World Taekwondo Federation Appoints IOC’s Ivan Dibos as Vice President
At an extraordinary Council meeting the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has appointed IOC member of Peru Ivan Dibos as vice president.
The Council meeting, adiposity held at the Westin Nua Dua Resort Hotel in Bali, ampoule Indonesia, also saw WTF appointing two honorary WTF vice presidents, one vice president and eight Council members. Mr. Jean-Marie Ayer retained its secretary general status.
The two honorary vice presidents are Mr. Dae-soon Lee of Korea and Mr. Phil Coles, an honorary IOC member of Australia.
The newly appointed eight Council members are Ms. Aicha Garad Ali, the IOC member of Djibouti; Mr. Anthony Ferguson, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Taekwondo Association; Mr. Milan Kwee, president of the Singapore Taekwondo Federation; Ms. Carine Lahoud of Lebanon, former president of the Lebanese Taekwondo Federation; Mr. Michel Madar, president of the Israel Taekwondo Federation; Mr. Dae-sung Moon, an IOC member of Korea; Mr. Pimol Srivikorn, president of the Taekwondo Association of Thailand; and Ms. Sarah Stevenson, the bronze medalist in taekwondo at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Government Gives Financial OK for Rotterdam 2018 Youth Olympic Games Bid
According to Dutch News reports, Rotterdam will push ahead with their bid for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games following government finacial gurantees.
Dutch NOC president Andre Bolhuis said: “We have the guarantees of the government. It (the decision) happened this week and we have sent the guarantees to the executive board of the IOC. I am happy about the situation. It’s very important to the Netherlands and Rotterdam.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will elect the host city of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in July.
David Beckham to be Included in Olympic Ceremony
After getting the boot from the Great Britain Olympic football team, David Beckham will participate in the Opening Ceremont of the London Games.
The former England footballer confirmed that he will have a part in the ceremony and that he a flame might be involved. It is understood however that the 37-year-old will not be the person who lights the cauldron.
The opening ceremony is expected to have a final torch relay inside the stadium, as has happened with all recent Olympic Games, with a number of sports stars, former Olympians and others selected for their contribution to the London Games carrying the torch before the flame is lit.
The identity of the person who will actually light the flame remains a closely-guarded secret.
Beckham told CNN: “I’m excited to be part of such a huge occasion for our country.
“It’s exciting to have the Games in the east end of London and I’m very honoured to be part of that.”
Asked if a flame was involved, Beckham added: “I think I might have one.”
Beckham was part of the London bid team that won the right to host the Games in Singapore in 2005 and he said he was proud to see the Olympics actually happening in his home city.
“It was seven years when this whole process started and to bring the Games to the part of London where I grew up is so exciting,” he said.
“I was at the stadium yesterday and it really is incredible to see the changes that have happened there and around about.
“There will be a few events I’m hoping to get to and take my kids to so it should be fun.”
New England Patriots Gillette Stadium Acquire High Performance Wireless Network
Xirrus, for sale the leader in high-performance wireless networks, decease announced today that it has outfitted Gillette Stadium, allergy home of the National Football League’s (NFL) New England Patriots, with a wireless network that will serve its premium seating areas.
Club members in Gillette Stadium’s Putnam Club will now be able to access exclusive video content on their smart phones instantaneously on game days.
The 6,000 fans in the Putnam Club will be able to use the stadium’s new proprietary smart phone application to instantly view the NFL Network’s Red Zone channel, four exclusive camera angles—one on each sideline and one in each end zone—not available to network television viewers, a continuous loop of an instant replay of the previous play, highlights from earlier in the game and real-time statistics and information.
According to estimates from Gillette Stadium officials, up to one-third of Putnam Club guests will stream video content at any given time. With two identical Putnam Club locations soaring three stories high and covering a total of 120,000 square feet, Gillette Stadium required a first-class Wi-Fi solution that could deliver hardwire-caliber reliability at a great scale. The stadium chose Xirrus Wireless Arrays, which delivers unparalleled performance resulting in four times the coverage, eight times the bandwidth and eight times the capacity of a traditional wireless network.
