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

Cala Corp trading under the stock symbol CCAA announced today that the company has purchased 79% of the outstanding shares of Serie D side Calcio Lecco 1912.

Calcio Lecco has been a major Italian soccer club since 1912. However, over the past two decades the club has been owned and managed by amateur operators. Therefore, it is the company’s plan to bring back Calcio Lecco to its glory days by playing in the Italian Premier League known as Serie A. Currently the club plays in the Italian Soccer League fourth division.

However, the company strongly believes that with the right management, it will win its division year after year until reaching the ultimate goal of the Italian Premier League. 

The company’s long-term plan is to build a world-class stadium adjacent to shopping centers, hotels, a convention center, unlimited parking, a class A office building, hospitals, a college and a soccer beach. Currently, three additional clubs are trading in the Italian stock exchange and those clubs are Juventus, Roma  and Lazio.

United Football League, a professional American Football League has announced commissioner Michael Huyghue has resigned.

Huyghue has been the second-tier pro league’s commissioner since its inception in 2009.

Huyghue said in a statement Tuesday that the UFL has “experienced significant funding issues” and that it seems “most prudent” that he step aside while owners attempt to raise funds for the 2012 season.

UFL majority owner and founder Bill Hambrecht said he and other owners are committed to playing a fourth season.

The 2011 season ended prematurely, with each team playing four of its six scheduled games. The UFL has lost more than $100 million the past two years.

The league, whose headquarters are in Jacksonville, Fla., had teams in 2011 in Las Vegas; Norfolk, Va.; Omaha, Neb.; and Sacramento, Calif.

A delegation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today wrapped up a successful orientation seminar (29-31 August) with representatives of PyeongChang 2018, less than two months after the South Korean city was elected host of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Led by the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for the PyeongChang 2018 Games, Gunilla Lindberg, and Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli, the IOC group spoke to the local delegation about the management of the Olympic Games and the key milestones that occur during the lifecycle of an Organising Committee. They also laid out the framework of partnership that will guide preparations for the next seven years and outlined some best practices from previous Games.

Speaking after the seminar, Lindberg said: “We are excited to be here so soon after PyeongChang was awarded the right to host the 2018 Games. Our Games Management process helps cities to get up and running quickly and effectively, which is highly beneficial because, as PyeongChang will discover, the seven years between now and the Games will go by rapidly.

“The city has already benefited from the transfer of knowledge from past Games and from their previous bids and we can see how well-prepared and eager they are already,” she continued. “We were pleased with the presence of all levels of government during our visit, as we met Minister Choung from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Governor Choi; and the mayors of the host communities. This underlines the strong ties between the Games stakeholders and the commitment of the country to these Games.”

The PyeongChang 2018 delegation at the orientation seminar was headed by Bid Committee Chairman Yang Ho Cho and included Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) President Y.S. Park, IOC member from Korea Dae Sung Moon and Ki Hong Kim, Director General of the Sports Bureau, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Yang Ho Cho, Chairman and CEO of PyeongChang2018, said: “We are very happy to have welcomed Ms Lindberg and the IOC representatives to PyeongChang again. As we wrap up the IOC Orientation Seminar, I feel that we are off to a very good start. We are learning a great deal from the IOC’s expertise and experience, and the information we have received during this Seminar will serve as the foundation for our preparations. For the next seven years, we will work closely with the IOC, and all of their guidance, counsel, and friendship will ensure that we host a successful Winter Games in 2018.”

As part of its transfer of knowledge programmes, the IOC runs an orientation seminar shortly after the election of each host city. The aim of the seminar is to help the newly elected city make the transition from bidding for the Games to being a Games organiser. It explains in detail the preparation phases and the operations that will need to be finalised over the next seven years, while building upon the transfer of knowledge that the cities receive from the IOC during the bid stages. The seminar also helps the organisers to decide where they should focus their efforts during the start-up phase and is an opportunity for the IOC to share its Games management philosophy with them. This enables everyone to understand what is expected of them and ensures that the collaboration is as efficient as possible right from the outset.

BT Sport have signed a three-year deal to broadcast the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which starts this August.

The partnership will see all of UFC’s live and taped programming broadcast on the BT Sport channels and, for the first time, will include originally produced programming for the UK and Irish audience with exclusive access, all of which will result in up to 400 hours of TV programming to UFC’s loyal fanbase. BT produced primetime magazine shows and highlight programming aimed at introducing the sport of MMA to a new audience are also part of the deal.

“UFC athletes are the most committed and dedicated in the world of sport and this new relationship will help people gain a more in depth understanding of the sport and our brand,” said Garry Cook, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of UFC EMEA. “This agreement is a landmark step in the UFC’s development in the UK as it will increase our exposure to a much wider and more mainstream sporting audience. It means that the UK joins USA, Canada, Australia and Brazil as one of our largest TV broadcast markets.”

“BT Sport certainly shares our vision for the premium quality broadcast of elite performance sport for our UK audience and we’re very excited about the strategic partnership we’ve entered into. We look forward to working alongside them and showing a wider fan base how exciting and engaging the UFC is.”