The Spanish Olympic Committee (SOC) will cut the cost of its bid to host the 2020 Olympics by up to 40 percent compared with the last time it tried to land the games.

Spain’s troubled economy is marked by a 21.5 percent unemployment rate. Committee head Alejandro Blanco said the country would get a vital boost if it can win the rights to the Summer Games on the third attempt.

“We need the games, erectile ” Blanco told Spanish media. “This country, find with its current political and economic situation, abortion needs a project such as this. The gmes mean a lot to all countries but, for Spain, it means a lot more.”

On Tuesday, the mayor’s office founded the Madrid 2020 Society, which will manage a bid that is competing with Tokyo; Rome; Istanbul; Doha, Qatar; and Baku, Azerbaijan. Madrid unsuccessfully bid for the 2012 and 2016 Games, which went to London and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Though the Spanish committee did not release figures, Blanco said the bid plans to cut 30 to 40 percent from the previous $50.4 million budget, leaving it between $30.2 million and $35.3 million. Blanco did not say how the budget would be split between the public and private sectors in one of the largest debt-strapped eurozone nations.

This bid has taken a low profile with Spain desperate to meet deficit-reduction targets amid the continuing eurozone debt crisis. A new conservative government will assume power Dec. 22 and austerity and reforms will begin to take hold.

With about 80 percent of infrastructure completed, Blanco said no money would be spent on the bid until 2013 apart from the sum for the organizing committee.

British Basketball has signed a deal with UK pay-tv broadcaster BT Sport.

Bt Sport will show GB’s two home competitive games against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland, which are due to take place on Wednesday August 13th and Wednesday August 20th. Both games will tip off at 7.30pm and be broadcast on BT Sport 1.

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “BT Sport is pleased to add to its basketball offering with Great Britain’s EuroBasket 2015 home qualifiers. On top of our exclusive NBA rights, this deal enhances our coverage for UK-based basketball fans and continues to expand the range of our overall offering.”

David Leyden Dunbar, Commercial Director for British Basketball, commented “We are delighted to have a broadcaster of BT Sport’s quality on board providing Live coverage of our men’s qualifiers. “

“These two International games provide a wonderful platform for our Men’s Senior team to illustrate the depth of talent within the squad and will offer a great opportunity for the sport to reach a wider audience. This team represents the pinnacle of British Hoops and as exciting as it was to have two back to back games at The Copperbox, the addition of BT Sport’s coverage will certainly add to the occasion”.

The games mark the start of Great Britain’s road to the 2016 Rio Olympics and will see them attempt to qualify for their fourth European Championship Finals in a row. 

Albano Guaraldi tumultuous time as Bologna owner may soon be over as he revealed he is willing to listen to offers for the Serie A club.

Guaraldi has had a difficult time with the club’s fans and admitted he regrets buying the club in the first place.

“If the right offer comes along, I’m ready to step down,” Guaraldi said in Gazzetta dello Sport.

“If I could go back I probably wouldn’t make the same decision to buy a majority stake in the club.

“If a serious buyer comes along, I’m ready to sell Bologna.”

Supporters fell out with Guaraldi, who took over the Emilia Romagna outfit in April 2011, after Bologna decided to sell their top players this summer in order to balance their books.

The fans voiced discontent over the departure of star players Saphir Taider, Gaston Ramirez and Daniele Portanova as they protested during Bologna’s 2-2 league draw with Sampdoria earlier this month.

“I accepted the presidency inspired by the enthusiasm of the shareholders but without thinking I would raise the expectations of the fans, the same supporters who are now protesting against me,” Guaraldi said.

“As of today, I really cannot tell you how to repair the relationship with part of the fanbase.”

Bologna, who finished 13th in Serie A last season, narrowly avoided bankruptcy in 2010.

Senior corporate adviser Sangita Shah has joined English football team Swindon Town as non-executive director.

Shah, who has worked as a consultant for the Cabinet Office and HSBC, joins the League One club which is led by chairman Jed McCrory with a view to putting the club on a stable financial footing.

“I have utter delight at the opportunity to serve the club,” she said. “The vision and strategy that Jed has for the club is compelling and one that will result in Swindon Town flourishing.

“Already, it is reaching a stable financial footing and with the further changes planned, I am confident that the board will move the club rapidly to a position where it will be thriving – both on and off the pitch.”

McCrory added: “I am very pleased that a person of Sangita’s gravitas and business acumen has agreed to join us in our push to develop a community club here at Swindon Town.

“I have worked with Sangita over the past five or six years on numerous different sector projects and I have no doubt that she will bring expertise that will help us continue the work we have started.”

