There is set to be increased coveraged of the FIA World Endurance Championship following new broadcast deals by the auto racing series..  

Agreements have been reached with Sport TV 3 in Brazil, medic part of the TV Globo group, ailment with the first and last hour of the race in Belgium live,live coverage on Al Jazerra in the Middle Eastand also on Canal + Desportes & Sportmania in Spain. In addition RTBF in Belgium will be showing the first and last hours of the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps live, plus live streaming of the entire race via their YouTube channel.

With the additional coverage provided by these and the other broadcasters around the globe, over 340million homes have the opportunity to watch the second round of the FIA WEC in Belgium.

Gerard Neveu, CEO of the FIA WEC, said: “The agreements in Brazil, Middle East and Spain are good news for championship and endurance racing.  As we explained at the start of the season 2013 was going to be a lot of hard work to secure the agreements we need in the different countries and regions we need visibility.  These new agreements, in addition to the one announced previously with Eurosport, are a good step forward, with 36 million potential viewers in South America, 2.5 million in the Middle East and 2 million in Spain.  Negotiations continue in other areas and we will have more announcements in the near future.”

The production and support operation for the television coverage includes 20 static cameras around the circuit, a “Super Loupe” high speed camera for recording slow motion action, 2 HF Cameras, a helicopter for overhead images,8onboard cameras all managed by a crew of 60 people led by Olivier Denis and controlled from one of the most sophisticated Visual outside broadcast vehicles in Europe.

The Asian Football against Hunger Campaign will return to the stadiums of Asia during the AFC Champions League knockout stage to support the fight against hunger in Asia.

The campaign is a joint campaign between the AFC and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that aims to raise awareness of chronic hunger and work with world leaders and governments to tackle the issue.

This year’s campaign will take place from September to November 2012 during the ACL knockout stage, order during which, medicine AFC will be working with the eight participating clubs- Ulsan Hyundai, Foolad Sepahan, Guangzhou Evergrande, Adelaide United, Al Ahli, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Bunyodkor- across six nations in Asia to dedicate their matches to this campaign.

“The AFC has a rich and proud history of supporting noble causes and our focus will be on making the Asian Football against Hunger Campaign a great success,” said Hiroyuki Konuma, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific.

“It’s fantastic that the AFC, the clubs and the players have decided to stand up and use that power.

“They can do so much to raise awareness, stir political will, and bring much needed resources to help the hungry in Asia, where more than half of the world’s hungry live.”

The funds raised in the 2011 campaign are being used to finance 42 hunger-combatting community projects in Asia.{jcomments on}

 

Andres Botero Phiillipsbourne has become Colombia’s new Sports Minister progressing Medellín’s bid to host the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos made the appointment last week and Botero Phiillipsbourne is due to return from here where he is currently attending the Winter Youth Olympic Games to the capital Bogota for the inauguration on Thursday (January 18).

The 66-year-old Botero Phiillipsbourne, formerly head of the Colombian Olympic Committee for 12 years, was chosen by Santos partly to help promote Medellín’s bid, which, along with Buenos Aires, is one of only two cities to have officially confirmed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that they are plan to bid for 2018.

But it has now come to symbolise the startling upturn in Colombia’s fortunes in recent years – it has even been dubbed “the Medellín Miracle” by The Washington Post- with the city having been transformed from a battlefield of drug lords, paramilitaries and leftist guerrillas into one of the safest, most dynamic cities in Latin America.

“People are investing in our country again and the world is trusting us again,” said Botero Phiillipsbourne.

“It will take time to totally erase the old image but we are gaining momentum.”

“The important thing is that it has always been committed to the sport,” said Santos.

Botero Phiillipsbourne, a Stanford University graduate whose mother was from Ruslip in north west London and who finished 13th in water skiing at the 1972 Munich Olympics when it was a demonstration sport, has been a member of the IOC since 2007 and lives in Medellín.

“When he appointed me the President told me it was because promoting our bid for the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics was so important,” Botero Phiillipsbourne told insidethegames.

Medellín’s bid for the 2018 Youth Olympics follows the successful hosting of the South American Games in 2010, an event attended by nearly 4,000 athletes from 15 countries.

The city, the second largest in Colombia behind Bogota, is located 1,500 metres above sea-level is hoping to capitalise on the current trend for major events being awarded to new territories, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup to Brazil and the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics to Rio de Janeiro.

“I keep telling people this is the decade of Latin America,” said Botero Phiillipsbourne. 

“After staging a very successful South American Games we are enthusiastic to bid for something bigger.”

Medellín was once known as the most violent city in the world as a result of an urban war set off by the drug cartels at the end of the 1980s.

Standard Chartered has announced that it will be partnering with Nuffield Health, physician the leading corporate health and well-being operator in the City, patient for this year’s Standard Chartered Great City Race, taking place on July 14^{th .}

The partnership will give all City workers taking part in the race access to a host of extra health benefits as they prepare for this year’s not-for-profit 5km corporate running challenge. Runners will be able to hone their preparations by following the advice Nuffield Health specialists have provided including a 5km training programme and a range of other health and fitness tips for runners, as well as offering a free 7 day guest pass for Nuffield Health gyms.

