The Serie A strike has been postponed after the Italian players’ association and league signed a temporary collective contract, clearing the way for the season to start this weekend.

The new contract is expected to expire in June, whereas usually the deals last three years.

The strike postponed the scheduled start of Serie A the weekend of August 27-28, and both sides wanted to reach an agreement before the second round begins Friday with defending champion AC Milan facing Lazio at the San Siro.

While details were still emerging, the agreement was expected to stipulate that the sides reach a deal over the next 30 days on the last remaining conflict – a clause concerning the rights of players to train with the first team.

Clubs want the clause to state they can force unwanted players to train away from the first team or accept a transfer.

Changes to the government’s austerity package eliminated the other major conflict, a new solidarity tax that would have applied to high-wage earners like top-division footballers.

Both sides were slated to meet with the government later to discuss new stadiums, brand protections and other issues.

The conflict between the players and the league has been ongoing since the last collective contract expired in June 2010.

The players set two strike dates during the first half of last season, both of which were avoided with last-minute verbal agreements.

The players’ association first proposed a one-year temporary contract lasting through June 30 as a last-minute emergency measure to avoid a strike. The clubs rejected the proposal then but accepted it after further review during a league assembly last week.

Tommasi told RAI state radio.:”The most important thing was the will of the league to evaluate our proposal last week,. In the meantime, two things happened: The solidarity tax was erased and the round-table with the government was set up.”

Both sides wanted to get matches in before the Champions League group phase begins next week with Milan opening at defending champion Barcelona, Inter hosting Turkish club Trabzonspor and Napoli visiting Manchester City.

The first round of league matches wiped out by the strike will likely be made up at a later date.

British Gas is to give away free swims at health clubs, hotels and leisure centres around the country as part of its latest sponsorship of British Swimming.

The British Gas ‘3 Free Swims’ campaign has expanded its initial offer of one free swim for customers last year. The initiative saw over 300,000 people take part.

As part of the new campaign, customers are entitled to three free swims at over 500 pools across the UK until 30 November 2010. British Gas is hoping it will appeal to all age groups and increase participation in sport.

British Gas is the main sponsor of British Swimming, and has pledged £15 million (US$23 million) to support the sport at all levels.

 

The Chinese government is encouraging domestic companies to seize investment opportunities in Brazil by getting involved in the nation’s infrastructure-related industries as the South American country prepares to host the World Cup in 2014 and Summer Olympics in 2016.

Ministry of Commerce’s Foreign Trade Department Director, Wang Shouwen, said: “Brazil is preparing for the World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016, which is creating tremendous demand for infrastructure construction and consumer goods. This is a huge opportunity for China’s competitive industries such as machinery, building materials, textiles and apparel.”{jcomments on}

 

Enterasys Networks, capsule a Siemens Enterprise Communications Company, medstore today announced that it has been selected by the Kraft Sports Group to provide high-density Wi-Fi at Gillette Stadium, ensuring high-speed wireless connectivity for fans at New England Patriots games and other events.

When the Patriots kick off their home opener on Sunday, Sept. 16, fans throughout the stadium will have accessible Wi-Fi provided by Enterasys, which has overcome previous issues around wireless density and support for mobile devices at NFL-sized venues. 

The Wi-Fi network complemented with Gillette Stadium and Patriots apps for iPhone, iPad and Android will provide guests with an unparalleled in-stadium experience, bringing them closer to the action on the field through exclusive access to the NFL Red Zone and real-time stats. Stadium-wide Wi-Fi will also allow fans to access social networks to share their game experience with friends and interact with the Patriots. With the Wi-Fi foundation in place, the Kraft Sports Group is positioned to take advantage of any new content offerings made available by the NFL in the future, which could include exclusive audio and video transmissions from the game.

“In-stadium, high-density Wi-Fi providing any guest with a rich internet experience is the next frontier for the NFL and it is something we have been researching for years,” said Jonathan Kraft, president of The Kraft Group and the Patriots and co-chair of the NFL Digital Media Committee. “We believe that well-constructed mobile applications – accessible through the Enterasys Wi-Fi network – will ultimately deliver content available nowhere else, truly differentiating the in-stadium experience from any other. After reviewing all of the available technologies, it became clear to us that Enterasys was the only viable technical solution for providing this service today.”

To roll out its new network, the Kraft Sports Group looked at several vendors to identify a solution that delivered all services required today, along with the ability to scale in the future as Wi-Fi technologies continue to evolve. They partnered with Enterasys to provide an integrated wired and wireless solution for Gillette Stadium, which includes Enterasys S-Series switches at the core, Enterasys Wi-Fi (both indoor and outdoor), Enterasys Mobile IAM (Identity & Access Management) for BYOD authentication services, as well as Enterasys OneFabric Control Center to centrally manage its network. The entire installation took just over a month.

“Because of our unique need to provide access for tens of thousands of users, we needed a very stable, scalable network that could be easily and centrally managed by our existing IT staff, particularly on game day,” said Fred Kirsch, Patriots VP of interactive media. “The Enterasys solution gives us an end-to-end network solution including all the hardware, software, and wiring needed to provide ubiquitous and reliable Wi-Fi access. Enterasys management capabilities provide us with complete visibility and control, as well as a world-class support organization with professional services to help implement and manage the solution going forward.” 

