The Hawkeye ball tracking system will finally be implemented at the Champions League Final Four in Poland next month, the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) said on Monday, paving the way for its possible introduction at the London Olympic Games.

“The Hawkeye system will be used for the very first time in an international competition as even (world’s governing body) FIVB never used it,” CEV’s press officer Federico Ferraro said.

“We’ll see what kind of reactions we’ll receive after the Final Four tournament and then we’ll have to see what the FIVB think about it.”

While there have been calls for the system to be used at Olympic volleyball events, it is a decision which can only be taken by the FIVB. “We (CEV) do not have any influence on the procedures developed for the Olympics,” Ferraro said.

The system in Poland will allow team captains the possibility to challenge the decisions of the referees twice per set using ball-tracking TV replays.

The Polish volleyball league has successfully used the system in domestic competitions on several occasions since 2010 with the majority of players and coaches saying it is the best way to avoid controversies.

“I am really positively impressed by the system,” said CEV’s President of the European Cups Commission Riet Ooms after visiting Atlas Arena in Lodz, where the Final Four will take place on March 17-18.

“The system helps control emotions and nervousness out there on the court,” Ooms added.

“The players stay cool, and on the other side the referees are always sure that finally the right decision is being made. Additionally, the system does not influence the normal pace of the game as all discussions are quite quickly finalised.”

The challenge system is already in use in tennis, cricket and some other sports.

Polish team Skra Belchatow have already qualified for the Final Four tournament as hosts with other three participants to be decided later this month.

by Ismail Uddin

The African Confederation (CAF) has voted in majority support of current FIFA presidential incumbent Sepp Blatter as the Swiss steps closer to re-election on June 1. The outcome is thought to be the most devastating blow yet to challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam’s chances of dethroning the 75-year-old.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Bin Hammam has always been confident he will collect a significant number of votes from Africa because of both the Arab connections in North Africa and the contacts he has built up during his years at the head of FIFA’s Goal Bureau development department.

The matter was thought to be of real concern to Blatter who, originally, had been assumed to hold commanding support across the continent after working to bring the World Cup finals to Africa for the first time last year.

A secret ballot in Monday’s, May 16, meeting of the executive committee of the African confederation – which has 53 members – resulted in a majority swing in favour of supporting Blatter in the election at the FIFA Congress on June 1. The decision is merely a recommendation to CAF’s member associations but it is still a significant win for the FIFA president, although the voting split is unknown.

Oceania, Europe (UEFA) and South America (CONMEBOL) had already declared their formal support for Blatter.

The African confederation is one of a number of soccer’s leading governing bodies to have been confronted by a credibility crisis after FIFA executive member Amos Adamu from Nigeria was banned from the sport – along with six other African former ExCo members – following last autumn’s World Cup vote-rigging scandal.

The CAF’s long-serving president Issa Hayatou has also been accused, twice, over payment irregularities – allegations he has denied. Interestingly, Hayatou was the last FIFA member to challenge Sepp Blatter for the world governing body’s top spot in Seoul in 2002, losing heavily by 139 votes to 56.

The final piece of turf was laid down yesterday, March 29, by London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission chairman Frank Fredericks at the Olympic Stadium, marking the completion of construction on the flagship venue.

With construction on the £537 million (US$836 million) venue having began just under three years ago in May 2008, the project has been completed on time and under budget to the delight of Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chairman John Armitt.

240 UK businesses won contracts for the construction of the Stadium and over 5,250 people have worked on the project. The final surface of the running track will be laid later this year by London 2012 to ensure that it is protected during the programme of temporary overlay which includes work for Ceremonies which may need cranes in the field of play that could damage the track.

Coe stated: “The Olympic Stadium will be the beating heart of the new Olympic Park and it is testament to the fantastic work put in by Team Stadium and the Olympic Delivery Authority that construction is complete on time and within budget.

“However there is still much to do. We now come in and do some work in preparation of ceremonies, to dress the stadium to ensure it has a London 2012 feel throughout and of course, the final touch – to lay the track.”

Fredericks, who claimed four silver Olympic medals in his sprint career, said: “Athletes that have spent a lifetime training for their Olympic dream deserve to be able to achieve it in the best possible conditions.

“I believe that those competing here in 2012 will not be disappointed. I would like to congratulate everyone involved in the construction of London’s Olympic stadium for producing a truly outstanding sporting arena.

“When filled with fans at Games time, I am certain that the atmosphere will drive many of the competitors to achieve new personal bests and create unique moments of Olympic history.”

