Transport for London (TfL) has unveiled plans to build a cable car across the River Thames linking the O2 Arena with the Excel Centre, which are both Olympic and Paralympic venues for the 2012 Games.

The £25 million (US$37 million) scheme could provide a crossing every 30 seconds, and carry up to 2,500 passengers an hour in each direction, cutting travel times dramatically between the two venues.

The London Mayor, Boris Johnson, said: “A cable car spanning the majestic Thames would not only provide a unique and pioneering addition to London’s skyline but also offer a serene and joyful journey across the river.

“Passengers would be able to drink in the truly spectacular views of the Olympic Park and iconic London landmarks whilst shaving valuable minutes from their travelling time.”

London’s Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy, said: “A privately funded cable car system offers a relatively quick and cost effective way of improving connections across the river for pedestrians and cyclists.”

Barcelona, Cologne, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Madrid and New York already have urban cable cars, but this would be a first for Britain.

Providing funding and planning permission are secured, the cars should be in place in time for the 2012 Games.

V8 Supercars have announced today a major six-year, $241 million media deal with Foxtel, Fox Sports and Ten Network for all media rights including digital from 2015 to 2020, consisting of $196 million cash and $45 million of advertising.

It is the biggest deal ever inked for the organisation and represents a significant increase on all previous deals.

V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton said: “This is a tremendous and significant deal for our sport. It is a great boost to our amazing race teams and fans and will lead to unprecedented coverage on multiple platforms for our sport, never before seen on such a scale.

“I thank Richard Freudenstein, CEO and Managing Director of Foxtel; Patrick Delany, CEO of Fox Sports; and Hamish McLennan, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Ten Network Holdings, for their plans and commitment to grow this sport to unprecedented levels.

“I would also like to thank Seven and their commitment to the sport since 2007 and of course their continued support for 2014, the final year of our partnership,” Mr Warburton said.

Foxtel CEO and Managing Director, Richard Freudenstein, said: “Foxtel is delighted to partner with V8 Supercars, Australia’s pre-eminent motorsport series. This relationship will significantly strengthen our sports offering and give yet another reason to subscribe to Foxtel.

“Hundreds of thousands of Australians love motorsports and I know that dedicated fans will be delighted that Foxtel and Fox Sports will be able to deliver a breadth and depth of coverage of the V8 Supercars Series that they’ve never seen before.

“Not only will the series be available in amazing High Definition on the Foxtel cable and satellite service, fans will also be able to enjoy all the action on the move with Foxtel Go or with the convenience of Foxtel Play.”

Fox Sports CEO, Patrick Delany, said: “V8 Supercars have a proud history of innovation. We relish the opportunity to work with talented V8 Supercars race teams and the team at V8 Supercars TV to give the sport the FOX SPORTS treatment – every minute of practice, qualifying, support categories and the Championship races – all LIVE and in stunning HD.

“We will be there for the fans and we will make no compromises in delivering them the finest coverage. We will focus on innovating coverage to take fans closer to the action, the heroes, the stars and the insights. There will be weekly entertainment shows to complement the LIVE race coverage and a massive promotional platform via not only our seven Fox Sports channels but the entire Foxtel platform,” he said.

Ten Network Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Hamish McLennan, said: “We are delighted to welcome V8 Supercars back home to Ten in 2015.

“V8 Supercars is an iconic Australian sport, reaching into every part of the country, and James Warburton and his team have big plans to make it even stronger and better.

“Ten is now truly the home of motorsport. Formula One, MotoGP and V8 Supercars will make a powerful, exciting combination for all our viewers and advertisers. Today’s announcement is in line with our strategy of investing in premium live sport and adding more Event TV to Ten.

“I’m personally looking forward to seeing the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and other great V8 Supercars events on Ten,” he said.

The 2014 V8 Supercars season kicks off with the sydney.com pre-season test day at Sydney Motorsport Park (Feb 15) followed by the Clipsal 500 Adelaide from Feb 27-March 2.

Essex County Cricket Club have announced Derek Bowden will become their new chief executive, taking up the role early in the 2013 season.

He will succeed David East, who ended 12 years in the post at the end of last year to take the same role at Abu Dhabi Cricket Club and the Emirates Cricket Board.

Bowden has experience in the sporting world, as chief executive of Ipswich Town, and in the business world, having spent over 18 years in various senior management roles at Saatchi & Saatchi.

He told www.essexcricket.org.uk: “I’m really looking forward to joining the team at Essex and working with them to create the success that Essex Cricket deserves.”

Essex chairman Nigel Hilliard said: “Derek has a wealth of experience in the commercial and sporting world, which will be of great benefit to the club at a time when we are embarking on a major redevelopment of The Essex County Ground.

