Wales struggle to sell tickets

The Welsh Rugby Union is struggling to sell tickets for the Autumn International match against South Africa?.

Little more than 35, allergist 500 fans were at the Aviva Stadium for the South Africa against Ireland match on Saturday – initially due to the IRFU admitting to charging too much for its home games.

“We appreciate how tough it is financially for supporters, pills ” said the WRU chief executive, Roger Lewis.

“The crowd we had against Australia compared well to what we used to attract at the old National Stadium but it would be disappointing if we did not get more than 45,000 this weekend.”

However, it appears that the Springboks are failing to attract the large crowds that the team used to pull on its visits to the British Isles.

Sochi to Host 2015 SportAccord Convention

The 2015 SportAccord Convention will be staged in Sochi, discount April/May next year, President Marius L. Vizer announced today. 

Vizer commented on the announcement:“It is a pleasure to inform the sport community that the Convention will be organised in Sochi. A city that demonstrated its passion for sport and capability through the successful organisation of the Winter Olympic Games, it will once again embrace the entire sport community while activating its legacy”. 

He added “We are working towards our long-term goal of increasing the level, complexity, participation and diversity of the Convention to benefit all stakeholders and delegates.”

The Russian Federation Minister of Sport, Mr. Vitaly Mutko stated, “The SportAccord Convention is a unique opportunity for the sport community to come together for discussion on important issues in the field of Sport. The Convention has become a platform for the interaction of many sports organisation and Federations, where they accept the most important sport decisions”. 

He also stated “The proposal to hold the Convention in Sochi is honoured and very important for Russia, especially after the Winter Olympic Games in 2014”. 

In closing he said, “the Olympic Games legacy contributes to the development of Sochi as one of the most important sporting cities in the world, which makes it attractive for holding such significant events as the SportAccord Convention.”

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Stoke City Executive Andrew Billingham Becomes Bristol Sport CEO

Stoke City commercial executive Andrew Billingham has become the new Chief Executive of Bristol Sport Ltd (BSL).

The appointment falls within the company’s plans to become the South West’s best facility for sport, sponsorship, entertainment and events.

Billingham joins BSL from Premier League football club Stoke City  where he has been in charge of commercial affairs for the last six years, overseeing their transition from the Championship to the top flight.

On his appointment Billingham commented “Within the UK sports industry, Bristol is rightly seen as a major sporting city. I have been impressed by Bristol Sport’s ambitions and plans to attract more families and individuals to participate in sport in the South West, be it watching or competing. I’ve already met some extremely passionate people and my role will be to work with them to unlock the potential, bringing together strategy and culture and I’m looking forward to the challenge.” He will assume his new position on June 1st 2014.

With more than twenty years experience in commercial sport Billingham has worked with some of the biggest sporting brands including adidas, Liverpool FC and Birmingham City FC. At Stoke City FC he drove business revenues from £11 million to £70 million in five years.

Martin Griffiths, Chairman of BSL, said “It’s a hugely exciting time for Bristol Sport. This is just the beginning of a journey which will see Bristol and the South West eventually become a sporting centre of excellence, provision, entertainment and events. By appointing Andrew we are adding to our talent pool as we aim to take BSL to a new level by extending our reach and penetration into all sports and entertainment areas.” 

BSL is part of the stable of sports companies owned by Stephen Lansdown and as such will oversee all aspects of commercial operations and merchandising for its affiliates including Bristol City FC, Bristol Rugby, Bristol Flyers, Bristol Academy Women FC and DZ Motorsport.  It will also manage the development of Bristol’s first multi-use stadium to be completed in 2016.

Coca-Cola Begins Search for Sochi 2014 Torchbearers

The Presenting Partner of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Games, sale Coca-Cola, sale cialis has begun the process of selecting 2,014 torchbearers for the Torch Relay, which begins on 7 October.

The Torch Relay will pass through 2,900 towns and cities, covering a distance of 65,000km, in 123 days.

