The Sports Journalists’ Association of Great Britain (SJA) is delighted to announce The National Lottery as headline sponsor of this year’s SJA British Sports Awards, being staged at the Tower of London on Thursday, December 6.

“It has been possibly the greatest year in the history of British sport, a year when the SJA’s members have been busier than ever reporting on or photographing Grand Slam victories, European Cup wins and Major successes” said Sir Michael Parkinson, the SJA President. 

“The SJA is absolutely thrilled therefore to join forces with The National Lottery which has been a fundamental part in the transformation of British sport, helping to deliver so many Olympic and Paralympic medals, and is now joining us for the celebration of the sporting year at our British Sports Awards on December 6th.”

First staged in 1949, the SJA British Sports Awards is the oldest event of its kind in this country, and this year promises to be the most glittering and golden ever staged.

Andy Duncan, Managing Director of Camelot UK Lotteries Limited, added: “We are delighted to lend our support to the Sports Journalists’ Association’s British Sports Awards. This has been a year of stunning British sporting success – none more so than at London 2012, where almost nine out of 10 of the Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes selected had benefited from National Lottery funding. 

“Our players have been supporting elite sport in the UK since 1997 and the difference this has made isn’t hard to see. Team GB came home from the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 in 36th place in the medal table, with just a solitary gold medal. This year, Team GB had its most successful Games in over 100 years, finishing third in the medal table with 65 medals, 29 of which were gold – while ParalympicsGB won 120 medals, including 34 golds, to beat its Beijing haul of 102 medals. 

“We are therefore proud to partner with the Sports Journalists’ Association, whose members do so much to capture and bring to life these iconic sporting moments for us all to enjoy.”

Sky have looked to appease the fans by announcing that they will make highlights of this winter’s Ashes series available on free-to-air television for the first time.

Action from the day will be available throughout the winter on the channel Pick, accessible on Sky channel 152, Freeview, Virgin Media and Freesat.

England are aiming for a fourth consecutive Ashes success and viewers will be able to catch a comprehensive one-hour highlight package aired at 10pm following each day’s play.

This service will also extend to the one-day international and T20 series Down Under.

Pick channel director Stephen Ladlow said: “We are delighted to be able to showcase such a huge sporting event on Pick for our viewers. The Ashes is always compelling viewing and making the highlights available on Pick will give many more homes the opportunity to get a daily dose of Sky’s outstanding cricket coverage.”

Thomas Dieckhoff has been appointed the new World Triathlon Corporation’s (WTC) President for Europe, apoplectic Middle East and South Africa.

Dieckhoff joins Ironman brand owner WTC after holding management positions at Japan’s Kao Corporation and Procter & Gamble.

He will manage all of WTC’s activities in the aforementioned regions together with Kai Walter, WTC’s Managing Director of International Operations Europe at the new WTC headquarters in Hanau, Germany.

“Athletes see things from a different perspective. That’s the mind-set I want to bring to my job at WTC”, said Dieckhoff who has a 25-year career in consumer and marketing relations to bring to the role.

He added, “Our European races show an incredible degree of professionalism and this is a road I definitely want to continue walking down together with our management team and Ironman European staff.”

At the same time Dieckhoff is looking forward to expanding WTC’s business opportunities… “Triathlon has a lot of growth potential and racing in an Ironman event is every triathlete’s ultimate goal. Our emphasis will be on creating a sustainable growth strategy that focuses on our athletes’ demands – no matter if they are pros or age-groupers. Athletes can look forward to great new races in the short- and medium-term.”

Kai Walter, who will continue to manage the operational side of WTC’s European races is looking forward to working with a new team member on-board. Walter said, “Thomas is an excellent addition to our team and has proven to be a true leader. His knowledge and experience will help us to improve the quality of existing and new races alike.”

Soccerex is delighted to announce two specially tailored workshops, nurse focusing on the Base Camps and the Host Cities for the 2014 FIFA World Cup^TM, at this year’s Soccerex Global Convention in Rio de Janeiro on 24-28 November.

