Munich’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics received a timely boost yesterday, May 17, when officials secured the last piece of property needed for the downhill course.

The announcement was made just in time as far as the German city was confirmed, made on the eve of today’s, May 18, bid presentation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The agreement has seemingly killed off the one remaining domestic obstacle to the bid after residents of Garmisch-Partenkirchen recently voted against a bill to withdraw from the 2018 Winter Games tender.

The bid was thrown into serious doubt after some landowners in Garmisch-Partenkirchen had refused to hand over their properties for the Games, but having now secured about 3,500 square metres in the latest deal, officials behind the bid have ensured that the skiing events can be staged in the resort.

Munich bid CEO Bernhard Schwank stated: “We are very pleased that the land ownership discussions have taken this big step forward. Talks have been progressing quickly and constructively for some time now, and we were always confident that we would be able to find the best solution for all parties. This is further evidence that the people of Garmisch-Partenkirchen are firmly behind our bid.

“The properties for the sporting events of the 2018 Winter Games now have been 100% secured. Seven years before possibly staging the games we have an optimal offer for the IOC.”

The IOC will announce the winning bid from the three candidates of Annecy, PyeongChang and Munich in Durban, South Africa on July 6.

WWE have signed a multi-year broadcast right deal with ProSiebenSat.1 to deliver WWE content to the German and Austrian markets through Free TV, view Pay TV and SVOD.

As part of the deal WWE pay-per-view events will be available including WrestleMania 30 which takes place on Sunday, search April 6 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA and will be televised in more than 100 countries.

“This cooperation with WWE creates tremendous added value for our viewers and customers. WWE is well recognized in Germany and has a loyal and growing fan base,” said COO of ProSiebenSat.1 Digital. “We will be showcasing some of the very best programming WWE has to offer across our various platforms including SmackDown on ProSieben Maxx and the huge event WrestleMania 30 which will be available live as a pay-per-view for the first time on www.maxdome.de.”

“This new deal with ProSiebenSat.1 provides WWE fans with a great choice of platforms with massive reach to follow the storyline of WWE’s flagship programming,” said Stefan Kastenmueller, General Manager of WWE Germany. “Coupled with the increased activities from our team to bring the very best of all of our lines of business to the German market including Live Events, PPV, Consumer Products and Digital Services, we are set to solidify WWE’s footprint in Germany.”

After it was reported yesterday the the 2018 World Cup bid team of England had hired a private security firm to monitor the behaviour of their rivals, FIFA President Sepp Blatter looked to distance himself from the allegations.

News agency Bloomberg claimed yesterday, May 9, that sources had told them that the English officials reportedly asked the investigators to find out what other bidding nations were doing to gain the support of FIFA’s Executive Committee.

The English Football Association and its spokesman Julian Eccles declined to comment while Blatter maintained he was none the wiser to such rumours, stating: “I don’t know about it but for me the bidding process is finished and we must look forward.

“Spies? Like James Bond?

“In this game there are a lot of people who like to destroy something but it is a question of fair play. That is one of the things that was invented by British football. When we talk about fair play my first thought is always towards the four British Associations.”

Lord Sebastien Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), feels that the successful hosting of the games will rely heavily on the transport system and the London’s ability to overcome the recent issues.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have long held concerns over the transport network which is currently in place with the capital’s roads amongst the most congested in the world. The proposed Olympic Route Network (ORN) scheme put forward by LOCOG has not gone down well with many of the natives who feel that the idea is just a ploy to show preferential treatment to those involved during the Games. The number of peak-time journeys made throughout the course of the event is feared to rise by as much as 12.5 per cent which may cause real problems for the committee.

Coe was quick to deny claims that the ORN scheme is merely their to favour athletes and officials saying: “The Olympic route planning is about functionality it’s not about glamour,” the chairman told London Assembly lawmakers, as quoted by Reuters. “You have a choice, you can have this city remembered as a Barcelona or an Atlanta.”

