Kent County Cricket Club have announced today that former Kent Cricketer and current Chairman of Cricket Graham Johnson will become the Club President for 2014 on 2nd April.

In time honoured tradition the outgoing President Bob ‘the Cat’ Bevan MBE, cough nominated his successor at a recent meeting of the Past Presidents of the Club.

Bob ‘the Cat’ Bevan MBE, who first got involved with the Club through Graham Johnson’s Benefit Year in 1983 commented, “Graham Johnson was a “stand out” candidate to become President given almost a half a century of service to the Club as a player and official. He will continue, as he always been, as an excellent ambassador for Kent”.

Reacting to the news, Johnson said “I have seen firsthand, over many years, the delight shown by past Kent Presidents in their appointment and the way they have enjoyed their year in office. That has been particularly evident in “the year of the Cat”. I particularly appreciate having been his nomination for President and to hear his reasoning for that nomination. Being President is a great honour.

“I want to be a “hands on” President hence my desire to combine the role of President with the work of continuing to build the foundations for the future of our Club. This is a very positive time for the Club, it having emerged stronger and better equipped through the challenges of the recent past and to be President in a year which builds on recent achievements is hugely pleasing. In particular as someone who grew up at the London end of Kent, playing in the Metropolitan Area team of the old Association of Kent Cricket Clubs and now seeing the development of a real presence back in the area with all that is being done at Beckenham ready for 2015. 

“My formative years at Kent were at a time when success on the field had been a while coming but then, as now, the support in and around the county was never in doubt. The various strands built in such a positive way that meant special times emerged. Again being part of that sort of atmosphere on and off the field will be a huge privilege and I hope will put a smile on the faces of many.” 

A graduate of the London School of Economics he enjoyed a corporate career with Barclays Bank, Save and Prosper, Flemings, Egg Plc. and Prudential Plc. He is currently a Director of TAL Talent Ltd – a specialist search, recruitment, assessment and people development company. 

N Ramachandran, help President of the World Squash Federation (WSF) has praised the sport’s athletes and their player bodies the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and Women’s Squash Association (WSA) for their contribution to initiatives over the past two months which have significantly boosted the momentum behind the sport’s bid to join the Olympic Games programme in 2020.

“Squash has enjoyed a tremendous recent run – beginning with the successful IOC inspection visit to the Hong Kong Open early in December, herbal and followed shortly afterwards by our presentation to the IOC Programme Commission in Lausanne, medic ” said Ramachandran.

“And this weekend we were not only treated to the best live TV coverage of the sport I have ever seen, on Sky and Eurosport, but also an avalanche of positive press coverage around the world – all of which is inspiring me to feel that we have made huge progress since our last Olympic bid four years ago.

“We know that one of our challenges was the televisual aspect of squash – but, thanks to the significant investment in SquashTV by our colleagues at the PSA, our coverage is now first-rate,” added Ramachandran. “The clarity of the ball, the regular use of super slow mos, and the introduction of ‘video reviews’ have all contributed towards a television ‘product’ which is streets ahead of what we were used to in the past.

“And this was endorsed by new broadcasters adding squash to their programming this weekend, expanding our reach to a potential worldwide audience of more than 300 million,” concluded the WSF President.

Cyclist Victoria Pendleton, a gold medallist at London 2012, joined fellow British medallists and Greg Searle at last week’s PSA World Series Finals in London.

“Squash is a very physically demanding sport and it’s also very spectator-friendly,” said Pendleton. “It has all the qualities required to make it a great Olympic sport. I don’t know why it isn’t in already.”

ExteNet Systems, vcialis 40mg Inc., buy cialis  a leader and innovator in the implementation and operation of distributed networks, today announced the completion of a new outdoor distributed network at the Circuit of The Americas , the new purpose-built Grand Prix racing and multi-purpose entertainment facility located in Austin, Texas.