Fred Kirsch, Patriots Vice President of Content, said: “We strive to provide a top-notch game day experience for our fans. Delivering high-quality video content to smart phones is part of our vision for providing a premium experience to fans in the Putnam Club, and Xirrus is helping to make that vision a reality.”
Steven Wastie, Chief Marketing Officer at Xirrus, added: “As the number of users of smart phones and other wireless devices grow, so does the demand for uninterrupted access to sophisticated content on those same gadgets. Football stadiums are just the type of large, densely-packed areas that are going to be challenged to fulfill this mandate from customers. Today, Gillette Stadium and Xirrus are both at the cutting edge of delivering on this promise.”
Warner Insists CONCACAF Presidential Backing is Undecided
Jack Warner, the president of CONCACAF disgraced by allegations from former FA chief Lord Triesman yesterday, May 10, has insisted that the organisation has still not made its mind as to whether to back Sepp Blatter’s re-election at the upcoming FIFA ballot.
Speaking on local television in his native Trinidad, Warner claimed that CONCACAF’s position was not finalised, despite having repeatedly made it clear that the confederation, which has backed Blatter on both previous occasions, would vote as a bloc on June 1.
When asked about his endorsement of Blatter, Warner stated: “Who say so?”
Warner said he had not yet heard the proposals of Blatter’s opponent, Asian Football Federation president Mohamed Bin Hammam.
After being denied a visa to attend the CONCACAF congress in Miami last week, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president, Mohamed Bin Hammam is due to meet a majority of CONCACAF’s 35 members later today.
“Fair play suggests that [Bin Hammam should have his chance],” said Warner.
“If that was the case [that Blatter has won my support], I would have endorsed Blatter in Miami.
“Bin Hammam is coming here to put his case to 30 of us, and why we should support him.”
The CONCACAF president, who is also a FIFA vice-president, says bin Hammam still has time to win him over, adding: “While he is my colleague and I’ve known him for a long time, I want [him to tell me] how he would do things differently.”
“How would FIFA benefit, how in four years’ time we could have a better FIFA. If you could tell me that, then of course you could have me.”
Cheltenham Racecourse to Undergo USD49m Makeover
British horseracing’s iconic Cheltenham Racecourse has confirmed plans for a US$48.8m makeover of the famous track, stressing however, that the Festival will remain unchanged during the building work.
The impending work means that any prospect of the Cheltenham Festival being extended to five days has been postponed while the redevelopment takes place. Plans will be finalised over the summer, with improving the grandstand facilities the main focus of the project.
Edward Gillespie ,the course’s managing director, said: “They’re lovely buildings, they’re perfectly serviceable but they’re in a place where we’d like to put better, bigger, more modern buildings”.
Cheltenham Racecourse has also announced that family-owned producers of Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky, Glenfarclas, is to continue its sponsorship of Cross Country Steeplechasing for a further three years, up to, and including, the Cheltenham Festival in March 2014.
The company currently sponsors a series of events at Pau in France, Punchestown in Ireland, and all three of Cheltenham’s Cross Country races.
The three Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeplechases, which are all covered by Channel 4 television at Cheltenham, take place at the Open in November, the International in December, and the Festival in March.
Charles Hamer, marketing director of Pol Roger, the European distributor of Glenfarclas, added: “Renewing this relationship with Cheltenham for a further three years will, we hope, go a long way to achieving our goal of making Glenfarclas the ‘turn to’ Malt Whisky of the Racing World”.
Birmingham City Owner Yeung Jailed for Six Years
Carson Yeung, owner and former chairman of Birmingham City, has been sentenced to six years in jail for laundering $93m.
Yeung, 54, was found guilty by a Hong Kong court on Monday of five counts of money laundering. He had denied the charges.
