The University of Canberra Brumbies, also known as the Brumbies, have revealed their chief executive Andrew Fagan has resigned less than six months after renewing his contract with the Super Rugby franchise.

Fagan’s departure follows South African World Cup winner Jake White quitting as coach with two seasons remaining on his contract.

Fagan has been CEO of Australia’s most successful Super Rugby franchise – and 2013 runners-up – for the past eight years, but said it was fitting to move on after overseeing the club’s impending multi-million-dollar move to a new headquarters in Canberra next season.

“It’s time,” he said on Friday.

“Earlier this year, I extended my contract for a final one-year term and agreed to work with the board on a succession plan to help with a smooth transition to a new chief executive.

“But with the sale of the Griffith site complete, construction of our new facility at UC (University of Canberra) taking shape, the new coaching framework settled and a healthy sponsorship program in place, it became clear that now is the best time for a successful transition.

“Leaving now will allow a new chief executive time to settle in and apply new thinking where needed for 2014 but, most importantly, he or she will be here to lead the strategic planning for season 2015 and beyond.

“That wouldn’t have been possible if I stayed on until the end of next season.

“It’s a sad day to walk away from an organisation I love but it’s the right decision for me and the right decision for the Brumbies.”

Fagan joined the Brumbies in 2002 as general manager and was promoted to the top job three years later.

A referendum on whether Davos-St. Moritz should bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games was narrowly rejected Sunday, no rx according to Reuters.

52.66 per cent of voters voting no while 47.34 per cent were in favour of bidding. The turnout was 59.14 per cent.

Bid organizers had said that the estimated investment of 4.3 billion Swiss francs ($4.55 billion) would have been repaid by a boost in tourism, adding that the bid was sustainable and environmentally friendly, and the entire country stood to benefit.

Opponents were concerned about the impact of new buildings, stadiums, ski lifts and other infrastructure on the Alpine environment. They were also concerned that the initial budget would have spiralled out of control, as invariably happens with major sporting events, reports Reuters.

A statement on the Swiss Olympic Committee website said: “The rejection of the Olympic candidacy has stopped the Graubuenden 2022 project. The Graubuenden 2022 movement regrets this decision, which ends the only pioneering large-scale project for tourism, business and sports in Graubuenden. For the Graubuenden 2022 union, the vote is a big disappointment. The debate about the project has been very intense in all the valleys and linguistic regions and across all age groups and levels of society”.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said in an interview last month that the region would be a favourite to win the bid if voters decide to back it.

According to Visa Inc. international travelers spent an additional $716.7 million on their Visa accounts while in the United Kingdom during the second week of the London 2012 Olympic Games (July 30 – August 5), mind bringing the total spend on Visa accounts in the United Kingdom to more than $1.4 billion.

While the biggest Visa spenders still hail from the United States, case Visa account holders from Russia – one of the top 15 contributors to the London 2012 Olympic Games – have increased travel spend on their Visa accounts by more than 30 percent for the second week in a row.

“The Olympics are a showcase for athletics and innovation, therapy and the same goes for tourism,” said Kevin Burke, CMO of Core Products, Visa Inc. “It is easier than ever for international travelers safely to pay for goods and services with payment cards, contactless smart cards or mobile technology. Visa’s spend data shows that more countries are able to take advantage of these payment innovations. Tourism is a vital component of economic growth for any nation, and it is exciting that Visa payment technology is making it possible for countries and regions around the world to have a bigger impact on the global economy.”

The top 10 contributing countries accounted for 57 percent of the total amount spent on Visa accounts in the United Kingdom during this time period.

The top three spending categories remained the same as the first week of the Olympic Games – “Services” ($139.1 million), including items such as shoe and jewelry repair and spas; “Entertainment” ($106.6 million), including theater tickets and other attractions; and “Airlines” ($82.4 million). The “Clothing” category moved up to be the fourth highest spending category with $67.9 million, surpassing “Other Retail” ($66.3 million), which includes bike shops, bookstores, antique stores, and drug stores.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has suggested goal-line technology may be introduced halfway through next season.

Goal-line technology will be used for the first time in an English football match on Wednesday night during the Hampshire Senior Cup Final between Eastleigh FC and AFC Totton.

FIFA will rule in July whether the technology will be allowed across the world and the Premier League are keen to implement one of two systems after a controversial season for referees.

It had been anticipated that the technology would be introduced at the start of the 2013/14 season, ailment but Scudamore now thinks the system could be in place by the middle of next season, pills providing FIFA give it the green light this summer.

He said: “The original position was that we would only introduce it at the beginning of a season, but having thought it all through there is some possibility of introducing it mid-season if we get it right.”

The expected was confirmed yesterday, June 16, when European soccer’s governing body UEFA announced that the Champions League final will return to Wembley Stadium in 2013, just two years after the London venue staged this year’s showpiece in which Barcelona overcame Manchester United to lift the most prestigious trophy in club soccer.

UEFA also confirmed that the 2013 UEFA Congress would take place in London, marking the 150th anniversary of the Football Association (FA).

In other news, at its meeting in Nyon, the UEFA Executive Committee also selected the Amsterdam ArenA in the Netherlands as the host stadium of the 2013 Europa League final and Eden Stadium in Prague, Czech Republic, as the venue of the 2013 Super Cup – the annual game staged between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League.

