London 2012 Launches Official Join In App

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has launched the free Official London 2012 Join In app.

LOCOG hopes the app will be an essential companion to the London 2012 Olympics helping fans to share their experience of the Games on social media.

Features include comprehensive event listings for thousands of events across London and the UK as well as spectator information and interactive maps, ambulance news and photos and these will all be integrated with Facebook, prostate Twitter and FourSquare.

Sebastian Coe, chair of LOCOG, said: “This app is a great example of how we are bringing the Games to life for a new generation – inspiring people around the world to get involved.

“As the Games get closer, we encourage people everywhere to share their Olympic experience with the world, whether they have tickets for a sporting event or not.”

The app also features a detailed Olympic Torch Relay route, including a Torch tracker, Torchbearer details and information on evening celebrations.

A companion app, the Official London 2012 Results app, which is also free, will be released in June, providing all the latest news, schedules and results and allowing users to keep up-to-date with the latest action live across all Olympic sports and Paralympic sports.

The Official London 2012 Join in app and Official London 2012 Results app are part of a family of digital tools that will be released during the summer.

Others include the IOC’s Olympic Athlete’s Hub which was launched in April and is a directory of verified athlete social media accounts, with rewards for active fans and exclusive content.

There is also the London 2012 Games-time website which aims to be the ultimate authority on the Games with a comprehensive provision of results and Games information.

Wembley Favourite to Host 2013 CL Final After Success this Year

Wembley Stadium is the front-runner to be named as the venue for the 2013 Champions League Final by European soccer governing body UEFA following the successful staging of this year’s final which saw Spanish giant Barcelona overcome Manchester United 3-1.

UEFA will make the decision at an executive committee meeting today, June 16, and Wembley is believed to be favourite to regain the right. The Football Association’s 150th anniversary in 2013 may persuade UEFA to return the game to the stadium.

Wembley’s hosting of this year’s final was a resounding financial success and as well as being a commercial triumph for UEFA, it also proved to be simple in terms of organisation, with no need to book extra marquees for hospitality events or media or any issues about technology.

If Wembley is chosen, some tickets are likely to be cheaper in 2013 after UEFA president Michel Platini apologised for the high cost of tickets to this year’s event, stating they would consider introducing a cheaper category for families for future finals.

Platini admitted at the time: “It was a mistake, it was not good. But it is not easy to decide the price of the tickets in the Champions League final.

“Perhaps in the future we have to have another category for families that is less expensive. But if you put those on the black market how much will they cost?”

FA Cut Centres of Excellence from 50 to 30 Including Girls Facility

The English Football Association (FA) has confirmed the closure of its girls’ centre of excellence based in Hull after announcing that the centre would lose its funding as part of a national restructuring of the women’s game.

The centre, based at the KC Stadium, provides football training and support for girls up to the age of 16 but will be closed to the anger of parents and players alike, who now face journeys to the surviving facilities in either Leeds or York.

Dawn O’Neill, the parent representative at the centre, said her daughter Millie “burst into tears last night and said, ‘I’ll never play for England, because I’ll never be spotted’.

The FA expressed sympathy for the players and staff affected but said the decision had been made “following a robust 18-month consultation across all levels of the game”, adding that its aim was to “enable England’s elite women to compete on the world stage”.

Nationally the FA is reducing the number of centres of excellence from 50 to 30, and the Hull college released a statement saying it was exploring other sources of income to try and keep the centre operating without FA funding.

Manchester United Reveal Revenue Increase Despite Disappointing Season

Despite a lack of on field success this season, Manchester United have posted record third quarter revenues of £115.m, up 26% in their latest financial accounts released today.

The Premier League giants failed to qualify for the Champions League finishing seventh their lowest position in the Premier League era but have continued to soar off the field.

The financial results for the 2014 fiscal third quarter and nine months ending 31 March 2014 show United’s commercial revenues totaled £42.8m for the period with sponsorship revenue increasing 43.5%. Adjusted EBITDA of £40m was up 60% and also a record for the quarter whilst overall debt fell by £16m to £351.7m.

United, who are expected to announce the appointment of Dutch coach Louis van Gaal as Moyes’ replacement saw broadcasting revenues increase 64.1% for the quarter and 35.7% for the year to date, due to the new Premier League domestic and international TV rights agreements as well as two additional Premier League home games and five more games broadcast live during the quarter compared to the same period last year.

Woodward Pleased with ‘healthy financial position’

United’s Executive Vice Chairman, Ed Woodward, commented about the latest results: “We once again generated record revenues and EBITDA as all of our businesses delivered impressive year over year growth.

