The Sri Lankan city of Hambantota’s bid to stage the 2018 Commonwealth Games has taken a further blow after another of the nation’s medallists from last year’s Games in Delhi is embroiled in a damaging drugs scandal after weightlifter Chinthana Vidanage tested positive for a banned stimulant and is facing a suspension.

Vidanage won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and silver in the 69 kg category in Delhi. However, the man who carried the country’s flag at the 2010 Games returned a positive drug test for methylhexaneamine at the Asian Championships in China’s Anhui province last month, it has been reported.

He has been provisionally suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation.

The 29-year-old is an ambassador of Hambantota’s bid and was among four of Sri Lanka’s leading competitors who last month were unveiled by officials bidding for Hambantota to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games as part of an Athletes Commission to help provide advice during the campaign.

When introducing the Commission, Nivard Cabraal, the chairman of Hambantota 2018 stated:”These athletes bring their experience and passion to a bid that promises a compelling combination of tradition and excitement.

“Through the Commission they will help to drive our ‘Athletes Come First’ policy, ensuring all athletes will be welcomed by capacity crowds in iconic venues and with facilities that exceed their expectations.”

The scandal follows the drugs scandal of boxer Manju Wanniarachchi who, under pressure from Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, dropped plans to take the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following their decision to strip him of the gold medal he had won at last year’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi because of a positive test for anabolic steroids.

Vidanage’s medal from Delhi is not in danger but it is a scandal that Hambantota could have done without after the weightlifter tested positive for methylhexaneamine, commonly used as a nasal decongestant, also a product in over-the-counter diet pills.

The drug was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list last year as a stimulant and has led to bans for a raft of athletes across various sports including Nigerian sprinter Damola Osayemi, who was stripped of her Commonwealth Games gold medal she had won in the 100 metres following a positive test for the drug in Delhi. Manchester City soccer star Kolo Touré was also provisionally suspended in March after allegedly testing positive for the drug.

“I was shocked to learn about it as I have never been tested positive for a banned substance after being scrupulously tested everywhere I went from the Commonwealth Games … to Delhi and at every Asian and South Asian championships,” said Vidanage.

“I listed all what I use as supplements and energy drinks to the authorities who took the samples in China and to the local authorities.

“Other than those, I have not used any substance that will have an effect on my performance and I am ready to face any consequences if I am proved guilty.”

Eredivisie has retained dutch public broadcaster NOS who will continue to broadcast highlights from Holland’s top soccer league.

The new deal covers television, pharm radio and internet rights and runs until the end of the 2016/17 season. Coverage will be shown on television on Sunday evenings.

According to reports NOS fought off bids from broadcasters SBS, drugs RTL and Fox.

While NOS broadcasts a weekly Eredivisie highlights show, viagra Fox Sports Eredivisie currently holds the rights to show live coverage of all Eredivisie games in Holland. The premium channel is managed by Eredivisie Media & Marketing, the league’s commercial arm in which Fox took a majority stake in 2012.

Frank Rutten, the head of Eredivisie Media & Marketing, said of the deal: “The league and NOS have a long and pleasant relationship with each other and we are pleased to continue over the next three years.”

Major League Soccer announced today that Portland, medstore Oregon, prescription will be the host city for the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game.

The annual showcase event will feature several days of festivities, culminating in a match between the League’s top players and a renowned international club in late July or early August, 2014, at JELD-WEN Field, home to the Portland Timbers.

Soccer in the Portland area and the Timbers have a long history of strong fan support and the club’s popularity has boomed since its inaugural MLS season in 2011. The 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game will be the first All-Star Game in a major sport for the city of Portland. 

JELD-WEN Field is an iconic sports and entertainment facility located in the heart of downtown Portland, and officially reopened to the public for MLS on April 14, 2011, after a significant renovation crafted to create one of the most unique and authentic soccer environments in the country. Since then, the Timbers have sold out every MLS league match to date, currently a string of 42 consecutive sellouts. 

“The Portland Timbers and their passionate fans have certainly earned the honor of hosting the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game,” said Commissioner Don Garber. “This match will showcase to an international audience the incredible devotion to the game in the Pacific Northwest that serves as one of the most important stories for our league.” 

Originally constructed in 1926, JELD-WEN Field is an historic civic gathering place that has played host to some of the region’s most memorable events, including Pelé’s official last professional game, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup. For more information, visit www.JELD-WENField.com. 

“We are very pleased to host the national and international soccer community to Soccer City, USA, for the 2014 AT&T MLS All-Star Game and its surrounding events,” said Merritt Paulson, president of the Timbers. “This event will be the first major All-Star Game of any sport ever in Portland and the Timbers and our fans look forward to showcasing our fabulous city and JELD-WEN Field next summer.”

Yorkshire County Cricket Club have announced Mark Arthur has been appointed their new chief executive.

Arthur, healing who has previously undertaken the same role at Nottingham Forest Football Club and Nottinghamshire, adiposity will begin his new job next Tuesday.

“I am delighted to be joining Yorkshire as chief executive,” said Arthur.

“It is an honour and a massive opportunity to be part of the biggest cricket club in the world, which boasts nearly 900 playing clubs and a vibrant development programme, which is the envy of world cricket.

“I will do everything during my time at Headingley for the betterment of Yorkshire cricket. The hard work has been undertaken over the last few years to stabilise the club and now we have a great opportunity and a solid platform to take the club forward.”

Colin Graves, Yorkshire chairman, added: “It is fantastic news for the club to appoint Mark as the new chief executive.

“Mark has over 20 years’ experience at the highest level of sports administration, both in cricket and football. His experience and knowledge will be vital in taking the club forward in what will be an exciting period, both on and off the field.”

Soccerex have confirmed that England and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will be attending the Soccerex European Forum on 10-11 April, doctor in Manchester.

