Francois Fillon, the Prime Minister of France, has pledged state support for Annecy’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) evaluation commission arrived in France yesterday, February 8, for its first inspection of the three candidate cities.

Fillon travelled to the city to welcome the 11 members of the commission, which will be shown technical presentations and will undertake site visits. The inspection will take place until Saturday, February 12,  before the commission makes further trips to the other two candidate cities of Munich in Germany and PyeongChang in South Korea.

Fillon told AFP: “I met the commission with the aim of convincing them of why our bid should win. On top of this I offered the total support of the state.

“The candidature file has excellent technical quality and is focused around the two legendary hubs of Chamonix – which hosted the first Winter Games in 1924 – and Annecy. We would organise an exceptional Winter Games under a theme of sustainable development and legacy.”

British Judo has announced today that Sara Hayes will join as a Non-Executive Director.

Sara, price who joins Mark Palios and Chris Daniels in the role from 23 April, abortion is a Tribunal Judge and a Panellist for the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.

Formerly a practising solicitor, Sara has several years’ experience of working with a non-executive board in her capacity as a member of the Legal Complaints Service Strategic Management Team.

An expert in professional regulatory decision-making with extensive management and strategic experience, Sara brings to the Association a strong track record of implementing policy, process, systems, quality standards and performance management.

Sara currently sits on the British Judo Conduct and Complaints Commission and is the secretary at Coventry Judo Club as well as a coach and referee and volunteered at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Sara said: “I am delighted to have been appointed, and after many years of judo at grassroots level, I am looking forward to making a contribution to the Association in a strategic role, working with the rest of the Board and BJA executive staff.”

Major League Soocer (MLS) side Vancouver Whitecaps FC have revealed a multi-year extension of its broadcast rights partnership with Bell Media’s TEAM Radio.

All games will be broadcast on AM 1410 and will feature extensive pre- and post-game coverage.

“We are very pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with TEAM Radio, herbal ” said Rachel Lewis, viagra Vancouver Whitecaps FC chief operating officer. “Since we announced our partnership in 2011 with the launch of our MLS franchise, we’ve seen fantastic content and programming that have informed and entertained sports fans across the province. We are excited to continue our relationship with TEAM Radio, and Bell Media as a whole, as we grow our sport collaboratively.”

TEAM Radio’s extensive coverage of Whitecaps FC complements Bell’s multi-year partnership with the team. As part of the partnership, TSN are the official Whitecaps FC broadcaster beginning this season and Bell extends its Premier Founding Partnership with the club, which includes Bell branding of all Whitecaps FC official kit.

“As the official radio home of Whitecaps FC since their MLS debut, we know first-hand the significance of this team to Vancouver sports fans,” said James Stuart, Regional Vice-President, Radio and Local Television, B.C, Bell Media. “This extension not only strengthens our partnership with the club over the long-term, it further cements TEAM Radio’s position as the home of the best live coverage of the biggest sporting events for B.C. sports fans.”

Australia’s 4-0 win over Jordan was seen by more than 1.4 million viewers nationally and Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop believes this has a large part to do with the new broadcast package.

Fox Sports recorded its fourth highest Socceroos match of all time, while SBS saw its ratings climb above one million viewers, making it the highest rating program on SBS for the year. Gallop accounts the new broadcast figures to the new broadcast deal.

“These latest audience figures show the power of our new broadcast arrangement,” Gallop said.

“Both Fox Sports and SBS’s coverage of the match last night reached a huge audience and proved the pulling power of our national team.

“With the final match of the group stage on Tuesday next week, we hope even more Australians join us with eager anticipation as we cheer on our Socceroos on their Road to Brazil.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board announced today that the Yorkshire Chairman Colin Graves has been elected as ECB’s new Deputy Chairman following the completion of the election process conducted by electoral reform services.

The 41 members of the ECB, cough which comprises the 18 First-Class Counties, 21 County Boards, the MCC and the Minor Counties Cricket Association, have elected Mr Graves as Deputy Chairman until the ECB’s Annual General Meeting in 2016.

