Pocono International Raceway, adiposity Inc. through their partnership with Frontier Communications have introduced a new communications system to benefit employees, doctor staff, race teams, media and fans.

Partnering with long-time telecommunications provider Frontier Communications, Pocono Raceway enlisted the expertise of Frontier’s engineering and operations teams to design a telecommunications system that would accommodate current and future growth and also help attract other entertainment opportunities. Because of the unique design of the three-turn facility, however, Frontier had to create a system that would fully integrate different locations and end users and support their various communications requirements. Frontier’s solution was a Mitel 3300 VoIP system, allowing increased capacity up to 1,400 users.

“We’ve made many enhancements to our facility over the years and the new communications system is another step in our plan to become a year-round entertainment venue,” said Brandon Igdalsky, President and CEO, Pocono Raceway. “Communications are the life-blood of any business and we are excited to have Frontier Communications, an industry leader, as a partner in this exciting endeavor.”

The versatility of the new VoIP system allows it to support growth without requiring a completely revamped platform. “We appreciated what Pocono Raceway needs now as well as what it might need in the future to address communications for concerts, trade shows and other entertainment and raceway events,” said Michael Morton, General Manager, Frontier Communications. “The Mitel solution integrates rich telephony features with advanced applications that are accessible via desktop devices and managed over a web-based embedded system. The system is highly scalable, so it can grow as Pocono Raceway grows. It’s an efficient and cost-effective system since ‘moves, adds and changes’ are completed over the web, a huge benefit to the raceway.”

With more than twenty years of serving as the communications partner for Pocono Raceway, the Frontier team delivered not only an industry-leading solution, it also delivered a promise of continued personalized service and responsiveness. “We’re backed by the resources of a Fortune 500 company but we are based locally. Frontier’s employees live in the markets we serve, so we understand the needs of customers and we work toward a mutual goal of creating vibrant communities,” added Morton. “Year-round events at Pocono Raceway would be an exciting economic driver to the area, fostering additional jobs and overall new business opportunities. We’re excited to help make this happen together with Pocono Raceway.”

Igdalsky echoed the benefits of the decades’ long partnership with Frontier, stating, “We’re proud to build on our relationship with Frontier. They’ve supported us as we’ve changed and grown; their staff and technicians deliver excellent personalized service; and they understand how our transitioning into a year-round facility will have a huge impact on our Pocono region. We’re glad to have them on our team.”

Die RSMG Insights Holding, erectile zu der auch das Beratungs- und Forschungsinstitut Sport+Markt gehört, therapy hat den bisherigen Konkurrenten IFM Group zum 1. März übernommen.

Zur IFM Group gehören auch die in Karlsruhe ansässige IFM Sports und das britische Marktforschungsunternehmen IFM Sports Marketing Surveys. Die gesamte IFM Group wird unter dem Dach der in Amsterdam gelisteten RSMG Insights Holding eingegliedert. IFM Sports und IFM Sports Marketing Surveys werden aber weiterhin als eigenständige Unternehmen und unter ihren Markennamen operieren.

Wie das Magagzin „Sponsors“ berichtet, ambulance wird die RSMG Insights Holding damit unangefochtener Branchenführer auf dem Gebiet der Sportmarktforschung und steuert nach eigenen Angaben Projekte in über 170 Ländern. Repucom-Chef Paul Smith lobt den IFM-Kauf: „Wir sind unserem Ziel näher gekommen, eine globale, transparente Plattform zur Sponsoringbewertung zu etablieren.“

Der Kauf der IFM Group wurde durch GF Capital mitfinanziert. Das New Yorker Private-Equity-Unternehmen legte schon beim Repucom-Merger 2010 Kapital ein. „Mit der Übernahme von IFM haben wir einen globalen Marktführer geschaffen“, sagt Erik Baker, Mitbegründer und Geschäftsführer von GF Capital.

Das Finanzunternehmen ist zu rund einem Drittel an der RSMG Insights Holding beteiligt. Die weiteren Anteile halten mehrheitlich die Sport+Markt-Vorstände Hartmut Zastrow und Torsten Zoega sowie Repucom-Chef Smith. „Keiner der Gesellschafter hat eine alleinige Mehrheit“, sagte Zastrow gegenüber „Welt Online“.