“Once completed the stadium will be a fitting centrepiece to the new City of Chelmsford.”

The executive producer of the Delhi Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, Ric Birch does not believe India should be allowed to bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. Birch claims that his company, Spectak Productions, is owed 15 per cent of its fees concerning the opening ceremony which the organisers have allegedly refused to pay.

Mr Birch believes that the organising committee still owe millions of dollars to foreign firms involved in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Spectak is just one of a number of companies still awaiting payments for the services they provided.

“Every single detail, every single word – its meaning, definition, its possible connotation – of every document and contract is being minutely examined, checked, double-checked and triple-checked to ensure that no one can be accused of a transgression,” said Birch. 

“People are scared that if they clear a bill, say, of an Australian contractor, they will be accused by the media of ‘siphoning’ money off to an Australian.

“The media have made such crazy and wild allegations that no one wants to take any chances.”

Birch believes that the longer the payments take to be made the less chance that India will have in their proposed bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games. The situation is also not helped by the severe criticism that the organising committee of the Commonwealth Games came under prior to its opening.

International law firm Norton Rose has become the exclusive legal advice partner of Munich’s bid committee to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, it has been announced.

The firm will provide support to the German city’s bid to host the Games during the candidate city phase, where it faces competition from Annecy, France and PyeongChang, South Korea.

Munich 2018 CEO, Willy Bogner, said: “Norton Rose’s support comes at exactly the right time to boost our preparation of the bid book. We need a large number of contracts and guarantees with local authorities, so we will make full use of their extensive legal expertise.

“This partnership will enable us to continue uniting every level of German society, from individuals to governments, from local businesses to international corporations, in passionate support of Munich’s bid to host the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

“With Norton Rose we have won a partner with a highly influential international network. During the candidate city stage, these international contacts will be an invaluable asset in helping us tell our story all over the world.”

Dr Alexander Von Bergwelt, managing partner of Norton Rose in Germany, added: “Norton Rose is a sports-minded law firm. Naturally, we support Munich’s application to host the Winter Games in 2018. We have local roots and a global presence, with our network of 30 offices all over the world and our lawyers cover all relevant areas of legal expertise.

“This allows us to provide optimal support to the bid committee, particularly drafting the bid book, which will form an important basis for selecting the 2018 host city.”

“ESPN has a long history of working with the Arena Football League and this new agreement is a great opportunity to showcase the AFL as part of out year-round commitment to football,” ESPN director of programming and acquisitions Matthew Volk said in the release.

The multi-year agreement marks the first time since 2008 that the AFL will have televised games on ESPN. The league folded in 2009 and returned in 2010.

“The AFL’s return to ESPN is the latest example of the strides our sports has made in recent years,” AFL commissioner Jerry Kurz said. “Having the ArenaBowl on the ESPN family of networks for years to come puts our championship game alongside some of the most prominent events in television.”

At the end of a press release sent by the AFL, it notes that CBS Sports Network is still a television partner with the league.

“Reuniting with a great partner like ESPN is a clear sign of the positive progress we have made over the past couple of seasons,” said Soul owner and ESPN NFL analyst Ron Jaworski. “They are the ‘Worldwide Leader in Sports’ for a reason and this renewed relationship validates our credibility, brings us more exposure and confirms what other partners like CBS have seen with the recent efforts we have made to grow our game in a positive direction. We are excited with these partnerships and happy to be teamed with organizations that share our vision for the bright future of our sport.”

Fears of a negative effect on England’s World Cup bid after a BBC’s Panorama documentary have been boosted substantially in a report issued by FIFA’s executive committee. The report revealed that if England were to win the bid to host the 2018 World Cup they would generate the highest income over their rival bidders.

England’s bid achieved a maximum rating over the areas of ticketing, television and media rights, sponsorship, hospitality and merchandising and licensing.

With regards to England’s rivals in the bid to host the 2018 World Cup, Spain and Portugal were their closest competitors receiving a rating of 91 per cent whilst the current favourites to host the tournament, Russia achieved the lowest score of 86 per cent. The remaining bid nation of Holland and Belgium achieved an 87 per cent rating in the report.

The boost will be a welcome result to all involved with the England World Cup bid after the BBC Panorama special was thought to have dented the bid’s chances of approval. The programme has come under criticism from a wide range of sources which believe the content to be dated and the timing to be detrimental to the nation’s hosting hopes.

The bid team is now eagerly anticipating the decision which will be made on Thursday with the likes of Prince William, Prime Minister David Cameron and David Beckham all backing the bid amongst the presentation team.