The soft drinks company held a week-long exhibition in Moscow on 17 January to launch the Nomination Campaign, featuring memorabilia and exhibits from past Torch Relays and the Moscow 1980 Winter Olympics. They are also hosting a 13 city tour of Russia from the 25 January, where visitors will be able to hold the Torch.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, Sochi 2014 Organising Committee President and CEO, said: “The Olympic Torch Relay is a chance for everyone to join the Olympic Movement, to feel a part of a single whole, a part of the huge country. It is very important to convey to the people of Russia detailed information on this unique possibility; therefore, it is difficult to overestimate the work of the organisers of Nomination Campaign.”

Russian citizens aged 14 or over can apply to be selected until 17 March through the Coca-Cola website: http://www.coca-cola.ru/.

Baltimore Orioles to Use ProVenue Ticketing Platform

Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles and Tickets.com, provider of state-of-the-art technology solutions to over 1000 sports clients have inked a long term contract for the use of the ProVenue ticketing platform for all events at the team’s iconic Oriole Park at Camden Yards ballpark.

The Orioles are eager to be part of the leading-edge technologies that Tickets.com has developed with the ProVenue platform. Tickets.com were pioneers in Mobile Ticketing, being the first ticketing company to allow fans to search for, purchase and have tickets delivered to a mobile device. Recently, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and Tickets.com took mobile options a step further by being first adopters of Apple’s Passbook application for iPhones.

“It is important that the Orioles utilize new and emerging technologies to benefit our customers,” says Greg Bader, Orioles Vice President of Communications and Marketing. “We have very sophisticated fans in our region, and they request that we deliver content to them in the latest manner. This includes access to their game tickets and will extend to other programs we will be launching in the future such as loyalty and stored value programs. ProVenue and Tickets.com are positioned to help us get there quickly.”

“The Orioles made it clear from the beginning of this process that they were looking for new technologies that would benefit the fan experience, and we’re excited that ProVenue will be at the core of this change for the Club,” said John Walker, President and CEO of Tickets.com. “We’ve seen a shift in the market on the client side towards embracing systems with open-architecture. Along with the Miami Marlins and New York Mets (in 2012), and joining the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2013 season — the Orioles represent the 4th MLB Club to move to Tickets.com in two years. Clearly ProVenue is at the heart of that shift,” added Walker.

Tickets.com will provide ticketing solutions for 16 teams in Major League Baseball during the 2013 season, as well as prominent sports and live entertainment organizations around the world. Built on a hosted, open architecture, ProVenue offers functionality and extensibility beyond what has been traditionally available to teams and venues in live entertainment, and is quickly developing a reputation for its innovative solutions.

Adidas Reveals Record Earnings for 2011

German sportswear maker adidas has revealed record earnings in 2011 which it says is because of strong demands for the brand and will use the London 2012 Olympics to beat those records.

Adidas net profit rose by 18 percent to 671 million euros ($881 million) last year, with earnings per share hitting a record high of 3.20 euros.

Operating profit grew by 13.1 percent to 1.011 billion euros on an 11.3-percent increase in sales to 13.344 billion euros.

“We enjoyed our fastest organic (sales) growth rate since 2006,” boasted chief executive Herbert Hainer.

“We made progress on improving profitability. And we ended the year with our balance sheet in top shape,” Hainer said.

The 2012 Olympics in London and the UEFA Euro soccer championships would enable adidas to race to record earnings again this year, the chief executive said.

“We begin 2012 fully energised and fully prepared for another bright year for our group. There is always great buzz and excitement around major sports events, and they don’t come bigger than the London 2012 Olympic Games and the UEFA EURO 2012,” he said.

“We are all set to achieve new records and sustained momentum.”

by Ismail Uddin

 

FIFA Ethics Committee Bans Four and Fines Others Taking Part in Bribery Scandal

The FIFA Ethics Committee, tadalafil chaired by Claudio Sulser (Switzerland), has investigated 16 members of the Carribean Football Union and dealt out small fines and short term bans for their alleged partake in the bribery scandal.

