Die Torlinientechnologie von Hawk-Eye Innovations ist gestern für Fußballverbände zugelassen worden.

Steve Carter, ampoule Managing Director von Hawk-Eye Innovations, sagt dazu: “Wir freuen uns sehr über die Entscheidung der FIFA, den Einsatz der Torlinientechnologie zu unterstützen und dass die Technologie von Hawk-Eye zugelassen wurde. Nach jahrelanger Entwicklungs- und Testarbeit sind wir davon überzeugt, dass Hawk-Eye Schiedsrichtern in strittigen Torsituationen die Entscheidungsfindung erleichtern kann. Das wird Einfluss auf die Ergebnisse von Ligaspielen und internationalen Begegnungen haben. Hawk-Eye hat viele Jahre Erfahrung darin, seine Technologie bei hochkarätigen Sportereignissen weltweit mit Erfolg zu implementieren. Dies macht unser Unternehmen zu einem vertrauenswürdigen Partner, der dem Fußball langfristig zuverlässige Dienste leisten kann.”

Der Entscheidung der FIFA waren umfangreiche Tests im Laufe des vergangenen Jahres vorausgegangen. Dabei wurden nicht nur die Genauigkeit und Zuverlässigkeit der Torlinientechnologie geprüft, sondern auch die Auswirkungen auf die Infrastrukturen der Stadien und die den Fußballverbänden entstehenden Kosten. Die Hawk-Eye-Lösung erfordert keinerlei Anpassung der Ausrüstung auf dem Spielfeld, einschließlich der Torpfosten und Bälle. Dies ist eine entscheidende Voraussetzung dafür, sowohl das Vertrauen der Spieler als auch der Offiziellen zu gewinnen. Zudem demonstrierten die Tests der FIFA die hohe Präzision und Zuverlässigkeit des Hawk-Eye-Systems in Situationen, bei denen der Ball weniger gut sichtbar ist, als das in realen Spielen jemals vorkam.

Das Hawk-Eye-System basiert auf einer Vielzahl von Hochgeschwindigkeitskameras, die um das Spielfeld platziert werden, beide Torräume ins Visier nehmen und die Flugbahn des Balls überwachen, sobald er sich in der Nähe der Torlinie befindet. Die von den Kameras gelieferten Daten werden in einer zentralen Recheneinheit (CPU) verarbeitet und die Position des Balls im Verhältnis zur Torlinie analysiert. Wenn das System erkennt, dass der Ball die Torlinie überschritten hat, schickt es diese Information in weniger als einer Sekunde an ein technisches Gerät, das die Schiedsrichter auf dem Spielfeld tragen. Außer einer sofortigen und definitiven Aussage kann Hawk-Eye auch Video-Replays liefern, welche die Richtigkeit der vom System getroffenen Entscheidung belegen.

David Bush, Marketing Director bei Sony Professional Solutions Europe, ergänzt: “Mit Unterstützung von Sony wird Hawk-Eye das beste Entscheidungshilfe-Tool für Schiedsrichter und Fußballverbände weltweit liefern. Sony stellt seit langem mit Erfolg innovative Technologien für die Welt des Sports und insbesondere auch des Fußballs bereit. Diese Vereinbarung stärkt einmal mehr unsere Stellung als einer der weltweit führenden Anbieter von Sporttechnologien. Zugleich unterstreicht sie unser Bestreben, immer bessere und fesselndere Entertainment-Erlebnisse zu ermöglichen.”

The Minister of Sports in Brazil has promised that all 12 stadiums for the FIFA World Cup in 2014 will be ready by the end of 2013.

Orlando Silva said: “Brazil will be ready as agreed with FIFA in terms of infrastructure.” This is after severe delays were reported in all of the 12 venues.

Mr Silva added “Eight stadiums will be ready by the end of 2012; 10 by the start of the Confederations Cup in 2013; and all 12 by the end of 2013.”

The majority of the investment around $US13 bn is state sponsored in order to boost the south American country’s infrastructure.

