South Korean Golfer, An Byeong-hun, has joined International Sports Management (ISM) which manages stars like Open champion Darren Clarke and world number two Lee Westwood.

Two of the last three winners of the American amateur title have now joined the company after Peter Uihlein decided to join ISM, now 20-year-old Byeong-hun has followed.

With parents who were both Olympic table tennis medallists, An was the youngest ever winner of the United States championship when he triumphed at 17 in 2009.

He is to begin his professional career on the European Challenge Tour, having missed out on a card for the main circuit by seven shots at last month’s qualifying school.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge and can’t wait to get started,” he said in a statement.

ISM chief executive Chubby Chandler commented: “Ben’s credentials speak for themselves. I am confident that we can guide him successfully through the often choppy waters that await young golfers starting out on their professional careers.”

Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen are also part of the stable, but world number three Rory McIlroy and former number one Ernie Els both left last season.

The new, super-fast running surface at the 80,000-seater Olympic stadium in east London was officially unveiled by Olympics chief Lord Sebastian Coe and British medal hopefuls.

British 2012 hopefuls have been putting it through its paces. Paralympic gold medallist Dan Greaves, long jumper Chris Tomlinson and World Championship silver-medallist Hannah England tried out the new surface at the £486million venue.

The red Mondo track, which was laid in August, is set to be a fast surface for 2012 competitors.

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: ‘Today marks a huge milestone for the project as the Olympic Stadium starts to come to life and people get a glimpse of how it will look in less than 10 months’ time when we welcome the world’s athletes to London. There is still a lot of work to do on the stadium but seeing some of our top British athletes on the track with local school children really underlines the stadium’s potential for 2012 and beyond.’

The 80,000-seater stadium for the Games is set to be shrunk to a 60,000-seater venue for football, athletics, concerts and community use, and the new home of West Ham football club after 2012. West Ham’s proposals are part of a joint bid with Newham Council.

Hannah England commented on her first outing on the 2012 track: ‘It feels really really fast – even today in just getting a jog on it you can tell it is going to be really fast. It is quite a sophisticated surface by Mondo who really make the best tracks in the world. These are the tracks that you see world records created on by people like Usain Bolt.

‘This is like a culmination of all the little tricks to make a track fast and they have brought them all here. This feels like the calm before the storm – the track is amazing and there are a few people here today. I can only think that once it is full (for 2012) it is going to be one of the best events that has ever been put on.’

Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has accused London Mayor Boris Johnson of offering Tottenham Hotspur “a bung” in an attempt to persuade the club to drop their claim to the Olympic Stadium to remove the main obstacle for London’s 2017 World Athletics Championships bid.

Johnson wants the Premier League club to drop their legal action over the award of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham United and is helping to finance a £17 million ($27 million) package in infrastructure improvements to the club to develop a new ground next to White Hart Lane.

The Mayor’s Office and Sport, and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson, are urging Tottenham to abandon a judicial review that is scheduled to be heard in the High Court next month before an Evaluation Commission from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) arrives in London on October 1 to inspect the city’s bid. There is concern that the legal battle could drag on and potentially damage the bid. 

Leyton Orient will pursue their application for judicial review of the Olympic Stadium decision because they believe the proximity of it to their current ground at Brisbane Road will put them out of business. Orient Chairman Barry Hean said: “Boris has made his move to try and placate Tottenham and if I’m being cynical, it looks like a bung just to get him out of a court case. I come from the real world and I can recognise a bung when I see it.”

The London Mayor’s office rejected the suggestion that the £17 million offer from the Greater London Authority and Haringey Council to help fund the development the Northumberland Development Project inappropriate. A spokesman for Boris Johnson said: “To suggest that the proposed offer from the GLA and Haringey Council towards Tottenham Hotspur is an inappropriate use of funds is entirely inaccurate.”

Hearn said his club will pursue action in the High Court on October 18 against Newham Borough Council and the Olympic Park Legacy Company and are claiming that West Ham are being given a “state subsidy” in taking over the Olympic Stadium.

Hearn said “Frankly, West Ham are getting a great deal. [Co-owner] David Gold said, and I quote: “We know the Stadium’s not perfect but this is a £600 million ($937 million) stadium and we’re getting it for £30 million ($47 million).” Well, good luck to him, but if that’s not state aid then I don’t know what is. The one little outfit that’s being completely overlooked is little Leyton Orient, and the community work they do, which is supposed to be so important in the world in which we live.”

According to a study conducted by Enigma Research Corporation, WrestleMania XXVI generated $45.1 million in economic impact for the greater Glendale/Phoenix area.

Organized by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the event which was the twenty-sixth annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event also generated close to $5 million in local, state and county taxes.

Over the past three years, WrestleMania has generated nearly $150 million in cumulative economic impact for its host cities and states despite the country experiencing one of the worst economic periods in decades.

“WWE’s premiere event was an important addition to Glendale’s tourism industry and position as a leading sports and entertainment destination. The $45 million boost to our region created by WWE’s fantastic fans makes It is a valuable economic attraction for every community host. We look forward to WWE returning to Glendale soon,” said Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs.

72,219 fans from all 50 states and 26 countries attended the pop culture extravaganza past March.

Some of the other facts of the study include, $45.1 million of direct, indirect and induced impact derived from spending by non-locals visiting specifically for the event; the economic impact derived from the Week created 510 full-time jobs for the area; 63% of fans were from outside the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, with 53% staying three nights or more; 60% of fans that came from out of state were from California and Nevada; 58% of fans were between the ages of 20 and 40, and 23% were between the ages of 5 and 19.

