U.S. sports network ONE World Sports has secured a multiyear, multi-platform programming agreement with Infront Sports & Media, the exclusive media and marketing partner for the recently formed Champions Hockey League.

As part of the deal, the newtwork will exclusively telecast Champions Hockey League games in the United States for the next three seasons, beginning with the League’s inaugural 2014-2015 season.

The agreement includes the rights to every game starting with group play in August and concluding with the inaugural Champions Hockey League final in February, spanning over 161 games.

“We continue to deliver on our goal to bring our fans best-in-class programming from around the world,” said Joel Feld, ONE World Sports’ Executive Vice President, Programming and Production. “We expect that the newly founded Champions Hockey League will grow into one of the sport’s premier championships.”

Transport for London are spending £2.5 million ($3.8m) to take all their staff on day-trips to the Olympic Park.

The 6-month staff training programme for 30,000 employees includes an hour long tour of the site in Stratford, followed by presentations from senior management and videos of athletes explaining what to expect in July.

The programme has run from October last year and is due to finish in March.  One Tfl insider described the move as a ‘propaganda exercise’ and said “it is a total waste of money.  For back office staff like me, there is no benefit whatsoever in going on a visit to the Olympic Park.  They’re trying to get us excited about the Games because they know we’re going to be overworked, it’s a joke.”

Tricia Riley, TfL’s HR Director, said: “This is a big year for London and TfL, with the Diamond Jubilee, 2012 Games and a huge programme of investment, while also improving the journeys of millions of customers every day. Every member of our staff will play an important role in achieving the significant and unique challenges ahead. These events give them all the opportunity to discuss what is required of them in 2012 to deliver the best possible service to our customers.”

The funding is being shared between Transport for London, which is spending £1m ($1.5m) and the Olympic Delivery Authority, which is putting forward the other £1.5m ($2.3m).  The cost of the programme per employee is £83.33.

An Olympic Delivery Authority spokesman said: “We are helping fund the Fit for London programme because of its importance in preparing transport staff for the huge logistical effort required this summer to get spectators to venues and keep London moving. Transport for London is briefing all 30,000 of its staff about the Games, their roles and the unique transport challenges the event raises.

“We have ear-marked up to £1.5m for this project but will obviously be keeping track of costs at every stage to ensure value-for-money. The overall £2.5m budget includes meeting the substantial costs of hiring a venue for a six month period, as well as additional essential expenditure including providing technical facilities like audio-video and lighting.”

Labour MP for Hammersmith Andy Slaughter said: “I dont want to be a party pooper and I’m sure London Underground Staff will find it interesting and enjoyable to go round the Olympic Park, but £2.5m?  Last month they closed Olympia Station on weekdays, this month they’ve closed the Hammersmith flyover – I’d rather they were putting their money into getting them open again.”

Tokyo 2020, Tokyo’s second consecutive bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games received a boost after the passing of a resolution by Japan’s House of Representatives to provide full cooperation and support to Tokyo’s campaign to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tokyo 2020 bid president, Tsunekazu Takeda, was thrilled by the support,”It is wonderful news. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the members of the House of Representatives for their kind support.

“And I am confident that the House of Councillors will also adopt the resolution.”

“This will serve as a major step forward in our efforts to boost domestic support for the bid, and I look forward to working closely with the members over the next months and years as we strive to realise our dream of bringing the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Japan,” he added.

The resolution states that the Games “will make a significant contribution to international friendship and goodwill and to the realisation of a sports-oriented society in Japan”.

Another important point of the resolution is that the Games are viewed as a symbol of Japan’s recovery from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan in March, and would the opportunity to provide further hope and inspiration to those in the affected areas.

The House of Councillors will consider the resolution later this week and is expected that they will also endorse the Lower House resolution.

Tokyo is running against Baku, Doha, Istanbul, Madrid and Rome to host the 2020 Games. The final decision will be taken in September 2013 at the IOC session in Buenos Aires.

The £231 million ($359 million) debt for buying the Olympic Park site will prove to be a good deal according to Sir Edward Lister, the Mayor of London’s chief of staff.

The new deal has seen the Greater London Authority (GLC) secure a large share of Olympic land in order to compensate the administrative body for taking on the huge financial debt and they are now tasked with selling on the land in order to raise funds to cover the shortfall.

