Haile Gebrselassie, the world renowned two time Olympic gold medallist and four times World Champion, has been revealed as an official bid ambassador and member of the Athlete Commission for London’s bid to host the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships. 

The Ethiopian long distance runner will use his experiences as an athlete in guiding London’s bid to host the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships. 



Haile Gebrselassie said: “I have competed and trained in London for many years and always had great support from the public and the athletics family in the UK. I am planning to compete in London in 2012 and by being part of the extended bid team hope to enable future Ethiopian athletes to have the same great experiences in the Olympic stadium in front of a London crowd in 2017.”

Ed Warner UKA chairman added: “Haile is one of the greatest ever athletes and has always spoken of how much he enjoys competing in London. To have him backing London 2017 is a huge boost for us, but what is more essential is the insight he can provide as part of the Athletes Commission. We have always said our London 2017 bid would be athlete centred and with the input of incredible athletes like Haile and under Denise Lewis’ leadership the Commission can ensure we deliver that commitment.”

With the decision today to cancel West Ham’s deal (read here) the controversy surrounding the stadium has released for the time being and given the IAAF a new perspective towards the bid with the impending decision not far away.

The London 2017 bid, which has been put together by UK Athletics, DCMS, the Mayor of London, London & Partners and UK Sport, will be looking to secure the votes of the 27 IAAF Council Members before the decision on who will host the Championships is made on 11th November.

The Global Ireland Football Tournament (GIFT) American football event being organized by Global Football in Dublin and County Meath this summer is expected to have a positive €4.5 million ($5.6m) economic impact in Ireland.

 

GIFT 2012 will feature 12 high school and college teams from the United States and Canada playing a series of ‘Friday Night Lights’ double headers at 4pm and 7:30 pm on Friday, August 31 at Donnybrook Stadium and Parnell Park in Dublin and at Pairc Tailteann in Navan, County Meath. The competitive regular season games are being held on the eve of the September 1 Navy versus Notre Dame clash at the Aviva Stadium.

 

More than 2,300 visitors associated with the participating schools will arrive in Ireland specifically because of the GIFT 2012 spectacular, and would not be coming to Ireland if not for these games. Additional sports fans are expected to attend the games from across Ireland, Europe, the United States and even further afield. Tickets have been sold to overseas fans from Canada, England, Scotland, Germany, Austria and even Australia. Buyers from 13 different American States and 33 towns within Ireland have bought tickets.

 

“First and foremost we are showcasing high school American football at its very best and are providing the experience of a lifetime for the visiting players, coach, families and friends,” said Global Football President Patrick Steenberge. “But bringing this many people to Ireland specifically for this event also has a very positive impact in that the money they spend and the investment we make in staging the games benefits local businesses, people and the Irish economy.

 

“We believe this spending will have a positive impact on the Irish economy, and we hope in particular that local businesses benefit and that GIFT 2012 is able to leave a lasting impression for all the right reasons.”

 

The economic impact figure is calculated by measuring payments made by 2,300 travellers visiting for the GIFT event and their anticipated spend while in Ireland

French Soccer Club, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) announced that former Juventus CEO Jean-Claude Blanc is to be appointed as the new general manager delegate of Paris.

Blanc’s appointment is set to be formalised at a general meeting of the Ligue 1 club’s shareholders on October 21. Qatar Sports Investments (QSi) president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, is also set to be confirmed as PSG’s new chairman.

QSi acquired a 70% stake in PSG for a reported Eur50 million ($67.8m) in June and spent over Eur80 million ($108.6m) on players in the summer transfer window. After finishing fourth in Ligue 1, France’s top divison last season, PSG has made a strong start to the new campaign and currently sits three points clear at the top of the table.

Blanc’s new role will see him oversee the club’s entire operations, with the exception of the sporting area. The 48-year-old resigned as Juventus CEO in May after helping the club develop its new 41,000-seat stadium, Italian football’s first privately owned venue.

Al-Khelaifi, said: “We are very happy to welcome Jean-Claude Blanc in our organisation. Jean-Claude’s knowledge of the sports industry will help us achieve our targets. I would also like to thank Benoit Rousseau for the very good work performed over the past three months as interim president of Paris Saint-Germain.”

Chelsea FC have failed in their bid to acquire the land around Battersea Power Station for a new stadium with an Malaysian Company instead winning the bid.

The Champions League winners announced last month that they had submitted an application to move to the 39-acre south-west London site, medical which has been the subject of a string of failed regeneration schemes since the 1980s.

They had proposed to develop a stadium encompassing the restoration of the Grade II listed 1930s power station with its four landmark chimneys.

However, administrators revealed that a £400 million joint bid by the Malaysian companies SP Setia and Sime Darby had been chosen instead.