“We are very pleased that the event has once again produced a significant economic windfall for its host city. This is an incredible result in the face of a challenging economy. Our public and private sector partners within the Glendale/Phoenix area were exceptional hosts for the WWE Universe,” said Senior Vice President of Special Events for World Wrestling Entertainment John P. Saboor.

Next year, the event will take place on 3 April from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA which will be viewed in more than 100 countries. Tickets will go on sale from 13 November.

Sharks Sports & Entertainment (SSE), manager of the San Jose City-owned HP Pavilion at San Jose, announced today the activation of Bloom Energy Servers at HP Pavilion at San Jose, the Bay Area’s premier sports and entertainment facility.

Installation of these energy servers will provide a cleaner, more reliable and more affordable energy source to power the venue which serves as home to the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League and hosts a multitude of sports and entertainment events annually.  The installation of these energy servers was completed in October and are already in use. With the implementation of the Bloom Energy Servers, HP Pavilion at San Jose becomes the first multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility to utilize fuel cell technology as a supplemental electricity source. Sharks Sports & Entertainment also utilizes Bloom Energy Servers™ at Sharks Ice at San Jose, a public recreational ice facility owned by the City of San Jose and managed by SSE. 

By installing the Bloom Energy Servers, HP Pavilion at San Jose is using cheaper and cleaner electricity to power the venue. The Bloom boxes (two 200kw servers), which are utilized by other corporations throughout San Jose and the Silicon Valley including Google, eBay, and Adobe, replace approximately 90% of the electrical utility power at HP Pavilion used during non-event hours and approximately 25% used on a Sharks game day. Due to the efficiency of the Bloom box, HP Pavilion at San Jose will reduce its carbon footprint by 4.8 million pounds of CO2 over a ten-year period. That equates to taking 427 passenger vehicles off the road. 

By electing to install the Bloom Energy Servers at HP Pavilion, Sharks Sports & Entertainment continues to demonstrate its support of the City of San Jose and its goals found in its Green Vision, Economic Development Strategy, and Climate Action Plan. 

“We are pleased to be utilizing the technology pioneered by Bloom Energy to reduce the carbon footprint of HP Pavilion at San Jose,” said Jim Goddard, General Manager at HP Pavilion at San Jose. “Utilizing the Bloom Energy Servers allows us to further the City’s Green Vision while continuing to bring national and international sporting events, concerts and family shows to San Jose that our patrons will enjoy.” 

“Congratulations to HP Pavilion for being the first arena in the nation to implement Bloom Energy’s cutting-edge fuel cell technology,” said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. “As the capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose is a hub of clean tech innovation, and it is fitting that our arena would showcase how investing in renewable energy can reduce long-term operating costs and save energy.” 

“We are thrilled to play an increasing role in the Sharks’ ongoing efforts to utilize clean and reliable energy, and proud to bring innovative and sustainable solutions to the San Jose community,” said Josh Richman, VP of Business Development at Bloom Energy.

Hong Kong Football Clubs Tens committee has appointed international sports marketing agency Fast Track to deliver the media and PR services for this year’s rugby tens tournament with a particular focus on driving the international profile of the event.

The annual festival of rugby, anabolics which has been hosted by the Hong Kong Football Club since it began in 1986,  is widely regarded as one of the top international tens tournaments in the world and in recent years has attracted some of the game’s biggest names including New Zealand legend Jonah Lomu, former South Africa captain Bobby Skinstad and the world’s most capped player, Australian George Gregan.

Chris Harker, Chairman of the HKFC Tens committee said: “As the quality and prestige of the HKFC Tens continues to grow we felt we needed a PR partner who can leverage the tournament both in Hong Kong but also in key markets abroad.  With their international network of offices, extensive rugby experience and Hong Kong capability, Fast Track was the clear choice for the role.”

Dan Parr, Director of Fast Track Hong Kong was delighted at the appointment: “It’s a great start to 2012 and we are thrilled to be involved with the event for the first time.  We’re looking forward to working with the committee to help continue the growth of the tournament’s profile through a proactive programme of international, regional and domestic media engagement.”

Headquartered in London and part of Chime Communications, Fast Track Hong Kong opened in November 2010 and has rapidly grown to an office of 11 staff.  The agency works with international brands including HSBC and Ballantine’s helping deliver maximum business value from their sponsorship investments.

The Football Association (FA) have announced they expect England’s National Stadium, Wembley, to breakeven in 2015, a year after it was originally planned.

Football Association chairman David Bernstein said: “Wembley is doing very well, it has been extremely profitable.”

Mr Bernstein added that the rebuilt stadium was showing an annual operating profit of between £40m ($61.2m) and £50m ($76.5m).

He said he expected the stadium, built for £757m ($1.15bn) and opened in 2007, to start splashing cash into the game by 2015.

But a problematic issue that Bernstein identified was large interest charges and other continuing costs.

The FA, which owns the stadium through its subsidiary Wembley National Stadium Ltd, said earlier this year it envisaged Wembley breaking even in 2014.

But Mr Bernstein told delegates at the Leaders in Football event in London: “By 2015, Wembley should start putting money back into the game, instead of being subsidised by the game.”

If you want to continue to discuss this topic click on here