Mr Graves was nominated for the post last month after winning a ballot of the Chairmen of the First Class Counties and MCC. He succeeds Dennis Amiss who recently announced his intention to stand down from the post at the ECB’s forthcoming AGM in May.

His background includes founding York-based Supermarket chain Costcutter in 1986 and oversaw its growth into a franchise network of more than 1,700 stores.

Soccerex has announced that key representatives from the Scottish FA will all be speaking on the ‘The Future of Scottish Football’ panel hosted by David Davies, at the Soccerex European Forum in Manchester, 10-11 April.

National Coach Gordon Strachan, Chief Executive Stewart Regan, Second Vice President Rod Petrie and Performance Director Mark Wotte will all discuss the Scottish FA’s modernisation plans and outline their vision for the future, relating to the recently published strategic plan,Scotland United.

Looking over the recent challenges as well as the future development of Scottish football, the panel will discuss and analyse the implementation and legacy of the Henry McLeish’s Review of Scottish Football. Published in 2010, the former Scottish First Minister laid out a clear vision for Scottish football with five key elements that needed to bed addressed: Performance, Strong Quality Growth, Governance of the Game, Better Financial Returns and League Reconstruction.

Scotland’s influential position on the global stage will also be discussed; as founding members of the International Football Association Board, the Scottish FA will continue to have a major influence on the laws of the game.

Gordon Strachan was appointed Scotland manager in January 2013. A member of Scotland’s Hall of Fame and having led Celtic into the last 16 of the Champions League as manager, Gordon will provide a unique insight into Scottish football. 

Stewart Regan was appointed chief executive of the Scottish FA in 2010 and was responsible for implementing the most far-reaching governance changes in the organisation’s history. Previously, Director of the Football League Championship and CEO of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Stewart, who is now Vice-Chairman of the UEFA Marketing Committee, is well versed in sporting administration.

Alongside Stewart at the Scottish FA is former Dutch U19 & U21 Manager, Mark Wotte, who, having coached numerous teams across Europe including Southampton FC, is now charged with implementing one of the McLeish Report’s key pillars as the Scottish FA’s first-ever Performance Director.

Rod Petrie has been involved with Hibernian Football Club since 1996, becoming chairman in 2004. He is currently Second Vice President of the Scottish FA, Chairman of the Professional Game Board in Scotland and a member of UEFA’s Players’ Status, Transfer and Match Agents Committee. He was responsible for turning Hibernian FC into one of the most financially stable clubs in the league and will be able to provide a first-hand account of the pressures of being a chairman in a challenging financial period in Scottish football.

This session will be part of the Forum’s industry leading conference programme which will once again tackle the key issues shaping European football. It will tackle a variety of topics, including fan engagement, discrimination and addiction, life after football, social media and football’s affect on a city. As well as a selection of special 1-2-1 sessions with the game’s biggest names, it will once again set the agenda for the European football industry.

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

Time Warner Cable have signed an agreement with FOX Sports San Diego to carry the new regional sports network including San Diego Padres baseball.

Time Warner Cable will begin offering FOX Sports San Diego in time for the 2014 Major League Baseball season so fans can catch all the action.  Padres games will be distributed on Time Warner Cable systems in San Diego, arthritis as well as surrounding areas in the Padres territory. 

The network will launch for Time Warner Cable customers on March 30, 2014. Channel position on Time Warner Cable systems will be announced at a later date. 

“We’re happy for the many Padres fans who are Time Warner Cable customers who now will be able to follow their hometown baseball team on TV all season long,” said Henry Ford, Senior Vice President and General Manager, FOX Sports San Diego.  “With this agreement, Padres baseball will now be available in more homes in San Diego than ever before.” 

“We’re pleased to have reached a reasonable long-term agreement for Fox Sports San Diego, and we look forward to launching this network in the near future,” said Jennifer Chun Senior Vice President, Content Acquisition for Time Warner Cable.