A vital part of any tournament is where teams are located throughout their stay in the host country. It is a crucial decision to make with a variety of issues affecting the team’s choice such as distance to group matches, altitude, climate, training facilities, accommodation and even the type of grass, as well as the debate between an urban or rural setting. The ‘Base Camp’ workshop will provide a three-tiered approach covering all the key decision making groups: firstly World Cup winning legends Juliano Belletti and Carlos Alberto Parreira will provide a player’s perspective, reliving their own World Cup base camp stories. They will then be followed by federation representatives including English FA General Secretary Alex Horne, to discuss the issues in selecting the right base camp for the benefit of the team. Finally Ivor Hoff, Chief Director of Sport for Gauteng Province during the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM, will provide an expert analysis on his experience of working for a base camp city and what Brazil can learn from South Africa.

With 12 Brazilian host cities confirmed for the 2014 FIFA World Cup^TM, teams will be competing all over the country in different conditions and challenges, making it the biggest in the history of the competition. All 12 host cities have been invited to the Convention, where a debate will take place on the commercial opportunities remaining for the host cities, as well the opportunities for them during the World Cup and after the tournament has finished.  It will provide an exclusive chance to hear from key city representatives from host cities including Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador and São Paulo.

The two workshops will be a part of a world class conference programme which will once again set the footballing agenda, with sessions tackling goal line technology, player ownership and transfers, sports rights, player development and a number of exclusive sessions with legends.

The Soccerex Global Convention is a five-day business event consisting of a comprehensive seminar line-up, a number of networking opportunities, a two-day football festival and a packed exhibition which is already close to selling out.

Held in a purpose-built venue within the Forte de Copacabana, with panoramic views of both the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, the exhibition is a hub for business activity; as one of the main components of the convention it provides a platform for leading suppliers from around the world to showcase the latest industry products and services to delegates.

For further information about this event please call +44 (0)208742 7100 or visit www.soccerex.com/global.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced a new four-year broadcast rights deal with sports media company PERFORM to deliver live and on-demand coverage of England’s home international matches to fans in North America and the Caribbean.

The deal will see live and on-demand content made available to viewers across a number of devices, purchase including Connected TV, PC, mobile and tablet, beginning with the NatWest T20 international against Sri Lanka on May 20 2014 in a summer that includes Investec Test Series against Sri Lanka and India, ten Royal London ODIs and a NatWest T20 against India. The deal runs until 2017 and therefore includes the Investec Ashes Series in 2015, as well as England Women’s and Lions matches.

David Collier, Chief Executive of ECB, said: “It is important for us to continue to increase the England cricket team’s global reach. The broadcasting agreements for the next contractual cycle will see an overall increase in revenues compared with the previous four-year period and this uplift owes much to the efforts of our commercial team. We are delighted to further develop our relationship with PERFORM who have been instrumental in our expansion of digital content.”

PERFORM has been ECB’s digital partner since 2010, streaming match and session highlights of international and domestic cricket through its ePlayer platform. The two organisations also collaborated in the live online streaming of the NatWest ODI between England Women and Australia Women in the 2013 Women’s Ashes Series, hosted on ECB’s YouTube channel.

Oliver Slipper, Joint-CEO at PERFORM, added: “We have formed a strong working relationship with ECB since our first agreement together in 2010 and are delighted to extend this partnership to deliver coverage to a North American, Canadian and Caribbean audience. As we continue to build on our success in providing live online coverage of the world’s biggest sporting competitions, we look forward to enabling cricket fans across the globe to watch England sides in action.”

Former Formula One champion Niki Lauda has resigned his position on the Air Berlin board after it conflicted with his new role at Mercedes Formula One team.

Austrian Lauda was named as non-executive chairman of the British-based team’s board when 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton was signed from McLaren last September.

Since then, Mercedes have announced the departure of motorsport chief Norbert Haug after more than 20 years in the high-profile job.

Lauda, 63 and a former Jaguar team principal, is expected to play a link role between the team and Stuttgart car manufacturer.

The Austrian retired from Formula One racing in 1985 to focus on his aviation interests. The low-cost Niki airline he founded in 2003 is now owned by Air Berlin after Lauda sold his stake in 2011.

Air Berlin thanked Lauda in a statement for his “committed, stimulating work for the benefit of the company”.