A statement from Ernst & Young said: “Following an extensive global marketing campaign, the joint administrators are pleased to announce that they [have] entered into an exclusivity agreement with SP Setia and Sime Darby and are working towards a timely exchange and completion of the site and associated land.”

Chelsea are considering a move from their Stamford Bridge home because its 42,000 capacity means they cannot generate the sort of revenue enjoyed by the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, who have much bigger stadiums.

Richard Heaselgrave, order currently employed by the National Basketball Association (NBA), therapy has been appointed the position Chief Commercial Officer by the English Football League starting his new role in the new year, viagra

The 40-year is working for NBA’s European office based in London as Vice President of Business Development, having previously held senior positions at UEFA, the World Rally Championship and Anheuser Bush.

Greg Clarke, Football League chairman, said: “I am delighted to welcome Richard to The Football League. He is a highly regarded individual with a proven track record in sponsorship and business development. He brings with him a wealth of experience in football and other sports across the UK, Europe and worldwide. I look forward to working with him to further enhance The League’s commercial portfolio and revenues.”

Richard Heaselgrave added: “I am very excited to be joining The Football League at such an important time for domestic football.  It is a tremendous challenge that was too good to turn down. From the outside, it has been fascinating to follow the progress made by The Football League in recent years and I very much look forward to playing my part in its future from the inside’.? ?

‘I would like to thank the NBA where, over my two year tenure, we have enjoyed tremendous growth across Europe, the Middle East and Africa’.  ? 

Heaselgrave will join The Football League in the new year and will be based at the League’s London Office. He will also head The League’s executive team in conjunction with Chief Operating Officer, Andy Williamson under Chairman Greg Clarke.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) have announced they will air the Women’s FA Cup Final.

It will be shown live on BBC Two on Sunday, 26 May.

The final comes before the European Women’s Championship, which will be live across the BBC in July.

Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said: “We’re very pleased to renew our association with the Women’s FA Cup Final and offer live coverage of this key fixture to viewers.

“The Olympics provided a great showcase for the sport and demonstrated that there is a strong audience appetite to watch the top women’s teams in action.

“So we’re looking forward to bringing more women’s football to audiences on the BBC across TV, radio and online this year.”

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Armada Sports & Entertainment, Inc., a subsidiary of Domark International, Inc. have announced that it has appointed Robert M. Greenway to the Board of Directors from October 1, 2011.

Robert M. Greenway has had a distinguished career in sports television at industry leaders, including ABC Sports, ESPN, HBO, and Golf Channel. Robert is a North Carolina native who received his B.A. and JD degrees from the University of North Carolina.

Following a tour of duty in Vietnam he worked for a law firm but then decided to change careers. He broke into television as a daytime log coordinator for ABC Television in New York. He rose rapidly through the ranks and joined ABC Sports, headed by the legendary Roone Arledge, just in time for the Montreal Olympics in 1976. He became a manager of program planning and sports production, supervising tasks as varied as program scheduling, development, and management of live sports events. He moved to ESPN soon after that launched. As Director of Program Administration Bob was in charge of program acquisitions and operations, and was the man who brought Australian Rules Football to the U.S.

Bob then joined HBO as Vice President of Sports Programming, where he developed and managed the Sports Department budget, closed the acquisition deals, and developed new programming. He negotiated agreements with sports organizations ranging from the all-England Lawn and Tennis Club (for Wimbledon) to the International Boxing Federation.

Bob left HBO to launch the Golf Channel. As Senior Vice President of Programming, Production, and Operations Bob hired and led the team that developed, produced, created, and implemented the live events, studio shows, and taped programs that enabled the channel to grow from a startup to a worth of over $2 billion. Bob also supervised the design and construction of Golf Channel’s studio, which was the first fully digital facility in the United States. Bob was a key strategic member of the senior management team, and oversaw all of the programming, production and operations for the channel.

Before retiring from Golf Channel Bob was promoted to Executive Vice President of Programming, Production and Operations. In that position he managed Golf Channel’s relationship with the sports organizing bodies, including the PGA TOUR, LPGA, PGA of America, USGA, PGA European Tour, etc. He developed the strategic plans for his departments, managed all budgets, led rights and other contract negotiations, and supervised development, live production, acquisitions, and international sales.

R. Thomas Kidd, CEO of Armada, added: “I am pleased to announce Bob Greenway to the Board of Directors of Armada Sports as a valued member of our team. Bob has had a distinguished career, one that we believe will contribute significantly to the execution of our sports projects.”

In the second part of an exclusive in-depth interview with FIFA.com, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter spoke at length about the challenges facing the game in 2011 and beyond. In doing so he discussed the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2010, the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, women’s football, refereeing and the Task Force Football 2014, among other issues.

