Building work on a 115m-tall (377ft) spiralling tower in the Olympic Park, unhealthy designed by artist Anish Kapoor, has begun.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit, costing £22m, will be located between the Olympic Stadium and and the Aquatics Centre.

Visitors will be able to climb on the structure to get panoramic views across the Stratford site in east London.

The artwork incorporating the five Olympic rings in a lattice of steel is expected to be built by March 2012.

London Mayor Boris Johnson, Lakshmi Mittal, chairman of the steel company ArcelorMittal, artist Anish Kapoor and Andrew Altman, chief executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, attended the ceremony.

Anish Kapoor said: “I am delighted that construction work has started.

“I would like to thank everyone who has shown their support for the project.”

Mr Johnson said: “Recognised the world over, the Orbit will not only be an amazing piece of art, but it will draw visitors from every corner of the globe to East London.”

The projected cost of the structure has gone up from £19.1m to £22.3m.

ArcelorMittal will provide £19.2m, with the remaining £3.1m being funded by London Development Agency.

The Turner Prize-winning artist will work with structural designer Cecil Balmond of engineering firm Arup for the project.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced that Sky Sports will be the UK rights-holding broadcaster for this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup and IRB Junior World Championship. 

The announcement extends Sky Sports’ partnership with two of the most exciting properties in world Rugby, having inspired and engaged global audiences with its host broadcasting of the record-breaking Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010.

Sky Sports will again broadcast the pinnacle of the Women’s Game, which will be held in Paris from August 1-17.

It will also broadcast matches live from New Zealand in June, as Auckland hosts the IRB Junior World Championship from June 2-20, the final of which will be held at the iconic Eden Park.

With levels of participation in the Women’s Game at an all time high, and just days before International Women’s Day, it’s further good news for one of the fastest growing sports in the World.

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Sky Sports are renowned for their passion and support for Rugby and we are delighted to be extending our partnership with a broadcaster who shares our vision for women’s and age grade Rugby.”

“It’s also further proof of the great leaps made by the Women’s Game. In a Women’s Rugby World Cup year and with the growth of the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series, it’s good to see the Game reaching out to new audiences.”

Sky Sport managing director Barney Francis said: “It’s fantastic that this summer we will have the best women’s Rugby on Sky, adding to our strong year-round portfolio of women’s sport.”

“It’s also great news that we’ll get to showcase the future stars of world Rugby in the Junior World Championship across our channels. Both tournaments are going to be excellent additions to our unrivalled coverage of the Game and our summer of live sport.”

Sky Sports will show pool stage matches plus the semi-finals and final of both tournaments.

English Rugby League team, Castleford Tigers have announced Managing Director of long-term Tigers sponsor CBR Engineering, Steve Vause will join its board as a director.

Vause joins the Board as part of the Club’s restructuring plan that will recruit a number of new and experienced business people to help drive the club forward.

Steve Vause said: “Tigers CEO, Steve Gill is trying to build a team around him that will make the club successful off the field as well as on it and I want to be a part of that.

“I have been a Cas fan for over 50 years and CBR Engineering have sponsored the Club for the last six. This is the next step for me in helping the Club – we want to do a lot more at Cas.

“Mr Gill asked me to join the Board and I will help him and the Club and give advice when required.

“It doesn’t matter how many hours that need to be put in, I want to see Castleford Tigers be successful and I am determined to help in any way that I can to do that.

Castleford Tigers Chief Executive, Steve Gill said: “I am delighted that Steve Vause has agreed to join the Club’s Board of Directors.

“His skill, advice, work ethic and commitment are invaluable assets to Castleford Tigers.

“He brings with him an undoubted business acumen that is proven through his success with his own business, CBR Engineering.

“Fans need to know that the people who are working for this Club have Cas at heart and Steve fits into that category.

“One of the key aspects that will make this club successful on and off the field is restructuring the Board of Directors. We’re speaking to business people who share our passion for the Club and selling them the vision of where we want to be.

“We need more fresh faces to bring a new added dimension and we’re still working on bringing more quality to the Board – we’re not finished yet.”

