West Ham United FC have confirmed that they have submitted a bid apllication to become tenants of the Olympic Stadium in London after this summer’s Games.

The Hammers won the original bidding process to move to the stadium in Stratford last year, but that deal collapsed following complaints from Tottenham, Leyton Orient and the architect of the stadium who filed a complaint based on European law.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) decided to start the process over again but instead offer the stadium on a lease basis, rather than a permanent one.

A statement on the club’s website read: “West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady has today confirmed the club’s intention to submit a bid by lunchtime (Friday 23 March) to be the anchor user of the Olympic Stadium post-Games in line with the OPLC deadline.”

West Ham have applied for a 99-year lease of the stadium, which is reported to have cost £486 million to build.

Brady said: “Having spent the last two years dedicated to this project I am privileged to once more be submitting West Ham United’s bid to become the anchor concessionaire of the Olympic Stadium post the 2012 Games.

“From the outset it has been my firm, unwavering belief that the stadium can truly become a multi-use destination of which east London and the nation as a whole can be proud. I have never lost sight of our vision to play our part, along with the stadium’s major stakeholders, in ensuring it grows into a global asset, the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the (Olympic) Park that will be watched by the world.

“Our vision for the stadium has always been about standing up for the promises made for London back in Singapore in 2005 and what they meant for our future generations. We are honoured to have once more received the support and backing of our friends at UK Athletics.

“I would like to thank the many West Ham supporters who have given their time to share their opinions on our proposed move ahead of this decision and despite the considerable constraints and confidentiality agreements we were required to enter into, I can assure them their feedback has been instrumental in informing the board’s approach to our bid.

“We have not taken this decision lightly and I should be clear that any move to the stadium is conditional on the fact that it must provide an arena that is fit for world-class football and feels like home to our deserving fans.”

by Ismail Uddin

Saudi Arabia are close to sending women athletes to an Olympics for the first time later this year after submitting a list of candidates for the London 2012 games

The Saudis, therapy Brunei and Qatar have never previously included females in their teams and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is eager to see that situation change in London in July.

The IOC said on Monday that Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee officials presented a list of potential candidates for the London Games during a meeting at its headquarters in Lausanne last week.

“After the assessment of the level of each athlete by the IOC and the international federations concerned, medical a formal proposal will be submitted to the next meeting of the IOC executive board in Quebec City in May, ailment ” it said in a statement.

“The IOC is confident Saudi Arabia is working to include women athletes and officials at the Olympic Games in London in accordance with the rules of the international federations.”

Human Rights Watch criticized Olympic organizers last month for what it said was their tolerance of gender discrimination by the Gulf Arab states of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as the tiny southeast Asian nation of Brunei.

Qatar last month agreed to send women to the Olympics in London and Saudi Arabia are eager to join them.

The IOC has offered Qatar wildcard invitations for two female athletes to compete in London, swimmer Nada Arkaji and sprinter Noor al-Malki.

Sport in the patriarchal society of Saudi Arabia has long been reserved as an activity for men, with stadiums prohibiting females.

by Ismail Uddin

Philadelphia 76ers have hired sports experienced sports business executive Chris Heck as the NBA team’s Chief Revenue Officer.

“It was the easiest conversation about a hire I’ve ever had with someone,” said 76ers President Scott O’Neil.

“Chris knows how to run the business side of a team and during his time at the NBA showed an ability to handle a range of issues.”

Heck was last MLS Red Bulls President of Business Operations. Prior to that, he worked at the NBA with O’Neil, serving as Senior VP/Marketing Partnerships and Senior VP/Team Business Operations from 2004-2011.

The torch relay route of the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games has been unveiled on Monday.

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said: “Today we bring the Olympic Torch Relay to life as organizers hope the 8,000-mile relay involving 8,000 torchbearers will be the point when enthusiasm for the Games ignites across the country.”

Details on the two-day finale to the 70-day torch relay when the Olympic Flame arrives for the lighting of the cauldron for the start of the Games won’t be revealed until closer to the start of the relay at Lands End on May 19.

About 7,000 people, many members of the public who have shown community spirit, courage, and sporting determination, have been named as torchbearers. The youngest is 12. Each torchbearer will wear a white and gold uniform designed by Adidas.

An average of 115 torchbearers a day will carry the flame from May 19 to July 27 to the Opening Ceremony in Stratford, east London.

One torchbearer will carry the flame on a chairlift at the Needles on the Isle of Wight, another will skate with it at the Nottingham Ice Centre, and it will be rowed at Henley-on-Thames and on the River Bann in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.

Lord Coe said: “The flame symbolizes the Olympic spirit and its journey around the UK will bring the excitement of the Games to our streets. Now the people know the route the Olympic Flame will be carried along and the torchbearers for their community, they can start planning how they might celebrate.”

The torch is due to arrive at the Olympic Stadium in London for the Opening Ceremony on July 27 when the last relay runner will transfer the flame to the Olympic cauldron. It will then continue to burn until it is extinguished on the final day of the Games.

by Ismail Uddin

Poland will host 2014 Men’s Volleyball World Championship following a signed agreement between the International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB) and the Poland Volleyball Federation.