FIFA.com: The year kicks off with the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala. What do you make of the three nominees, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Xavi?
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter: Last year was a World Cup year and it’s no surprise that two of the three candidates should play for world champions Spain. As for Argentina’s Lionel Messi, no one can deny he’s an exceptional player. Spain’s Vicente del Bosque is also in there as one of the three nominees for coach of the year.

Brazil usually have a few candidates in the frame. Why do you think they’re missing this time around?
There are some Brazilians up for the FIFA/FIFpro World XI, but they’re mostly defenders. That’s a little bit of a surprise perhaps, but it’s just a reflection of Brazil’s approach at South Africa 2010. They played a European game based around a formidable defence comprising the likes of Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Juan and Michel Bastos.

The three nominees for the FIFA Ballon d’Or are all relatively small in size. What do you think that tells us?
That anyone can play football and that you don’t necessarily have to be big and strong. That’s always been the case, though. Just look at strikers like Gerd Muller and Uwe Seeler, Diego Maradona or Jean-Pierre Papin, who weren’t very big players either.

South Africa 2010 is still fresh in the memory and now 2014 is looming on the horizon.
Yes. The World Cup will be taking place in a little over three years. The preliminary draw will be held on 30 July and there’s still a lot of work to be done in terms of infrastructures. There’s no time to waste.

The next FIFA World Cup is being played in Brazil. Is it a case of football coming home?
I’m delighted the tournament’s going back to South America for the first time since 1978, when there were only 16 teams. Now there are 32 and the World Cup has taken on a whole new dimension since then. No matter where it is held, though, the World Cup is so big that our partners in both television and marketing will follow us anywhere.

You’ve talked before about the social role of the FIFA World Cup. What will that involve in Brazil exactly?
Our goal in Brazil is to create infrastructures in the provinces. A lot of the population live in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, but at the next World Cup we’ll be going further north and to Manaus in the state of Amazonia. It’s an emerging and very multicultural country with 200 million inhabitants, although there is still poverty as well. Nevertheless, I’ve no doubt the legacy of the World Cup will help in that respect too.

Brazil 2014 aside, the year ahead promises to be a busy one.
There are competitions in four different confederations in 2011: the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, the Copa America in South America and the African Nations Championship. And then we have five FIFA World Cup competitions: the Women’s World Cup, the U-17, U-20 and Beach Soccer World Cups and the Club World Cup. So we’re going to be seeing a lot of good football this year.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™ is a major event on the calendar. What are you expecting from the competition?
I think it’s important it’s taking place in the heart of Europe, in a country where women’s football is strong. The women’s game has struggled to gain acceptance in financial terms. People don’t seem to have much faith in it, but Germany can change that by putting on a good tournament and, more importantly than anything, filling the stadiums. A crowd of 50,000 is expected for the Opening Match in Berlin, which is already a great achievement.

Why has women’s football failed to take off in some countries?
Young women have a lot of passion for the game. It’s a sport anyone can play, but when women reach a certain age or level they find there aren’t any professional leagues around, which makes it difficult for them to carry on playing. Technically, however, the game has improved a great deal. For example, the standard of play in the final of the U-17 Women’s World Cup between Japan and Korea Republic was very high.

A number of big issues will be tackled in the months ahead, some of them by the Task Force Football 2014. What is its role?
Its objective is to assess tournaments and the way in which the game is organised. Let me give you a few examples. At the moment three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw, which is something we can discuss and decide whether it’s a good thing or not. Is extra-time the only option we have when a game ends in a draw? And if we stick with extra-time, how should we end games? Is it worth taking another look at the golden goal? Some people like it, some people don’t. There are a lot of issues regarding tournaments we can look at and discuss.

What other topics will be coming up for debate?
The other big issue is the calendar. In my view, and this is something on which Michel Platini agrees, domestic championships are too long because there are too many teams and too many matches. Teams in leagues with 20 clubs play 38 games, on top of which they also have national cup competitions and league cups, etc. This also creates a conflict of interest between national teams and clubs, some of whom complain that their players come back tired or injured. That’s not the fault of the international calendar, however, and it’s a subject that ought to be discussed.

There has been a fair amount of criticism with regard to refereeing recently. What, in your opinion, are the next steps that need to be taken?
We have a very clear target in this respect, and that’s to have only professional referees officiating at the 2014 World Cup. That’s a target we have to reach. Coaches are professional now and so are players, and there’s no reason why referees shouldn’t be either. Some people say there’s not enough money to pay them, but there always seems to be plenty in the professional leagues.

Is the international calendar for youth players also up for discussion?
I think the calendar for youth tournaments should be brought into line with the international calendar. It’s the same principle. As for Olympic tournaments, we have a regulation that is valid until 2016, and that’s for teams to pick U-23 players and three over-age players if they wish. Those U-23 players should be released by their clubs.