Two competitions winners will create public spaces that will welcome millions of visitors to the north and south of the Olympic Park in Stratford at the aftermath of the London 2012 Games, the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) have announced.

Design teams were asked to come up with plans for a visitor centre and playground in the green river valley of the North Park along with a 50 acre urban landscape in the South Plaza sitting between the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre and the ArcelorMittal Orbit.

For the North Park competition, a London based firm called Erect Architecture were chosen for their winning design concept to create a community hub building which will be integrated into the parkland and river valley of the North Park area.

Meanwhile, for the South Plaza competition, James Corner Field Operations, who are based in New York, were chosen for their design concept, which features a tree lined promenade connecting flexible spaces for events, cultural programmes, food stalls and other attractions.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “The fantastic legacy we are building at the Olympic Park is already taking shape. These inspiring public spaces will be at the centre of the new communities that are rising in this brand new quarter of the capital.

“I congratulate these two winners, who now have the chance to put their stamp very firmly on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for generations to come.”

The winning design for the North Park includes a playground themed on its surroundings with the chance to climb trees, build dens and have everyday adventures in nature, while previous buildings and play spaces designed by erect architecture have won several awards, such as the Kilburn Grange Play Park in London.

The winning design for the South Plaza will have a South Bank feel and will welcome the majority of visitors to the Park with James Corner Field Operations renowned for its contemporary design across a variety of projects including the award winning and widely acclaimed High Line in New York City.

Minister for Olympic Legacy Bob Neill, said: “London 2012 will leave a legacy of innovative design and boundary-pushing architecture. Whilst the Games may be about athletes, its legacy will be about the communities involved.

“The fact that we are valuing original and creative design for community facilities proves just what a successful legacy London 2012 will leave.”

The winners were chosen from over 100 entries from across Europe, Asia and North America before being shortlisted to five teams per competition and judged by an expert panel.

They will now work with the OPLC to develop more detailed plans for each area.

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Related discussion: why didn’t they build the Olympic stadium in one go?

 

Tottenham Hotspur have officially thrown in the towel in their attempt of moving into the 2012 Olympic Stadium even though the bidding process was reopened and have instead set their sights on building a new one.

Tottenham’s refusal to accept the decision by the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) to award the Stadium to West Ham and demand a judicial review in the High Court put London’s bid to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships in doubt. 

So concerned were officials that the legal dispute would scupper London’s chances that they decided to keep the Olympic Stadium in public ownership, at which point Tottenham dropped their judicial review. 

Even though Tottenham could have bid again for the Olympic Stadium the decision by the OPLC to guarantee that the athletics track will remain there for 99 years has effectively forced them to concentrate on the Northumberland Development Project.

Tottenham’s joint proposal with entertainment giants AEG for the Olympic Stadium included tearing up the track and instead helping fund the redevelopment of Crystal Palace National Sports Centre to leave athletics with a post-Olympic legacy.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy revealed that the club now hoped that they would receive public and private support to fund the £400 million ($628 million) Northumberland Development Project.

“It is clear to us that increasing the capacity of the club’s stadium is a key factor in the continued development and success of the club and will involve the company in considerable additional capital expenditure,” said Levy.

“A financing package will need to include bank finance, enabling development and sponsorship.

“Quite clearly any further investment would need to be in the context of a commitment by the public sector to to undertake public infrastructure works in order to create the environment and confidence to commit further.

“These would include public sector improvements, such as improved transport in the surrounding area, thereby creating an area in which the club can justify an investment of hundreds of millions of pounds.”

Pac-12 Networks have announced today that it will distribute Pac-12 Networks sports programming to international audiences through a new YouTube paid channel scheduled to launch in late August.

Pac-12 Networks becomes the first live streaming 24×7 subscription sports channel on YouTube. The new channel will distribute the Pac-12 Network feed as well as Video On Demand content to 27 countries at launch, price expanding to additional countries over time.

“Securing international distribution has been a top priority for us, buy especially knowing that we have so many alumni and a growing fan base outside of the United States,” Pac-12 Networks President Lydia Murphy-Stephans said. “YouTube is synonymous with innovation and instantly provides us with incredible reach to serve our fans and universities. We are very excited about this new channel.”

Pac-12 Networks will stream 850 live events this year, including 35 football games, 150 men’s basketball games and hundreds of Olympic sports events that are especially popular abroad. In addition, Pac-12 Networks will feature hundreds of hours of studio shows, exclusive content and original programming to provide fans with the inside access and in depth coverage of every Pac-12 game that they can’t find anywhere else.