“This puts us in a healthy financial position to continue to invest in the squad. Everyone at the Club is working hard to ensure the team is back challenging for the title and trophies next season.

Matchday revenue for the third quarter was £37.1m, an increase of £3.1m, or 9.1%, over the prior year quarter, primarily due to playing two additional home Premier League games and one additional home Capital One Cup game, partly offset by playing three fewer home FA Cup games.

Total operating expenses were £91.5m, an increase of £12.5m, or 15.8%, over the prior year quarter. Staff costs totaled £53.4m, an increase of £8.5m, or 18.9%, primarily due to the impact of player acquisitions such as Juan Mata who signed from Chelsea in January for £37.5m and the renegotiation of player contracts.

Other operating expenses for the third quarter were £22.1m, an increase of £0.3m, or 1.4% due to the increases in fixed costs from foreign exchange losses and higher sponsorship servicing being largely offset by lower variable costs from three fewer FA Cup matches.

{jcomments on}

Focus on Youth at SportAccord Convention 2014

A groundbreaking conference session focusing on the tastes and sporting aspirations of young people, bronchi | the Youth Club, allergist will be a highlight of the SportAccord Convention 2014 conference during this year’s event from 6-11 April 2014 in Belek/Antalya, Turkey. For the first time, the Convention will feature a conference panel composed of young people from sport and media, who will explain and debate what they like – and don’t like – about sport in a free-spirited atmosphere.

Effervescent sport and technology guru Professor Andy Miah, who heads the Creative Futures Institute at the University of the West of Scotland, has advised on the content of the session and will moderate a highly interactive encounter that is sure to generate plenty of buzz at the Susesi Convention Centre.

“With the average age of television viewers of the Olympics reaching 50, and similar trends in other established sports events, having a better understanding of the younger generation is a matter of survival,” Professor Miah said.  “Sports in the future will be watched on the move using wearable devices, we will play sports in virtual worlds, and they may even involve contests between human cyborgs. So much is about to change and we really need to figure out what to protect, so that sports continue to be important in the 21st and 22nd Centuries.”

“The Youth Club will be about what young people really want from sport, what sports they are participating in and watching, how they’re consuming them and what inspires them to switch on a sport or skip it. It’s going to be frank, informative and fun.”

Among the panelists will be Youth Olympics silver-medal athlete Alessia Trost, Olympic swimmer Katinka Hosszú and Paralympic athlete and former Bath Rugby player Megan Harris, plus a representative from the IOC Young Reporters programme, amongst others.

For more conference information, including a full list of confirmed speakers, visit www.sportaccordconvention.com.

The 12th edition of SportAccord Convention this year will be the first edition of the world sport summit held in Turkey. Belek/Antalya is a developing sports hub which recently hosted the 2013 World Archery Championships. In May, the area will welcome the 2014 Turkish Airlines Ladies Golf Open, which is part of the Ladies European Tour.

Delegates may book their places via the website at www.sportaccordconvention.com.

Held in a different city every year, SportAccord Convention is a unique opportunity for international sporting leaders to engage with business, and features a dynamic exhibition as well as the annual general meetings of governing bodies of world sport.

Contact alex.ross@sportaccordconvention.com to learn about promotional opportunities at SportAccord Convention 2014.

Sir Philip Craven Re-Elected International Paralympic Committee President

Great Britain’s Sir Philip Craven has been re-elected as President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for a fourth successive and final term following Sunday’s elections at the 16th IPC General Assembly in Athens.

Andrew Parsons, who is also the President of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee, has been elected IPC Vice President.

Sir Craven polled 127 votes in the IPC Governing Board elections, while his only challenger, fellow Briton Alan Dickson, received 20.

He said: “I’m honoured and delighted to be re-elected as the President of the IPC and I’d like to thank my colleagues and peers for their continued and steadfast support.

“I look to the future, to Sochi, Rio, PyeongChang and Tokyo with great excitement and I’m very confident that we can continue to grow and develop while still keeping our inspirational athletes at the core of the Movement. Together, with continued hard work and dedication from all, we can ensure that we progress as an organisation that makes a difference, not just in sport, but also in society”.

Tim Reddish, Chair of the British Paralympic Association, said: “Sir Philip has been a dedicated and passionate advocate of Paralympic sport and under his stewardship we have seen the Paralympic movement develop tremendously. After the success of the London Games, the Paralympic movement now faces possibly the most important period in its history and it is crucial that Sochi is a success and Rio is even better than London 2012. We are delighted that today’s news means Sir Philip will continue to lead the movement through such a vital time and we have every confidence that he will recognise and respond to the challenges ahead and continue to drive the movement forward tirelessly over the next four years.”

