European soccer’s governing body UEFA rejected an appeal by Switzerland based FC Sion, clearing the way for Celtic to play in the Europa League this season beginning with a game against Atletico Madrid on Thursday.

UEFA’s appeal body upheld an earlier ruling that Sion used ineligible players in qualifying matches against the Scottish club, according to a statement on the governing body’s website. The decision will allow Celtic to play in the group stage, beginning Sept. 15 against Atletico Madrid, although Sion had the option of appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within 10 days.

Uefa’s statement read: “The Uefa Appeals Body today dealt with the appeal lodged by FC Sion against the decision of the Uefa Control and Disciplinary Body of 02 September to forfeit their two Uefa Europa League play-off ties played against Celtic FC on 18 and 25 August.

“As a consequence, Celtic FC remain qualified for the Uefa Europa League group stage and will play against Club Atletico de Madrid on Thursday 15 September.

“An appeal against this decision can be lodged to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within ten days of receipt of the written grounds for the decisions.”

Glasgow 2014 organisers have launched their search for 15, abortion 000 volunteers required to stage the Commonwelath Games.

Hopes are high that Scotland can emulate the highly successful army of volunteers who served at the London Olympics earlier this year.

Games organisers are this week highlighting a survey that shows 7% of adults who responded said they were “very interested” in volunteering for Glasgow 2014, price equating to a potential 180, medicine 000 volunteers.

Research conducted by London games organisers revealed a conversion rate around 25% from those who expressed initial interest who later applied to become volunteers. In Commonwealth Games terms that would reduce the potential number to 45,000.

It is estimated that 15,000 volunteers will be required for the Glasgow games, so demand would likely outstrip supply by more than three to one.

Valerie Mitchell, who is head of the 2014 games workforce, said: “We are very encouraged by this survey as it shows there is an appetite among people in Scotland to go out and volunteer, but, while this is positive news, there is no complacency on our part that we will get the numbers we require.

“We would urge people to visit the website and register their interest now and hope that they begin to think about how they could be involved as a volunteer at Glasgow 2014 and to help make a success of the biggest sporting and cultural event ever to come to Scotland.”

Volunteers will have to give up some of their own time for training and will need to cover travel and accommodation costs, although there will be free public transport around Glasgow venues at Games Time.

The Glasgow 2014 Volunteer Centre was formally opened on Monday as a base for the management of online applications from prospective volunteers. It is expected that the application process itself will begin in mid-January 2013.

Monumental Sports & Entertainment announced today the introduction of a digital ticket system available to Washington Capitals, sale Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics and Georgetown Hoyas season-ticket holders.

The Season Ticket Digital Card program replaces traditional paper tickets with a preloaded card containing corresponding seat locations. The card serves as admission to all games within a customer’s full-season or partial-plan ticket package for Capitals games and full-season ticket package for Wizards, Mystics and Georgetown men’s basketball games.

Season-ticket holders will receive one card per account that includes several account management benefits. With the introduction of the card, all Capitals, Wizards and Mystics account management functions previously associated with fees are now free. Season-ticket holders will now be able to print tickets at home and forward tickets without paying a single fee. Capitals and Wizards ticket holders also may use the system to list tickets for sale through Ticketmaster TicketExchange. If a customer opts to have a paper ticket for a particular game, the system allows the customer to print tickets from any computer.

“We are always looking to bring the most up-to-date technological advances to our season-ticket holders as well as improve and enhance the game-day experience,” said Jim Van Stone, Monumental Sports & Entertainment senior vice president of ticket sales and services.

“This quick, secure and easy-to-use digital ticket system will give our guests the ultimate convenience and flexibility in using their seats,” added Dave Touhey, Verizon Center senior vice president and general manager.

The card is valid for all seat locations on an account and is swiped using a hand-held computer by an attendant upon entrance to Verizon Center. Patrons then receive a seat locator tab for each valid ticket stored on the card, which is used as the ticket for the game once inside of the arena.

“Georgetown athletics is pleased to work with Monumental Sports and Ticketmaster to provide digital ticketing solutions and enhanced technology to fans in an efficient, secure and easy manner,” said Dan O’Neil, Georgetown University associate athletics director for external affairs. “We place a high priority on customer service and are excited to offer digital-ticketing solutions to our loyal Hoya fan base.”

IMG owner, chairman and CEO Ted Forstmann, considered one of the most influential and respected men in the global sport industry, has lost his courageous battle with cancer and passed away on Sunday at the age of 71.

Forstmann, who acquired IMG for $750 million in 2004 and had since overseen a major remodelling of the global sport, entertainment and media giant and a period of unprecedented growth in its business, had achieved success in the financial world over several decades before moving into sport. Forstmann Little & Co., the investment firm he founded in 1978, returned more than $15 billion to its investors under Forstmann’s leadership.

