By Ismail Uddin

Kevin Payne, President and CEO of MLS’ D.C. United has suggested South American Football Confederation’s (CONMEBOL) decision to award USA the Copa America in 2016 may have been motivated by the huge American television market.

Speaking exclusively to iSportconnect, Payne said: “I’m not sure why COMNEBOL has taken this decision, but I assume at least part of it is aimed at the potential of the American television market, specifically, and the soccer market, generally.

CONMEBOL awarded the event to the United States who have never hosted the spectacle. The Copa America marks it centenary in 2016.

Payne added: “I’m not sure how this strategy will work — I’m sure certain teams and matches will be high demand, like any match with Argentina (assuming Messi is playing).  I’m not sure, however, that Venezuela-Peru has the same appeal.  They’d be better off working with Major League Soccer and soccer specific stadia for the earlier rounds, considering larger stadia for specific games and the final.”

Britain’s Sir Craig Reedie, a member of the London Olympics organising committee board, was elected as an International Olympic Committee vice-president on Thursday along with Nawal El Moutawakel.

Sir Craig exclusively told iSportconnect: “To be elected as a Vice President of the International Olympic Committee is the greatest possible honour at any time – but from a personal point of view the honour is greatly enhanced to be elected in London before the Olympic Games which have been such a wonderful project for me for many years.”

Reedie, 71, a top class badminton player in his youth, lobbied successfully for the sport’s introduction at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Moroccan Nawal El Moutawakel, 50, who won the inaugural women’s 400 metres hurdles gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, was elected to the other vacant vice-president’s position.

El Moutawakel, who four years ago became the first woman from a Muslim nation voted onto the executive board, now becomes the first to reach the vice presidency.

“I am deeply honored,” said El Moutawakel, who heads the IOC’s coordination commission for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. “I will continue to promote the Olympic movement with passion and devotion and energy. You can count on me.”

Sir Craig also was the main feature on iSportconnect’s e-magazine. Click here to go to the e-magazine

Discuss with Sir Craig Reedie about his new appointment here>>

1	Giles Clarke Nominated to be Re-elected as ECB Chairman	Wednesday, 29 February 2012
2	Circuit of the Americas Appoint a Host of Personnel	Tuesday, 28 February 2012
3	Former Everton Chief Becomes Cricket Holdings America CEO	Monday, 27 February 2012
4	Rangers COO & Director of Football to Leave Club	Friday, 24 February 2012
5	Squash Star Sue Wright Becomes Ambassador to London 2012 Legacy Programme Sport Makers	Thursday, 23 February 2012
6	IOC Vice President Mario Pescante Quits Over Failed Rome 2020 Bid	Wednesday, 22 February 2012
7	USA Triathlon Employ Jonathan Hall to Fill Performance Leader Position	Tuesday, 21 February 2012
8	Niall Quinn Quits Sunderland Position	Monday, 20 February 2012
9	Rio 2016 Left Flummoxed after Double Resignation	Monday, 20 February 2012
10	IMG Media Appoint Tim Lacy as Executive Producer of Digital Production	Monday, 20 February 2012
11	Phoenix Suns Charities Appoint Tim Benter to Board of Directors	Thursday, 16 February 2012
12	Les Snead Becomes New General Manager of St Louis Rams	Wednesday, 15 February 2012
13	Former CEO of MetLife Stadium Mark Lamping Becomes President of Jacksonville Jaguars	Tuesday, 14 February 2012
14	ESPN Promote Jamie Horowitz to Vice President of Original Programming and Production	Tuesday, 14 February 2012
15	Issa Hayatou to Remain CAF President	Monday, 13 February 2012
16	San Francisco 49ers Promote Gideon Yu to President, GM Baalke’s Contract Extended	Monday, 13 February 2012
17	UKA’s Ed Warner Becomes Chairman of London 2017 Committee	Thursday, 09 February 2012
18	Asian Tour Appoints Former ESPN Star Sports Executive as CEO	Thursday, 09 February 2012
19	OPLC Chair Baroness Margaret Ford to Step Down after London 2012	Wednesday, 08 February 2012
20	Pac-12 Conference Agree Contract Extension with Commissioner Larry Scott	Tuesday, 07 February 2012
21	ASOIF President Denis Oswald Quits Clearing Path for Successor	Thursday, 02 February 2012
22	Former Olympic Gold Medallist Becomes Sports Director for Tokyo 2020 Bid	Thursday, 02 February 2012
23	WWE Appoint Eric Pankowski as Senior Vice President of Creative & Development	Thursday, 02 February 2012
24	United Football League Commissioner Michael Huyghue Resigns	Wednesday, 01 February 2012
25	Karen Webb Leaves OPLC to Become Independent Consultant to Westfield	Monday, 30 January 2012

The Arizona IMG Sports Network announced that Fox Sports 910 will be the new radio partner for all University of Arizona Wildcat football and men’s basketball games in the Phoenix market.