The comparisons were made after the infamous transport system during the Atlanta Games in 1994 overloaded spectators and athletes in a desperate attempt to get them to venues. In contrast the Barcelona Games just two years earlier have long been touted as a model for all the following games to adhere to from a transport perspective.

Broadcaster ONE World Sports has reached an agreement with Nippon Television Network Corporation to extend its exclusive, ed multiplatform rights to all home games of the Yomiuri Giants for the 2014 Nippon Professional Baseball season.

Yomiuri Giants games will be presented live on the network’s linear channel and digital platforms. Additional highlights and short-form video from the games will be distributed on broadband and via the network’s app, “Watch ONE World Sports.”

“Having the legendary Yomiuri Giants on ONE World Sports last season was a home run for us, so we are delighted to be bringing back the team to the network for the 2014 season,” said Alexander Brown, president and CEO of ONE World Sports. “Nippon Professional Baseball has produced scores of players who have successfully transitioned to Major League Baseball, and the Giants are a topnotch member of our network roster of world-class programming.”

ONE World Sports will kick off its new-season coverage with the Giants’ season opener on March 28.

The Giant are holders of 22 NPB championship titles. The Giants last won the Japan Series baseball championship in 2012, and last season it took the Golden Eagles seven games to deny them a repeat Japan Series title.

After the International Olympic Committee (IOC) published its evaluation report on the candidate cities to host the 2018 Winter Olympics yesterday, May 10, Annecy, Munich and PyeongChang all insist they still have a good chance of landing the Games.

The IOC released a statement confirming that no clear front runner had emerged from the report, adding: “All three candidate cities could successfully host the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, with each city offering its own distinct vision and concept.”

The South Korean bid of PyeongChang is believed to be leading the way by many having bid for the Winter Olympics twice before. The bid came out on top in opinion polls conducted on site on behalf of the IOC, with 92 per cent of locals and 87 per cent of South Koreans backing the bid.

Cho Yang-ho, bid leader of PyeongChang, told Reuters: “We are confident that PyeongChang would deliver an unforgettable Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games that have the power to inspire a new generation of winter sports athletes and provide a platform for winter sports to grow and thrive in new areas of the world.”

“I am absolutely delighted that the IOC’s report confirms that PyeongChang is considered ready to welcome the Olympic and Paralympic Games to South Korea for the first time.

“The evaluation commission’s visit was a great success and this has been highlighted in their recognition of our bid as ‘a national priority’ and that ‘all land required for the construction and operation of the competition venues has been secured.”

The German city of Munich recently survived a local referendum on its bid in the Alpine town of Garmisch-Partenkirche, and received high marks for its short travel times with the vast majority of athletes able to stay within 10 minutes of their competition venues.

Munich bid CEO Bernhard Schwank stated: “On very first reading, we are absolutely thrilled with the IOC Evaluation Commission’s report. Right now we want to offer our sincere thanks to the Commission members for their full and frank assessment of our bid’s strengths.”

Katarina Witt added: “In general it’s a very positive report which shows they appreciated the strengths of our bid, particularly as athlete-friendly Games. If there are any criticisms here and there then it just reminds us of something we can do better.”

The French bid of Annecy has long been touted as an underdog in the race but was praised for its comprehensive environmental plan and what the IOC called a “workable model for Olympic winter Games sustainability”, although the report stated that accommodation could create “operational and financial challenges”.

Annecy bid CEO Charles Beigbeder said: “Today’s report is a real boost for the bid as it highlights the technical strengths of Annecy 2018’s vision of authentic Games in the heart of the mountains, with the athletes and for the future.

“We believe this strong report will help us to convince the Olympic Family that Annecy offers the best possible and most nurturing home for the 2018 Winter and Paralympic Games.”

World Wrestling Entertainment have announced a broadcast deal with TELE 5 to bring WWE’s flagship program, allergist  Monday Night Raw, try back to free television in Germany.

Starting April 10th, symptoms WWE fans will be able to see the two-hour version of Monday Night Raw every Thursday at 10.15pm on TELE 5.

