Question about the fireworks at the opening and closing ceremonies was posed in Acapulco as IOC president Jacques Rogge took questions from leaders of the 200+ National Olympic Committees who have been meeting in Mexico for five days.

Sri Lankan NOC head, Hemasiri Fernando, raised the issue if the extravagant fireworks which are such an inherent part of the celebrations could be bad for the environment.

‘We all have the responsibility to protect this earth and the fireworks have a tremendous effect on the environment,” said Fernando, one of 14 NOC representatives to ask questions during the joint meeting between the IOC executive board and the Anoc executive board.

IOC president Jacques Rogge said he was taking the issue seriously and would speak to London 2012 organisers and the IOC’s environmental committee.

Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Cincinnati Reds have expanded their partnership with Skyview Networks.

New to the contract and beginning with the 2014 MLB season, ampoule Skyview will now provide its AdView Inventory Management software, a cloud-based application that allows the Cincinnati Reds access to their logs from anywhere an internet connection is available. AdView, coupled with Skyview’s satellite distribution service already in place for radio, will allow the Cincinnati Reds to regionalize advertiser messaging across its network of over 105 radio affiliates.

“We appreciate the personal contact with the entire Skyview organization. I have found the account team to be very responsive in learning about our needs and how to meet them. They consistently go above and beyond to get the job done correctly. We currently have 105 affiliates and use Skyview for Regionalization of commercials, trafficking and inventory management and they have been very alert to our needs. It is not just a buyer seller relationship—it is a true collaboration to be more efficient and innovative,” said Bill Reinberger, Cincinnati Reds’ Vice President Corporate Sales.

With a network of affiliates spanning nine states, the Cincinnati Reds see value in offering advertisers regionalized messaging, known as copy split-spot insertion (the ability to run different versions of an advertiser message simultaneously). With Skyview, the franchise now has the flexibility to carve its network into regions at the request of advertisers that are looking to tailor campaigns by market.

“We feel that the Reds will enjoy AdView’s streamlined and user-friendly interface for regionalizing its network,” said Ken Thiele, President of Skyview Networks. “We enjoy our working relationship with the Reds’ organization and we are proud to have earned their trust to continue developing our partnership. We look forward to a continued collaboration for tailored broadcast services.”

St Helens RLFC has announced Mike Rush as Chief Executive Officer.

Mike has been with the Club for more than 13 years and in that time has held a number of senior positions including Head of Youth Development, Assistant Coach, Head Coach and, most recently, General Manager. 

Chairman Eamonn McManus stated: “Mike is ideally qualified and suited for the position of CEO of the Saints. He has extensive relevant experience in every area of the Club’s operations and has made a great success of all his roles at the Club over an extensive period. 

“His loyalty and talent are undoubted and he is totally committed to the success of the Saints as one of the world’s leading professional rugby league clubs.” 

Mike Rush added: “I’m delighted to take up the position of CEO at the Saints. I have been with the club a long time and I am looking forward to contributing to the next stage of its development. 

“I fully believe we are entering an exciting new era at the Saints. We have a fantastic new stadium at Langtree Park and a new training facility at Cowley International College and I am sure we are now well positioned to realise the best commercial return for the club both on and off the field.” 

Yesterday’s, April 7, SportAccord Convention date in London saw the race to host the 2018 Winter Olympics gather pace as Munich, Annecy and PyeongChang pitched their bids for the Games to the international sporting community.

The first presentation from Munich, highlighted the financial strength of the German bid before Annecy underlined its Alpine traditions in the second slot and then PyeongChang pledged a US$500m Olympic investment program in the final presentation.

Munich’s presentation focused on Germany’s record as a leader in sponsorship of winter sports with Ian Robertson, BMW’s head of sales and marketing, revealing that German companies fund 50 per cent of the revenues of the seven winter Olympic sports federations.

Katarina Witt, the two-time figure skating gold medal-winner who chairs the Munich bid, said: “We are not just promising full stadia; we guarantee full stadia.”

Issues surrounding the German city’s bid regard some landowners in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which would host the Alpine ski events in 2018, refusing to give up their land for the Olympics, and a referendum on the bid will be held in the town on May 8.

However, Thomas Bach, the IOC executive board member who oversees the German city’s bid, insisted in a press conference that the matter has “not been discussed” at the IOC, and Munich 2018 leaders are confident of a positive result in the referendum.

Annecy bid CEO Charles Beigbeder promised “an authentic Games in the heart of the mountains” that would reunite the “rich heritage of the Alps with the Olympic Movement”. Jean-Claude Killy appeared in a video to support the bid, with Beigbeder playing down the absence of the French IOC member by saying in a press conference: “Jean-Claude is fully supportive of our plans.”

PyeongChang, which is making its third successive bid after narrow defeats in the votes to host the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, underlined its ‘New Horizons’ message in the final presentation of the day.

Bid leader Cho Yang-ho stated: “This is a historic choice and a historic chance for the Olympic movement. We want to give 650 million young people in new markets the opportunity and the access to enjoy winter sport.”

South Korean Sports and Culture Minister Choung Byoung-gug announced that the government would invest $500m in a ‘Drive the Dream’ fund to develop Korean winter sports athletes through to 2018.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on the winning bid on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.