Laut Baker biete der Sportbusiness-Markt große Wachstumschancen, vor allem die Nachfrage nach der Erfolgsmessung, die jüngst erneut von RSMG angekündigt wurde, werde immer größer. „Wir sind für global agierende Unternehmen interessant, die Sponsoring auf der ganzen Welt betreiben“, sagt Baker und denkt bereits weiter: Die Unterhaltungsindustrie biete große Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten. „Wir untersuchen, wie wir am Wachstum dieser Branche teilhaben können“, so Baker.

Oliver Kaiser, der IFM 1988 gründete, und nach dem Abschied von CEO Oliver Graßy Ende 2011 wieder das Ruder beim Sport- und Research-Berater übernahm, ist nach dem Verkauf all seiner Firmenanteile guter Dinge. „Die Konsolidierung war überfällig“, sagt Kaiser und sieht seine neue Geschäftschance in der Verknüpfung von Fakten mit strategischem Know-how.

„RSMG schafft den globalen Datenpool, wir setzen ihm das Stammhirn auf, mit dem Sponsoren und Rechteinhaber die zentralen Entscheidungsgrundlagen erhalten“, erklärt Kaiser weiter. Dazu soll er mit rund einem Dutzend Mitarbeitern von Frankfurt aus eine Strategieberatung aufbauen. RSMG Insights wird eine Minderheitsbeteiligung an diesem Unternehmen halten und auf Kaisers Expertise zurückgreifen können.

Fragen wirft die neue Allianz aus kartellrechtlicher Sicht auf. Denn mit der Übernahme entsteht unter anderem auf dem deutschen Markt im weitesten Sinne ein Monopolist. Der Kölner Sportökonomie-Professor Christoph Breuer hegt nicht zuletzt deshalb Zweifel an dem Zusammenschluss: „In jeder Branche hat der Abnehmer Nachteile, wenn durch eine fast monopolartige Stellung die Marktmacht auf Anbieterseite liegt.“ Breuer bemüht die Wettbewerbstheorie: Preise tendierten dann nach oben, der Innovationsdruck dürfte sinken.

The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has made the swimming competition of the Arab Games Doha 2011 an official qualifying event for the London 2012 Olympics.

Khaleel Al-Jabir, drugs director for sports, sample viagra said, “The fact that the Arab Games swimming competition has been selected as a qualifying event by FINA is testament to the thorough preparations and world-class standards set for the Arab Games Doha 2011.

“Our vision is for an Arab Games swimming competition which will inspire, and offers all participants and nations the perfect preparation for London 2012 or future international championships. It will be an ideal platform for all Arab athletes to realise their potential and compete at the highest level. Once again, Qatar sits alongside the leading sporting nations as a trusted partner and renowned sporting hub, showing real leadership in every aspect of hosting major sporting events.”

FINA representatives will be on site in Doha for the Games coming up in early December to oversee the competition.

Ahmed Ghaith, elite level Qatari swimmer, said, “The fact that the Arab Games Doha 2011 swimming competition is a qualification event for London 2012 is a testament for the Arab Games, and an excellent opportunity for all the participating swimmers.

“I participated in the Arab Games in 2007, in Cairo, and am expecting Arab Games Doha 2011 to provide me with an ideal sporting environment to develop my skills and talents to compete on more regional and international platforms in the future. In December, my goal is to win – for my team and for Qatar.”

The staging of the Arab Games Doha 2011 is also pivotal for the city as Doha is in the bidding to host the Olympic Games in 2020. After winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar has focused on bringing more and more high level events to the country.

The Football Association (FA) has stipulated that it would block any plans to abolish the promotion and relegation structure from the Premier League after League Managers Association (LMA) chief Richard Bevan said yesterday that several foreign-owned clubs wanted to remove the system.

Bevan also suggested that increased foreign ownership of Premier League clubs increased the likelihood the proposed system will become a reality.

Blackburn joined the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea when they were taken over by Indian-owned Venky’s Group last season, meaning that nearly half the league’s 20 clubs are now under foreign ownership.

Premier League rules state that 14 votes from their 20 members are needed to make changes.

Bevan also added that a new owner of a Premier League club would not necessarily need to be foreign for them to see there would be money to be made from scrapping relegation.

But it is within the FA’s power to reject any proposal that alters the game’s structure.