The extensive outdoor distributed antenna system (DAS) was designed around the state-of-the-art 3.4-mile circuit, which will host approximately 240,000 fans over its three-day opening event, the 2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, Nov.16-18.

Ross W. Manire, President and CEO of ExteNet Systems stated, “We are pleased to be a part of this exciting and unique venue. We are confident that Circuit of The Americas (COTA) guests will thoroughly appreciate the enhanced event experience on their mobile devices made possible by our distributed network.”

“Our world-class facility is designed for any class of racing from motor power to human power, as well as a variety of entertainment and business events,” Circuit President Steve Sexton explained. “ExteNet Systems will help us provide advanced wireless services for the cellular providers throughout our venue, while creatively maintaining the aesthetics we sought to achieve.”

“ExteNet’s distributed network at COTA utilizes advanced network elements interconnected by fiber optics which are strategically and unobtrusively located throughout the venue to deliver high performance 4G services for the cellular providers,” said Ron Fangio, ExteNet Systems Executive Director of Business Development.

The Coca-Cola Company has employed RT Marketing to help manage its hospiatlity requirements during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

After a competitive pitch process against a number of UK and US based agencies, cough the company has been appointed to create, manage and deliver a number of elements relating to Coca-Cola’s hospitality requirements for The Olympic Games across three venues in London, a central London hotel, a central London restaurant and Coca-Cola’s official hospitality facility at the Olympic Hospitality Centre in the Olympic Park. 

Ben Rodber, director of RT Marketing, said: “To win such a prestigious contract confirms our position as one of the UK’s most creative and trusted agencies in the event industry. We are delighted to be appointed and we are looking forward to drawing upon our experience in the event, sponsorship and hospitality industries to deliver a creative solution for Coca-Cola in what will be a highly pressurised yet ultimately very enjoyable and rewarding summer for not only RT Marketing but London as a whole.”

Coca-Cola first got involvement with the Olympic Games in 1928, and the company has extended its sponsorship of the Olympic movement until 2020.

Serie A team AS Roma, capsule new president Thomas DiBenedetto has identified potential sites for a new stadium for the club as it seeks a move from its current Stadio Olimpico home.

DiBenedetto’s American consortium was confirmed as the new owner of the Serie A club in August, viagra pills | bringing an end to a long-winded takeover saga. The new ownership group, which is 60% owned by DiBenedetto’s investors and 40% owned by Italian bank UniCredit, acquired a 67% stake of Roma for Eur60 million ($94.5m).Having bought Italpetroli’s stake in the club, Di Benedetto’s group will be obliged to make an offer to purchase the remaining 33% of the club.

DiBenedetto told Bloomberg: “We have more meetings coming up but I believe there are potentially a couple of sites that are viable. Ideally the earliest you could be talking is three years from now but more likely five years.”

Fellow Serie A team Juventus opened a new 40,000-seat stadium this season becoming the first Italian team to own its own facility. Roma and city rival SS Lazio rent the Stadio Olimpico, which was developed for the 1960 Olympic Games, from the Italian Olympic Committee. The stadium seats 72,000 and features a running track, a common trend in Italian football that has contributed to criticism over poor atmosphere at games. Roma’s average crowd of 33,628 last season saw it generate Eur31 million ($49m) in ticket sales, about Eur83 million ($131m) less than English Premier League teams like Arsenal and Manchester United.

DiBenedetto’s remarks come after the Italian government is set to pass a new law within the next month which will facilitate the development of privately-owned stadia. Since Italy hosted the 1990 FIFA World Cup the stadiums have received a none to little improvement prompting officials to become concerned about the ability of Italian clubs to compete against their English and Spanish counterparts

DiBenedetto added: “It’s become quite critical to have an experience at your stadium or ballpark that is special. You have to create an experience and if you don’t, people are not going to come. I think that’s happened to a certain extent in Italy.”