On race night top fitness instructors from Nuffield Health will be leading the official pre-race warm-up for the 6,500 runners, due to take place on stage at the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) at approximately 18:45pm, before the race start at 19:15 hours.

The 5km race, now in its seventh year, will once again be raising vital funds for Seeing is Believing, Standard Chartered’s global initiative that tackles avoidable blindness around the world in emerging markets. Five pounds from every runner’s entry fee will be donated to the initiative with Standard Chartered giving every team a special incentive to help raise further funds by announcing that it will match all donations pound-for-pound. This year Standard Chartered is aiming to raise enough money to improve the eyesight of 6,500 children, the same number of runners taking part.

Kate Bharucha, Commercial Manager at Nuffield Health stated: “Nuffield Health is delighted to be supporting The Standard Chartered Great City Race this year and helping to raise money for the avoidable blindness initiative, Seeing is Believing. We hope people will visit the Seeing is Believing tent at the HAC where our health & fitness, medical, physiotherapy and nutrition experts will also be on-hand to advise runners how to stay fitter, healthier and achieve their personal fitness and lifestyle goals.”

College athletic conference, The Ivy League, has partnered with NeuLion, Inc., the leading enabler and provider of live and on-demand content to Internet-connected devices, to create the conference’s first-ever digital sports network.

Available to subscribers in August, The Ivy League Digital Network will be accessible on multiple devices, including PCs, smartphones and tablets, allowing for an all-new nine (9)-channel network of Ivy League action anytime, anywhere. Each of the conference’s eight (8) schools will have their own individual channel and the Ivy League will have its own League-wide channel featuring all available digital content across the conference.

The new network, powered by the NeuLion College Platform, will provide live and on-demand video and audio content from each school with interactive touch points that will consistently offer a personalized experience for Ivy League fans everywhere.

“This partnership represents a monumental step forward in enhancing our connection to our fans and continuing to showcase our brand of intercollegiate athletics worldwide,” said Robin Harris, Ivy League Executive Director. “Coupled with NeuLion’s demonstrated experience in delivering digital content to any device, this new network will maximize our alumni’s affinities for their schools by providing a single digital destination to access every school’s sports content with multiple subscription options by school, sport or season.”

With a comprehensive view of sports for each school and across the conference including league-wide sports calendars and access to live and on-demand content from multiple devices, the new Ivy League digital network is expected to increase engagement with Ivy League fans and drive broader viewing of school and league content.

“It’s not just about streaming video,” said Chris Wagner, EVP and Co-Founder of NeuLion. “It’s about the fan experience, the high quality video on any device, and the interaction with the game or match which includes stats, social media and more. The NeuLion College Platformis designed for all of that, each and every time, no matter where Ivy League fans are.”

The organisers of Indonesia’s inaugural Java Cup claim they will sue Everton and Galatasaray after the clubs withdrew from the tournament.

Tournament lawyer Patrick Mbyaya said: “[The] consequences of the cancellation for Everton is [they] pay back all the damages. We will also contact the England Football Association to give disciplinary [sanctions] to Everton. If they refuse to pay back, we’ll take this to the Court of Arbitration for Sports.”{jcomments on}

 

Simon Ellen has been appointed Non Executive Chairman of Racecourse Media Group (RMG), anesthetist the umbrella organisation for the 30 (33 from May 1) racecourses which hold an interest in Racing UK, drugs Turf TV and GBI Racing.

Ellen, adiposity who joined the RMG Board in June 2010, brings to the role more than 30 years of experience in investment banking and capital markets, mostly at Rothschild and Warburg, before moving into asset management and insurance.

He has subsequently chaired a number of companies owned, largely, by private equity investors, including SBJ Group, which had one of the largest sports books of any UK insurance broking business.

Also a racehorse owner, Ellen said: “I am very much looking forward to working with stakeholders and a management team that have, together, developed a very successful media rights business focussed on the delivery of a high-quality racing product, the benefits of which are channelled directly back into racing.”

Ellen joins CEO Richard FitzGerald, and Non Executives Simon Bazalgette (Jockey Club Racecourses), Bill Farnsworth and John Sanderson (representing smaller independent courses), and William Derby (representing larger independent courses) on the RMG Board.

RMG CEO Richard FitzGerald said: “Simon is an experienced chairman of PLCs and private companies and brings extensive knowledge of the sports industry, so is perfectly positioned to take RMG forward in the ever evolving landscape that is media rights management. We are all greatly looking forward to working under his chairmanship.”

Ellen takes over from Will Wyatt, who joined Racing UK as a non-executive director when it launched in 2004, before being appointed Chairman of RMG in 2008.