Andrew Parsons, who has previously served a four-year term as President of the Americas Paralympic Committee, received 96 votes to finish ahead of America’s Ann Cody with 52 votes. The Brazilian replaces Australia’s Greg Hartung who did not seek re-election.

Parsons said: “I would like to thank the membership for their trust. I now aim to deliver on the expectations I set out in my manifesto. I look forward to working with IPC President Sir Philip Craven over the next four years.

“It’s an exciting moment for Paralympic sport. We not only have to keep the momentum but take advantage of it and work hard to further develop the Movement for the benefit of all our members.

Ten Members were also elected to the IPC Governing Board on Sunday.
• Mohamed Alhameli (UAE – NPC United Arab Emirates)
• Kyung-won Na (KOR – NPC Korea)
• Yasushi Yamawaki (JPN – NPC Japan)
• Ann Cody (USA – NPC USA)
• Rita van Driel (NED – NPC Netherlands)
• Patrick Jarvis (CAN – NPC Canada)
• Duane Kale (NZL – NPC New Zealand)
• Jairus Mogalo (KEN – NPC Kenya)
• John Petersson (DEN – NPC Denmark)
• Miguel Sagarra (ESP – NPC Spain)
{jcomments on}

Exclusive: IBAF Looks to Push Player Aspect to Enhance 2020 Olympic Bid

By Ismail Uddin

Riccardo Fraccari, president of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), has revealed that the organisation will continue to push the player aspect of their bid as the calibre of international players made available during the Olympics may give them an advantage when it comes to inclusion for the 2020 Olympics.

Fraccari, who has been president of the organisation for over three years, believes the international players in their sport will provide ‘enormous’ value to their bid.

He told iSportconnect exclusively: “We certainly realise the professional baseball players of the world, together with the world’s elite softball players, could bring enormous value and appeal to the Olympic Games and our strategy is to continue highlighting the fact that we enjoy the full support of all the world’s leading professional baseball leagues and we have a powerful youth movement that will continue to render our sport viable into the foreseeable future; this approach is irrespective and independent of other factors.”

IBAF last year announced a merger with the International Softball Federation (ISF) to enhance their bid and Fraccari believes this will provide a unique aspect to their bid.

“Most important for us at the moment is doing everything we can to demonstrate to the IOC that baseball and softball together add unique value to the Olympic Games. 

“We felt good about our first joint presentation to the Programme Commission and feel confident that men’s baseball and women’s softball are worthy of consideration for their global popularity in terms of participation levels, fan and media interest, the important issue of gender equity, as well as their enormous commercial power and strength.”

Fraccari also stated that he sees rival bids as more of a ‘challenge’ rather than competition.

“I do not necessarily consider it a competition; it is more a welcomed challenge to see whether we can put together a proposal that compliments the existing global attractiveness of the Olympic Programme and the growth and direction of the Olympic movement.”

IBAF’s joint bid with the ISF faces stiff competition from Squash, Karate, Sports Climbing, Roller Sports, Wushu, Wakeboarding and Wrestling.

Read Riccardo Fraccari’s full exclusive interview with iSportconnect here>>

{jcomments on}

Abmahnung des Deutschen Olympischen Sportbundes e.V. unberechtigt

Die Werbung einer Onlinehändlerin mit den Begriffen “Olympia-Rabatt” und “Olympische Preise” verstößt nicht gegen das Gesetz zum Schutz des olympischen Emblems und der olympischen Bezeichnungen (OlympSchG). Dies hat die Kammer für Handelssachen II des Landgerichts Kiel in ihrem am 21.06.2012 verkündeten Urteil (Az. 15 O 158/11) entschieden.

Die beklagte Onlinehändlerin hatte im Jahre 2008 ihre Kontaktlinsen und Pflegemittel beworben, medstore indem sie die Bezeichnung “Olympische Preise” und den Satz “Mit unserem 10 EUR Olympia-Rabatt auf L. Maxi-Spar-Sets sind Sie ganz klar auf Siegeskurs!” verwendete. Daraufhin hatte sie eine Abmahnung des Deutschen Olympischen Sportbundes e.V. (DOSB) erhalten. Dieser war der Ansicht, arthritis die Händlerin verletze seine Rechte aus dem OlympSchG. Weil Wörter wie “olympisch” und “Olympia” nach dem Markenrecht nicht schutzfähig sind, abortion hatte der Gesetzgeber im Jahre 2004 eigens hierfür das OlympSchG geschaffen, um die Olympia-Bewerbung Leipzigs zu unterstützen.