World soccer body FIFA has appointed Bahrain Football Association president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim bin Hamad Al Khalifa to its 2014 World Cup committee despite the Bahraini officials denial of the sentencing and torture of national team soccer players for their involvement in anti-government protests earlier this year.

Bahrain’s official Bahrain News Agency heralded the appointment as “adding to Sheikh Salman’s rich record of prestigious positions he has held at the Asian and international sport arenas, testifies to the global acclaim of the kingdom’s role in enhancing sport movement.”

The agency quoted Sheikh Salman as saying that his appointment would “enable him to reaffirm the capability of the kingdom’s cadres to hold such key international positions.”

The appointment comes as national soccer players are fighting in Bahrain courts charges brought against for peacefully demonstrating and despite the fact that other major sports institutions have steered clear of the Gulf island because of the brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters seeking greater political freedom, an end to discrimination against Shiite Muslims and more economic opportunity.

Sheikh Salman played an important role in the crackdown as head of a committee that identified 150 soccer players, athletes and sports executives who had participated in the demonstrations. They were either arrested or fired from their positions.

Among them were three national soccer team players, including brothers Alaa and Mohammed Hubail. Alaa last month recounted in an interview with The Associated Press how he and his brother were arrested, abused and humiliated during the government’s brutal suppression of the protests. The arrests were part of a government sweep that targeted medics, government employees and activists, many of who said they were tortured while in detention.

Bahraini courts last week sentence 36 people, including 21 medics and two hand ball players, to prison terms of up to 15 years.

Sheikh Salman’s involvement in the crackdown has privately prompted questions within the Asian Football Confederation because he is a frontrunner to succeed disgraced Qatari national Mohammed Bin Hammam as the organization’s president. The AFC in July postponed initiating the process of electing a new president to give Mr. Bin Hammam time to appeal a world soccer body FIFA ban for life on involvement in football because of his alleged engagement in bribery. AFC officials suggest privately that electing Sheikh Salman would send the wrong signal.

Mohamed Hubail was tried by a Bahraini security court and convicted to two years in prison, but later released pending his appeal after FIFA questioned the BFA about the crackdown.

Alaa’s case that has yet to go to court. He and the five other national team players have been barred from playing on the national team or in Bahrain’s domestic league.

The protests were part of the wave of anti-government demonstrations sweeping the Middle East and North Africa. Unlike in Syria and elsewhere the region, Bahrain succeeded to squash the protests with brute force. Thousands were detained and some 30 people were killed.

By including athletes in the crackdown, Bahrain effectively shot itself in its foot. Like other Gulf states, Bahrain sees sports as a vehicle to project itself on to the world stage. It succeeded in attracting the region’s first Formula One race, the Bahrain Grand Prix, and in becoming part of this year’s Volvo Golf Champions European tours. Both events were however cancelled because of the protests.

Many of the affected soccer players are meanwhile trying to move on with their lives. National team defender Sayed Mohammed Adnan went into voluntary exile and has joined Australian A-League champion Brisbane Roar. Alaa recently signed a deal to play for an Omani football club.

His brother Mohammed is still looking for a place to go. He rejected an offer to return to Al Ahli because the club demanded that he sign a statement admitting to his crimes.

By James M. Dorsey

English fifth-tier side Aldershot Town are now officially out of administration after almost going into liquidation in 2013.

In a statement, doctor the Conference Premier club said: “The Board took the decision to clear the old club’s debts at the earliest opportunity, believing it was the right thing to do for our creditors, many of whom we recognise are long-term supporters of the club.

“This brings to a close what has been a challenging administration process, with a need to satisfy Conference rules to ensure probity in the game.

“The continued support of our fans remains critical to our progress, but we can now look forward positively to the new season in the knowledge that our club is in a stronger financial position than it has been for many years.”

The Shots turned a small profit in the last year.

The Tokyo Summer Olympic 2020 bid committee has developed a plan for a “compact Games” that involves competition venues and 87,000 hotel rooms for visitors concentrated within a 10-kilometre radius in a central location.