Munich will host next season’s Champions League final on May 19, 2012, 10 days after the Europa League final is staged at the National Stadium in Bucharest, Romania.

Platini explained that there were exceptional circumstances behind bringing the Champions League final back to North London in 2013, stating: “Founded in 1863 the Football Association (FA) is the oldest of all the national football associations and in 2013 it will celebrate its 150th anniversary. Given the exceptional nature of this historic moment in our beautiful game, and the fact that we will also celebrate 150 years of the Laws of the Game, we felt it was our duty at UEFA to help the FA celebrate in some special way.

“For this reason we have decided to return to England and specifically to Wembley Stadium – the home of the English FA – for the 2013 UEFA Champions League final. I think it is important to respect 150 years of the FA. We are gathered here because 150 years ago there were people in England who put football’s rules in place. I believe it is a real moment of respect – if we forget the past, we do not have a future.”

The decision to move the Super Cup final from its traditional home at the Stade Louis II in Monaco to Prague was to the delight of Rudolf Řepka, general secretary of the Football Association of the Czech Republic (ČMFS). The curtain-raiser to the European season has been held in Monaco every year since becoming a one-off match in 1998.

ČMFS president Ivan Hašek said: “Prague and our fans can enjoy a meeting between two top European sides – the UEFA Super Cup is a very attractive sporting event.”

General secretary Řepka added: “I’m glad we were at the birth of the new idea to play the UEFA Super Cup in various destinations. The fact Prague is such a nice city in the middle of Europe surely helped us.”

The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) has been plunged into more controversy after the president of the Surinam Football Association (SFA) claimed the body received US$40, abortion 000 in cash at a meeting arranged by Mohamed bin Hammam and Jack Warner on May 10.

Both men were suspended from FIFA on a provisional basis at the end of lat month and the latest revelation has seen SFA chief Louis Giskus claim that the body received the cash in $100 bills in a brown envelope on arrival in Trinidad for the meeting with Bin Hammam, physician who was then in the running for the presidency of world soccer’s governing body.

Giskus told Reuters: “We have told FIFA about the gifts. The money is in our bank account”, adding he was told that the money came from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and not Bin Hammam. Giskus also told the Press Association: “We went up to a room and were given $40,000 in a brown envelope with the name of Surinam on it. We were surprised, and asked who the gift was from.

“Mr Jason Sylvester (one of two CFU officials who have since been suspended by FIFA along with Bin Hammam and Warner) told us that it was a gift from the CFU for developing football in Surinam. We asked once more and were told it was for developing football in our country and that’s why we accepted it. I asked if we would get problems with Customs leaving Port of Spain with that amount of money and he (Sylvester) told us there would be no problems. I wrote his mobile number on the envelope so that if there were any problems at the airport we could call it.”

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) have announced that a record 2.1 million Paralympic tickets have already been solved with the event just three weeks away.

With over 600, hospital 000 tickets purchased in the last month, no rx the total number of Paralympic tickets sold has now surpassed the previous record of 1.8 million tickets sold in 2008 for the Beijing Games.

Seb Coe, therapy LOCOG Chair, said: “We are absolutely delighted with how the British public has responded so far to tickets for the Paralympic Games. The Olympic Games have shown us that the UK has taken the Games to their heart and with the tickets sold so far and more still to come I look forward to even more people getting the chance to join in and to form memories that will last a lifetime.”

2.5 million Paralympic tickets have been put on sale in total. Prices start at just £10 (£5 for young people and seniors).

Currently there is good availability for sports at ExCeL – including Wheelchair Fencing, Sitting Volleyball, Boccia and Powerlifting. £15 tickets to these sports include a £10 ExCeL Day Pass ticket. The Day Pass ticket presents the opportunity to see up to five sports in ExCeL on the same day on a first come, first served, general admission basis.

There is also availability for the Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies in the higher price brackets (£250 up to top price £500).

Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee said: “To have sold the most ever tickets for a Paralympic Games three weeks before the Opening Ceremony is absolutely fantastic and shows the insatiable appetite the public has for top class elite sport.

“Normally the busiest sales period for the Paralympic Games is once the Olympics have begun. The difference in London however is that ahead of the Games starting we had sold over 1.4 million tickets, giving us a great platform with which to build from.

“So far London has delivered a quite spectacular Olympic Games which has further whetted the appetite of the public ahead of the Paralympics. This combined with some superb LOCOG PR and marketing activity, excellent Paralympic awareness campaigns from all sponsors and many broadcasters around the globe has resulted in the record demand for tickets.

“Our aim now is to sell every single ticket. It would be a fitting that when the Paralympic Movement returns to its spiritual birthplace in three weeks time it does so in front of packed sold-out venues.”

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association, said: “We want everyone to get behind ParalympicsGB in the way they have behind Team GB – it will make a difference. So spread the word, there are still tickets available, especially in venues like ExCeL, where people can see Boccia, Wheelchair Fencing, Sitting Volleyball and Powerlifting.  We want the stadia to be packed to the rafters with British supporters. I can promise exhilarating sport in stunning venues with all our GB athletes ready to put it all on the line for our country. I know our athletes can’t wait to compete in front of the biggest crowds ever at a Paralympic Games and we want them to be full of British fans.”