Coe and Fredericks were joined in the Stadium by IOC Coordination Commission chairman Denis Oswald and IOC Executive Director Gilbert Felli, as well as ODA chairman John Armitt.

Armitt added: “The Olympic Stadium has been finished on time and under budget. To complete a complicated project such as this in less than three years is testament to the skill and professionalism of the UK construction industry.”

Oswald said: “What a fantastic stadium. As host of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, this arena will provide the first and last memories that many people will have of London ‘s Games and I have no doubt that it will provide the perfect stage.

“When the athletes see what has been created here, I am sure that they too will be inspired to reach new heights in their sport. Congratulations to all of those involved in creating this unique and spectacular theatre.”

A new joint venture between two major sporting promoters marks the birth of a new talent managment company aimed at representing minority entertainers and celebrities.

IMG Worldwide, a premier sports, entertainment & media company has struck a deal with Butch Lewis Productions – names after the legendary boxing promoter and film and music producer. The JV is aimed at creating an entertainment powerhouse that gives global opportunities to promote and market minority talent in the areas of endorsements, licensing and programming.

Lewis said: ” The BLP/IMG partnership will be the one-two punch combination needed to become the undisputed champion within the industry”.

Entertainment magnate Robert L Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, current CEO of the RLJ companies and current IMG board member will be an integral part in driving the success of the company by lending his experience and knowledge to the partnership.

He added: “The BLP/IMG partnership creates a win-win situation and has the potential to be the most dominant and premier minority management and marketing company in the world.”

“Butch Lewis and RObert Johnson are experts in their respective businesses,” said Geroge Pyne, president of IMG’s Sports and Entertainment Group. “Their business acumen and outstanding track record in creating successful businesses will serve our new initiative very well. We are looking forward to working with them”.

Sandy Montag, IMG senior corporate vice-president and head of IMG’s client Division, added: “We are incredibly excited to partner with these two renowned business men. Butch and Robert have both created great entertainment brands and are leaders in the world of entertainment. Over the years they have dealt with some of the great legends in boxing, music and Hollywood and we look forward to creating this new business with them.”

BLP will staff and manage the day-to-day operations utilising its extensive relationships and contacts in the world of sports, entertainment and media to introduce potential clients to the venture. IMG will staff and manage the overall sales & marketing efforts for the company. The new limited Liability Company will be headquartered in New York. The business will be co-managed by Lewis and Montag.

The Boston Red Sox have announced the appointment of Brett Miller as the first member of the club’s inaugural Rotational Business Initiative (RBI).

The Red Sox and Monster announced their collaboration and search for a candidate in July, prostate and through Monster.com and its Cool Jobs program, herbal screened thousands of applicants for the new position.

In his role, for sale Miller will assist various departments within the Red Sox organization, including Ballpark Operations, Marketing, Fan Services & Entertainment, and Premium & Group Sales.

A graduate of Old Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Virginia, Miller received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and was a member of the school’s Division I wrestling team. He also served as an Athletic Operations intern at ODU and is a member of the school’s Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SACC).

“Boston is the epicenter of all things sports and I am excited to be working in this great city and to be part of the Red Sox organization,” said Miller. “I believe this opportunity will bring together my passion for sports and my business background. The Rotational Business Initiative will allow me to experience a number of different areas that support the daily operations of the franchise.”

Miller will begin his new role at the Red Sox on Wednesday, November 13. He will be introduced to fans during a pregame ceremony at Fenway Park during the 2014 season.

“With more than 55,000 applicants for this role, Monster was instrumental in navigating the pool of applicants and helping with evaluations,” said Red Sox Senior Vice President/Corporate Sponsorships Troup Parkinson. “We look forward to working with Brett, and thank Monster for their help finding the right candidate for this position.”

The Pan American Sports Organization named La Punta, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; and Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela as the four cities that submitted bids for the 2019 Pan Am Games.

Each city is vying for their first Pan Am hosting duties, though Venezuela and Argentina have each hosted the event before. Santiago was set to host the 1993 winter Pan American Games, but the Games was canceled when the United States threatened to withdraw over a small slate of events. 

The Pan American Games have decreased in value over the past 30 years, as the United States and Canada have shied away from sending their best swimmers to the meet. 

Water polo is the one sport that consistently feature top-flight competition at the Pan American Games, since the continental representatives for the Olympics are chosen there, as they were in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2011. 

