President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) Denis Oswald has sent a letter to the 28 member federations to announce his resignation.

Oswald explained in his letter dated Jan. 26 that he was quitting to allow for a smooth succession at the Quebec meeting on May 22. His resignation, medicine which comes into effect on Dec. 31, is aimed at ensuring ASOIF keeps a presence on the IOC Executive Board when the Swiss finishes his term this summer. 

The IOC has apparently agreed to him staying on the EB until the end of the year when the new head of ASOIF will take over. 

His successor will be elected at the ASOIF General Assembly on May 22 which will take place in Quebec City during SportAccord.

ASOIF director Andrew Ryan explained that should an IOC member be elected as the new ASOIF President, they would also promoted to his seat on the Executive Board.

“Providing that an IOC member replaces Denis as ASOIF President, they also take his seat on the IOC Executive Board effective of January 2013,” Ryan told insidethegames.

“But if his successor is not an IOC member, ASOIF will nominate a President from one of our federations to represent the ASOIF concerns on the Executive Board.

“All the nominations for the position of ASOIF President are due no later than 15 days before the ASOIF General Assembly, which will be May 7.

“Also, in order to prevent this situation occurring again, we will slightly change our regulations for the future to ensure we elect a new President in the year of the Olympic Games to ensure the ASOIF seat on the Executive Board.”

Given that a prestigious Executive Board seat is on offer, there is likely to be a number of candidates in the IOC that will put themselves forward for the high-ranking position of ASOIF President.

One of the leading candidates for the position is likely to be IOC member and International Cycling Union (UCI) President Pat McQuaid of Ireland, who is currently the ASOIF vice-president.

International Triathlon Union (ITU) President Marisol Casado of Spain and Ukrainian International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) vice-president Sergey Bubka are also tipped to be strong contenders if they put themselves for the position as both are currently on the eight-member ASOIF Council and also members of the IOC.

For the elections of ASOIF President, an absolute majority vote in the secret ballot is required.

If no candidate reaches an absolute majority, the candidate obtaining the smallest number of votes in each ballot shall be eliminated until one candidate obtains an absolute majority.

The ASOIF President is eligible for immediate re-election only twice, meaning that the victorious candidate in Quebec City could potentially sit on the IOC Executive Board for an interrupted period of eight years if they serve two consecutive terms in office.

Rugby World Cup 2011 will provide the global platform to spread the Keep Rugby Clean message with players, coaches, referees and officials uniting to show their support for the International Rugby Board’s Anti-Doping educational campaign.

In a first for Rugby’s showcase tournament, a dedicated Keep Rugby Clean Day will take place on Sunday, September 25 when Argentina play Scotland, Ireland take on Russia and Fiji tackle Samoa with the teams set to wear Keep Rugby Clean t-shirts prior to the match. All 20 teams will be provided with the t-shirts and will promote the campaign on the day.

Ball boys and girls across the three venues will also wear t-shirts along with the match official team, who will sport the t-shirt for their warm ups. Promotion will be supplemented within the match programmes and via in stadia screens and announcements.

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “The International Rugby Board operates a zero tolerance policy towards drug cheats in Rugby. The Keep Rugby Clean programme has proven central in our mission to ensure that players around the world are prepared and informed in promoting drug free Rugby.”

“Given the global exposure that Rugby World Cup will enjoy through television coverage in over 200 territories, New Zealand 2011 will provide the perfect platform to promote the Keep Rugby Clean message to everyone in the Game at all levels from the players to the fans.”

“We are delighted that all the teams are united in support of the programme and would like to thank them for the time that they will invest during the tournament in spreading what is a very important message.”

The Keep Rugby Clean campaign has the support of a number of key international players, including IRB Anti-Doping Ambassadors Felipe Contepomi of Argentina, Vincent Clerc of France, James Hook of Wales, Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Carla Hohepa of New Zealand and South Africa’s 2007 IRB Player of the Year Bryan Habana.

