It has been confirmed that the newly renovated Aviva Stadium in Dublin will host the Heineken Cup final in 2013 after it re-opened in 2010 following massive redevelopment.

The Lansdowne Road venue last staged European rugby’s showpiece occasion in 2003 but will return as host 10 years later after next year’s final at Twickenham.

Irish provinces have won three of the last four finals with Munster lifting the cup in 2008, followed by Leinster in 2009 and 2011 and Leinster beat Leicester and Toulouse at the Aviva Stadium on their way to winning this year’s competition.

ERC Chief Executive Derek McGrath stated: “It is a world-class venue which has quickly established a close affinity with the Heineken Cup.

“The decision to bring the final back to Dublin for the first time since 2003 is recognition of the passion Irish fans have for the tournament and we are confident our showpiece game in 2013 will be another landmark occasion in the history of Irish rugby and sport.”

Legal reasons have prevented suspended FIFA vice-president Jack Warner from publicly revealing details of e-mail correspondence between himself and re-elected president of soccer’s world governing body, Sepp Blatter.

The Trinidad and Tobago Government Minister had promised that he would read out the e-mails to supporters but went on to disappoint a crowd of several thousand when reiterating his innocence of the charges against him but adding that he would not be the emails public after discussions with his lawyers.

Speaking at a an arranged gathering in his constituency in Chaguanas, Warner said: “I had plans to speak to you today a bit more on this matter but the best legal advice I received has suggested that I do not do so at this point in time and that advice I am going to respect.

“I haven’t thieved anything, I haven’t given anybody anything and I don’t know what the hullabaloo is all about.”

In referring to his fellow accused and suspended FIFA member and former presidential candidate, Mohamed Bin Hammam, he added: “My friend came here to talk to some people, he spoke to them and then he left. The rest is now history and let the facts come out.”

Warner went on to hit back at critics who have called for Trinidad Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to fire him from his Government position as Minister of Works and Transport before the FIFA investigation is done, stating: “If it comes to a choice between FIFA and you [his constituents], the choice is you.”

In other news, acting CONCACAF president Lisle Austin, who stood in for Warner following his suspension, has been suspended for allegedly breaking the rules.

According to a statement on the Confederation’s website, Austin has been suspended following his attempts to sack its secretary general Chuck Blazer, the man who handed in the file condemning Warner, a strong ally of Austin.

The statement revealed that Honduran official Alfredo Hawit appointed in his place and added: ”Lisle Austin has been provisionally banned from all football activities within CONCACAF and at the national level by a majority of the CONCACAF Executive Committee members for apparent infringement of the CONCACAF Statutes.

”This suspension took effect on Thursday, June 2, 2011. Notice of this suspension is being sent to FIFA to be extended worldwide.

”As the senior most Vice President of CONCACAF, Alfredo Hawit, assumes the role of acting President under the CONCACAF Statutes.”

The International Softball Federation has signed an agreement with Helios to acquire sponsorships on behalf of the world governing body. The announcement was made by ISF President Don Porter and is effective immediately, beginning with preparing assets and then soon moving into securing sponsorships, with Helios having exclusive worldwide rights to work as such on behalf of the ISF.

“Helios is a major player on the Olympic and international sporting landscape,” Mr. Porter said. “Their proven track record and impressive list of clients and contacts have all given us great confidence in taking them on for this important service to our Federation and our sport.”

The ISF president added that, “Clearly we are very serious about continuing to promote and develop our sport not only in the 128 countries where we already have member federations, but in other nations as well. Surely these programs and opportunities will hold great value and appeal for companies looking to penetrate certain or all locations where we are and where we intend to go. The sport of softball is not going away and we look forward to having multi-national or international partners onboard with us soon as we continue this new era that began with our re-branding from a new ISF logo to our web domains and to what still lies ahead.”

“We are very excited about working with the International Softball Federation,” said Terrence Burns, President of Helios Partners. “There are very few sports that offer such a strong combination of worldwide reach and grassroots popularity for potential corporate partners. Softball is one of those sports, and we’re looking forward to helping further its growth and global presence.”

The ISF is the world governing body of the sport as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and SportAccord. Softball (women’s fast pitch) made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. There are 128 affiliated countries in the ISF and millions of participants in the sport worldwide. The sport is contested in more than a dozen multi-sport Games.

Serving a wide range of global clients, with offices in Atlanta, London, Paris and Beijing, Helios Partners specializes in sponsorship consulting, sports property representation, and bid city and organizing committee consulting.

David Hemery has been re-elected Vice Chairman of the British Olympic Association’s Board of Directrors along with three other members.

Hemery was re-elected Vice Chairman for a two year period, with Simon Clegg, Richard Leman and Sarah Treseder securing a four year term each as Directors of the Board representing the Olympic Governing Bodies.

The National Olympic Committee also paid tribute to three individuals for their outstanding contributions and service to British Olympic sport.  Dame Di Ellis and Albert Woods, both of whom have concluded their tenure as members of the BOA Board, have today been named Life Vice Presidents of the BOA. Robin Money, who has been with adidas since 1976 (37 years), and who helped shape the first formal relationship between adidas and Team GB in 1984 was also awarded Special Recognition. 

