ESPN has announced its new executive structure under president John Skipper, cough with a few members being promoted.

Most of ESPN’s executives will remain in their current roles reporting to Skipper, apoplectic including: Sean Bratches, executive VP of sales and marketing; Christine Driessen, executive VP and CFO; Ed Durso executive VP of administration; Chuck Pagano, executive VP of technology and CTO; Paul Richardson, senior VP of human resources; John Walsh, executive VP and executive editor; and Russell Wolff, executive VP and managing director international.

Meanwhile, John Kosner has been promoted from senior VP to executive VP of digital and print media, continuing to oversee the company’s digital strategy and products. And veteran ESPN executives John Wildhack and Norby Williamson will switch roles. Williamson will now be executive VP of programming and acquisitions, while Wildhack transitions to executive VP of production. All three will continue to report to Skipper.

Marie Donoghue, who has been senior VP of business affairs and business development, will take on the new role of senior VP of global strategy, business development and business affairs. She will be responsible for working across all business units worldwide to evaluate new opportunities and new lines of business. She will continue to report to Skipper.

Skipper took over on Jan. 1 from long-time ESPN chief George Bodenheimer, who has transitioned to the role of executive chairman of ESPN.

Bodenheimer announced last year that he would step down at the end of 2011. Skipper, president and co-chair of Disney Media Networks, reports to Bodenheimer and Disney Company President and CEO Robert A. Iger.

This September, site Singapore will play host as the role of sports events take centre stage at the inaugural Asia-Pacific Sports Conference (APSC).

Acting Minister for Community Development, ed Youth and Sports, MG (NS) Chan Chun Sing will be the Guest-of-Honour for APSC, which takes place on the 27-28 September at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in Singapore.

The conference will bring together two hundred sports industry professionals from local organising committees, sports federations, governments, agencies and suppliers to sports events.  With the number of sporting events in the region on the increase, the Asia-Pacific Sports Conference will play a key role in encouraging and exploring further developments in the industry.

“Building on Singapore’s strong foundation and reputation for hosting international sporting events like the inaugural Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games and SingTel Formula 1 Grand Prix, we are pleased to offer our support in hosting the first ever sports conference here in Singapore.”

“With the increase of sporting events being held in the region, the APSC will provide a timely focus on the opportunities and challenges event organisers are facing, Singapore is happy to be the choice location where international and regional thought leadership in the sports sector takes place.” said Mr. Lim Teck Yin, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Sports Council.

The conference programme will address topics including: Sports Event Bidding, Stadiums & Venue Management, How to Attract Sponsors, What Makes a Bid Successful, as well as case studies on major sporting events in Asia-Pacific. Delegates will be able to take part in focused workshops and listen to experienced workshop leaders on how to overcome the critical challenges in hosting sports events in the region.

The conference has attracted some of the most respected, high-profile leaders in the sector, including; Captain Husain Al-Musallam, Director General of the Olympic Council of Asia, Teo Ping Low, VP of Singapore National Olympic Council and President of Singapore Rugby Union, Pang Chung, Honorary Secretary General of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong and Toh Sen Nee, Assistant Secretary General, Asean Football Federation to name but a few.

They will be accompanied by James Clarke, Senior Vice President of World Sport Group, David Voth, Senior Director, Sport Business at Singapore Sports Council, Satoshi Saito, Director of Marketing, AFC, Asian Football Confederation, Eric Lynge, Director for TV and Broadcast, ASIAN Tour, amongst others.

The event is organised by Informa Sports Group, the specialist division of one of the world’s leading conference companies, and supported by the Singapore Sports Council.

The International Fencing Federation (FIE) has hired IMG Sports Production, capsule a division of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, to make a three-part documentary series to celebrate the sport of fencing to coincide with the organisation’s centenary.

‘En Garde’ will be a look back at the earliest days of fencing from the Olympic Games and World Championships featuring some of the legends of the sport over the past 100 years while also portraying the key developments that have taken place.

The 3×30 minute series will also feature the leading stars competing today and show action from some of the major events so far this season, as well as delving back into the origins of sword-play and dueling.

James Mitchell, Series Producer for IMG Sports Media, said: “The programmes reflect the FIE’s centenary celebrations as well as fencing’s rich heritage and its glamorous history. This has often seen it portrayed in films with stars such as Tom Cruise and the late Errol Flynn as well as attracting the attention of personalities such as football icon David Beckham.”

He added: “The aim is to showcase the FIE’s commitment to growing the sport as widely as possible internationally. We will do this by looking back at the sport’s rich history, featuring some of the personalities competing today and also showcasing the excellent work they are doing to develop fencing’s reach even further.”

Maxim Paramonov, Advisor of the FIE President Mr Alisher Usmanov, said: “We are proudly looking back on these 100 years, in which the sport of fencing has undergone many changes, including the achievement of gender parity and the integration of new technologies. Being on the programme of the Olympic Games since 1896, Fencing is an original Olympic sport. However, we are constantly looking at how we can improve and can reach more people. Fencing is a dynamic sport, delivering spectacular images and this film shows the excitement and fascination inherent in fencing. Some of the best fencers of the century give their testimony of why they are so passionate about fencing.”

The Scottish Football Association have given their seal of approval for Rangers newco to be granted full membership.

Charles Green’s company, who changed their name from Sevco Scotland to The Rangers Football Club this week, were granted a conditional licence last Friday after applying to transfer the membership of the soon-to-be-liquidated Rangers.

That allowed them to field a Rangers team in the Ramsdens Cup against Brechin – a game they won 2-1 after extra time.

Full membership depended on Rangers’ Scottish Premier League share being handed to Dundee – a formality that was completed on Friday morning.