Contepomi said: “I am proud to be an Ambassador of the IRB’s Keep Rugby Clean campaign. The ethos of fair play is essential to the spirit of the Game and in ensuring a level playing field for all.”

“As players we have a collective responsibility to educate the next generation of Rugby players at all levels and I invite my fellow competitors from all teams at the Rugby World Cup to support the Keep Rugby Clean Day on 25 September and spread the Keep Rugby Clean message by wearing the special t-shirts.”

Keep Rugby Clean is the Game’s leading Anti-Doping educational programme and has played a central role in the fight against drugs cheats in Rugby since its launch in 2005, with over 6,000 of the world’s top players having participated in the interactive sessions run by the IRB at its Tournaments around the world.

Campaigns already run at the IRB Junior World Championship, IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy, IRB Nations Cup, HSBC Sevens World Series, Women’s Rugby World Cup and Rugby World Cup Sevens have proven highly successful in educating players about the dangers of doping through a combination of a free-to-use interactive website and hands on workshops.

Praised by WADA for its comprehensive educational and testing programmes, the IRB has implemented an extensive testing programme for Rugby World Cup 2011 which will be delivered by Drug Free Sport New Zealand.

In partnership with its 117 Member Unions the IRB operated a record testing and education programme in 2010. The IRB undertook 1,288 tests across men’s and women’s Fifteens and Sevens competitions in addition to over 4,000 controls undertaken by IRB Member Unions and National Anti-Doping Agencies. Despite the rigorous testing programme, there were just five IRB Anti-Doping rule violations in 2010.

Sky Deutschland has obtained the broadcast rights for the US Open, ambulance The Open and PGA Championship golf tournaments in Germany for a further three years until 2015. 

The German pay-TV broadcaster also holds the exclusive German broadcast rights of the US PGA Tour (until 2015), viagra the European Tour and the Ryder Cup (both until 2014).

The live coverage is complemented by reports on sports news channel Sky Sport News HD. The channel shows news and highlights from the US PGA Tour and the European Tour as well as the majors with the focus being on participants from Germany and Austria.

James Worrall, adiposity founder and CEO of Executive Sport Ltd which trades under the ‘Leaders’ branded sports events, has re-acquired the majority shareholding from the administrators of Convers Sports Initiatives for an undisclosed fee.

The timing of the deal also coincides with the buyout of the remaining minority shareholders of the business to leave Worrall and the company’s COO, Simon Lau, in full control.

Worrall stated: “This is a really exciting day in the short history of the Leaders business.

“Although CSI’s own financial position never affected our day to day operation, it’s a great feeling for Simon and myself to be back in full control of the business and the brand we nurtured.

“I’d like to thank the other minority shareholders, especially Ben Hatton and Ben Moss, for the contribution they made and look forward to working with them in the future.  I would also like to pay tribute to our staff for their passion and professionalism during this time and all our clients for their unswerving loyalty.

“Turning attention to the 5th Leaders Sports Summit in October, we are on track to deliver our most successful event to date and beyond 2012, have a number of new events and strategic projects in the pipeline which will mark an exciting new era for the company”

Tokyo 2020 have announced the appointment of former Olympic gold medalist and chairperson of the Olympic Council of Asia, Yuko Arakida, as its Sports Director.

The bid committee says the appointment underscores Tokyo 2020’s “ongoing effort to further enhance unity and momentum for Tokyo’s campaign to host the 2020 Games”.

Arakida’s experience includes delivering presentations in several key stages, including the bid’s final presentation at the 121st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Copenhagen.

Tokyo 2020 CEO Masato Mizuno said: “We are delighted to announce a strong addition to the Tokyo 2020 team. Yuko Arakida is a renowned former athlete and global ambassador of the Games. Along with her experience and expertise, the Tokyo 2020 team is united as a collective team, determined to bring the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Tokyo”.

The University of Gloucestershire has joined forces with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to deliver courses for coaches at the top of their game.

