Blackburn Rovers have announced operations director Paul Agnew has left the club after 17 years.

The Championship team said in a statement: “The club would like to announce that Paul Agnew is no longer employed by Blackburn Rovers Football & Athletic Plc and would like to thank Mr Agnew for his service as operations director over the last 11 months.”

The 55-year-old is the former chief executive at Preston, herbal | recently launched a freeze on season ticket prices as Rovers look to win back supporters after a campaign which saw five managers in the dugout.

A group from Las Vegas, Nevada, have launched a bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games through a letter sent to the IOC without the required consent and cooperation of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

The letter dated and sent to both the IOC and USOC on August 26 states “this is intended to serve as the Vegas 2020 Bid Committee’s Application Letter to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

“This Application Letter is not accompanied by a corresponding letter from the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) our national olympic [sic] committee (NOC) which on 22 August 2011 publicly declined to consent to the application of any US city to bid for the Summer Games of the XXXII Olympiad.”

Last week, rumours were circulating that Las Vegas would make a bid for the Games even without USOC support.  A day later, the USOC officially declared that there would be no United States bid for 2020.

A source associated with the bid told GamesBid that “we’ve requested an interpretation of the rules by the IOC which would allow us to obtain the USOCs signature at the point of submission of the Application File (15 Feb 12) rather than at the point of commencement of the preparation of the Application File (15 Sep 11).

“This would keep the US alive in the bidding process.

“Failing that however, we believe that from a geopolitical perspective the United States has very good prospects for success with a bid for the 2020 Summer Games and consequently we believe the USOC should use its judgement and reconsider its position over the next few days so as to not deprive the people of the United States of this opportunity at a time when the Country badly needs the investment and jobs which the Olympic Games can provide.”

On Monday, the Vegas 2020 source confirmed that the IOC rejected the proposal and the USOC remains resillient with its intentions. However, the Las Vegas outfit hopes the USOC will still change its mind.

When asked to comment on the rogue bid from Las Vegas USOC spokesperson Patrick Sandusky, who was already aware of the application, told GBcom “as we have said before, the USOC is not bidding for the 2020 Olympic games”.

Bid applications need to be submitted into the IOC by September 1st and additional paperwork along with a $150,000 fee must be submitted by September 15. The formal application, often referred to as a ‘mini bid book’, is due February 15.  So far Rome, Madrid, Tokyo, Istanbul and Doha have confirmed that they will apply.

The USOC received interest from several cities who wished to bid for the 2020 Games including  Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, Minneapolis, Tulsa and Chicago but the organization has been unwavering in declining to bid until a revenue-sharing deal with the IOC has been restructured.  Even with a deal rumoured to be close to fruition – the USOC maintains that there is not enough time for a proper domestic campaign to prepare the best bid possible.

There is expected to be a backlash from the USOC over the uninvited Vegas 2020 bid – rumours suggest that a Nevada U.S. Senator was partially involved in the aggressive tactics.

Visa Europe have released a ground-breaking report claiming that there will be a US$1.2bn consumer spending boost in the seven week period of next year’s London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, meaning that Britain will witness the biggest ever consumer spend in the history of the Games.

The report, released by Visa Europe to mark the 25th anniversary of Visa’s global sponsorship of the Olympic Games, predicts that this record spend will deliver a sustained stimulus worth a total of US$8.11bn to the UK economy by 2015.

The report found that during the intense three week period between the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games, the economy will receive a £621 million US$988bn spending boost.

The report is the first report of its kind to consider how consumer spending will be impacted by the London 2012 Games and then how this spending alone will go on to impact the wider economy, both immediately and in the longer term.

It is unique as it is based on actual consumer spending data showing four different types of spending patterns both in the UK and internationally.

The data analysed includes international visitor spending at previous Olympic Games and major sporting tournaments, domestic spending at previous Olympic Games and major sporting tournaments, typical spending of international visitors in London and spending patterns of UK consumers during big sporting events like the World Cup.