FitzGerald added: “I would like to pay tribute to Will Wyatt, who during his tenure as chairman was instrumental in the development and success of Turf TV, the formation of GBI Racing and the expansion of Racing UK. We wish him all the best and look forward to seeing him on the racecourse.”

Haroon Lorgat, medstore CEO of The International Cricket Council (ICC), has taken part in an exclusive Featured Profile interview with iSportconnect.

Lorgat stated that his experience of first-class cricket provided him with “some credibility but more importantly with the insight needed to deal with cricketing issues and the viewpoints from a player’s perspective.”

The ICC has been faced with a multitude of issues in recent months, including the impact of The Decision Review System (DRS) and the rules that run alongside it. Lorgat sticks by the system and its purpose by saying, “simply look at the statistics” adding, “it is widely acknowledged that DRS has improved the number of correct umpiring decisions and avoided any major blunders, which is what it was designed to do.” Lorgat also considers the system to be highlighting the “outstanding ability of our match officials on many, many occasions.”

Lorgat was also confident that recent spot-fixing issues were something the Council had under control. He explained, “we have always been cautioning Members against complacency. I am also convinced that we have avoided many similar scenarios through the education and prevention systems we have in place.” The CEO of The ICC also added that he had “faith” in the appeal process and that cricket would “absolutely not” be tarnished if the charged trio of Pakistani cricketers were successful with their appeal.

Questions have been posed to the ICC regarding the recent success of Twenty20 cricket over the more traditional test and 50 over matches. Lorgat however, contested this opinion by saying “I did not hear a single viewpoint during the ICC Cricket World Cup that 50 over cricket was dead as the interest was significant with a large number of exciting matches.” He also said that the ICC were looking to “enhance the format” of the longer version and to come up with some “new innovations” to make it more exciting. Lorgat also believes the longer form of the game has already improved since the introduction of Twenty20, saying “the standards of fielding” and “run rates” were improving, as seen in The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup which had the highest runs per over rate of any World Cup.

The ICC’s decision to reformat the next two World Cups to 10 teams has been met with anger from associate members. Since then, the decision has been reviewed with Lorgat stating, “The President, in consultation with the executive and some Board colleagues, has decided that this decision should be reviewed at the Board meeting in June.”

Following security issues and ticket problems in the recent ICC Cricket World Cup, Lorgat believes that, “there is no stadium on the planet that could have catered for the demand for tickets that existed in this event.” He went on to say that, “there were no security incidents around the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and that is hopefully a reflection of the ICC.” There will also be no change in the process in staging the 2015 ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand according to Lorgat. “We will work just as hard with the authorities in Australia and New Zealand because the security of the players, officials, staff and spectators will always be paramount in our thinking and planning.”

Before joining The ICC, Lorgat was a qualified chartered accountant but his “passion” for the game sparked his switch into the sport business world. “I grew up playing the sport every day and it was perhaps a case of trying to fit in my professional career while remaining involved in the sport.” In reference to his role of CEO he added that, “it is enjoyable to work with so many passionate and talented individuals in a stimulating environment.”

Lorgat had the final word on his association with iSportconnect and the incentives it brings, stating: “It brings together people in the fast moving sports business world and offers a platform for the exchange of views, opinions and new ideas.”

Read the full article here – http://isportconnect.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7376&catid=52&Itemid=164

MP & Silva, abortion a leading international media rights company, order has secured a deal for the exclusive rights to distribute four seasons of DKB Handball-Bundesliga, from 2013/14 until 2016/17, which was marketed by SPORT1 in cooperation with German Handball-Bundesliga GmbH.

MP & Silva has worldwide exclusive distribution rights (excluding Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg and Alto Adige) for television rights across cable, satellite and terrestrial platforms, and for internet, mobile and betting rights. The package includes 2 live matches per round during the regular season (34 weeks), plus a Super Cup (20^th of August), the All Star Game, the German Cup-Final Lufthansa Final Four and weekly highlight programmes.

Andrea Radrizzani, MP & Silva Group CEO, said: “We are extremely excited with this partnership with Handball-Bundesliga. They are the strongest handball league of the world, equivalent to the Premier League in football. We want to support them in advancing the popularity of handball internationally and build on the current positive momentum that the sport has gained in Europe. We look forward to working with our network of broadcasters and partners worldwide to take viewership of this great league to a greater height”

Frank Bohmann, General Manger DKB Handball-Bundesliga, said: “The 4 Season Corporation with MP & Silva is a great move for us on the international market. We are extremely excited with this new partnership and we look forward to participate from the worldwide network of MP & Silva in order to export our big and popular first class German handball to even more countries and viewers.”

Football Federation Australia has offered a pay rise to A-League clubs for next season.

The FFA has reportedly offered the league’s ten clubs a dividend of (Au)$1.9M each for the 2012-13 season, a substantial increase from the (Au)$450,000 from the 2011-12 season and reasonably close to the (Au) $2.8M salary cap.

The increase would be part-funded by by a new government-backed sponsorship.{jcomments on}