Working in partnership with the Gloucestershire higher education development unit, asthma Nexus, the two bodies have created a new, validated programme of study at postgraduate level for cricket coaches working in performance and elite environments.

The partnership will be formally ratified by Hugh Morris, ECB’s Managing Director of England Cricket and Stephen Marsden, Vice Chancellor of University of Gloucestershire at a signing event at the University’s Park campus on Monday 5 September.

ECB’s Elite Coach Development programme – known as Level Four – is recognised as a world-leader in its field and numbers current England Team Director Andy Flower amongst its graduates. First launched in 1999, last year it became the first programme of its kind to achieve UKCC Endorsement.

Gordon Lord, Head of Elite Coach Development with ECB said: “This represents a major step forward in the development of coaching as a profession and we are delighted that the University of Gloucestershire and Nexus will support us in the further development, alignment and validation of the Level Four programme at the post graduate level.

Coaches who successfully complete the programme will achieve both a Postgraduate Diploma in Personal and Professional Development and the United Kingdom Coaching Certificate (UKCC) Level 4 Award in Coaching Cricket. The focus is a blend of work-based learning and academic studies and provides a progression route into the final year of a Masters degree completed through a dissertation.

The development is one of the first to be brokered for the University by staff from Nexus, a partnership organization between the University of Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire College, which focuses on providing accreditation for organisational training programmes and the development of bespoke higher education for employers.

Dr Mary Mahoney, Nexus Director, said: “This innovative new development epitomises the Nexus ethos, acting as the interface between academics and businesses to increase opportunities for the development of a highly skilled workforce. We broker developments such as this one and, where appropriate, gain accreditation for the learning from the University as testimony of the individual’s personal and professional achievements. We are currently in talks with other national sporting bodies about developing similar programmes for their top coaches and officials.”

The programme is delivered by the ECB’s team of highly experienced tutors, and is supported by Dr Stewart Cotterill, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University who is experienced in working in cricket and specifically with the ECB and County squads.  Dr Cotterill is based in the University’s Faculty of Applied Sciences in Gloucester which has expertise in coaching and science, and the underpinning disciplines of biomechanics, nutrition, physiology and psychology.  

The programme is delivered over two years and block sessions are conducted at a range of national locations and training facilities. These blocks are supplemented by ongoing work based learning and the emphasis is on the development of technical expertise as well as enhancing the learners’ capacity for self-development, critical reflection and experiential learning, whilst they work as an elite coach.  The process of validating the ECB Level Four programme through the University’s academic framework took approximately eight months and involved Professor David James (University of Gloucestershire), Dr Joce Brooks, Heather Nash and Gordon Lord of ECB and Dr Mary Mahoney and Wendy Monteith (Nexus).

Es geht um den ersten Titel der Saison: Das Duell zwischen dem FC Bayern München und Borussia Dortmund im diesjährigen Supercup ist bereits heute fast ausverkauft. Damit wird beim Spiel am Sonntag, generic dem 12. August um 20.00 Uhr in der Münchner Allianz Arena, ein neuer Besucherrekord in der Supercup-Historie erreicht. Im vergangenen Jahr hatten die 61.000 Fans auf Schalke beim Supercup 2011 zwischen dem FC Schalke 04 und Borussia Dortmund die bisherige Bestmarke aufgestellt.

Die noch rund 2.000 verfügbaren Restkarten werden am Spieltag ab 12.00 Uhr am “Kassencanyon West” auf der Esplanade an der Münchner Allianz Arena verkauft.

“Rekordmeister trifft auf Double-Sieger – spannender geht es kaum. Seitdem die DFL den Supercup im Jahr 2010 wieder eingeführt hat, erfreut sich dieser einer immer größeren Beliebtheit. Der Wettbewerb hat sich etabliert, das schon heute nahezu ausverkaufte Stadion unterstreicht dies”, sagt DFL-Geschäftsführer Holger Hieronymus.