Almost half of the investment $6.4bn will be provided on improving the public transport system creating a future legacy.

The minister of Sports also who hopes the 2014 event could create 700, capsule 000 new jobs.

New Zealand windsurfer Barbara Kendall, the Spanish president of the International Canoe Federation, Jose Perurena, and Argentinian Olympic Committee president Gerardo Werthein have all been elected as members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The trio take the provisional number of IOC members to 113 at the end of the body’s 123rd meeting in Durban on Saturday.

At the end of this year, there will be six retirements in the IOC. Members Phil Coles (AUS), Chiharu Igaya and Shun-ichiro Okano (JPN), Arne Ljungqvist (SWE), Lassana Palenfo (CIV) and Antun Vrdoljak (CRO) all will retire to become honorary IOC members as they will reach 80 years of age.

Also on Saturday, Sweden’s Gunilla Lindberg was re-elected for a second term on the IOC executive board. Norway’s Gerhard Heiberg had completed his four year term and she took his seat.

Lindberg ran unopposed for the seat on the executive board and received 63 votes with 10 against and four abstentions.

She became IOC member in 1996 at the Atlanta session then in 2000 in Moscow was elected to the IOC executive board then moved up to IOC vice-president in 2004 in Athens. The only other woman to serve as IOC vice-president was Anita DeFrantz whose term ran 1997-2001.

Lindberg joins Nawal El Moutawakel as the only two women on the IOC executive board who ironically filled the place left vacant by Lindberg in 2008.

MP & Silva, health the major international sports marketing and media agency, impotent has been installed as the exclusive broadcast rights distributor of the returning Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour 250 event in Kitzbühel, Austria.

The agreement covers worldwide rights to the Bet-at-home.com Cup, excluding Austria and Germany, on a multi-year basis. Moreover, the deal comprises all existing and future media technologies including mobile TV and broadband-based television.

MP & Silva now represents the distribution interests of eight ATP World Tour events, with Kitzbühel returning to the calendar in 2011 after spending a year at Challenger Tour level following the promotion of Nice in France to World Tour status in 2010.

MP & Silva CEO Andrea Radrizzani stated: “Kitzbühel has a unique tradition and heritage and was unanimously voted by ATP professionals as the ‘Best stop on the ATP Tour’. This appeal is clear in the fact that Kitzbühel continues to attract top 10 ranked players and we are confident we can expand this legendary tournament’s reach internationally.”

Herbert Günther, president of the Kitzbühel Tennis Club, added: “We would like the tournament to continue to take big strides internationally, and we are pleased to enlist the expertise of MP & Silva in helping us to grow the overall distribution and exposure of our event through their network of international broadcast partners.”

The German Olympic Sport’s Federation has appointed Alfons Hoermann as their new president following Thomas Bach leaving the role for the top job at the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The 53-year-old Hoermann, who has been head of the German skiing federation since 2005, received 434 votes from 459 delegates Saturday for a one-year term in charge of the German Olympic Sports Confederation. A vote for another four-year term will take place in December 2014.

Bach, who led the German body for seven years before leaving to take the IOC’s top job, was named honorary president.

Hans-Peter Kraemer served as interim president after Bach succeeded Jacques Rogge as IOC president in September.

President Gauck Decides Against Going to Sochi

Germany’s president Joachim Gauck revealed over the weekend he would not be attending the Sochi 2014 Olympics. 

Gauck’s decision, announced on Sunday, is widely seen as a response to the Russian government’s violation of human rights and persecution of opposition groups.

But a spokesperson for the president’s office also said there is no set protocol in place for a German head of state to attend a Winter Olympics.

Previous German president Horst Koehler also didn’t go to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.

Gauck attended the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics, and also plans to welcome home Germany’s 2014 Olympic athletes on their return to Munich from Sochi on February 24, his spokesperson confirmed.

The German president has failed to make an official state visit to Russia since taking office in March 2012.

There are protocol difficulties for a head of state to attend an Olympic Games if an official state visit has not already taken place.