The International Olympic Committee is looking to set up the equivalent of the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) dedicated to eradicating illegal betting on sports.

The IOC already has a system in place that monitors sports betting and so far the Beijing and Vancouver Games have come through unscathed without any incidents.

IOC President Jacques Rogge says that it will take time to establish a viable agency and it took seven years to create WADA so he doesn’t expect a short term solution. Working with all the governments to coordinate harmonization is challenging and will take research and study.

Rogge affirmed that the IOC is going ahead with the plans and has already drafted regulations penalizing athletes, sale coaches and officials involved in illegal betting.

The IOC plans to meet with government leaders in the beginning of next year to hammer out a universal policy against illegal betting along the same lines as the same model used to set up WADA.

Rights agency Learfield Sports has announced that it will represent the Temple University Owls for the next 10 years.

Beginning with the upcoming 2014-’15 athletic season, Learfield will assume the Owls’ comprehensive multimedia rights and establish a local entity, Temple Sports Properties, to work with the university’s athletics administration and corporate sponsors of the Owl program.

Learfield Sports has already begun vetting staff for its Temple Sports Properties team, which will manage every aspect of the Owls’ rights including signage, sponsorships, corporate hospitality, event marketing, play-by-play radio, television and radio coaches’ shows, and official athletic website advertising.

“Temple University Athletics is excited to have a prestigious company such as Learfield Sports representing our media rights for the next decade,” said Temple University Vice President and Director of Athletics Kevin Clark.  “We went through an exhaustive evaluation process, examining proposals from different firms, and Learfield Sports distinguished itself with a comprehensive plan to help continue to grow the Temple brand on a local, regional and national stage.  We liked their approach to the business and the support systems they provide their sales staffs. This is a critical step in the overall growth of Temple Athletics.”

“Kevin has done a terrific job leading Temple Athletics, and we are fortunate to have an opportunity to work with him and his team,” said Learfield Sports President/CEO Greg Brown whose company also represents other American Athletic Conference members SMU, Memphis and Tulsa.  “When we had a chance to sit down and discuss the future of Temple Athletics, Kevin’s vision was one that excited us and one that we felt fit with our properties. We’re honored to now represent the Temple program.”

Soccerex has announced that David Bernstein will be leading a senior delegation as The FA marks its 150th anniversary at this year’s Soccerex European Forum on 10-11 April in Manchester.

As part of its year-long celebration of a century and a half of organised football, healing The FA will be playing a major role in every aspect of the Forum. It will see The FA host the VIP Lounge, tadalafil provide a number of high-profile speakers for the conference programme, bronchi exhibit the newly-opened St. George’s Park and detail Wembley Stadium’s packed calendar of events in its 90^th birthday year.

The exclusive FA150-branded VIP Lounge will feature the 1863 Minute Book – the original and historic transcript of The Football Association’s first-ever rules and regulations – and The FA Cup trophy. 

The FA has a significant involvement across this year’s conference programme, after playing a major part in last November’s global conference in Rio.

In what will be one of his final public addresses before standing down in the summer, FA Chairman David Bernstein will take part in a special 1-2-1 session with David Davies. 

Having been at the centre of English football for the last two years, which included Roy Hodgson’s appointment, the 2012 UEFA European Championship, the launch of St. George’s Park and The FA’s 150th anniversary to name a few, Mr Bernstein will look back over his time as chairman and share his thoughts on the future.

As previously announced, Roy Hodgson will be speaking on ‘The Three Lions’ panel alongside Bryan Robson and Kevin Keegan in a session moderated by Sky Sports’ Hayley McQueen. The FA representation will also include General Secretary Alex Horne, Club England Managing Director and Communications Director Adrian Bevington, as well as a number of FA150 ambassadors. 

The exhibition will also feature The FA’s new national football centre St. George’s Park, officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last October, which will be  exhibiting for the second year in a row. Senior representatives will be on hand to provide an update on the first six months since St. George’s Park opened and the programmes that have already been put in place. 

The Soccerex European Forum is a two-day event which attracts more than 1,500 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.

Russia is hoping for more success in bidding to host major sports championships having tabled a bid through the city of Kazan for the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Championships 2015/2017.

The ministry of Sport, doctor Tourism and Youth policy of the Russian Federation together with the All Russian Swimming Federation with support of the Government of the Russian Federation and Government of the Republic of Tatarstan have agreed to the campaign.

The official handover ceremony of Kazan Bid Book took place in London, doctor April 5, denture within the SportAccord International Convention 2011.

The official ceremony was attended by the FINA (the International Swimming Federation) President Dr. Julio C. Maglione, FINA Executive Director Cornel Marculescu, Executive Director of the Russian Olympic Committee Marat Bariev, Director of  “Kazan 2015/2017” bid, Director General of the Executive Committee of XXVII World Summer Universiade 2013 in Kazan Vladimir Leonov.

According to the last data, alongside Kazan, the representatives of the 4 metropolises are interested in hosting the 2015/2017 World Aquatics Championships, which are Seoul, Budapest, Hong Kong, Marrakech.

However, the short list of cities-candidates (bidders) will be generated after April 8. The vote by the Bureau on the host of the competition will take place on July15, 2011 with the occasion of the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai (CHN).