According to the Financial Times, advisers to London Mayor Boris Johnson are “examining the costs” of tearing down the Olympic international broadcast center after the games, threatening British PM David Cameron’s dreams of an east London “Tech City.”

The broadcast center cost £295M ($463M). The move comes amid a “tender competition between consortiums bidding to take over the whole media complex on a 99-year lease.”

A London Assembly report warned in ’10 that the complex “would have to be adapted” for use after the Games, and “a public contribution may be required.” At least one bidder has indicated it is “willing to absorb the conversion costs privately.” However, that may “affect the amount bidders are willing to pay” to lease the building

The report also confirmed that expenditure over the four-year period was $3.56bn, $105m over budget due to additional investments in soccer development and a $31m overspend on the 2010 World Cup.

FIFA’s annual profits have grown steadily from $49m in 2007 to $202m in 2010, while the ruling body’s reserves have reached $1.28bn.

Director of finance Markus Kattner stated: “FIFA is financially strong and dependent on the World Cup. This illustrates the necessity for FIFA to build up and have sufficient reserves to decrease its dependency on the World Cup.”

Additionally, FIFA announced that the places assured to each soccer region for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will remain the same as in 2010. Under that format, Europe is guaranteed 13 spots, Africa will have five, Asia will have four and Central and North America will have three.

South America – in addition to Brazil qualifying automatically as host – will have four spots. South America, Asia, Central and North America and Oceania were also given a half-berth, meaning one country from each region will qualify for a two-legged playoff series for an opportunity to advance as one of the final two qualifiers. The play-off series will be decided by an open draw in future, rather than pre-arranged pairings.

The FIFA Executive Committee also confirmed the host nations for a number of major youth international tournaments. The 2015 Women’s World Cup and 2014 Under-20 Women’s World Cup will be staged by Canada, the 2013 Under-20 World Cup will be hosted by Turkey and the 2015 Under-20 World Cup will take place in New Zealand.

It was also decided that the 2013 Under-17 World Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates, the 2015 Under-17 World Cup will take place in Chile, the 2012 Women’s Under-20 World Cup will be staged in Uzbekistan and the 2014 Under-17 Women’s World Cup will be hosted by Costa Rica.

The group that have taken over at English Premier League soccer club Blackburn Rovers and quickly sacked manager Sam Alladyce, buy are looking to strengthen their involvement with soccer in their native India.

The Venkateshwara Hatcheries (VH) Group, is planning to set up a state-of-the-art football academy in Pune, the city where it is headqurtered. According to reports, the academy is likely to come up in a year’s time with former India skipper, Baichung Bhutia, at the helm of affairs in the academy with the support of foreign coaches who will run the academy.

“We will have the best football academy in the country and it will be in Pune for sure,” VH Group chairperson Anuradha Desai told the English daily, DNA on Tuesday. 

“We are likely to rope in Baichung Bhutia as chief selector and some assistance will be taken from an Englishman to run the academy.”

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has launched an iPhone application, abortion becoming one of the first global sports federations to do so.

The application provides fans with all the latest results, health as well as news and press releases for all cycling disciplines.

In addition to this, herbal videos of UCI events containing highlights and interviews will be made available shortly after the end of events.

The application is free of charge and is available for download from the iTunes store.

The UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships in Mont-Saint-Anne, Canada from 31 August to 5 September will be the first event to benefit from the new application.

Squash’s bid to be included 2020 Summer Olympic Games gained some traction following the revealation that 10,000 players have signed up to take part in the largest squash match in history on World Squash Day 2012.

The World Squash Federation (WSF) hopes that squash will be voted in by the IOC during its congress in Buenos Aires next year.

World Squash Day UK co-ordinator Vicky Clark said: “The response has been overwhelming. New clubs are coming on board every day and it’s great to have already reached 10,000 players. This is the biggest squash match in history and certainly one of the biggest sports fixtures ever held.”

WSF Chief Executive Andrew Shelley discussed the range of countries already featured saying: “Even now, several weeks before the day, we have clubs on every continent taking part, and an A-Z of countries – from Australia and Armenia, through to Ecuador and England, Iran and India, Nigeria and Norfolk Islands, Peru and Panama, and Thailand to Zimbabwe, to name just a few.”

World Squash Day founder Alan Thatcher said, “It’s great to see 10,000 names already on board for World Squash Day and we fully expect to see an ever greater number to illustrate the tremendous global support for the bid.”

Seb Coe, the London 2012 Organising Committee Chair, has received Beyond Sport’s Leadership in Sport Award, supported by P&G, on behalf of International Inspiration, the official international sports legacy programme of London 2012.

Coe and Sir Keith Mills, the Chair of the II Foundation, were presented with the first Beyond Sport Award of 2012 at the Beyond Sport London Reception, held just one month before the Beyond Sport Summit & Awards are staged in London in the week of the Olympic Games opening ceremony. They collected the Award as recognition of International Inspiration’s global impact over the last seven years, in which it has achieved its Olympic legacy goals across 20 countries.

