Former Olympian Dan Thompson, has been hired as the chief executive officer of Skate Canada beginning June 17th.

The seven-year veteran of the national swim team made a move into corporate marketing at the conclusion of his competitive career, and was most recently the president of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, which is dedicated to helping kids participate in sport and recreation.

“An Olympian himself, Dan understands the requirements of preparing athletes for elite competition,” Skate Canada president Benoit Lavoie said. “Combined with his marketing and management experience, we have a leader who can truly inspire the organization.”

Thompson was named to the Canadian team for the 1980 Olympics, which were ultimately boycotted.

He has worked as a sponsorship marketing consultant, and in the 1990s worked with the Canadian Figure Skating Association to create broadcast sponsorship packages with CTV, develop the Champions Series of skating, which became the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, and launched the Champions on Ice figure skating tour.

“I feel fortunate to have been given the opportunity to lead one of Canada’s truly great sports,” Thompson said. “It is one of the most professionally managed National Sport Organizations in the country and has an outstanding history of consistently producing world champions and Olympic medallists.”

Thompson begins his new position on June 17.

Kip Keino, International Olympic Committee (IOC) member and former Kenyan athlete has giving his blessing for Hambantota’s bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The former long distance specialist, visiting Sri Lanka to help promote the Colombo Marathon which is due to take place on October 2, has claimed that awarding the Games to Hambantota would help accelerate the development of the country’s top athletes. 

“I came to see what Sri Lanka can offer at Commonwealth Games in 2018,” said Keino.

“What I saw here is a nation very rich with humanity, culture and great hospitality.”

The Commonwealth Games played an important role in Keino’s career.

It was his gold medals in the mile and three miles at the 1966 Games in Kingston, Jamaica, which launched him onto the international stage. 

Two years later he won the 1500 metres at the Olympics in Mexico City and then at Munich in 1972 he claimed victory in the 3,000m steeplechase.

Keino’s performances provided inspiration for more Kenyan runners to believe they could compete at the highest level, eventually leading to the dominance in distance running. 

“I also saw a country with great potential in the field of sports,” said Keino, who is now 71, after arriving in Sri Lanka.

“There are talented athletes in this country who are eager to move up to the global arena and what they need is exposure.”

Hambantota are up against the Gold Coast with the announcement on who wins the bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be announced on November 11 in St Kitts and Nevis.

Through their subsidiary CBS Sports, cialis cheap CBS have announced a new broadcast deal with _wige MARKETING gmbh, clinic working on behalf of DTM rights holder and promoter ITR e.V.

CBS Sports is going to bring all the DTM races in the USA and Canada in full length. The DTM coverage will be broadcasted time-delayed on the race Sundays. 

Even before the signing of the CBS deal, asthma DTM also found a new TV partner in the UK. BT Sport, a subsidiary of British Telecom, is going to cover all the DTM rounds of the 2014 season live or re-live and in addition, it also will broadcast the highlights of all the FIA Formula 3 European Championship weekends.

Altogether, DTM currently is broadcasted in 214 countries and territories by 145 TV stations. In 2013, the DTM coverage amounted to 8,085 hours worldwide. The 19,250 programmes reached nearly 3.7 billion TV households.

English Rugby Union team, Northampton Saints have announced their chairman Leon Barwell has stepped down from the role with immediate effect.

The 46-year-old, who succeeded his father Keith as chairman in 2011, has made the decision on medical advice.

“I have greatly enjoyed my time being chairman of this great club, and this is a decision that has not been taken lightly,” he commented. “A lot of thought has gone into the decision, along with lengthy discussions with my family. I believe that the time is right for me to step aside, safe in the knowledge that we are on the right track, on and off the pitch.

“Over the past 18 months we have continued to improve and grow as a club. This would not have been possible without the hard work put in by everyone behind the scenes at Franklin’s Gardens, and I’d like to thank the staff for their continuing commitment.

“I would also like to thank the Saints supporters, who make the club what it is. Home and away they give the team wholehearted backing, and although there have been ups and downs, especially this season, I believe we have built up a good relationship.

“With six finals in six seasons, and the club continuing its good financial performance, the Saints is certainly heading in the right direction. I trust the board in making the right decision as to who the new chairman will be, and I will be giving him or her my total support.”

Although he is stepping down as chairman, Leon Barwell is remaining on the Saints’ board of directors. The Barwell family will maintain its majority shareholding of Northampton Saints plc, with Keith Barwell and Ella Bevan also retaining their directorships.

Vice-chairman Tony Hewitt becomes acting chairman while the board goes through the due process of finding a new chairman.

“Leon has been an outstanding chairman of Northampton Saints, and someone who has worked unstintingly to take the club to the next level,” Mr Hewitt commented. “On behalf of everyone associated with Northampton Saints I thank Leon for everything that he has done. Of course the Barwells will continue to be a big part of the Saints going forward, with Leon, Keith and Ella all remaining on the board.

“We will be taking our time to decide who will be the next chairman of Northampton Saints, and will make an announcement in due course.”

An independent investigation has given bias to the decision to award West Ham the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games.

The review concluded there is no reason to re-open the bidding process.

The inquiry came after allegations that a director of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) was paid by West Ham during the contest with Tottenham.

But forensic accountants from Moore Stephens decided that was not relevant to West Ham being named tenants.

A Sunday newspaper claimed in July that Dionne Knight, OPLC’s director of corporate services, was on the West Ham payroll.

Despite declaring she was in a relationship with Ian Tompkins, a West Ham director, she was accused of failing to tell her employers that she also received around £20,000 from the club for consultancy work.

Following a six-week inquiry, Moore Stephens have concluded that there is no evidence to suggest Ms Knight had any influence over the decision or that she had access to any sensitive material or papers relating to the process.

The outcome of the inquiry will be a huge relief to West Ham, who were awarded the bid as long a go as February.

West Ham conducted their own independent inquiry into the allegations involving Ms Knight and reached the same conclusion as the OPLC investigation.

But Tottenham will not take this decision lying down as they are still challenging the decision.

They want a judicial review and, despite having their first request rejected, are due to present evidence again at an oral hearing at the High Court on Wednesday.

If the court rules in Tottenham’s favour then that could cause serious problems for the OPLC who have been trying to negotiate a final agreement with West Ham and their partners Newham Council but have had no luck with this impending review putting their deal in doubt.

British Olympic Association (BOA) chief executive Andy Hunt has been accused of trying to hype-up expectations that the Great Britain team taking part in the London 2012 soccer tournament will contain Scottish and Welsh players.