European football legends Edwin van der Sar and Gaizka Mendieta will both be speaking on the ‘Life after the final whistle’ panel at the Soccerex European Forum, pill on 10-11 April, Manchester.

After experiencing successful careers in Europe’s top leagues, Edwin and Gaizka will discuss the various options available to them once they retired, and the different paths players can follow including coaching, media work and senior management roles within clubs.

Van der Sar is regarded as one of the greatest keepers of all time, playing for Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United, winning multiple titles including four Eredivisie championships, four Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues. In 2011, he joined the Ajax board as Marketing Director alongside a number of former Ajax and Dutch legends, aiming at expanding the Ajax brand both nationally and internationally.

Mendieta enjoyed a glittering career at some of Europe’s top clubs including Valencia, Lazio, Barcelona and Middlesbrough, as well as gaining 40 caps for Spain. He was one of the most sought-after players at the turn of the millennium, winning UEFA Club Midfielder of the year two years running in 2000 and 2001. Since his retirement, Mendieta has taken a step into the media working for Sky Sports as a pundit for Spanish football and a regular guest on Revista De La Liga.

Van der Sar commented “I’m excited about returning to Manchester, and to be speaking at Soccerex. I hope my experiences can provide an interesting debate on a subject which is very relevant and affects thousands of professionals every year.”

The Soccerex European Forum is a two-day event which attracts over 1,600 delegates from the elite of Europe’s football industry to come together to debate, network and do business. This year’s agenda setting conference programme will tackle the key issues shaping European football, including fan engagement, media rights, match fixing, discrimination and addiction, life after football, social media and a selection of special 1-2-1 sessions with the game’s biggest names.

For further information about this event please call +44 (0)208 987 5522 or visit www.soccerex.com/europe.

According to the Foreign Ministers of Malaysia and Singapore, the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), which represents the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is preparing to table a bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

The AFF is hoping that the tournament could be spread across a number of countries to ease the financial burden on any individual territory and although FIFA is thought to favour bids from individual countries, Argentina and Uruguay have already registered an interest in linking up to stage the centenary World Cup in 2030.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman claims that the AFF’s 11 nations have agreed to create a committee to research and promote their bid, stating: “It will be a unifying factor for the ASEAN community if we could host the World Cup.”

Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo told the Today newspaper: “We thought if we made a joint bid, if we share facilities, then it’s a bearable cost. ASEAN, as a whole, will be a big country like Brazil or the United States and if they can host it so can we.”

The IOC has issued a warning to Pyeongchang over the South Korean city’s conduct in the bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The IOC ethics commission examined alleged conflict-of-interest violations after two South Korean companies signed sponsorship agreements with international sports federations.

The IOC says Korean Air and the International Skating Union have agreed to postpone their sponsorship deal until after the 2018 host-city vote next July. The IOC says a separate deal between Samsung and the international rowing federation did not break the rules.

The IOC says warned Pyeongchang and urged the bid “to fully respect the rules of conduct.”

FOX Sports today announced a long-term extension of their agreement for Premiere Networks to continue producing and distributing the FOX Sports Radio Network’s leading sports entertainment programming to nearly 400 stations across North America and Canada. 

Under the agreement, cialis sale Premiere Networks and FOX Sports will continue working together across multiple platforms to synchronize the audio, unhealthy digital, help online and television assets of FOX Sports, FOXSports.com and FOX Sports Radio, further extending the reach, visibility and engagement of these brands with millions of consumers. 

Additionally, with the recently-launched 24-hour television network FOX Sports 1, the radio and television divisions will work closely to increase cross-promotional opportunities and highlight FOX Sports’ established team of top insiders, analysts and personalities, including NFL Insider Jay Glazer, NFL Analyst Kirk Morrison, NBA Insider Bill Reiter and many more.

“This renewed partnership affirms our commitment to sports fans, our affiliates and partners to provide the ultimate, multi-platform destination for sports entertainment,” stated Julie Talbott, President of Premiere Networks. “With our lineup of leading sports personalities and expanded opportunities through new platforms and extensive resources, we have one of the most powerful brands in sports entertainment.”