International Inspiration, a unique partnership between the British Council, UK Sport and UNICEF, has worked with an astonishing 12 million children to fulfil the promise made by Coe and the London 2012 bid team in Singapore in 2005, when the two-time Olympic gold medallist vowed that the London 2012 Games would “reach young people all around the world and connect them to the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport, improving their lives as a result.”

Nick Keller, the Founder of Beyond Sport, commented: “There will be many positive outcomes from London 2012, but none more so than the 12 million children reached through International Inspiration. Seb and his colleagues have more than delivered on that memorable promise made in Singapore. As with all great acts of Leadership they have set new parameters. The expectation on the hosts of large-scale sport events has shifted and social legacy is no longer limited to the host city or even host country.”

Seb Coe, the London 2012 Organising Committee Chair, said: “International Inspiration’s work has been a key part of London 2012’s vision to inspire young people around the world, and I am delighted to accept this Award from Beyond Sport on behalf of everyone who has contributed to its success. To have made a difference in the lives of over 12 million children around the world before London 2012 even gets underway is testament to the incredible power of sport.”

After receiving the Leadership in Sport Award, Coe also took the time to present the P&G UK Impact Award in association with the Daily Telegraph, launched to recognise the UK’s most innovative and successful sport for change projects in the year that the Beyond Sport Summit returns to British shores.

Coe presented the Award to Street League, a charity which uses football to help disadvantaged members of society into work, education or training. Two other projects were highly commended by the judging panel: Extra Time, run by the Football Foundation, which engages more than 3,000 elderly men and women in physical activity to help improve emotional wellbeing and reduce social isolation; and Everton in the Community’s Tackling Inequality, Empowering Ability programme, which addresses mental health issues on Merseyside. All three projects will receive a support package from Beyond Sport to enable them to further develop their activities.

Nathan Homer, Sports Marketing & Olympics Project Director at Procter & Gamble (P&G), concluded: “We are delighted to support both of these Awards, which celebrate the impact of London 2012 and the Olympic movement both within the UK and abroad. P&G are proud of our place in the Olympic movement and welcome this chance to pay tribute to the inspirational leadership that Seb Coe and his team have provided around the world, and to recognise the outstanding projects on the ground in the UK.”

International Olympic Committee delegates attending the meeting on combating illegal and irregular sports betting at their headquarters in Zurich were reportedly “shocked” to hear of the full extent of the problem from an Interpol source. 

The meeting heard that last year’s figure for illegal betting was an estimated US$140bn and in confirming this figure, health Jacques Rogge, discount | the IOC President, there described it as “a budget much higher than that of many developing nations.”

The revelations saw the delegation, including representatives from the sports world, governments, international organisations and betting operators agree to create a task force assigned to work on a set of action points they approved at the meeting.

The task force will comprise members of the sports movement, governments, international organisations and betting operators, and will seek to address the following action points:

• * The necessity and possibilities for governments, international organisations and sports betting operators to support the sports world in its efforts to protect the integrity of sports competitions;
• * The various means to strengthen cooperation between themselves to fight more effectively against all forms of cheating in sport, particularly those linked to  irregular and illegal betting;
• * The various existing systems, national laws, self-regulating systems and implementation methods, in order to identify effective methods for cross-border cooperation;
• * The various existing systems of enforcement, punishment and measures in terms of education;
• Appropriate methods of funding to support the efforts of the sports movement to protect the integrity of competitions.

Jacques Rogge added: “Today’s (March 1) meeting was the latest effort in an ongoing process that will grow to involve many more countries, international organisations and Olympic partners,” said President Rogge. “I am pleased with the fruitful discussions we had today and the progress we made in many areas, all of which will be communicated to our partners in the Olympic Movement in due time.”

A £32m (US$50.2m) revamp of the famous English cricket ground Edgbaston, in Birmingham, will see major event hospitality services provider, Keith Prowse install a new range of facilities.

The venue is currently home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club (WCCC) but is also a regular feature in the Test matches played in England. The works are due to be completed ahead of the 2011 season which will see the capacity of the ground increase to 25,000 once Keith Prowse introduce a new Pavilion Stand. The development will be home to the Jaguar Club, The 1882 Club, Superboxes and The Edgbaston Suite.

WCCC Commercial Director, James McLaughlin stated: “The redevelopment will keep Edgbaston on a par with the world’s greatest cricket grounds, and by partnering with Keith Prowse we can ensure the venue continues to be attractive for corporate involvement”.

The company have strong ties to English sporting venues as official hospitality provider to the Kia Oval, Lord’s, the Wimbledon Championships and Twickenham.

Andrew Hodgkins, Keith Prowse’s managing director, added: “We are thrilled at this opportunity to position Edgbaston, which is renowned in cricket for its feel-good factor, as an entertaining hub for the Midlands. Companies can use sport to bring people together to discuss business in an exhilarating but unrushed environment, and cricket in particular offers a great opportunity to enjoy valuable face to face time.”