The Finnish Ski Association and Infront Sports & Media have extended their partnership to include the worldwide media rights to all FIS Nordic Ski World Cup events that take place in Finland.

The contract starts from the 2013/14 season for five years up to 2017/18 and covers the FIS Ski Jumping, sick Cross-Country and Nordic Combined World Cup events in the country – a total of seven throughout each winter season. Furthermore, Infront is to distribute the media rights for the annual Finnish Nordic Ski Championships as well as the popular “Suomen Cup”. In addition to media rights, as another important element of the new agreement, Infront will now also handle the full media production for all FIS World Cup events in Finland including national level races.

Infront is a key player in international skiing and has helped to continuously increase the reach of the FIS World Cup events. As partner to most national skiing federations that host FIS World Cup events in the Alpine, Nordic, Freestyle and Snowboard disciplines, the sports marketing company handles the media rights to more than 90 per cent of the series on a collective basis. As a result, it is able to offer broadcasters around the world the very best of international skiing from one central source.

The Finnish Ski Association has already collaborated successfully with Infront in the past. The company handles the media and marketing rights to the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup event in Levi as well as the media rights to the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup races and the sponsorship packages to the FIS Nordic Ski World Cup events. This role has now been extended with the newly acquired media rights.

Matti Sundberg, President of the Finnish Ski Association, said: “After intensive negotiations throughout the past months, we have now reached a historic agreement – confiding the media rights for our prestigious Nordic events to the most experienced company in the field of international skiing. Infront is in a position to boost our Nordic events in a sustainable way and on a global scale.”

Bruno Marty, Infront’s Executive Director Winter Sports, commented: “The Nordic events in Finland are among the highlights of the FIS Nordic World Cup season and are highly appealing media content. With the media rights to the Finnish events complementing our portfolio, we are now able to offer almost the entire FIS Alpine and Nordic World Cup series on a collective basis – to the benefit of not only the broadcasters, but also the individual events, each reaching maximum exposure.”

All marketing rights of the Finnish Ski Federation will be handled by the Infront Finland subsidiary, whereas the broadcast rights will be distributed in close collaboration with Infront Italy – the Infront Group’s central hub for all media related operations in skiing.

Jon Tibbs, and Olympic communications expert, has been hired by English Premier League soccer giant Manchester United to assist in the promotion of the club’s international profile.

Tibbs is believed to have been working with Manchester United and the club’s communications director Phil Townsend, at the behest of United’s owners, the Glazer family since January, through his consultancy firm Jon Tibbs Associates (JTA).

Having played an integral role in the IOC’s reaction to the Salt Lake City scandal in 2002, Tibbs is something of a crisis management expert and is also the chairman of the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) Global Sports Projects Sector Advisory Group.

Tibbs was also deeply involved in the winning Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic bids and Townsend confirmed: “Jon’s reputation and professionalism make him the ideal person to help modernise our corporate communications.

“What the club is seeking is a greater understanding of the international profile of Manchester United and what the owners are trying to achieve.”

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has renewed it’s rights to air snooker tournaments World Snooker Championship, the UK Championship and the Masters until the end of the 2016-17 season.

The three major events on the calendar will be broadcast on television, online and via the BBC iPlayer.

“This is wonderful news for the many millions of snooker fans in the UK,” World Snooker boss Barry Hearn said.

“The World Championship, the UK Championship and the Masters are among the highlights of the sporting calendar, so it’s terrific that they will remain on terrestrial television,” said Hearn.

“The BBC remains one of our most important partners and we look forward to many years working with them.”

This season will see over 260 hours of coverage of snooker on the BBC.

Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport, added: “The World Snooker Championship is an important part of our sports rights portfolio and we’re delighted to be continuing our coverage of these three major tournaments.”

The 2013 World Championship will take place between 20 April and 6 May while Masters begin on 13 January at Alexandra Palace in London.

 

Dorna Sports have appointed Hiroshi Yasukawa as an advisor to company CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta.

Yasukawa will bring a wealth of motorsport experience to the MotoGP rights holder and will provide his insight on the further development of the sport, having had a career that has already spanned four decades in motorsport.

Yasukawa has most recently been the Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, a post he held from 1997 to 2011 and one in which he oversaw the worldwide racing activities of the Japanese tyre manufacturer.

Hiroshi Yasukawa stated: “It’s a great honour to continue my career in this fantastic environment thanks to Dorna. Our relationship was always great throughout the time that I was working with Bridgestone, and I think I can help the continued development of the Championship. MotoGP has great potential lying ahead, and in the coming years we’ll have to tackle new challenges and bring into existence the most appropriate changes to make the MotoGP World Championship even more thrilling and spectacular”.

Carmelo Ezpeleta added: “I’m very proud that we can now count on the experience of Hiroshi Yasukawa who has had close ties with the sport for many years. He is an important and respected man who can bring a lot to the FIM MotoGP World Championship as we continue looking for ways to improve it. We’re pleased with the fact that MotoGP will continue to benefit from his knowledge”.

The former French Football Federation (FFF) director general who led France’s preparations to host the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Jacques Lambert has been installed as the head of the steering committee and president of the organising committee for UEFA Euro 2016.