Sir Edward, who is also Deputy Mayor for Planning, claimed the new deal means that the GLA now have the assets to repay the debt without any extra money from London taxpayers due to the fact that the Olympic Park in Stratford is likely to be a sought-after destination following the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics.

But the Mayor’s chief of staff did admit that repaying the debt entirely could take some time.

“The new land deal is hugely valuable to the GLA because we now have major land assets that we are confident we can sell to pay off the debt we have taken on,” Sir Edward told the GLA’s Budget and Performance Committee here today.

“We have already made estimates and have a book value for the land we have secured but those estimates are very conservative. For example, the book value for our land on the Olympic Park is £138 million ($214 million) but I think we can all agree that it is worth substantially more than that in real terms.

“So we have obviously been very conservative in our early estimates and it is likely that it fetch a sum that is much higher than those estimates.But it is clear that with some of the land we have, we will have to hold onto it and wait for the right time to sell in order to get the best possible deal.

“There is property that needs to be developed in order to ensure that we get right deal for the GLA and for London. But we do have time on our side as we are looking at 2023 or 2024 to repay this money. We do not have to repay all of this tomorrow.”

Sir Edward reiterated that the taxpayer will not be involved.

“We will be responsible for selling the assets and repaying that debt,” he said.

In November John Biggs, chair of the Budget and Performance Committee, had claimed the Mayor “has either been stitched up or allowed himself to be stitched up” by the Government by taking the Olympic Park land debt largely due to the fact that there is an uncertain property market and unknown interest costs.

But while Sir Edward admits that there are risks, he believes the GLA are in a good position with the land they have secured.

“It think it is fair to say that London has not be as badly affected by the economic downturn as other areas and that even in an uncertain property market, it remains a sought after destination,” he said.

“I think that as long as this is handled properly and as long as things are not rushed, this will prove a good deal for the GLA and ultimately a good deal for Londoners.”

Rome have opted to officially continue their bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games despite Italy’s economic and political uncertainty, the country’s Olympic committee (CONI) said on Wednesday.

CONI president Giovanni Petrucci following a meeting, said: “Rome’s candidacy for 2020 is going ahead. The bid chairman Mario Pescante is doing an excellent job and we have faith in Rome’s prospects, although we are realistic.

“The plan of economic compatibility was presented yesterday to the government; we hope that the current economic climate will not have consequences for our candidacy.

“I anticipate that the Olympic Games will represent a chance for growth and development and therefore could represent an important instrument for overcoming the difficulties which the country is going through.”

Doha, Madrid, Istanbul and Tokyo have also said they will bid for the Games.

Rome hosted the Olympics in 1960 and plans to use many of the same venues if it is awarded the 2020 Games.

BBC Wales and S4C have signed a new four-year broadcast deal to showcase Rugby’s Guinness Pro12.

The broadcasters will share fixtures across the season. BBC Wales will show Friday night matches on Scrum V Live, with S4C covering Sunday afternoon fixtures on Clwb Rygbi.

“We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with BBC Wales and S4C,” said John Feehan, chief Executive of Pro12 Rugby.

“And with Guinness, our new sponsor, on board, we look forward to growing our competition with all our broadcasters and clubs attracting larger audiences and more fans.”

BBC Wales director Rhodri Talfan Davies added: “The new qualification rules for Europe will provide real added spice from next season, making the Pro12 competition must-see TV for Welsh rugby fans.

“We’ve struck a terrific deal with Celtic Rugby that ensures every fan in Wales has the very best view of the action.”

Istanbul 2020’s vision of a city-wide Games celebration connected by a fast and efficient transport network has moved a step closer to reality after today’s successful test of the world’s first intercontinental subway: the Marmaray Rail Tunnel.

The Marmaray Tunnel is one of the key projects defined in the 2023 Master Plan – Turkey’s long-term development strategy culminating in the centenary of the Republic in 2023. The train driver for the maiden journey under the Bosphorus was Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accompanied by a number of senior national and municipal government figures, including Minister for Transport, Binali Yıldırım, and Mayor of Istanbul, Kadir Topbaş.