Marc O’Brien, the managing director of Visa UK, said: “As the report shows, the UK will benefit from an immediate positive economic impact as a result of a large increase in consumer spending during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“What’s so encouraging for the wider economy is the ripple effect this will cause: economic output will increase and the benefits will be felt in people’s pockets as incomes increase.

“This immediate positive economic boost will translate into sustained economic stimulus and job creation, impacts which will be felt long after the Games have finished.”

Colin Grannell, the head of partnership marketing at Visa Europe, added: “The countdown to London 2012 has well and truly begun and as the nation gets into the Olympic Spirit, the findings of this report also signal good news for the economy.

“As a global sponsor of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Visa provides retailers across the UK the chance to share in the Olympic Spirit.

“Visa’s relationship with the Olympic Games stretches back 25 years and this long heritage sets us in good stead to make London 2012 the best Games ever.”

BT Sport has secured a two-year deal for exclusive live TV coverage in the UK and Ireland of the Caribbean Premier League.

The T20 tournament will feature international cricket stars like Kevin Pietersen, salve Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo.

Playing a role in BT Sport’s coverage will be the Ashes-winning former England off-spinner Graeme Swann, who will form part of the commentary team on BT Sport, which will bring fans live TV coverage – in prime time – of all thirty matches in the tournament (which runs from 11 July until 16 August). Additionally, each match will be repeated as a one-hour highlights show throughout the tournament.

BT Sport’s live TV coverage will commence on 11 July at 7pm on BT Sport 2 with coverage of the opening clash between Amazon Warriors and Hawksbills in Grenada.

The tournament features six teams from across eight Caribbean countries playing in Eight venues including Guyana, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, Trinidad, Jamaica, St Lucia and St Kitts. Each team plays each other in a league format, with the top four teams progressing to a play off phase. Leading West Indies players such as Sunil Narine and Darren Sammy will be available for selection plus international stars will feature such as Shahid Afridi and Muttiah Muralitharan

Grant Best, senior executive channel producer, BT Sport, said: “We are delighted to continue enhancing and expanding our multi-sport line up by bringing fans not only one of the most exciting cricket tournaments globally, but also the eagerly-awaited return to the crease of Kevin Pietersen.”

Damien O’Donohoe, CEO, Caribbean Premier League, said: “We are delighted to partner with BT Sport who have quickly established themselves as a major player in sports media in the UK. The Caribbean Premier League was a huge success in its first year and we are now attracting the world’s best players such as Kevin Pietersen. We have big ambitions for the tournament going forward.”

Russell Hannah is now the Director Of Operations for IMG managed golf clubs in the EMEA region, clinic  IMG Golf has announced.

Hannah will oversee the operations and development of the existing IMG managed clubs as well as growing both the management and consultancy side of the business in the area.

Michael Pask, Senior Vice President, Sales & Advisory Services, IMG Golf, said: “We are delighted that Russell has joined the team here in London. Russell has a proven track record of managing luxury resort club operations and will be a key player as we continue to grow our golf club management business in the EMEA region.”

Hannah started his career at the revered Turnberry Resort in Scotland and spent ten years there before moving to Mauritius to manage iconic island venue, Le Touessrok.

He said: “I am excited to be joining the IMG Golf team.  IMG offer an unrivalled depth of club management services to its clients, helping to drive profitability and global prestige and I look forward to developing the business further in the EMEA region.”

Among the clubs IMG manages are the Sheshan Golf Club, voted the ‘Best Course in China’ by Golf Digest Magazine in 2009; the Nirwana Bali Golf Club, the ‘Best Golf Resort in Indonesia’, according to the 2011 World Travel Awards; Akwa Ibom – Nigeria, the ‘Best new golf resort of Distinction in West Africa’ according to Golfweek Magazine in 2011 and Le Touessrok, Mauritius, listed number one in the ‘Finest things in Golf’ by Golf International in 2011.

The 2013 European Golf Business Conference is headed for Lisbon, buy Portugal. The annual event hosted by the European Golf Course Owners Association (EGCOA) is now widely regarded as a must attend event on the golf business calendar.