Lambert will act as chairman of the eight-member steering committee, which will comprise four representatives from UEFA. The President of European soccer’s governing body Michel Platini unveiled the board for Euro 2016 in France, the tournament being the first European Championship to be entirely funded by UEFA.

FFF chairman Fernand Duchaussoy, French Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno and a representative of the nine host cities – yet to be confirmed – will also make up the board for the first European Championship to have 24 teams.

Platini stated: “This will be the political arm of Euro 2016, where all the decisions are made. There will be no financial risk for the French Federation,” he added, indicating that the FFF would still receive “a bonus” if there is a surplus.

A joint stock company called Euro 2016 S.A.S, which will be 95 per cent owned by UEFA and 5 per cent owned by the FFF, will be created as the operational body responsible for the event.

The 11 cities in the running to host matches at Euro 2016 include Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nancy, Nice, Paris (Parc des Princes), Saint-Denis (Stade de France), Saint-Etienne and Toulouse. UEFA has given the FFF until mid-September to whittle the number down to nine cities.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has extended its deal to showcase the British Darts Organisation’s (BDO) World Championships until 2016.

The BBC has broadcast every BDO World Championship since 1978.

“The World Darts Championships are an important part of our sports rights portfolio,” said BBC director of sport Barbara Slater.

“We look forward to bringing our audiences this great tournament through to 2016.”

BDO chairperson Sue Williams said: “This is wonderful news for the BDO, its players and the millions of darts fans who tune in to watch the BBC’s outstanding coverage.”

The 2013 BDO World Championships began on saturday at the Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company is thinking about events beyond the Games by bringing in Clive Little as director of events and programming.

Little has more than 20 years of experience in delivering events and venue programming, malady delivering global event solutions for the likes of Motorola, try Vodafone and Yahoo!

Little, previously global events director of the Cake agency within Havas, said: “I am excited about the prospect of working on a prolific range of diverse events and activities helping bring the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to life.

“We have already begun to map out opportunities so we can have a fantastic programme of activities when the Park re-opens in 2013. This summer we will be calling for applications of expressions of interest to host events ranging from major events to local community festivals on the Park.”

The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) local organising committee (LOC) and the SABC announced the conclusion of a R65m broadcast deal covering TV and radio for the tournament in South Africa this year.

LOC CEO Mvuso Mbebe said the R65m fee was fair and reasonable under the circumstances and satisfied all parties concerned.

“This is a CAF [Confederation of African Football] tournament, it must be remembered,” said Mbebe.

“All agreements were made in conjunction with Africa’s controlling (soccer) body and this was the reason there were delays at times, as all the parties involved had to be consulted.”

Mbebe said the quality of the service provided by the SABC for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) would be “world class”. Most of the facilities and equipment built for the 2010 World Cup would be used.

“We have proven ourselves time and again as capable to provide a top-class service for an international event of this stature,” SABC acting chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng said.

The SABC would provide live coverage of all the games during the 23-day event. It would start on Saturday, January 19, with a game between Bafana Bafana and Cape Verde at the 90 000-seater National Stadium in Johannesburg.

The final would be played at the same venue on February 10.

Kevin Scott, a former Scotland international badminton player, has been elected as director of marketing at Badminton Europe’s annual meeting in Vantaa, Finland.

Scott replaces Germany’s Christine Skropke and will bring a strong business background to the role from his position as executive director of international business development at leading investment fund group, Jupiter Asset Management, covering Europe, Asia and other key markets.

Scott’s candidature was supported by UK Sport and Badminton England, whose chief executive Adrian Christy said: “This is a tremendous achievement for Kevin and for Badminton England.

“England is a proud member nation of Badminton Europe and a Council position comes with great responsibility. 

“In Kevin, we have someone who has both the business background and the international badminton experience to add great value to support the growth and success of European badminton.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank UK Sport for their support in this campaign and for our wider international strategy.

“England has secured one of the most ambitious and exciting trilogies of major events leading into a home Olympics, including this summer’s Yonex BWF World Badminton Championships, a Council position on the Badminton World Federation for former world doubles champion Nora Perry, and now a Council position within Badminton Europe, all within the space of four years.

“I look forward to England playing a key role in the exciting evolution of our great game for many years to come”.

Chris Harvey, the international relations adviser at UK Sport, added: “Key decisions in International Sport Federations are made in the meetings of their elected Council or Executive Boards, less and less in the debating rooms of congresses and annual general meetings.

“It is vital for our national governing bodies to gain representation in these forums so they can be a part of the major decisions that shape their sport.

“I am delighted for Kevin Scott and for Badminton England to have won this election through the successful implementation of a well-planned and strategic campaign.

“Gaining this position will help to increase Badminton England’s international influence at an important time for the sport.”

Scott’s ability to discuss a variety of dynamic aspects and developments, in different countries and continents will be invaluable to European badminton and he spoke of his appointment, saying: “Following nomination by Badminton England, I am delighted to have been elected to the position of marketing director for Badminton Europe, especially as we are in the build-up to the London Olympics which offers significant momentum for development.”