“It was a no-brainer,” said Bill Wanger, Executive Vice President, Programming, Research and Content Strategy for FOX Sports. “This broadens our fan base by putting the FOX Sports brand across audio platforms. We’re excited to continue and further enhance our relationship with Premiere Networks to provide quality programming to sports fans.”

Matthew Holt has been appointed Chief Executive (CEO) of the British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA), which runs the Performance Programme for Olympic boxing.

He was previously the Programme Director at the BABA and took-up the new role on 1 April 2013. He will report to the Board of the BABA and be responsible for the leadership of the organisation and the overall management of the World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) for boxing.

Holt will work closely with the BABA’s Performance Director, Rob McCracken, to provide the best possible performance environment for the boxers in the Podium and Podium Potential squads and create a structure which enables Great Britain’s most talented boxers to be identified and succeed on the international stage.

He will also be responsible for the administration of the WCPP, the financial management of the BABA and relationships with commercial partners and key stakeholders including, the British Olympic Association (BOA), UK Sport (which funds elite sport in Great Britain) and the amateur boxing associations (ABAs) of England, Scotland and Wales.

“Following an increase in funding from UK Sport, the World Class Programme for boxing is expanding for the Rio Cycle and the Board felt it was the right time to appoint a CEO to oversee all aspects of the organisation,” explained Derek Mapp, Chairman of the Board of the BABA.

“Matthew has a superb track record of delivery in high performance sport and this made him the outstanding candidate for the new role. He has been an integral part of the organisation’s success over the last four years and has the vision, skills and capabilities to take the BABA on to the next level as it looks to build on the fantastic achievements of the boxers and the World Class Programme in the build-up to and at the London 2012 Olympics.”

Holt said: The GB Boxing team performed outstandingly at London 2012 to finish as the leading nation and we have a great challenge ahead of us to sustain that level of performance in the future. We have an outstanding team of coaches and support staff, led by Rob McCracken, and the ambition is to retain our position as a leading boxing nation and continue to deliver a world class programme that enables our boxers to fulfil their best potential.”

Matthew Holt joined the BABA in May 2009 as the Programme Director with responsibility for all aspects of the administration of the WCPP for boxing. He was also the Team Manager for boxing at the men’s European Championships in 2010 and 2011, the men and women’s World Championships in 2011 and 2012 and the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The bid of French city Annecy to host the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics has received a much-needed financial boost having agreed six new sponsorship deals to increase their budget by US$4.3m to $43.4m.

New deals were reached with Air France, buy  GL Events, impotent Havas Sports and Entertainment, Institut Merieux and Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVHM), bid president Charles Beigbeder revealed, stating: “This money will allow us to be more efficient in the international promotion of our bid.

“It also shows the commercial potential of an authentic Games in France using the global sporting platform of the French Alps.”

The French bid is widely considered to be the outsider having hit numerous glitches in its process, in a competition that most experts believe is a battle between Pyeongchang and Munich.

However, Beigbeder added: “Our Games will be on a truly human scale, bringing the Games home after Chamonix 1924 to a region shaped by Olympism, a territory whose natural assets make it the leading destination in the world for winter sports.

“We want the Annecy Games to be a real instigator of initiatives showing the way to what the mountains could be in the 21st century, supporting the longer term development of winter sports and mountainous regions around the world. 

“Our aim is to reach out to the young people of this planet and stimulate their interest in the Winter Games.

“We still have work to do, but we have a great prize at stake. 

“We are determined to win. 

“We would like to thank the French people, the personalities and athletes who are supporting us and, of course, the 135,000 fans who follow us every day on Facebook. 

“Their support is essential and we are counting on them.”

Beigbeder was supported at the announcement by vice-president of Annecy 2018 Jean-Pierre Vidal, who added: “As athletes, we have played a major role in the bid from the outset in the interests of putting sport and harmonious development at the top of the list of priorities.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is due to choose the host city at its Session in Durban on July 6.