Poland was announced as hosts of the FIVB’s premier event for men in 2008 but the Organising Committee Agreement signed between FIVB President Jizhong Wei and Poland Volleyball Federation president Miroslaw Przedpelski underpins the strutural competencies and responsibilities of the respective parties.

It will be the first time Poland has hosted an FIVB World Championship, which will feature 24 teams of which only the hosts are automatically qualified.The Preliminary Rounds for the 2014 World Championships will begin later this year with the registration process now open.

Volleyball in Poland has enjoyed a huge surge in popularity over the last few years with Gdansk hosting the spectacular 2011 World League Finals where the Polish men’s team finishing third while they collected silver at the 2006 FIVB World Championships in Japan and a year later Katowice hosted one of the best-ever FIVB World League Final Rounds, with spectators filling out Spodek Hall night after night.

The 2014 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship will be hosted in Italy.

The Brazilian men’s team and Russian women’s team have claimed the gold medals at the last two editions (2010 and 2006) of the  FIVB World Championships.

Roger Burden, acting Football Association (FA) chairman, has withdrawn his intent to apply for the permanent position following England’s 2018 World Cup bid failings. After being appointed in May, Burden had applied for the full post but has rescinded this, stating that he could no longer trust FIFA members following the recent host decision.

Burden sent out a scathing attack on FIFA, commenting: “I recognise that an important part of the role is liaison with Fifa, our global governing body. I’m not prepared to deal with people whom I cannot trust and I’ve withdrawn my candidacy.”

England received just two votes after it was revealed by many of England’s 2018 officials that they had been promised 6 to 8 votes from the 22 members of the FIFA executive committee.

“We were equal top of Fifa’s own technical assessment of the four bids,” continued Burden. “We were top of an independent assessment of the best commercial bids and our presentation on Thursday [December 2] was widely acclaimed as the best of the 2018 and 2022 bids. 

“Against this background, I am struggling to understand how we only achieved two votes. It is difficult to believe that the voting was an objective process.

“On top of that, Prince William, the Prime Minister and other members of our delegation were promised votes that did not materialise.” 

After stating that he was no longer willing to work with FIFA, Burden did confirm that he would remain as a member of the board at the FA. “I’m absolutely determined that I don’t want to do business with these people personally,” he added. 

“There may be people who have got different experiences to my own who feel they can make a difference and they can speak to Fifa and they are willing to do that, but it’s not within my experience. 

“I usually deal with people who I can trust and who are honourable people – it’s just something I’m not going to do.” 

Despite his own personal feelings on working alongside FIFA, Burden urged the FA not to sever its ties with the governing body.

“They are our governing body and it’s up to us now to find ways of dealing with them and getting some sense into the organisation and I’ll certainly be looking to do that. Walking away from Fifa I don’t think is the answer – they are our governing body and we must look for ways of working with them.” 

Burden, who had previously changed his mind on applying for the permanent position, has now reverted to his original stance in not putting himself forward. Burden became acting chairman following the departure of Lord Triesman earlier in the year and will remain as acting chairman until a successor can be found, with the FA due to name a permanent chairman early next year.

Walsall have announced a trading profit for the year ending May 31 2013 with the chairman expecting a bright future for the English League One club.

The Saddlers have revealed a profit of £23,000, an increase of £13,000 on the previous year, at an economically challenging time when many clubs throughout Britain are struggling to make ends meet.

It comes after a season in which the midlands outfit finished in ninth place in the third tier, just six points adrift of the play-offs, and chairman Jeff Bonser has painted a bright picture for the future.

In a statement on the club’s official website, Bonser said: “I am delighted once again to be able to announce a trading profit for the year, this time of B£23,000.

“I believe this represents a significant achievement when you consider the findings of the latest Annual Review of Football Finance Report, published by Deloitte in June 2013, which established that the average net loss for a League One club in 2011/12 was B£2.4million.

“It is also worthy of note that this profit was achieved despite a fall in Central Television Revenues of 26% as a direct result of a reduction in The Football League’s new TV deal with Sky. Consequently the club had to adjust and reduce its ‘player budget’ by a similar amount to compensate and this was done in a controlled and constructive manner.

“It was a significant year for the club on the field as the first team recorded their highest league finish since season 2003/04 and achieved their highest points total in League One since the League was rebranded back in 2004.

“Both were accomplished on the back of one of the smallest playing budgets in the division and the smallest the club has operated with in many years.”

Britain’s Treasury chief, denture George Osbourne, allergy says he is planning to loosen restrictions on Sunday shopping during this summer’s London Olympics.

By law, cheap large stores in England and Wales can only open for six hours on Sundays, but Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne says restrictions will be lifted during the Olympic and Paralympic games.

He said Sunday that with hundreds of thousands of people visiting Britain for the sports extravaganza, “it would be a great shame … if the country had a ‘closed for business’ sign on it.”

Opposition Labour Party treasury spokesman Ed Balls says he wouldn’t want to see the change become permanent.

The 2012 London Olympics run July 27-Aug. 12 and the Paralympics Aug. 29-Sept. 9.