Joe Moeller, illness General Manager of Arizona IMG Sports Marketing, order commented on the new partnership: “Creating a new partnership with Fox Sports 910, viagra without prescription a 24/7 sports station, provides the Arizona IMG Sports Network an even more valuable platform for our partners and fans alike in the Phoenix market. Arizona fans and future Wildcats alike will not only be able to enjoy our live network broadcasts, they will also be able to hear from our athletic director, coaches and student-athletes nearly every day of the year.”

Scott Hopeck, President, Phoenix Market, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, said of the deal: “Teaming up with the Arizona Wildcats to provide full University of Arizona football and men’s basketball coverage is a significant addition to our new Fox Sports 910 brand. We are happy to serve the large base of fans and alumni who now have a new radio home where they can follow their Wildcats anywhere in the Valley. This is Wildcat Country and the new Fox Sports 910 is the Voice of Arizona Sports.”

All weekly football and men’s basketball coaches’ shows will be aired on the Clear Channel station.

The United States, for the first time will host the Copa America in 2016, which has never been staged outside South America in the last 100 years.

South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) officials made the announcement on Wednesday evening, with the competition to combine 10 nations from South America and six from the CONCACAF region. Named the ‘Copa America Centenario’, the 2016 tournament will see the United States and Mexico – along with the four highest placing nations at the 2015 Gold Cup – compete.

The confederation wrote in a statement: “In July of 2016, Conmebol will celebrate its first century. Because of this, with the aim to celebrate it with the pomp it deserves, the association presidents and members of the Executive Committee have decided to hold a tournament with nations throughout the Americas.”

The 2015 Copa America will still go ahead, but will be held in Chile after Brazil withdrew from its duties. Japan and Mexico, meanwhile, have been invited as guests of the tournament.

“Mexico and Japan are two sibling federations and friends of South American football,” CONMEBOL said in an official statement.

Claudia Bokel of Germany has been elected chair of the International Olympic Committee athletes’ commission and joins the IOC executive board.

Bokel, 38, a former fencer, won the election among Olympic athletes ahead of the London Games beating out Russian swimmer Alexander Popov and British skeleton slider Adam Pengilly.

Bokel will replace Namibia’s Frankie Fredericks at the top of the athletes’ commission. Fredericks is set to be elected into the IOC as a regular member at the IOC session starting on Monday.

Bokel has been in the IOC since 2008 and was athletes’ commission vice president since 2010. She is the second German in the decision-making executive board, joining IOC vice-president Thomas Bach.

Durchschnittlich 9, clinic 15 Millionen Zuschauer (29,7 Prozent Marktanteil) sahen am Mittwoch, 24. Oktober 2012, im ZDF das Champions-League-Topspiel zwischen Borussia Dortmund und Real Madrid (2:1). In der Schlussphase der Begegnung waren bis zu 10,72 Millionen an den Bildschirmen dabei.

Auch die Zusammenfassungen der weiteren Partien des dritten Champions-League-Spieltages im Anschluss an die Übertragung aus Dortmund stießen am späten Abend mit durchschnittlich 7,10 Millionen Zuschauern (Marktanteil: 33,8 Prozent) auf großes Interesse.

Federico de Mojana de Cologna has become the new Managing Director of the Italian office of Eurosport, symptoms the European sport entertainment Media Group.

Born in  1972, vcialis 40mg de Mojana graduated in Law in 1996 at University of Milan. After de Mojana moved to Paris to work at Canal+, where he was in charge of the Spanish market, the negotiation of Italian soccer rights and the launch of Cyfra+, the Polish digital platform.  In 1998 de Mojana became Director of Development of Cyfra+, taking care also of the creation of the Polish version of Eurosport.

In 2003 de Mojana returned to France to join Eutelsat, with responsability for the commercial planning and new business development.

De Mojana will be based at Eurosport’s Milan office and report to Olivier Bramly, Director of Distribution at Eurosport headquarters  in Paris.

“After 15 years of experience in the media and communications world I’m honored to take on this challenge” said Cologna “At Eurosport  we work every day to offer the best sport content experience to our audience through our multimedia platform. It is an exciting time in sport, with Euro 2012, the London 2012 Olympic Games, without forgetting the Tour de France on-air now and the US Open and  Vuelta to come. With such a great offer, I am confident Eurosport will be able to satisfy even the most demanding sports fans.”