Santiago and Lima appear to have the edge over La Punta and Puerto Ordaz in that they are their country’s capital cities, meaning travel to and around those cities will be easier, and resources for constructing venues will be easier to obtain.

The Games have been held in Central and South America 12 of 17 times, with the United States last hosting the event in 1987 in Indianapolis. Canada is set to host the event for the third time in Toronto in the next iteration of the Pan American Games in July 2015. That event will likely not feature the top aquatic sports stars, as the FINA world championships in Russia will start in the middle of the Pan American Games festivities.

Sebastian Coe, London 2012 chairman has vowed to fill seats with troops and students following reports of empty seats at a few Olympic venues.

Gaps were visible at a number of venues today and yesterday, including the Aquatics Centre, gymnastics and beach volleyball – other venues such as rowing, boxing, shooting and handball were full.

Coe said students, teachers and troops had been given some of the empty seats, most of which had been “accredited seats” reserved for teams, federations and Olympic officials.

Coe said: “I don’t want to see swathes of seats empty and will make sure we can do everything we can to fill them.

“For example we looked at gymnastics today and could see empty seats in the accredited area so were able to move some troops so they were sitting there this morning enjoying the gymnastics.

“But let’s put this into perspective – those venues are stuffed to the gunwales.”

Coe added: “We can clearly sell more tickets, which we did yesterday. We sold something like 1,000 tickets over three sessions.

“The other thing is we can tactically upgrade and move people.”

Asked about how other tickets would be recycled to others in the Olympic Park, he said: “It’s very much on the Wimbledon format. It sensibly takes place in our park venues, where we’ve got classically the double headers, in sports like hockey, basketball water polo, handball.

“On handball yesterday, we recycled just under 300 tickets, about 283 tickets, and they went out to adults at £5 and children at £1.

“Those numbers will increase over the course of the Games.

“It’s sensible. People who classically have gone to see one specific team, but the ticket covers them for the next session, and they leave to go to do something else.”

IOC communications director Mark Adams insisted that sponsors were not to blame for the problems.

He said: “It’s completely wrong to say this is a sponsors issue. It’s a whole range of people – federations, athletes, some media, a handful of people, largely speaking the sponsors are in other areas.

“A majority of sponsors have turned up.”

Discuss the empty seats and ticketing system here

Transport for London (TfL) have confirmed today that they plan to deliver Wi-Fi internet access for tube commuters in time for the Olympics Games being held in the city, although access will be limited to the 120 Underground station platforms.

Commuters will be able to go online and check emails and breaking news from their smart phones or laptops as they travel possibly by this July.

The original plan was abandoned last year after funding issues and technical obstacles prevented the installation of the system.

Gareth Powell, TfL’s director of strategy and service development, told the Metro: “London Underground is continuing with preparations to install the necessary infrastructure and is on schedule to complete the project as planned.”

“An announcement of the chosen service provider will be made in early spring leaving plenty of time for this to be delivered to customers in time for the 2012 Games.”

It is unclear if commuters will be charged extra for the service and unfortunately the wireless internet service will not extend to the train carriages themselves.

FIFA have admitted that Amadou Diallo, the go-between accused of brokering bribes on behalf of Qatar’s successful 2022 World Cup bid worked for the organisation and was responsible to Mohamed Bin Hammam.

The presidential candidate hoping to dethrone current incumbent Sepp Blatter has confirmed that Diallo is a close friend but remained adamant that the accused official from Equatorial Guinea had done nothing untoward.

Diallo was named in allegations published by British Parliamentarians on information received from newspaper The Sunday Times as the middle man in the scandal that allegedly saw FIFA Executive Committee members Issa Hayatou and Jacques Anouma receive backhanders for voting for Qatar. 

It is understood Diallo is currently a member of Bin Hammam’s campaign team in the run-up to the FIFA Presidential election on June 1.

A FIFA spokesman told insideworldfootball that Diallo, who left the organisation in 2007, was paid during his six years there as a “travelling freelance” involved in the GOAL project that provides funds and equipment for developing football in poorer countries.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Bin Hammam happens to be head of the GOAL bureau but it is not known how closely he worked with Diallo when the latter was employed by FIFA.

The Qatari told the Press Association: “I will not deny this friendship, he is a close friend of mine, but I am sure that he has done nothing wrong.

“I will meet up with him from time to time and he will travel with me here and there, but he is not playing any part in the decisions I take.

“If you know the role he plays you will laugh at these allegations. 

“He’s simply a friend of mine and he has nothing to do with Qatar or anyone.”