The ride from Üsküdar on the Asian side to Sirkeci on the European side of the Bosphorus strait took just six minutes. As well as being the world’s first subway connecting two continents, the Marmaray Tunnel is also the world’s deepest immersed tube tunnel, with sections up to 60m below sea level. In addition to the 13.6km Bosphorus crossing, the project will also see a further 63km of suburban train lines upgraded, creating a new high-capacity rail line which will carry up to 75,000 passengers per hour in both directions.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “The Marmaray project is the dream of our ancestors. It has been our privilege to realise it and complete it. We will be travelling between continents, from Asia to Europe and back again. This project will link the Beijing-London rail line. It is a major undertaking that will also connect to the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku line. Building the high-speed rail network in our time is a source of pride for us. We do not just talk about things: we build them.”

Hasan Arat, Chairman of Istanbul 2020, said: “In Istanbul, we have been dreaming of a tunnel connecting Europe and Asia for hundreds of years. Today, we bring the ancient Silk Road from Beijing to London into the 21^st Century.

“Completing the Marmaray Tunnel under the Bosphorus strait was a commitment we made to the IOC in our Candidature File, and it’s a commitment we have kept, thanks to the strong alignment between the Istanbul 2020 Games Plan and Turkey’s 2023 Master Plan. This great engineering feat is an example of how Istanbul 2020 is already delivering on its promise to provide an efficient transport experience for athletes and the Olympic Family: a fast, direct connection between Asia, Europe and our Olympic Park.

“We have so many iconic locations in Istanbul that we made the decision to activate the entire city in our Games Plan. New infrastructure like the Marmaray tunnel will allow us to really immerse the Olympic Family in a magical city-wide celebration. This is Istanbul’s fifth bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games and we have never been better prepared to welcome the Olympic Movement.”

During the city’s first bid for the Olympic Games in 1992, Istanbul had no metro line; in 2005 there was a 45km network; by 2020 that will have extended to 265km. Istanbul is one of the only Candidate Cities in history to have already a functioning subway from the heart of the city right to the Olympic Park.

The national and municipal governments have been investing an average of $1.5 billion annually in upgrades to Istanbul’s transport network since the city’s last bid for the Games in 2005. Minister for Transport Binali Yıldırım commented on the significance of the successful test run:

“Building the Marmaray Tunnel is one of Istanbul’s great modern achievements. It’s a symbol of our country’s development, but more importantly it will improve the daily lives of Istanbul citizens. This successful test is an important stepping stone towards the tunnel’s opening on Republic Day, when for the first time Europe and Asia will be linked by a subway connection.

“We forecast that 12 million journeys a day will be made by public transport in 2020, and more than 50% of those will be made by rail. We are committed to making Istanbul one of the most efficient and best connected cities on the planet.”

A-League club Melbourne Victory has appointed Ian Robson as their new chief executive.

Robson, who resigned as Essendon boss in the wake of the supplements scandal and the damning internal report into the club’s governance which followed, has replaced the departing Richard Wilson and will start his new role in early August.

Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro said Robson had emerged as the preferred candidate after a thorough search.

He is understood to have trumped the Victory’s general manager of operations Trent Jacobs for the role.

“Ian brings a great enthusiasm for the role of sport in the community, as well as experience at the CEO level in elite sport, and will be a valuable asset to the club as we look to build on the solid foundations laid over the past 18 months,” Di Pietro said in a statement.

“We have been through a thorough process, engaging with a number of parties, giving us complete confidence that Ian is both suitable and extremely well qualified for the role.”

Robson resigned in May as Essendon chief after a damning internal report found serious governance issues at the Bombers in 2012.

The club’s supplements program that season is currently under investigation by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) and the AFL.

That probe is likely to be completed in August.

Robson is scheduled to start his new job on August 5.

Before working at Essendon, Robson had built a strong track record in sports administration, including at previous AFL employer Hawthorn.

He has also worked for NRL club the Warriors.

Robson expressed his delight at his appointment: “Melbourne Victory is a really exciting club in what is an extremely competitive sporting landscape, so I was immediately interested in exploring the possibility of a new challenge,” he said.

“Having spent many years working across other codes, I feel privileged now to have the opportunity to be involved in the world game with a great club like Melbourne Victory.”