Da die Beklagte nicht bereit war, die Kosten der Abmahnung zu tragen, erhob der Kläger Klage vor dem Landgericht Kiel. Dieses hielt die Abmahnung jedoch für unberechtigt und wies die Klage ab. Es fehle an der nach dem OlympSchG erforderlichen “Verwechslungsgefahr”, da die Werbung durch die bloße Verwendung der Wörter “olympisch” und “Olympia” keine Assoziation zum Kläger hervorrufe. Auch eine Ausnutzung der Wertschätzung der geschützten Bezeichnungen sei in der Werbung nicht zu erkennen gewesen. “Das Gericht teilt unsere Auffassung”, so Rechtsanwalt Moritz Diekmann aus Hamburg, der die Beklagte vertritt. “Unsere Mandantin erweckt mit ihrer Werbung nicht den Eindruck, Sponsor der Olympischen Spiele zu sein. Eine Verwendung den Olympischen Bezeichnungen im allgemeinen Sprachgebrauch zur Erlangung einer zusätzlichen Aufmerksamkeit kann vom DOSB nicht untersagt werden.”

Das noch nicht rechtskräftige Urteil bietet allen in Deutschland Werbetreibenden wichtige Anhaltspunkte dafür, wie in rechtlich zulässiger Weise mit Begriffen wie “olympisch” oder “Olympia” geworben werden kann.

ExteNet Systems to Maintain Brooklyn Nets Barclays Center Network

ExteNet Systems, recipe the leader in implementation and operations of distributed wireless networks, ampoule today announced its agreement with Forest City Ratner Companies to design, impotent install, manage, and maintain a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) network in the newly constructed Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Scheduled to open in September 2012, the 675,000-square-foot, 19,000-seat Barclays Center will be home to the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Brooklyn Nets at the start of the 2012-2013 season. Barclays Center is scheduled to host more than 220 events per year including concerts, sports, family shows, and other special events.

Chip Foley, Director of Building Technology at Forest City Ratner Companies, a subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises, said, “We chose ExteNet Systems to help make Barclays Center the premier location for entertainment in New York by ensuring superior wireless capacity and coverage with proven DAS coverage. ExteNet’s experience in deploying large-scale communication networks coupled with a business model that supports a cost-effective entry for wireless carriers made the ExteNet decision smart on all fronts.”

The need for voice, data, and video connectivity is amplified in the world of sports. Bandwidth needs arising from always-on connectivity, real-time video streaming, and multi-media messaging at sports arenas is straining wireless carriers’ existing networks. Sports fans expect to view the games and enjoy an on-demand, personalized multimedia mobile experience.

Ross W. Manire, President and CEO at ExteNet Systems, noted, “ExteNet and its venue-owner partners recognize the rapid change in fan expectations and we are working with leading wireless carriers to enable their networks of the future to provide the coverage and capacity needed to rapidly change the entertainment and communication experience at venues and events.” Manire added, “We are pleased to work on a prestigious project like Barclays Center.”

Teresa Masterangelo, Principal Analyst at Broadbandtrends, a leading market research firm specializing in the fixed and wireless broadband convergence, explained, “The need for capacity and coverage is accentuated in high traffic venues and user expectations for anytime, anywhere connectivity needs to be satiated at all times. DAS is a proven technology. Changing user behavior, the deluge of next-gen data applications and the inability of macro-cell networks to provide adequate coverage and capacity is necessitating that wireless carriers work with companies like ExteNet to serve subscribers emerging needs of with technology solutions like DAS.”

As part of its total solution offering, ExteNet also provides a suite of Professional Services including a 24×7 Network Operations Center (NOC).

New Scottish Venue to be Named Hydro Arena in USD24m Naming Rights Deal

A planned US$205m arena to be built alongside the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) development in Glasgow has been renamed the Scottish Hydro Arena after the energy supplier agreed a 10-year naming rights deal worth $24.6m.

It is hoped the 12,000-seater venue, set to be opened in 2013, will host 140 events annually and attract audiences of one million per year, attracting major sporting events such as ATP tennis tournaments and international basketball matches.

The to-be-built stadium is already expected to stage gymnastics for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and is also set to host the Mobo awards.

Ian Marchant, chief executive of SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy), stated: “We’ve supported music events that people have enjoyed for some time. Now we’re involved on a larger stage, it means we can bring the experience to many more people.”

John Sharkey, chief executive of the SECC, added: “To be partnering with a successful and established FTSE top 30 UK brand with Scottish roots is part of our commitment to working with the best in the business. Scottish Hydro shares our vision for the new arena that will position Glasgow and Scotland at the forefront of the global events and entertainment industry.”