Two hundred golf course owners, erectile managers and industry professionals from around Europe are expected to attend the conference, capsule which is entitled “Back to Basics”, from 23-25th October at the five star Hotel Tivoli Lisboa, located in the Heart of Lisbon.

Lodewijk Klootwijk, EGCOA director, said: “Lisbon was an easy choice for this year’s conference. The city is a vibrant capital and is ideally setup to host our event. Each year the conference is growing in strength attracting new delegates from around the world. We are very excited for this year’s event which has attracted many of the golf industry’s leading speakers and industry experts from around the world.

“We would like to thank the Lisbon tourism board who have been very supportive and welcoming to our event and we look forward to working together with them in the coming months.”

Vitor Costa, General Manager of Lisbon Tourisms Visitor & Convention Bureau, said: “It is a great pleasure and honour to welcome the European Golf Business conference to Lisbon in October 2013. It is a fantastic opportunity for the city of Lisbon to host such a prestigious event in the golf industry.

“Our close proximity from most European cities, the quality of our golf courses, the light and beauty of Lisbon and the historical heritage all contribute to make Lisbon an ideal destination to host such an international event.

“We look forward to working together with the European Golf Course Owners Association in sharing our city with Europe’s leading golf course owners & industry professionals.”

The European Golf Business Conference is now open for registration. Delegates registering for the event before the 15th July will receive an early bird discounted rate. To learn more about the event or to register visit www.egcoaconference.eu

Tottenham Hotspur have changed their minds in pursuing a legal battle to take over the 2012 Olympic Stadium after the Games.

The club was due in the High Court on Wednesday seeking a judicial review over the Olympic Park Legacy Company’s choice to hand the stadium to West Ham.

But after two private investigations into the matter suggested that Tottenham would not succeed with their plan they looked for other alternatives.

For example, Spurs were involved in intense negotiations with the office of London Mayor Boris Johnson on Tuesday night and are believed to be close to striking a deal to build a new stadium in north London.

This month’s riots in north London have played a major role in persuading the club that they need to stay in Tottenham.

Spurs have been looking for government and mayoral support for their plans for a bigger ground at a site in Northumberland Park, near White Hart Lane, for several months.

Businesses in the area would have been hit hard if the club had moved away. The club realises that it is an integral part of rebuilding the area after the riots.

Any deal with the mayor is expected to involved public funding, which Mr Johnson has already said he supports.

Spurs had plans to develop the Northumberland Park site approved by the mayor in 2010 but escalating costs turned their focus towards taking over the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

Some fans staged a protest about the proposed move to east London, saying they wanted their club to remain in Tottenham. Spurs have played at White Hart Lane since 1899.

Tottenham had already applied to the government’s Regional Growth Fund for a grant to cover costs which would be associated with moving to Northumberland Park.

They include upgrading public transport and providing training and employment opportunities for local people.

Tottenham were struggling to win their legal battle with Olympic chiefs. A High Court judge had already turned down the club’s first appeal for a judicial review.

If the club now drops the second appeal, West Ham can go ahead with their plans to move into the Olympic Stadium by 2014.

This would secure the legacy of the most high-profile venue at the Olympic Park and boost London’s hopes of staging the 2017 World Athletics Championships.

Russia has made plans to become the first country to send the Olympic Torch into space, in what would be the longest-ever Olympic Torch Relay.

In Sochi’s presentation to the International Olympic Committee in South Africa, Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Alexander Zhukov, said Russia want to be the first country to take the Olympic Flame beyond the earth’s atmosphere.

He said:”Russia was the first country to send a man into space some 50 years ago. So, we are proud that now we have the opportunity to be the first nation to send the Olympic Torch into space.”

Zhukov said Russia also planned for the Olympic Flame to be taken to the bottom of the world’s deepest lake and to the top of Russia’s highest mountain.

The Olympic Torch will be taken on a 28,000-kilometre journey, over 20 days, with around 14,000 torch bearers used in the relay.

He added: “The Torch Relay is to demonstrate the character of modern Russia, its great historical and cultural achievements and the achievements of the common people.”

Sochi will host Russia’s first-ever Winter Olympics in 2014.