A statement later on Friday read: “The Scottish FA can confirm that The Rangers Football Club Ltd have today received confirmation that full membership of the association has been transferred.”

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) announces a new TV distribution agreement with FOX’s STAR channels, to broadcast the highlights of the major shooting competitions of the 2013 season.  

The deal includes the distribution of 26-minute highlights of the whole 2013 ISSF Shooting World Cup Series. 

STAR will broadcast TV productions of this year’s 7 ISSF World Cup Stages, of the 2ISSF World Cup Finals and the ISSF World Championship.   

The agreement is a further step forward in the ISSF communication strategy aiming to the diffusion of the shooting sport on all platforms: TV, press, internet, social and mobile. 

A worldwide audience of about 400 millions viewers watched ISSF competitions on TV, through the 2011 and 2012 seasons (not including the Olympic Games). 

About 150 TV station from all around the world used ISSF TV footage, a production including more than 180 hours of Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun events, covering all ISSF World Cup Stages and World Championships in 2011 and 2012, as emerged from the TV Distribution Report that the ISSF received from independent analyst. 

The English Premier League have announced the introduction of a new Under-21 competition to bridge the gap between the academy and first team.

The first national showcase for Under-21 players will launch on August 17th when Chelsea host Manchester City and Reading visit West Ham.

Teams from 17 Premier League and six Championship clubs – effectively all those who applied for category one status – will be divided into three groups.

From January the sides will then be placed into three pools based on their performance, leading to a knockout stage and final.

The emphasis will be on playing Under-21 players with each team limited to just three over-age outfield players and one over-age goalkeeper.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, said: “Each stage of a player’s development is tailored to ensuring they have the best possible chance of progressing.”

“The new Barclays Under-21 Premier League addresses one of the most critical points – the transition from academy football to the highest standards in the first team.

“We believe this competitive environment, where fans can also come along to watch the next generation of Premier League and international players, will help deliver more talented home grown boys to that next level.”

Manchester City have attempted an audacious move by trying to acquire two former Barcelona executives.

Former Barcelona vice president Ferran Soriano has been singled out by City to be the new chief executive officer at the club.

The Manchester based club has also short-listed some of the best talent from Europe and are also planning to bring former Nou Camp technical director Txiki Begiristain as director of football.

Soriano can speak good English and was a part of the Barcelona board from 2003 to 2008 while Begiristain left the club in 2010 after spending seven years. Both of them played a major role in making Barcelona Europe’s leading force.

Soriano is seen as a successor to Garry Cook who resigned five months ago

At the time when Soriano took up the job at Barcelona their income was only half of Manchester United’s, but now, they are ranked second behind another Spanish giant Real Madrid.

ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) has formed an exclusive agreement with Yahoo! Philippines, sickness the number one news site in the Philippines.

Yahoo! Philippines will feature exclusive content on its website all year long, cure including exclusive interviews with fighters, behind the scenes footage and feature highlight stories. Yahoo! readers will also stand a chance to win a trip to future ONE FC events.

ONE FC CEO Victor Cui stated, “On behalf of ONE FC, I will like to welcome Yahoo! Philippines on board. Yahoo! is an internationally recognizable brand and the number one news site in the Philippines and we are beyond excited to have Yahoo! Philippines as an official media partner. The partnership will present unique opportunities for both parties and is testament to the phenomenal growth that ONE FC has made. “

Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has 11,500 employees in 25 countries, provinces, and territories. Yahoo! Philippines is the number one web news portal in the country.

Three new members of The PGA of America’s Board of Directors have been appointed at the Association’s 95th Annual Meeting at the Hilton Orlando in Orlando, Fla.

The new PGA District Directors are Jim Antkiewicz of Aliquippa, Pa.; Scott Brandt of St. George, Utah.; and Chris Thomson of Lincoln, Neb., who each will serve three-year terms.

The PGA Board of Directors is composed of the Association’s President, Vice President, Secretary, Honorary President and 17 Directors. The Directors include representatives from each of The PGA’s 14 Districts, two Independent Directors and a member of the PGA Tour. New District Directors are elected by their local PGA Sections.

Jim Antkiewicz succeeds Michael Doctor of Camillus, N.Y., and returns for a second term as District 4 Director, serving the Central New York, Tri-State and Western New York Sections. Antkiewicz, 54, previously served on the PGA Board from 2002 through 2005. Antkiewicz is the PGA director of golf at the Club at Nevillewood in Presto, Pa., where he has served since 1995. He was the 2008 PGA Golf Professional of the Year and in 2011, inducted into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame.

Scott Brandt replaces Ron Dunham of Jackson, Wyo., and Port St. Lucie, Fla., as District 9 Director for the Colorado, Rocky Mountain, and Utah PGA Sections. Elected to membership in 1985, Brandt, 52, is the PGA head professional at Bloomington Country Club in St. George, Utah, where he has served since 1992. He is a past president (2001-02) of the Utah PGA Section and was the 2003 Utah PGA Golf Professional of the Year; the 2011 Section Horton Smith Award recipient; the 1999 Section Bill Strausbaugh Award recipient and the 1995 Section Private Facilities Merchandiser of the Year.

Chris Thomson succeeds Jeff Smith of Oskaloosa, Iowa, as District 8 Director for the Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska Sections, and was elected to membership in 1991. Thompson, 46, is the PGA head professional at Wilderness Ridge Golf Club in Lincoln, Neb., and served from 2007 to 2009 as president of the Nebraska PGA Section. He is a member of the PGA National Publicity Committee, executive sponsor for the Golf 2.0 Committee; and a member of the President’s Council for growing the game. One of the most decorated members of the Nebraska PGA Section.