The network will become increasingly important as the NFL rolls out future applications to provide fans at live events with exclusive content through smart phone and tablet apps. 

“Enterasys Wi-Fi innovation is centered on delivering a best in class user experience for multi-media applications. We achieve this through our innovative wired and wireless architectures to help customers simplify application delivery and management of their networks,” said Chris Crowell, president and CEO, Enterasys Networks. “For the Patriots, we were able to solve their unique business and technical issues in a way no other vendor could. This resulted in a purpose-built network to provide the density and throughput to support thousands of fans and bandwidth for hungry multimedia applications. We are excited to be the official networking provider for the Patriots and look forward to helping them treat their fans to an in-game experience they will never forget.”

PUMA’s have enjoyed positive third-quarter sales with a 10.2 per cent growth to €841.6 million ($1.17bn), impotent driven by a 16.4 per cent growth in sales in Asia/Pacific and Latin America.

The financial report also revealed footwear sales rose seven per cent to €431.1 million ($600.5m), clinic apparel went up 13.8 per cent to €294.7 million ($410.5m) and accessories climbed 13.9 per cent to €115.8 million ($161.2m). While Gross profit margins remained steady at 50 per cent.

Puma enjoyed success in their running category where Usain Bolt’s performances at the World Championships in Daegu and sales of the PUMA Faas range. The women’s fitness category also continued to grow, with strong sales of the PUMA Bodytrain range.

Franz Koch, CEO of PUMA, said: “PUMA posted a very solid sales performance for the fifth consecutive quarter. This underpins our five-year growth strategy, which is already delivering results.

“After a strong performance in the first nine months of this year, we are now approaching our sales target of €3 billion for the full year, and despite continuing cost pressures we maintain our forecast of an improvement in net earnings in mid-single digits.”

Russia’s early preparation for 2018 World Cup has prompted FIFA secretary general Jerome Valche to call the preparations ‘outstanding’.

The tournament is still seven years away while preparations are already ongoing with Valcke revealing that the selection of the 12 host cities would be decided by March 2013 at the latest, with detailed inspections and analysis ongoing until then.

Speaking at the ‘Russia – Country of Sports’ forum in 2018 World Cup candidate city Saransk, Valcke said: “Each city is well prepared to get started. We are working here in Russia and, together with the LOC (local organising committee); we are ahead of schedule in delivering the FIFA World Cup. I am not saying it will be all easy, but the approach and preparation of Russia is outstanding at this point of time.”

The FIFA chief also stated that sustainability will be an important feature of Russia’s legacy plans. “The key is that all of what is built will not only be used for the World Cup but beyond,” he said. “Football should be used for education. The time of white elephants is over. Sustainability is the key. I was pleased to see that Saransk – if they are chosen as a host city – plans to build a 45,000 stadium for the FIFA World Cup in such a way that it can easily be reduced to a 28,000 one after the event, because that is what the city needs.

“That is the approach the cities need to take when planning, and I have seen the Russian cities are doing exactly that.” LOC chairman and Russia’s Minister of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy, Vitaly Mutko, added: “Stadiums are being built in Sochi, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Saransk, and Kazan. Next year we plan to design seven other arenas. In the next two to three months, a list of all the facilities needed for the World Cup will be set.”

 

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council has nominated Bob Hersh of the United States as the Federation’s senior vice-president succeeding Sergey Bubka, taking his place as the President Lamine Diack’s official deputy.

Hersh finished top of the drama ridden polling process before the World Championships got underway here to establish the four vice-presidents who will be in place for the next four years.

Bubka, the current senior vice-president, finished fifth and last in the initial vote for the four places, but a re-vote was called due to reported technical problems with the electronic voting system.

By the time the process had been completed, Bubka had one of the four spots, albeit with the lowest vote from the 199 countries, and Canada’s Abby Hoffman, who had appeared to be the first female IAAF vice-president as one of the top two candidates – polling 175 votes along with Qatar’s Dahlan Jumman Al-Hamad – had dropped out in fifth place after her vote fell to 122.

Hersh, who originally polled 171 votes, and the London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe, who received 167, retained their places.

Hersh, 71, a Harvard Law School graduate, has been a member of the IAAF Council since 1999.

An IAAF release explained the process thus: “The Council in accordance with article 6.9 of the Constitution, had to nominate one of the vice-presidents as senior vice-president for the purpose of presiding over the Council in the absence of the President.

“In this respect Robert Hersh (USA), who polled most votes of the four Vice-Presidents who were elected at Congress, gained the support of Council and has been appointed as senior vice-president.”

Diack is expected to step down in 2015 paving the way for a successor to be established.

The battle is expected to be between Coe and Bubka, the 1988 Olympic pole vault champion and world record holder, with Hersh, it is believed, not having any great plans to mount a campaign to take over from Diack.

If Bubka had continued in his role as senior vice-president then it would have put him as the favourite to takeover for when Diack retires.

But, following the decisions made here, it is now seen to be a more closer competition with Coe having a great opportunity to stake his claim by putting on a successful Olympics next year.