A new directive by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has meant Athletes will face an increased volume of blood-tests leading up to to London 2012.

Meeting at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, the WADA Executive Committee accepted a recommendation that all anti-doping organisations ensure that not less than 10 per cent of samples collected are blood specimens.

Only four percent of all doping control samples collected in 2010 were for blood, mostly for passport programmes.

WADA said this had been a “key concern”, since “an anti-doping organisation ought to collect blood as it cannot claim to have an effective programme in place if there is a loophole in its testing programme leaving for possible abuse of substances and methods that cannot be detected in urine analysis such as human growth hormone and blood transfusions”.

It said the new 10 per cent directive would have a “significant deterrence benefit, regardless of the particular risks associated with the anti-doping organisations’ sports”.

Blood samples were collected from every accredited athlete at the recent World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, in an exercise hailed as a “fantastic milestone” by Lamine Diack, the International Association of Athletics Federations President.

The samples are to be used to help build Athlete Biological Passports, allowing experts to register and chart physiological markers over time. WADA also approved the list of prohibited substances and methods for the Summer Olympic year of 2012.

One of the most significant changes was said to be the removal of asthma drug formoterol from ‘Section 3 Beta-2 Agonists’ of the list when taken by inhalation at therapeutic doses.

Inhaled formoterol at therapeutic doses is no longer prohibited. The list prohibits the administration of all beta-2 agonists except salbutamol (maximum 1600 micrograms over 24 hours), salmeterol when taken by inhalation, and now formoterol (maximum 36 micrograms taken over 24 hours).

The new list will be made official and published by October 1 and will take effect on January 1, 2012.

Corning MobileAccess, part of Corning Incorporated’s Telecommunications segment, today announced its distributed antenna system (DAS) has been installed at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Baltimore Ravens.

The DAS provides fans “always-on” wireless coverage throughout the facility, including reliable voice service and fast, 4G LTE-capable data speeds.

Powering the stadium’s cellular services is the MobileAccess2000, a multi-service, multi-operator DAS that provides wireless coverage over a single, broadband infrastructure.

Also utilized at the stadium is the MobileAccessHX, a two-watt amplifier which provides coverage over a large area using fewer antennas. The entire solution brings cellular coverage into the stadium and distributes it even in areas where there is typically no service.

“The Corning MobileAccess solution at M&T Bank Stadium exemplifies how we are continuing to support the ongoing efforts of wireless carriers to improve coverage and capacity in stadiums and other large public venues,” said Mike Genovese, senior vice president, Wireless Networks and New Business Development, Corning Cable Systems. “The stadium now has a state-of-the-art, scalable DAS that supports all major carriers and technologies, including 4G LTE networks.”

“We want M&T Bank Stadium to offer a premier fan experience, and part of that involves providing patrons with exceptional wireless coverage. The new DAS helps us achieve that,” said Jeffrey Provenzano, director of Football Operations, Maryland Stadium Authority. “It allows us to enhance our fans’ experience with unique mobile services and benefits that can only be found at the game.”

The DAS was installed by Mid-Atlantic Contracting. TESSCO purchased the equipment and also managed overall logistics for the project, including product cycle time, specialized bundling and staging.

Corning MobileAccess will participate in the TESSCO Innovation Showcase 2012, at the stadium Oct. 2-3. Focusing on “The Future of Wireless,” the Innovation Showcase will feature discussions and presentations focusing on today’s hottest wireless industry topics. Corning MobileAccess, TESSCO and Mid-Atlantic Contracting will host tours throughout the event, providing a “behind-the-scenes” look at the DAS installation.

“The recently commissioned DAS at M&T Bank Stadium is just one example of transformational technology that is raising the bar for wireless coverage,” said Jerry Garland, TESSCO’s senior vice president of Product Management and Solutions Development. “TESSCO’s 2012 Innovation Showcase, titled ‘The Future of Wireless,’ promises to be the ideal forum for TESSCO’s partners and customers to share knowledge and insights about where our industry is headed. We are looking forward to an exciting event.”

iSportconnect are pleased to announce today that it has launched a new sailing sub community. The sub community will include sailing news and features, symptoms discussions from industry experts, events, jobs, bidding and tenders as well as the latest videos and images from major events such as the Volvo Ocean Race and the Americas Cup.

The launch of the sub community coincides with the publication of a Featured Profile of Americas Cup Chairman Richard Worth who spoke to iSportconnect about his career to date and his task of promoting the Americas Cup to new audiences.

iSportconnect will also publish a bi-monthly online magazine that will include news, detailed industry analysis, trends, expert columns and case studies related to the business of yacht racing and professional sailing.

In future, iSportconnect will hold networking events specifically for people involved in the business of professional sailing and yacht racing to discuss major talking points and industry trends and network with one another.

iSportconnect CEO and Founder, Sree Varma said: “With major sailing competitions like the Americas Cup and Volvo Ocean being run so successfully,  creating a sub community for people who work within sailing business feels like a wise decision. I’m confident that this will be a great platform for people within the industry to connect and share ideas.”

The Olympic Park Legacy Company has appointment of Kathryn Firth as its new chief of design – a role that will see her head the company’s design team and will shape the future of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Firth, a Harvard graduate, has held senior positions at PLP Architecture, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and the LSE Cities Programme during her 25 years in the industry.

Her work at the OPLC will see her tasked with the Legacy Communities Scheme – a masterplan to develop the Park over the next 20 years, as well as improving the fringe areas around the Park through a series of community-focused design projects.

Firth said: “Being able to influence one of the most important regeneration projects of the century is a truly extraordinary opportunity for any urban designer’.

‘The standards of design that we set out now will set the tone for all future development on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is vital that this area is seen as a blueprint for 21st century living and loved by all those who live, work and visit’.

Firth will also be overseeing a major competition to create London’s newest public space sitting between the Olympic Stadium, the ArcelorMittal Orbit and the Aquatics Centre

see helvetica, cheap sans-serif;”>Bin Hammam had said he didn’t expect FIFA to accept his appeal, accusing the organization of being biased against him, and said he would take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after losing an appeal against the punishment.

His lawyer Eugene Gulland of Covington & Burling LLP confirmed the plan today.

A statement from Eugene Gulland said: “As expected, the FIFA appeals panel, which met in Zurich today, upheld the 23 July ruling by the FIFA ethics committee, and we will therefore be taking our appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).”

The Qatari, who was head of the Asian soccer confederation, was banned in July after being found guilty of buying votes for the FIFA leadership contest against Blatter. Bin Hammam said the ban was politically motivated and that he had the resources to fight for years to clear his name.

FIFA said in an e-mailed statement: “The appeal made by Mohammed Bin Hammam has been rejected and the decision of the FIFA Ethics Committee confirmed. The sanction of being banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) at national and international level for life has therefore been maintained.”

The Zurich-based body’s three-member appeal panel was led by Ecuadorian Francisco Acosta and included officials from Argentina and Senegal.

FIFA’s decision to expel Bin Hammam came after an investigation led by former Federal Bureau of Investigation director Louis Freeh into claims he offered Caribbean soccer officials envelopes containing $40,000 while campaigning in the region. FIFA vice president Jack Warner, who arranged Bin Hammam’s visit to the Caribbean, was also suspended and quit the sport before the end of Freeh’s inquiry. He denied any wrongdoing.