BOA Chairman Seb Coe, said: “I would like to congratulate David, Simon, Richard and Sarah on their successful election to the Board of the British Olympic Association. Along with the entire Board, I very much look forward to their contributions.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Di and Albert for their outstanding service to the Board and welcome them as Life Members.  The importance of volunteer service should never be underestimated and we are extremely fortunate to have so many dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers, past and present, who have helped shape and direct the British Olympic Association.

“And to Robin and our many friends at adidas, we pay tribute and offer our thanks for everything they do to support Team GB and give our athletes the best opportunity for success in the Olympic arena.”

Jessica Ennis sponsorship earnings are set to expand following her gold medal in the Olympic heptathlon at the weekend with marketing experts suggesting she may receive up to £3m ($4.6m) a year in sponsorship

Jessica Ennis, who has been Britain’s poster girl for the Olympics, already has deals with with Jaguar, Coca-Cola-owned Powerade, BA, Aviva and Procter & Gamble’s skincare brand Olay.

Ennis’s commercial appeal, according to experts, will now rocket.

Nigel Currie, executive at brandRapport, said: “For Jess Ennis, being the poster girl for the Games, she has obviously secured a lot of sponsorship agreements in advance – probably around £1m-£1.25m.

“However, her victory will potentially earn her around £3m per annum over the next two to three years in the run-up to Rio. 

“Because of the number of medals Britain has won, there will be even more competition for the lucrative marketing contracts but Ennis has clearly emerged as the big star.”

As Olympic athletes receive no prize money from events, sponsorship deals are seen as a lucrative means to cash in on their success.

Fellow gold medallists Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah are set to receive a similar upturn.

Rutherford, who won gold in the Long Jump, is also tipped for a major sponsorship fillip, netting as much as £1.5m ($2.33) a year from deals.

Farah, who won the 10,000m final, already earns around £500,000 ($778k) from endorsements but experts believe this could triple or reach £2m ($3.1m) should he win the 5,000m final too. 

UK Athletics, are also set to reap the benefits. Along with other british sports.

Currie said: “There will be a new crop of sponsors queuing to associate themselves with British athletics on the back of this great success.”

Rupert Pratt, mananging director at Generate Sponsorship, added: “The real commercial impact will come from the entire Games itself, not individual successes.

“By hosting the Olympic Games, we have united the nation and therefore every boardroom across the country can see the power of major events and therefore sponsorship.

“From UK Athletics, who are in the hunt for a new major partner, to British Cycling, Swimming, Rowing etc, right down to the more niche disciplines, sport must use London 2012 as a springboard, not a quick commercial fix.

“With Glasgow 2014, Rugby World Cup 2015, World Athletics Championship 2017 plus many more major events in the pipeline, such as the UCI World Track (cycling) championships in Glasgow in November, hopefully London 2012 will provide the sponsorship legacy everyone is looking for, not just a bounce. “

The International Tennis Federation (ITTF) have announced today that the Swiss-based company Sportradar AG has been chosen as the worldwide distributor for ITF Official Data in a new four year deal starting in 2013. 

The ITF and Sportradar will begin to cooperate in 2012 to assure the supply of live data from selected ITF tournaments to media outlets, unhealthy the betting industry and any other interested parties. The agreement will also allow the ITF to expand the range of its events offering live scoring services.

The ITF believes that the distribution of ITF Official Data will support integrity measures by helping to eliminate the unauthorised collection, dissemination and use of official or erroneous data and the presence of unofficial data collectors at ITF events. The supply of ITF Official Data will further support integrity measures by creating a framework for more extensive information exchange and cooperation with the legal gambling industry. 

The ITF began the search for an experienced data partner in October 2011 and received a number of interesting and competitive offers, selecting Sportradar AG because of their experience as a leading sports data service provider. 

Jan Menneken, Executive Director, Commercial for the ITF, said: “We believe that Sportradar AG will be an excellent partner for the ITF and we look forward to working with them. In addition to the distribution of ITF Official Data, this project will allow us to expand live scoring services to the ITF Pro Circuit and the zone groups of Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas.”

In addition to the data partnership, Sportradar has also been appointed as the ITF’s preferred streaming partner for the ITF Pro Circuit, helping to grow the Circuit and make it more accessible to fans.

Carsten Koerl, group chief executive officer, Sportradar, commented:  “We are very pleased to begin this collaboration which opens up a great opportunity to build a new market with the ITF. We are convinced that we can create exciting new products for our clients around the world.”

According to Qatar’s news agency, therapy the Gulf state is planning to complete construction of its first stadium for the 2022 FIFA World Cup by 2015.

The agency reported yesterday, medstore June 6, herbal that “program management” for the stadium project will be assigned by the end of this year, adding that prior to the World Cup, Qatar plans to host a major soccer tournament in 2020 as well as the 2021 Confederations Cup, the traditional dress rehearsal for the World Cup.

The first of Qatar’s 12 stadia for the tournament will feature a carbon-neutral cooling system to nullify the extreme heat and Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee secretary general Hassan Al Thawadi confirmed: “We are looking to complete the first stadium with cooling system technology by 2015.” He added that installing program management for the stadium would “set the ball rolling for the major project in the first quarter of next year”.

US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance within the International Trade Administration, Michael Camunez, told the Gulf Times after a meeting with Thawadi: “More than a billion people will be watching the tournament which will showcase Qatar to the world just like the Beijing Olympics opened the world’s eyes to China’s transformation.

“World Cup 2022 brings together a lot of our shared goals and we want to be you at every step of the way with the economic transformation that is going on in Qatar.”