Poland’s top league Ekstraklasa has today partnered with MP & Silva for the worldwide distribution of the Polish professional league’s media rights.

MP & Silva´s international experience and local presence in Poland were fundamental to the signing of this long-term partnership. The six-year agreement covering domestic and international rights runs until 2020/2021.

Bogusław Biszof, President of Ekstraklasa S.A., said: “We tried to work out the most efficient system of media rights distribution for several months now. Partnership with renowned agency MP & Silva is the result of our efforts. We must remember, that this is just the beginning of the road to the final sale of the rights to show Ekstraklasa in 2015/2016 season and further. In coming weeks, with the agency’s help, we will start direct negotiations with the broadcasters.”

Roberto Dalmiglio, MP & Silva Group Commercial Director, commented: “We feel very privileged for the commercial opportunity offered by Ekstraklasa and very excited to support the marketing plans of this renowned sporting competition. The Polish football league has deep roots and a very strong local fan base. We will definitely work on its expansion, both domestically and worldwide, with the view to enhance this historical brand. We look forward to working together with Ekstraklasa on this exciting challenge.“

Christopher Rodrigues CBE has been appointed as the new Chairman for the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association Ltd. (BBSA), capsule the governing body which oversees the two Olympic sports of Bobsleigh and Skeleton.

Former rower and businessman Rodrigues, symptoms who has been the Chairman of VisitBritain since 2007, was the outstanding candidate from an open recruitment process to find a new leader who can guide the organisation during an important phase of transformation.

One of the top priorities for Rodrigues will be the continuation of the merger process, which, it is hoped will see both the British Bobsleigh and British Skeleton organisations operate under a single, effective National Governing Body.  In due course, this new organisation should be responsible for all aspects of both sports including elite performance, the development of Youth and Futures programmes, the development of para sport and the encouragement of wider participation.

Rodrigues is enthusiastic about the challenges ahead: “It is an exciting time to be involved in British Olympic winter sport and in particular to lead two sports with such a credible sporting history in Great Britain.  I know the two operations are in excellent shape as we head into the Sochi 2014 Olympic season and I hope I can add value off the track to ensure the sports continue to go from strength to strength.  I look forward to meeting the athletes and team members as soon as I can.”

Sports Minister The Rt Hon Hugh Robertson MP welcomed the appointment: “Christopher Rodrigues is an excellent Chairman of VisitBritain who has all the necessary sports and commercial experience to be an outstanding Chairman of the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association. With six months to go until Sochi 2014 and British Olympic sport in such good health, this is an exciting time for the sports and Christopher is exactly the right man to lead it into this new era.”

In a joint statement, Chairman of British Bobsleigh Sir Andrew Ridgway and Lord Clifton Wrottesley, Chairman of British Skeleton said: “We are delighted to welcome Christopher to the team at such a pivotal and exciting time for Bobsleigh and Skeleton in the UK.  His experience and insight will be invaluable for our sports both domestically and in the international arena and we are confident he will lead us through this transition to become an even more effective and efficient governing body.”

South Africa’s Olympic prospects have been given a welcome boost on Friday when sports officials received more than 80 million rand (£6.53 million) from the government and national lotteries to help with their preparations for the London Games.

“This amount is an attempt to boost the morale and readiness of our team, adiposity ” sports minister Fikile Mbalula said after handing over a cheque for 34.2 million rand to officials from the Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).

National Lotteries Board (NLB) chairman Alfred Nevhutanda said his organisation was giving 47.5 million to Sascoc, cialis up from allocations of 14 million in 2009/10 and 17 million in 2010/11.

Sascoc has previously complained of underfunding, leading to a decline in South Africa’s Olympic performance. Having won six medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics, South Africa picked up a single medal – Khotso Mokoena’s long jump silver – in Beijing four years ago.

Mbalula used the presentation, in front of Sascoc executives, heads of federations, athletes and media, as an opportunity to invite corporate South Africa to support the Olympic effort.