WWE combines compelling storylines with an exciting mix of in-ring action, featuring WWE Superstars John Cena, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan and many more. In the United States, Monday Night Raw is the longest-running, weekly episodic program in primetime TV history and it is also one of the most-watched programs on cable.

“Monday Night RAW is a phenomenal television event that fascinates people all over the world”, says Kai Blasberg, CEO of TELE 5. “Now TELE 5 is bringing this highlight of the entertainment industry back to the German public TV audience.”

“WWE is thrilled to partner with Tele 5 to bring our family-friendly brand of entertainment to free TV making it more accessible to our German fans,” said Stefan Kastenmueller, General Manager, WWE Germany. “Our local team will be supporting this launch with multi-platform activities to bring the very best of all of our lines of business to the German market including Live Events, PPV, Consumer Products and Digital Services.”

Eric Mastalir has been named the chief commercial officer for the Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders FC and First & Goal, Inc., it was announced today.

He will be responsible for leading and developing the organization’s strategic planning, development and execution on all regional and national sales activities within the corporate partnerships and suite sales departments.

“I am excited to add Eric to our senior management team,” said Seahawks and Sounders FC President Peter McLoughlin. “He brings a diverse background and a wide-range of experience in both the sports and entertainment field.”

Mastalir joins Seattle after spending the previous five seasons as Vice President/Corporate Partnerships for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. With Sharks Sports & Entertainment, he oversaw all sponsorship sales and service efforts for the Sharks, HP Pavilion Management, Sharks Ice at San Jose (Sharks training facility), select HP Pavilion events and the HP Pavilion Citrix Suites sales and hospitality staff and the event presentation department.

Prior to his time in San Jose, Mastalir spent four years with Maloof Sports & Entertainment where he successfully led efforts to advance the corporate sponsor base of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, WNBA’s Sacramento Monarch’s and ARCO Arena.

He has also worked in corporate sales and business development for adidas, Bausch+Lomb and LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), while also spending time at Omnicom Group, aiding in corporate sponsorships and marketing for companies in global sports and entertainment events including the Olympics, Super Bowl, Grammy Awards and the Sundance Film Festival.

Mastalir holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Stanford University, where he earned All-American honors in track. He and his wife, Shannon, have two children, Cameron and Myles.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has today, May 10, released the Evaluation Commission’s report on the bidding cities for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in 2018, following visits to the three Candidate bidding to host the Games: Munich, Annecy and PyeongChang.

The Evaluation Commission spent four days in each city earlier in the year to conduct on-site inspections and carry out an assessment of the cities’  2018 Olympic Winter Games projects.

The report is a technical analysis which is being provided to IOC members prior to the “2018 Briefing for IOC Members” which will be held on May 18 and 19 in Lausanne, Switzerland. During this meeting the Candidate Cities will have the opportunity to present the technical aspects of their candidatures to the IOC members and answer questions.

The report comprises of evaluations of each city, at length, covering aspects of respective bids including: Vision, Concept and Legacy; Sport and Competition Venues; Olympic Villages; Paralympic Games; Accommodation; Transport; Media Operations; Environment and Meteorology; Safety and Security; Medical Services and Doping Control; Legal Aspects, Games Governance and Delivery; Political Structure, Government and Public Support; Marketing; Finance.

While the French city of Annecy are seen as outsiders, despite the efforts of new bid chief Charles Biegbeder, the contest is thought to be very tight between the candidates, with PyeongChang tipped as favourites in a recent report. Since then, the bid of Munich received a huge boost after passing a referendum when residents of the Alpine town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen rejected petitions to halt the city’s bid to stage the Games.

The election of the host city of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games will take place on July 6 during the 123rd IOC Session in Durban, South Africa. Prior to the IOC members casting their votes, the Candidate Cities will make their final presentations, followed by a final report by Evaluation Commission Chair Gunilla Lindberg, IOC member for Sweden. The city that obtains an absolute majority of votes will be elected.