However, Gauck has repeatedly criticised Russia’s deficit of rule of law and treatment of critical media.

A planned visit in June 2012 failed to take place after Russian President cited time constraints.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has announced that 100,000 non-event tickets for the Olympic Park have gone on sale for the Paralympic Games, with tickets starting at £1.

Although the tickets will not allow access to the sporting venues within the Park, ticket holders will be able to watch the events on the big screen and “experience the atmosphere of the Park.”

The tickets going on sale are for various days throughout the Paralympic Games and will cost £5 for adults and £1 for young people under the age of 16 and those over the age of 60.

Tickets can only be bought through the London 2012 website and wheelchair users can purchase tickets by calling 0844 847 2012.

Seb Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee said: ‘I’m thrilled that we can give even more people the opportunity to experience the Olympic Park, soak up the atmosphere and perhaps catch some Paralympic action on the big screen.

“We wanted to give as many people as possible the opportunity to visit the Olympic Park and releasing more tickets is part of this commitment.’

LOCOG has encouraged all customers who are purchasing tickets to select the ‘print at home’ option, to enable them to avoid potentially long queues at ticket box offices.

In recognition of Visa’s longstanding support of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, only Visa (debit, credit and prepaid) can be used to purchase tickets.

Approximately 2.3m tickets have now been sold for the Paralympic Games, which is more than any previous Paralympic Games.  

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has ruled in favour of Goal-Line technology at a special meeting.

Following a special meeting in Zurich on Thursday, and the IFAB unanimously voted to approve two systems, Hawk-Eye and GoalRef, meaning competitions such as the Premier League and FA Cup are now free to introduce the technology.

“These companies now have to produce a number of systems which any event organiser can use,” said Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke. “Fifa have decided to use the system at the Club World Cup [in December] and if it’s working, at the Confederations Cup [in 2013] World Cup in 2014.

“There will be a final test every time a new system is installed in a stadium.”

The Premier League said in a statement: “The Premier League has been a long term advocate of goal-line technology.

“We welcome today’s decision by IFAB and will engage in discussions with both Hawkeye and GoalRef in the near future with a view to introducing goal-line technology as soon as is practically possible.”

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has said that the start of the 2012-13 season may be too soon for the technology to be brought in, but refused to rule out the possibility of implementing a system mid-way through the campaign.

“Today is a hugely important day,” said FA general secretary Alex Horne. “It’s a cause we’ve had on our agenda for a number of years. The rigour we’ve given it in terms of making sure the systems are entirely robust are absolutely right and it’s a great day for football.”

Commenting on the prospect of the technology being brought in mid-way through next season, Horne added: “If all 20 clubs agree that there is a ‘switch on’ weekend then I don’t think any clubs would be disadvantaged.”

The absence of goal-line technology has been thrown under the spotlight in recent major international tournaments, with Frank Lampard’s ‘ghost goal’ against Germany at the 2010 World Cup bringing the issue to the fore.

Ukraine were then denied what looked to be a legitimate goal during England’s 1-0 win over the co-hosts at this summer’s European championship, despite the presence of an additional assistant behind the goal.

The incident at Euro 2012 last month prompted Fifa president, who was previously against the introduction of the technology, to lead calls for it to be brought into the game.

IFAB also voted unanimously in favour of two additional referees behind each goal, a system trialled for the last two seasons in Uefa competitions, including this summer’s European championship.

Cardiff has been replaced by Lord’s as a venue for the England- West Indies Test Match next Year.

The reason for the decision related to the news that Glamorgan said they would be late paying the fee they owe for hosting a Test Match earlier in the year when England played Sri Lanka.

The Glamogan Cricket county is believed to have suffered a loss of £1.5m after the first Test mainly due to the amount of rain that fell during the five day test match.

MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw said: “Lord’s had made a successful bid to host one of the three scheduled Tests.

“I am personally delighted by this decision, which will be welcomed by members of MCC, other cricket followers and, I am sure, the cricketers themselves.

“While the club supports all formats of the game, it is Test cricket that remains the pinnacle of our sport.”