“We believe that government cannot do this alone. We need all South Africans, especially our private sector, to come on board and contribute towards the success of our team in the Olympic Games. We hope the investment we make today will encourage the private sector to do likewise,” he said.

Sascoc first vice-president Hajera Kajee said he was optimistic about the team’s prospects in London in July and August.

“We are humbled by this support that will help achieve our athletes’ dreams of being Olympians. Minister Mbalula has been fully behind Sascoc and our Olympic effort since he came into office. I trust we will deliver and I’m confident that we can bring home 12 medals,” Kajee said.

FIFA’s controversial President Sepp Blatter has accused England of being ‘bad losers’ after failing in their bid to host the 2018 World Cup. After allegations of corruption in FIFA have been rife within the British media both before and since the vote, Blatter rejected all allegations of corruption saying that the governing body was “financially clean and clear”.

Much of the English bid team and media have reacted angrily to the decision made which saw them receive just two of a possible 22 votes from the FIFA executive committee in Zurich last Thursday. Acting chairman of the Football Association (FA), Roger Burden has since withdrawn his application for the post, stating that the role would involve liaising with FIFA and that he wanted “nothing more to do with them”.

Speaking to Weltwoche, a Swiss weekly magazine, Blatter stated: “To be honest, I was surprised by all the English complaining after the defeat. England, of all people, the motherland of fair play ideas.

“Now some of them are showing themselves to be bad losers. You can’t come afterwards and say so and so promised to vote for England. The results are known. The outcome came out clearly.”

“There is no systematic corruption in FIFA. That is nonsense,” he added. “We are financially clean and clear.”

ONE World Sports has secured exclusive multiyear broadcast rights to showcase the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), drugs negotiated for the KHL by UFA Sports GmbH.

ONE World Sports will carry up to 99 live games, bronchi including 50 regular season contests, drugs and will provide complete coverage of the postseason concluding with the Gagarin Cup Finals in April. 

“The KHL offers some of the best professional hockey in the world,” said Joel Feld, ONE World Sports’ Executive Vice President, of Programming and Production.

“This year we have extended programming agreements with major professional sports leagues on three continents. Now, fans in the U.S. and Canada can experience high-level professional hockey while following their favorite NHL alumni in the KHL.”

“Our previous one-year deal with ONE World Sports was a chance to introduce the KHL and our quality production to American fans,” said Ilya Kochevrin, KHL-Marketing’s CEO and the League vice president. “The current multiyear contract extension underscores our commitment to our U.S. broadcast partner and increases the number of KHL games available to American sports fans by 80%.  The upcoming season, featuring KHL ‘heavyweights’ as well as European and Russian newcomer teams, will surely excite passionate hockey fans.”

The network drops the puck on the 2014-2015 KHL season September 3, with the league’s opener between Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Dynamo Moscow, the KHL’s last two Gagarin Cup champions.

Leavine Family Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) continues its strategic growth development with the addition of Jeremy Lange as vice president of marketing and partnerships.

Lange will design activation programs for new and existing sponsors as well as marketing sales focused on landing new partners and fulfilling those sponsor contracts.

“Being a part of Leavine Family Racing is exciting for many reasons, medicine ” Lange said. “I am looking forward to the opportunity of leading the marketing and sales department while building strong relationships with the team and our current and future partners.”

A marketing and industry veteran, Lange boasts over 15 years of experience in strategic brand activation, creative marketing and advertising, most recently serving as national account manager in the business sales division at Best Buy. There, his responsibilities included the development of the strategic sales and marketing approach that delivered increased revenue within the automotive, communications and motorsports business verticals.

“Jeremy Lange makes a great addition to the Leavine Family Racing team” team owner Bob Leavine said. “We are proud to have him aboard and believe his extensive knowledge in the industry will help us to reach our goal of attaining sponsorship.”

Lange started his career at MediaCom, a division of Grey Advertising in New York City, where he managed, developed, and presented strategic media and marketing plans for Diageo and LVMH (Tanqueray, Johnnie Walker, J&B, Ruffino and Moet & Chandon).