An FA spokesman told The Sun newspaper: “The FA’s share can be used so it has to approve any major rule change. This covers changes to promotion and relegation.”

The process by which World Championships and conferences are allocated by the World Squash Federation (WSF) has been radically altered in what the organisation claim is a new forward plan for the sport.

In order to ensure that all regions of the world can host their share of Squash related events, shop the WSF have scrapped the fact that until now, ampoule member nations wanting to host have simply applied for the opportunity.

The WSF has now introduced a new regime in which the five regions of the world have been allocated all the Federation’s events and conferences right through to the year 2020 in WSF chief executive Andrew Shelley claims is a “fairer spread, denture with more certainty – and better all round.”

In 2014, for example, Pan America will stage the Women’s World Team Championship; while Europe will take the WSF Development Conference and WSF Federations Conference; Africa will host the Men’s World Junior Individual & Team Championships (with the Women’s Junior Individual Championship alongside); Asia will have the World Doubles and WSF AGM; and Oceania the World Masters.

International Rugby Board chief executive Mike Miller has said that it is a question of “when, not if” a rugby world cup will be played in the United States.

New Zealand will host the Rugby World cup in 2011 and England will host the 2015 Rugby World cup. The rugby world cup will then break the mould by moving to Japan which is not one of the sports big nations.

IRB Boss Miller says that the United States or even Russia could soon follow in the list of countries to host the Rugby World Cup.

“It’s a question of when – not if – it’s going to happen,” Miller told AP.

Rugby has joined the world’s major sports by being included in the Summer Olympics starting from 2016 but only in the 7-a-side format as the 15 man format requires players to have longer rest periods between matches which makes rugby tournaments last much longer.

The IRB wants the Olympics and the Rugby World Cup to raise the game’s profile in countries outside the currently participating outside Europe and Australasia.

The masses in America will be introduced to rugby next year when NBC broadcasts the World Cup from New Zealand for the first time.

2019 World cup hosts Japan have played in all of the past Rugby World cups but have only won once in 20 matches and are considered an emerging nation when it comes to rugby.

Miller says that the IRB named two host nations last year as established rugby nation England will make a big profit while Japan might not be as profitable but it will grow the game. Naming host nations so may years in advance gives planners more time to prepare and work for the event.

“If you only award one at a time, because all of our funding depends upon (the) Rugby World Cup, you’re more likely to take the safe, conservative option,” Miller said.

“If you do two together, you can take a longer-term view. You can say, ‘2015, that’s England, that’s a banker. Loads of money, that’ll work – full stadia, great press coverage.”

“Japan should work and should spread rugby in Asia. Coupled with England? Great, let’s do it. Japan versus England? Not quite so sure.”

If the IRB continues with their plan of rotating emerging nations and bankers the IRB could take the Rugby world cup to the United States in 2027 or Russia who’s broadcast times would be more favourable to the bulk of the rugby population.

“We need to grow the game all over the world and Asia’s a huge market,” Miller said.

“Europe’s a big market with 300 million, but then you look at India and China and you see 2.5 billion.”

The USA would also need to show the IRB that if they did hold a world cup in the region it would grow the game enough to leave a suitable legacy even though they might not need to build much in the way of infrastructure and stadiums.

“There’s no doubt they can hold it,” Miller said. “There’s no point having it if you then don’t have the infrastructure in place to benefit from it. “

“We would need to see what happens as a result of the exposure on NBC and the Olympics as Rio gets closer.

“It’s too early to tell what will happen in the USA in the next three or four years. It will be crucial seeing 2016 and Rio if the U.S. qualify. There’s no doubt the game is growing in the U.S., it’s just a question of how fast it is growing.”

Rugby will be boosted in Russia, who are in the same Pool as the USA in 2011, as they only allow schools to teach Olympic sports and they also allow teams to draw upon funding from national Olympic committees and their facilities.

“Rugby is now on the curriculum in the Moscow region. That’s of huge benefit to rugby in Russia,” Miller said.

“Previously you had after-school clubs, but you were one step removed and it makes things that little bit harder.

“In England, Australia and New Zealand, you start at 6, 7 or 8 years old. If they start at 15 or 16 in Russia or somewhere else, it’s really difficult to catch up those years lost.”