Regarded as one of the greatest central midfielders of the modern era, apoplectic Gerrard has been an iconic symbol of English football as well as a once in a generation player for his hometown club, Liverpool.

Making his senior debut for Liverpool in 1998, he has made 624 appearances for the club, including 158 goals. His defining football moment came in the 2005 Champions League Final in Istanbul. Having already brought Liverpool back from the brink against Olympiacos, Gerrard helped orchestrate one of the greatest comebacks in the history of football, his 54^th minute header inspiring Liverpool to come from 3-0 down against AC Milan to win their fifth European Cup.

Gerrard gained his first international cap in 2000, scoring his first international goal in the 5-1 defeat of Germany in 2001. He has proved himself to be one of England’s most consistent performers and reached 100 caps for England against Sweden in November 2012, becoming only the 6^th player ever to do so. He captained the side for the first time in 2004 and was handed the armband again during the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM in South Africa. Gerrard retained the captaincy for the opening Euro 2012 qualifying match against Bulgaria and was later confirmed as permanent captain.

Steven Gerrard commented: “I’m excited to be attending the Soccerex European Forum; it will be a great opportunity to catch up with the football family and help celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the FA.”

Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie said: “To welcome a player of Steven’s stature to our event is an enormous privilege for me and Soccerex. As England and Liverpool captain, he is an icon of the game all over the world and brings his vast experience and knowledge of the game both on and off the field which will greatly enhance everyone’s Soccerex experience and help to make the Forum an unmissable event.”

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 Gianni Infantino, Alexey Sorokin, Sir John Madejski, Sir Bobby Charlton and Gary Neville.

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

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) vice president Seb Coe, who led London’s successful campaign to host the 2012 Olympics, has urged the three cities bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics to lobby right up until the last moment.

Annecy, Munich and Pyeongchang are now all entering the final stages of lobbying before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes a decision at its Session in Durban on July 6.

Coe stated: “These are three extremely good bids.

“As you approach the final stages of a bid race, it is vitally important to be consistent in the message that you are trying to get across to the Olympic Movement.

“You need to know exactly what you should be saying and exactly how you should be saying so that you never lose that consistency.

“But the key is to keep going and keep lobbying until there really are no more minutes left.”

“When you must lobby, it must be sensitive but you must be sure that you constantly reemphasise all the reasons why you should be staging an Olympic and Paralympic Games and you must do that until the very end,” Coe told insidethegames. 

He added: “I am not following the 2018 race all that closely because I have a minor problem in trying to figure out how to organise an Olympic and Paralympic Games in London next year.

“But I will be in Durban where I will be presenting to the Session and I am fully aware there three very, very good bids on the table who could all stage a spectacular event in 2018.”

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have reached an agreement on exclusive media rights with the International Skating Union (ISU) from 2015 – 2019, cialis marking 50 years of EBU-ISU partnership.

The agreement, which marks the 50th anniversary of the initial partnership, covers traditional EBU territory with the EBU also becoming the media rights partner of ISU in the rest of the world (excluding China, Japan, Korea, USA and Canada, which remain with ISU).

This new deal will ensure that more than 130 events over the four seasons (2015/16; 2016/17; 2017/18; 2018/19) will enjoy maximum free-to-air exposure on EBU Members’ TV, radio and online channels. The portfolio covers 52 World and European Championships in the three ISU disciplines of Figure Skating, Speed Skating and Short Track as well as  the series of Grand Prix  and World Cups, together with ISU World Team Trophy of Figure Skating.

EBU will distribute skating content through Eurovision satellite and fiber network to right holders around the world bringing more than 1.000 hours of sport to right holders, together with EBU expertise and know-how on television production to bring state-of-the-art content to the screens.

This agreement marks a new milestone on EBU winter sports rights portfolio, following recent announcement on IBU Biathlon Media Rights 2014-2018.

ISU President, Ottavio Cinquanta said: “The ISU is delighted to continue its long term partnership with the EBU by not only renewing its current contract with EBU Members but also by intrusting the EBU with the sale of TV/media  rights in countries that currently do not show ISU disciplines. We are confident that through the EBU network and its new technologies the ISU will be able to offer top of the range content to the widest possible audience.”

EBU Head of Sports Rights, Winter Sports, Ingolfur Hannesson added: “As the ISU’s exclusive long-term media partner, we present a tailor-made strategy to keep Skating one of the strongest winter Olympic sports. We are proud to have reached this 50-year milestone, and we will continue building on our partnership with ISU to bring Ice Skating events to the widest possible audience.”

The next major ISU event will be Figure Skating World Championships in Saitama, Japan, starting on 26 March 2014.

An announcement made in San Jose, California today, May 23, confirmed that the Scottish city of Glasgow has been awarded the rights to host the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, beating rivals from Paris and Orlando.

Paris were eliminated in the first round in the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Council meeting before the body voted 23-13 in Glasgow’s favour over Orlando in the second round.

The event will be the main qualifying competition for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and is scheduled to be held in the National Arena Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), that is due to open in 2013 and host the gymnastics at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which the city is hosting.

The bid was developed by British Gymnastics with the support of UK Sport, Event Scotland and the City of Glasgow’s major event teams and it will be the third occasion that Britain has staged the event, which has been held annually since 1903 – except in Olympic years.

Britain first held it in Birmingham in 1993 and then again in 2009 in London, when they took place in the O2, which is due to host gymnastics during next year’s Olympics.

Glasgow’s bid is underpinned by US$3m of public funding and would be held between October 18 and November 2, 2015, in the $78m SECC arena, holding up to 12,000 spectators.

The 2015 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships were awarded to Stuttgart and the 2015 Trampoline World Championships to Odense in Denmark.