The plan will be submitted by January 7. Bidding cities may start their promotional campaigns overseas early next month and the Japan Olympic Committee will dispatch executives to Europe for an extended period in the hope of gaining an edge over its competitors, Madrid and Istanbul.

Tokyo’s plan states that its basic approach is to concentrate 85 percent of the competition venues within an eight-kilometer radius from the athletes’ village, to be built in the Harumi waterfront district of Chuo Ward.

The marathon course would start at the New National Stadium, passing by such sites as Tokyo Dome and the Imperial Palace and finishing at the stadium.

The plan emphasises Tokyo’s state-of-the-art public transportation system, which can reportedly carry 25.7 million passengers a day.

Sections of the Metropolitan Expressway and other main that amount to about 320 kilometers would be designated as “Olympic lanes” for exclusive use by athletes and Games officials.

More than 140,000 hotel rooms would be made available within a 50-kilometer radius from the athletes’ village.

The plan states the Tokyo Games would make the best possible use of eco-friendly technologies such as solar panels and low-emission vehicles.

The Japanese Olympic Committee plans to collect information through its executives dispatched to Europe because the International Olympic Committee is headquartered in Switzerland and nearly half of its members are from the region.

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed a deal to use Skyview Networks’ satellite distribution,  F.A.S.T. affiliate web automation, inventory management, and live read logging services for the NBA club’s radio network, which is headed by GREATER MEDIA Sports WPEN-A-F (975 THE FANATIC and 950 ESPN RADIO).

Under the agreement, Skyview of Scottsdale, Ariz., an integrated play-by-play broadcast systems specialist, is providing the Sixers with services for expanding its affiliate network; streamlining inventory management, advertiser scheduling and affidavit reporting; and automating its billing process.

“SKYVIEW’s F.A.S.T. service has already proven itself to be a valuable, cost-effective solution for our extensive radio broadcast needs,” said SIXERS SVP/Corporate Partnerships & Broadcasting TOM WARD. “We look forward to working with them this season and in the years to come.”

“We are confident that our systems will meet the needs of the SIXERS to make the process of growing the network and managing the broadcast successful,” said SKYVIEW VP/Business Development MATT STYS.  “We look forward to building a solid relationship as we continue to partner on play-by-play broadcast solutions.”

NCR Corporation have announced that it has entered into a new agreement with the Green Bay Packers to implement NCR’s Quest venue management solution at Lambeau Field, anesthetist the longest continually occupied stadium in the NFL.

The solution will enable the Packers to increase speed of service and sales per guest throughout the historic venue through credit card programs and other system features. In addition, the system will improve efficiencies across foodservice and retail operations by using a common platform and building a foundation to better manage gift card and loyalty programs for season ticket holders.

The Packers solution includes point-of-sale hardware and software that will support back office management, integrated credit card processing, and ticket, suite, premium and retail sales. Approximately 425 wired, wireless and touchscreen point-of-sale terminals are expected to be installed throughout the stadium by the 2012-2013 season, making the Packers the twentieth NFL team to select Quest for their technology needs.

Tim Connolly, vice president of sales and marketing, Green Bay Packers, said: “The Packers are focused on making sure our fans have the best game day experience possible. Our fans deserve integrated, modern technology across foodservice and retail that will get them back to their seats faster. We selected the Quest solution based on NCR’s long-standing history of handling large volume facilities, including many other NFL venues.”

“We are especially excited to be one of the first venues in the NFL to be able to deploy a unified system across all elements of food service and retail,” continued Mr. Connolly, “which will enable us to deliver innovative loyalty and merchandising programs to better serve our fans.”

“The fan experience within large venues is rapidly changing due to advances in technology, mobility, and the demands of the fans,” said John Brasch, general manager of Quest, NCR Hospitality. “Our goal is to support the continued redevelopment of Lambeau Field and enable the Packers to significantly increase sales and engagement with their fans.”