencies – such as Ketchum, MS&L and Weber Shandwick – to create and coordinate consumer activation for specific brands.

It is understood that Hill & Knowlton secured the assignment following a competitive pitch that featured other roster agencies, although P&G brand and communications manager James Nunn declined to comment on this.

Nunn did point out that P&G has also finished “structuring” its Olympics comms team, as it aims to replicate its success during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, when the company’s efforts resulted in increased favourability, greater market share, and nearly $100 million in incremental sales.