 

1	Indian Hockey Federation to Elect New President after Shetty Resigns	Tuesday, 30 October 2012
2	AEG Chief Chris McGowan Becomes Portland Trail Blazers CEO	Tuesday, 30 October 2012
3	Steve Wharton to Step Down as Scunthorpe Chairman	Tuesday, 30 October 2012
4	Rod Bransgrove Steps Down as Ageas Bowl Chief Executive	Monday, 29 October 2012
5	Randy Bernard Quits as IndyCar CEO	Monday, 29 October 2012
6	Bruno Grandi Re-Elected as FIG Presdent	Monday, 29 October 2012
7	Chicago White Sox Promotes Ken Williams to Vice President, Rick Hahn to be GM	Monday, 29 October 2012
8	British Judo Chief Executive Scott McCarthy to Step Down	Friday, 26 October 2012
9	NBA Commissioner David Stern to Retire in 2014	Thursday, 25 October 2012
10	Glasgow 2014 Appoints Ralph Ord as Chief Operating Officer	Thursday, 25 October 2012
11	Jean-François Palus Becomes Chairman of Puma’s Administrative Board	Thursday, 25 October 2012
12	Mark Loewe Named Vice President of Ohio Racing Operations	Wednesday, 24 October 2012
13	Former LOCOG Head Simon Lilley Joins Arsenal as Retail Director	Tuesday, 23 October 2012
14	Marisol Casado Re-Elected as International Triathlon Union President	Tuesday, 23 October 2012
15	Gloucestershire Cricket Appoint Two New Members to Executive Board	Monday, 22 October 2012
16	Kamil Novak to Become FIBA Europe Secretary General	Monday, 22 October 2012
17	Exclusive: Dr h.c. Klaus Schormann to Build on UIPM President Re-Election	Sunday, 21 October 2012
18	Cycling Australia Chief Quits after Doping Revelation	Friday, 19 October 2012
19	Gerald Majola Fired as CEO Cricket South Africa	Friday, 19 October 2012
20	Manchester United Chief David Gill Appointed Vice-Chairman of FA	Thursday, 18 October 2012
21	BCB Appoints Papon as President & Reveals New Rights Deal	Thursday, 18 October 2012
22	Nick Bice Appointed to Manage Volvo Ocean Race Yacht Maintenance Centre	Thursday, 18 October 2012
23	Paul Brazeau Becomes Senior Associate Commissioner of Big East Conference	Wednesday, 17 October 2012
24	Sebastian Coe Set to Become BOA Chairman after Unopposed Election	Wednesday, 17 October 2012
25	FA Decide Against Keeping Bernstein Chairman Beyond Age of 70	Wednesday, 17 October 2012
26	Simon Green to Lead BT’s New Sports Channel	Wednesday, 17 October 2012
27	Jeremy Wray Replaced as Swindon Town Chairman	Monday, 15 October 2012
28	Kerrith Brown Appointed Chairman of British Judo Association	Sunday, 14 October 2012
29	John O’Neil to Step Down as Australia Rugby Union Chief	Friday, 12 October 2012
30	Football Federation Australia Appoints Two New Directors	Friday, 12 October 2012
31	Monisha Kaltenborn Named Sauber’s New Team Principal	Thursday, 11 October 2012
32	Harlequins Appoint James Kendall as Commercial Director	Thursday, 11 October 2012
33	Adam Oakes Becomes CEO of SportingPulse as News Limited Increases Stake in Company	Thursday, 11 October 2012
34	Troon Golf Appoint Chris Card as Group General Manager at Abu Dhabi Golf Club	Thursday, 11 October 2012
35	Bill Beaumont Appointed Chairman of Six Nations Council	Wednesday, 10 October 2012
36	Former MediaCom Sport Director Dundas to Run Repucom UK Office	Wednesday, 10 October 2012
37	Football League Appoints Alfonso Medina Head of Media Rights	Wednesday, 10 October 2012
38	Bangladesh’s Mustafa Kamal to Take Up ICC Vice-President Role	Tuesday, 09 October 2012
39	Carlos Nuzman Re-Elected as Brazilian Olympic Committee President	Monday, 08 October 2012
40	Chang Beer Appoints Joanne O’Connell to Activate Everton Sponsorship	Friday, 05 October 2012
41	Sir Clive Woodward to Resign from BOA Role	Thursday, 04 October 2012
42	Steve Kavanagh Named New CEO of Southend United	Thursday, 04 October 2012
43	Troon’s David J Flanders Appointed General Manager of Royal Golf Club	Wednesday, 03 October 2012
44	Exclusive: Juliet Slot Ecstatic about New Role at Ascot Racecourse	Tuesday, 02 October 2012
45	Alan Whiteley Leaves CEO Post at Cardiff City	Tuesday, 02 October 2012
46	Paolo Barelli Becomes European Swimming Federation President	Monday, 01 October 2012
47	Ramachandran Re-elected as World Squash Federation President	Monday, 01 October 2012
48	Sport Advisory Committee of Rio 2016 Appoints Ricardo Prado as President	Monday, 01 October 2012
49	John Petrie Quits as Chief Executive of England Golf	Monday, 01 October 2012
50	Singapore Sports Council Appoints Six New Members	Monday, 01 October 2012