“We love seeing Pac-12 Networks take advantage of the huge opportunity to connect with fans around the world through YouTube,” YouTube Global Head of Partnerships Claude Ruibal said.

Stockton Thunder, apoplectic a minor league professional ice hockey team competing in the East Coast Hockey League, decease has announced Brian Sandy has been appointed President and Alternate Governor of the team. 

Sandy most recently served IMG College as Associate General Manager for the athletic department of the University of Arizona and also spent a combined 12 years with the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association, serving in departments including corporate sponsorship, premium seat and luxury suite sales. Under his guidance, the Blazers totaled over $22 million in annual revenue from premium seats and suites. The team ranked second in NBA attendance in 2011-12, averaging over 20,000 fans per game at the Rose Garden.

“I am honored to take on this role,” said Sandy. “The strength of the Thunder brand, both on and off the ice, is tremendous. I’m eager to continue the growth of the franchise, which is such an incredible source of pride for the community.”

Effective immediately, Sandy will lead the Thunder business operations, overseeing the club’s corporate sponsorship and ticket sales efforts.

The former resident of El Dorado Hills, Calif. also brings six seasons (2005-11) of success in hockey to Stockton, having served as the Chief Marketing officer and Senior Vice President, Business Operations for the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League. Sandy led the club’s day-to-day business operations and served as the WHL’s (United States Division) Marketing Committee Chair, negotiating a regional television agreement with Fox Sports Northwest and structuring associated divisional sponsorships.

Under his leadership, the Americans never missed the playoffs, reached the WHL Championship final in 2009-10, doubled their revenue total and led the WHL in ticket sales.

With the Olympics and Paralympics in London right around the corner, many would assume that participation levels in England would be on the rise, yet Sport England have revealed ‘very disappointing’ results, which in fact show a decline in the number of teenagers and women playing sport.

The most alarming drop can be seen amongst the 16-19 age groups, where participation major sports including football have witnessed a drop in numbers playing.

Furthermore, the general number of females playing sport has decreased, despite sports such as running, table tennis and boxing being popular.

“This is a disappointing set of results,” said Sport England chief executive Jennie Price.

“If we are to maintain the current level of public investment in grassroots sport, we need more governing bodies to demonstrate they can increase participation in their sports.

“We are working in a tough climate, with a third of those playing less sport putting it down to economic factors, but the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year give us a great opportunity to reverse this trend.

“The results also clearly show that we need to work much harder with young people, given the fall in participation among 16- to 19-year-olds.

“We also need to tackle head on the widening gender gap by doing much more to make sport relevant and appealing to women.”

However, the figures were not all doom and gloom as there were some positives, including a rise in the amount of times people take part in sport a week. 6.927 million people are now taking part three times a week, which is 111,800 more than in 2007/08 and 632,000 more than in 2005/6. Results show that 14.759 million adults now break a sweat at least once a week, while the amount of men participating has increased since 2007/8.

The number of disabled people playing sport has witnessed a rise also, yet Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, could not hide his disappointment at the overall result.

“Although not unexpected, these figures are very disappointing,” said Robertson.

“It is for this reason that we have spent the second half of this year working with Sport England and governing bodies on a new strategy with particular emphasis on youth sport that we will announce in the New Year.

“This strategy will be based on concrete results in return for Government investment and will ensure we create a real and lasting sports legacy after London’s Games.”

The World Squash Federation (WSF) has awarded the 2014 WSF Women’s World Team Squash Championship to Canada.

The event will take place at White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa (The Club at White Oaks), ed in Niagara-on-the-Lake from Dec. 1-6, 2014.

Canada has previously hosted the Women’s World Team Squash Championships in 1981, 1992 and 2006.

2014 Women’s World Team Squash Championship tournament director Mark Sachvie, who has been the Club at White Oaks Racquets Director for the past 25 years, said: “hosting the WSF Women’s World Team Squash Championship is a wonderful opportunity to profile Canada’s top female athletes and at the same time, act as a showcase for women’s squash.”

The women’s game has seen considerable growth over the past few years with over 70 professional tournaments on five continents on the women’s professional tour.

The Club at White Oaks, part of White Oaks Conference Resort & Spa is a 5 star / 4 diamond facility located in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Niagara region has become an international travel destination, and is recognized as one of the world’s finest centres of viticulture. Situated in the heart of this region, White Oaks has garnered a reputation as being one of Canada’s premier sporting facilities and has hosted several high profile squash events including the Canadian Junior Open, Canadian Squash Championships as well as PSA & WISPA events.