The businessman had told the court he amassed his wealth through hairdressing, share-trading, property purchases, gambling in the world’s casino hub of Macau and other investments. The former hair stylist to Hong Kong’s rich and famous laundered the money between January 2001 and December 2007 through five bank accounts, the court found.
Yeung bought into Birmingham City in 2007 and acquired the rest in 2009.
But he resigned from the parent company – Hong Kong-listed Birmingham International Holdings Ltd (BIHL) – while he awaited the verdict.
It is not yet clear what his conviction and imprisonment means for Birmingham City, though for now the day-to-day running of the club will continue unchanged.
But the case raises difficult questions about how Yeung managed to pass the Premier League’s fit and proper persons test whilst buying the club.
It is the first time that someone still involved in a football club would fail the owners and directors test.
Sentencing Yeung at Hong Kong District Court, Judge Yau said: “The sentence must include an element of deterrence to discourage those who are in a position to exploit the system.
“The law will come down on them with full force.
“Maintaining the integrity of the banking system is of paramount importance if Hong Kong is to remain an international finance centre,” he said.
Gloria Yu, a police investigator, told reporters outside the courthouse: “We overcame a lot of hurdles to get this result.
“We are happy… and encouraged because fighting money laundering is a very arduous task.”
Geneva 2014 Convention’s Location and Date Set
GENEVA 2014 EVENT will take place in the prestigious Palexpo-Geneva, ailment Switzerland on December 10-11, apoplectic 2014.
It will be the world’s largest Sports Convention in 2014. www.geneva2104.com
The GENEVA 2014 EVENT will consist of 18 Sports Conferences running at the same time, including a combined exhibition and networking areas. Those 18 Sports conferences will be:
- Stadium and Venue Conference
- Sports Technology Conference
- Sports Facilities Conference
- Sports Digital Conference
- Sports Sponsorship Conference
- Sports Law Conference
- Sports Broadcast Conference
- Sports Environment and Sustainability Conference
- Sports Education and Recruitment Conference
10) Host Cities and Sports Events Conference
11) Stadia Architects and Design Conference
12) Turf and Grass Conference
13) Playground and Landscape Conference
14) Football Development Conference
15) Football Business Conference
16) Football Coaching Conference
17) Football Scouting Conference
18) International BasketBall Conference
Each of the above conferences has their own website – e.g.: www.internationalbasketballexpo.com – with www.geneva2014.com be the combined site.
GENEVA 2014 EVENT – INTERNATIONAL SPORTS CONVENTION will feature:
- 200 Speakers
- Over 3,000 Conference Delegates and Exhibition Visitors
- 10,000 sqm of Exhibition Space
and will be the global meeting, learning and networking for all sectors and levels of the Sports Industry.
Contact the INTERNATIONAL SPORTS CONVENTION Team at: +41 216 016 754 or info@sdmworld.com.
Former FA Head of Security Ray Whitworth Joins MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) have announced today that former head of security for the Football Association (FA) Ray Whitworth will become their Vice President, viagra order Operations and Security.
Whitworth, drugs who brings more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement from his years at the English Football Association (The FA), store the Metropolitan Police Football Intelligence Unit and Arsenal Football Club. He will oversee all operations and security areas for MLS, including all MLS venues. Whitworth will report to MLS Executive Vice President Nelson Rodríguez.
Most recent, as Head of Team and Corporate Security for the English Football Association (The FA), Whitworth oversaw security for all levels of the England National Teams, including advance visits and all travel, movements, hotels, liaison, including all airport and aviation issues.
A former police officer, Whitworth will begin his new position at MLS in early 2014.
“With the growth of MLS’ fan base and the popularity of supporter groups at each of our clubs, being able to add a professional of Ray’s experience and stature will prove extremely valuable,” said Rodríguez. “Integrating operations and security throughout all of our events, matches and daily course of business is a natural progression and further reflects the evolution of the League.”
Whitworth, who has worked multiple FIFA World Cups and European Championships during his time with The FA, had previously consu