With the Ashes on the horizon, abortion Cricket Australia have announced a partnership with Accenture which will allow fans to be able to view cricket games on their computers, viagra smartphones and tablets.

Under a five-year agreement to deliver live streaming and subscriber management services, Accenture will support Cricket Australia’s new digital services offering by providing enhanced digital experiences directly to cricket fans viaCricket Australia Live: The Official App. Deployed on Telstra’s Cloud Infrastructure, the service is scheduled to go live later this month in advance of the Ashes Test Series.

Cricket Australia’s Executive General Manager – Media, Communications & Marketing, Ben Amarfio, said the streaming service in Cricket Australia Live: The Official App will make it easier for cricket fans to follow the action this summer, no matter where they are.

“Given the huge demand for tickets to this summer’s matches, we know cricket lovers are eagerly awaiting the start of the season. While nothing quite compares to being at a match live, users of the Cricket Australia Live: The Official Appand the subscription streaming service will still be able to catch all of the cricket action wherever they may be,” said Amarfio.

Cricket Australia selected Accenture because it offers integrated digital solutions based on its Accenture Video Solution software products and specialized managed services like its Live Events & Sports solution and Accenture Mobility services.

“In today’s digital era, consumer feels more empowered, both in terms of what they expect to consume and how they choose to consume it,” said Russell Smyth, Accenture Australia Communications, Media and Technology Lead. “Designed with fans in mind, this innovative service will allow Cricket Australia subscribers to enjoy high-quality streaming on their computers, smartphones and tablets.”

Philip Freedman has been announced as the new chairman of the Horsemen’s Group from January 1.

Freedman, an owner-breeder and former board member of the British Horseracing Board, replaces Paul Dixon on an initial three-year term; he is currently managing director of Cliveden Stud.

“I am delighted to be taking up the post of Horsemen’s Group chairman and I am looking forward to working with the Horsemen’s Group members with a very clear focus on improving prize-money at all levels,” said Freedman.

“The re-introduction of Race Values under the Rules of Racing shows what can be achieved when racing’s stakeholders are prepared to work sensibly together and I have made no secret of the fact that I believe that an approach based on collaboration and constructive dialogue with the rest of the industry will provide the basis for achieving contractual agreements that would guarantee that a fair share of the sport’s revenue is allocated to prize-money.

“Such arrangements would represent a new dawn for the industry, allowing us to move on from the traditional state of acrimony to one in which all of racing’s stakeholders come together with a view to maximising the value of our combined assets.”

Julian Richmond-Watson, the Thoroughbred Breeders Association’s member director on the Horsemen’s Group Board, said: “Although Philip’s appointment has not been as straightforward as we had anticipated, all of the members are delighted that he has agreed to take up this vital role at such a crucial time.

“We have now established a sustainable model for the Horsemen’s Group, which means that the long term future of the organisation is much more secure.

“Philip will work very closely with the chief executives of the member organisations and we will all be focussing our combined efforts on achieving improved returns for all of our members.”

The Horsemen’s Group represents the common interests of British racehorse owners, trainers, jockeys, stable staff and thoroughbred breeders.

Its constituent bodies are the Racehorse Owners Association, National Trainers Federation, Professional Jockeys Association, National Association of Stable Staff and Thoroughbred Breeders Association.