He was also a passionate philanthropist, donating huge amounts of his money and time to a wide range of causes. In 2010 he signed on to The Giving Pledge, a movement whose members commit to donating the majority of their wealth during their lifetime to philanthropic causes. As well as his work with causes across the USA, his international work included his position as the only non-African trustee of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

His love of sport was longstanding, and in his youth he was a highly regarded tennis prospect as well as playing hockey for Yale University.

Forstmann passed away at his home in New York. He leaves behind two sons, Siya and Everest, brothers Anthony and John, and sisters Marina Forstmann Day and Elissa Forstmann Moran.

prostate helvetica, sans-serif;”>The temporary Olympic basketball and handball arena hosting next year’s competitions leaked during its first test event, the Games local organizers said.

Water got into a corridor used by athletes to access the main basketball court during a five-day test event last month because of heavy rain, LOCOG spokeswoman Betony Garner said. The stadium is the largest temporary arena ever built for the Games and opened for the London International Basketball Invitational on Aug. 16, a day before the problem arose.

Garner said by e-mail: “The leak in the athletes’ corridor followed heavy rainfall over a short period of time. The leak lasted for approximately two hours whilst the rain fell. As soon as the rain stopped the seal where the leak occurred was repaired.”

The 12,000-seat stadium in London’s Olympic Park took 15 months to build. To save money, the city is constructing temporary facilities or using existing venues, such as Horse Guards Parade for the beach volleyball.

The leakage has been repaired and there have been no water problems since, Garner said. A review of the athletes’ corridor is being carried out, she said.

Wilkinson Eyre Architects Ltd. was selected to design the arena with Sydney-based Sinclair Knight Merz Pty Ltd. and KSS Design Group Ltd. of London in November 2007, according to London-based Wilkinson’s website.

For the first time since the lockout started on July 1 the National Basketball Association and its players union met on consecutive days possibly suggesting that a resolution is getting reached on a new collective bargaining agreement. 

The league and union meetings lasted for five hours and have agreed to meet again on Sept. 13 with both represented sides by their full negotiating committees, stuff said Jeff Kessler, hospital the lead outside counsel to the players’ association.

Among the participants in today’s meeting in New York were union Executive Director Billy Hunter and NBA Commissioner David Stern, drugs who has said the league’s teams lost a collective $300 million last season on annual sales of more than $4 billion.

The regular season is scheduled to begin on Nov. 1.

Bundesliga 2 club TSV 1860 München has appointed Markus Rejek as their new Managing Director and will assume his position from 1 February 2014 

President Gerhard Mayrhofer is happy and satisfied with the results of the search for a new managing director: “Together with Hasan Ismaik we have found a really good type for 1860. He brings with him the expertise that we hoped his experience, which he at.. traditional club Borussia Dortmund has collected, are an absolute added value for us. Together we want to improve the image of the lion ahead and run the club efficiently as sporty in a successful future. ” On Sunday evening, Markus Rejek presented to the Board of the Association. “The panel has unanimously approved our candidates,” adds Mayrhofer and makes it clear that the decision of all committees is supported.

Markus Rejek looks of his new challenge as a positive thing and with a great motivation: “I look forward to working with the lion’s family, by the staff and those responsible for the fans, to the partners, sponsors and friends of the club.”

Rejek joins the Lions after 14 years at BVB and said: “The club is one of the oldest and most traditional in Germany, has a down-home and family identity with passionate followers who do not measure their love for the club alone at Championships and Cups is similar to the Ruhr Valley, where I grew up and football is lived. thus I can identify 100 percent.”

Proctor & Gamble was London 2012’s most effective sponsor according to a poll by sponsorship industry professionals undertaken by Sponsorship Today and Think!Sponsorship.

Nearly 40% of respondents to the online poll named P&G as the most successful Olympic Top (Global) Partner compared to nearest rival Coca-Cola on 17%. Among national LOCOG (London Organising Committee) sponsors, Adidas scored highest with 32.5% followed by BMW and LloydsTSB, both on 23.5%.

When asked to judge all sponsors’ (both TOP and LOCOG partners) activation campaigns, Protor & Gamble’s ‘Mums’ came out top with 30%, followed by British Airways (‘Stay at home’), which was cited by 10%.

The poll considered Nike to be the most successful ambush marketer of the Games with 29% recalling its “Find Your Greatness” campaign, significantly beating Paddy Power (9%) and Virgin and Dr Dre, both on 3%.

Controversial results from the survey included the fact that 50.7% of respondents felt that the Games should have an alcohol partner (at present this is restricted to Tier three local sponsorships) and 40.6% said that there should be no fast food sponsor – a significant number given that the respondents represent the sponsorship industry.

The was a narrow vote in favour of the Games permitting stadium branding (50.7% for as opposed to 46% against). This is a highly controversial issue given that the International Olympic Committee has stated that one of the things that makes the Games special is that there is no perimeter advertising. Indeed Coca-Cola has been reported to have said that it would consider ending its Olympic partnership if such commercial messages were permitted.

Overall respondents felt that the Games represented good value for sponsors but warned that the UK sponsorship industry would now see a reduction in rights acquisition spend as the big sponsors of London 2012 cut back on their sports investments.