The proceedings had been opened in regard to apparent violations of the Code of Ethics connected to the investigation of the cases related to the special meeting of the CFU held in Trinidad & Tobago on 10 and 11 May 2011. On this day former CFU president Jack Warner allegedly offered 25 colleagues $40,000 each for their support of Mohammed Bin Hammam in his bid to oust Sepp Blatter atop world football’s governing body.

The members got caught up with the scandal and were investigated, all receiving their individual punishments.

Franka Pickering (British Virgin Islands) has been banned for a period of 18 months from taking part in any football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) and has received a fine of CHF 500 ($558).

Horace Burrell (Jamaica) has been banned for a period of six months with three months suspended and a probation of two years

Osiris Guzman (Dominican Republic) and Ian Hypolite (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) received the same ban from the sport of a period of 30 days and has received a fine of CHF 300 ($334). The Ethics Committee decided to suspend 15 days of the ban, subject to a probationary period of six months.

Also Aubrey Liburd (British Virgin Islands) and Hillaren Frederick (US Virgin Islands) has received a reprimand and a fine of CHF 300 ($334).Anthony Johnson (St. Kitts and Nevis) has received a reprimand but no fine.

However some officials came out the ordeal unscathed with David Hinds (Barbados), Mark Bob Forde (Barbados), Richard Groden (Trinidad & Tobago), Yves Jean-Bart (Haiti) and Horace Reid (Jamaica) Felix Ledesma (Dominican Republic) not reprimanded.

The hearing of Noel Adonis (Guyana) has been postponed, while in the case of Patrick Mathurin (St. Lucia), more information is required and therefore no decision has been taken at this stage.

The cases of David Frederick (Cayman Islands) and Joseph Delves (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) were closed since they are no longer football officials. Should they return to football official positions, their cases would be examined again by the Ethics Committee.

Guinness become official partner of three UK Rugby unions

Diageo brand Guinness has extended its rugby ties by sealing partnerships with the English, Scottish and Welsh rugby unions. The deal sees Guinness become an official partner and official responsible drinking partner of all three unions.

“These new partnerships give us our largest ever presence in rugby,” said John Roscoe, Great Britain’s marketing director for Guinness at Diageo.

A new Guinness rugby campaign will feature England captain Lewis Moody, Lee Byrne of Wales and Scotland’s Sean Lamont.

Guinness, which also have sponsorship rights in Irish rugby, decided not to renew its title sponsorship of the Premiership this year – with Aviva taking over the naming rights.

More to follow…

Korean Grand Prix track on schedule

Organisers have insisted that the Korea International Circuit is nearing completion and the inaugural Korean Grand Prix will go ahead as planned in October.

The race is set to take place on 24 October at the Hermann Tilke-designed track, online but some reports have suggested that construction of the site has been delayed by up to a month.

However, ailment president and CEO of the Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO), adiposity Yung Cho Chung, said: “We are delighted with the progress of the project, which is both on schedule and being finished to an extremely high standard.

“We look forward to welcoming everyone to the Korea International Circuit and our fascinating circuit in October.”

 

Claudia Bokel Re-Elected Chair of IOC Athletes’ Commission

Claudia Bokel has been re-elected as Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, buy which is the voice of the athletes within the IOC and the Olympic Movement.

Bokel, ambulance a former fencer and silver medallist (team) at the Olympic Games in 2004, will also remain as a member of the IOC Executive Board. Angela Ruggiero was elected Vice-Chair. Ruggiero is an Olympic champion in ice hockey and has played more games for Team USA than any other man or woman.

Claudia Bokel said after the meeting: “I would like to thank my colleagues for their trust in my work, and am looking forward to continuing my mission of bringing athletes’ views to the attention of the right people in the Olympic Movement. It is great to know that I can count on the continued support and valuable input of my Commission members for this important task.”

Bokel is in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics but has also visited the Russian International Olympic University’s (RIOU) state-of-the-art campus in Sochi.