Das ZDF überträgt die die 13. Auflage des Supercups live ab 20.00 Uhr und liefert sowohl vor als auch nach dem Spiel eine ausführliche Berichterstattung.

Die Begegnung steht unter der Leitung von Schiedsrichter Michael Weiner (Giesen). Unterstützt wird dieser von den Assistenten Norbert Grudzinski, Frank Willenborg und dem vierten Offiziellen Thorsten Schriever.

WWE have announced the appointment of Eric Pankowski as Senior Vice President, site Creative and Development.

Pankowski, previously a senior executive at Reveille and Warner Bros., will report to WWE Executive Vice President of Creative, Stephanie McMahon. In this role, he will be responsible for the creative development of all television content including concepts that go beyond in-ring such as reality and kids programming; the management of WWE’s creative writing teams; and selling programming to major cable and broadcast networks, studios and other content distributors.

“Eric is a creative veteran whose knowledge and experience will be a tremendous asset in both the creation of new WWE content as well as enhancing our core product,” said Stephanie McMahon.

Prior to joining WWE, Pankowski was the Senior Vice President, Creative Affairs for Reveille charged with launching a department that focused on daytime, access and late night programming in syndication and cable. Pankowski spent more than 12 years of his career working for Warner Bros., most recently serving as the Senior Vice President of paraMedia inc., Jim Paratore’s production company. Pankowski oversaw paraMedia’s development slate which included the development, launch and production of Lopez Tonight where he worked closely with the creative, promotion and product integration teams; managed pilots and sales presentations for all projects including TMZ; and produced and pitched original show ideas to broadcast and cable networks.

Prior to paraMedia, Pankowski served as Director of Programming for Telepictures where he oversaw The Ellen DeGeneres Show and several other shows. Pankowski started his career at Warner Bros. Corporate Media Research Department as a Junior Analyst, quickly becoming Manager.

Pankowski holds a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Bloomington.

World Sports Law Report is proud to announce that Nick Tofiluk, Director of Regulation at the Gambling Commission; Andy Cunningham, Head of Integrity at Betfair, Simon Taylor, General Secretary of the Professional Players Federation (PPF) and Danny Townsend, President of EMEA & South Asia at Repucom, among others, will speak at Sport & Gambling 2011, which will take place on 29 September in Central London.

Recent betting and match-fixing scandals have lead to a re-evaluation of the commercial and financial links between sports and gambling, threatening the sustainability of this mutually beneficial relationship. While sports organisations need increasing amounts of revenue to tackle corruption and investment in grassroots sports, gambling operators see their own revenues eroding against a fast-evolving array of threats and restrictions.

Sporting organisations are eager to demand revenue from gambling operators to fund legitimate objectives, such as tackling corruption and investment in grassroots sport. Gambling operators, meanwhile, are being forced to defend their revenues and rights against a fast-evolving array of threats.

Sport & Gambling 2011 will provide both gambling operators and sports organisations with an in-depth and up-to-the-minute understanding of the fast-paced, complex legal and regulatory structure that underpins their relationship. 

Sports rights, betting rights, advertising and combating corruption are just some of the key issues that will be addressed by our team of expert speakers. 

This essential event will analyse new opportunities and challenges in an increasingly global and intricate legal landscape, and provide expert opinion and advice on the implications of recent developments, allowing you and your organisation to comply and excel in today’s fast-paced environment. 

We will bring together leading sports betting experts, market analysts and pioneers in betting integrity, making Sport & Gambling 2011 the must-attend event of the year. 

This is an essential event for all:

• Betting Operators
• National Governing Bodies
• International Federations
• Government Officials
• Agents
• Gambling Authorities
• Sports Clubs
• Disciplinary & Governance Professionals
• Legal & Business Advisors
• Market Analysts

This essential fixture in the conference calendar identifies the latest developments in the relationship between sports organisations and gambling operators.

For more information, please contact David Longford at +44 (0) 207 012 1385 or at david.longford@e-comlaw.com