The International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM) has agreed terms with Russian network and production company NTV Plus, to produce the UIPM World Cup Series and Senior World Championships live for TV for the next 4 years. 

NTV Plus beat a long list of companies vying to become UIPM’s production partner in the next Olympic period on the back of their vision, passion and experience in producing Modern Pentathlon events. 

UIPM President Dr h.c. Klaus Schormann stated: “This is a landmark deal for UIPM, we are very excited to be partnering up with such a big and prestigious company like NTV Plus. We believe they are the right partner for us to take UIPM’s TV project which has grown significantly over the past 4 years to the next level.” 

UIPM’s Vice President for Business Affairs Viacheslav Aminov added: “I am very excited about this agreement, as NTV Plus is a famous Russian network and production company. This agreement is a new epoch in UIPM’s history in the broadcast and popularisation of our great sport. NTV Plus brings with them 3 years of experience in online and Live TV broadcasting of modern pentathlon, especially riding and combined event. So we are looking forward to our very bright TV future together with our new partner.” 

In the agreement, NTV Plus will produce the individual final days and Mixed Relay finals from 6 events a year live for TV for international distribution, plus a live webcast of each event, a TV magazine show and news edits. 

World Cup #1 in Palm Springs, USA on 20-24 February 2013, will be the first event to be produced by NTV Plus, with the agreement running until the end of the 2016 season.

Ticketus have been told their Rangers contract will be terminated according to administrators Duff and Phelps.

The London-based firm are owed £26.7million from a deal struck with Craig Whyte last May for the future sale of three years’ worth of season tickets.

Majority shareholder Whyte gave personal guarantees to the investment firm over capital issued to the club, which totalled more than £30million.

Prospective new Rangers owner Charles Green has vowed to freeze season ticket prices following latest news about Ticketus.

Former Sheffield United chief executive Green, who is leading a consortium to purchase Rangers, said in a statement: “During the last week I have had a number of meetings with supporters’ representatives who have raised important issues about the club and the way forward.

“I have listened to them and a key issue raised with me was the season ticket pricing for next season.

“My initial thoughts prior to these meetings was that season tickets prices should be increased as they had not been raised in the last three years.

“However, taking on board the fans’ concerns, I can confirm that when my consortium completes the purchase of Rangers and takes over the running of the club, season ticket prices will be frozen for next season.

“The club’s administrators have informed me they have written to Ticketus to terminate the agreement that is currently in place with the club and supporters can now take heart from the fact that season ticket sales will be as normal.

“Once we are in a position to issue season ticket renewals, and that will be as soon as possible, I would urge all fans to continue showing the tremendous support they have given to the club.

“The fans are the club’s greatest asset and their commitment to season tickets will be an important part of rebuilding Rangers.

“In view of the public announcement this week that the Plus Market is to close, I can inform all supporters that it is our intention to make arrangements to list Rangers Football Club on an alternative market at the earliest opportunity.

“This is, of course, subject to meeting any requirements to list and having approval from all relevant authorities.” 

A spokesperson for Ticketus said: “This is a formality. “Ticketus were already being treated as creditors in a CVA – implying the ticket deal would no longer stand- but at some stage had to be given formal notification of that.

“Ticketus have received that notification now.”

Earlier this month, Ticketus formally launched legal action against Whyte over money owed to them by administration-hit Rangers.

Documents from a previous court case showed Ticketus had made two payments to Rangers, one in May last year and one in September, which were worth more than £30million when VAT was added.

The initial payment, worth £24.4million in total, was used by Whyte to pay off the club’s bank debt to complete his takeover just over a year ago.

Keith Bradshaw has resigned his post as the secretary and chief executive of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) with immediate effect due to family reasons.

Bradshaw is the fourteenth MCC secretary & chief executive the first to originate from Australia and has been in post since October 2006.

Keith Bradshaw will hand over his duties during October and will continue to be available in an advisory capacity until the end of the year. Colin Maynard, symptoms the current Deputy Secretary, sale will serve as Acting Secretary & Chief Executive.

The MCC Committee will now look to appoint an international executive search firm to find Keith Bradshaw’s successor.

A small group of Committee members will co-ordinate this process.  Led by Oliver Stocken (MCC Chairman), therapy the group will also include Christopher Martin-Jenkins (President), Justin Dowley (Treasurer), Phillip Hodson (President Designate), Anthony Wreford (Trustee) and Mike Griffith (Chairman of Cricket).

The President of MCC, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, said: ‘It is with considerable regret that the MCC Committee has accepted the resignation of Keith Bradshaw.

“From his first day as Secretary & Chief Executive, Keith has been a breath of fresh air at Lord’s and he has made an outstanding contribution towards the high standing and role of the Club both domestically and internationally. His open and positive attitude has been infectious to all those around him and he can be very proud of his numerous achievements at MCC.  During his time here, Lord’s has come to be seen not just as the home of cricket but as a welcoming place to all who love the game.”

Bradshaw added: “Following the recent loss of my mother, I am returning to Australia for family reasons.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Club working with the Committee, Members, staff and the many cricket bodies around the world.  My five years at Lord’s have been very special and I will leave with many treasured memories; it has been a great honour and privilege to serve the Club.”

Neil Doncaster, seek the Scottish Premier League (SPL) chief executive, viagra 100mg has suggested Rangers will not be receiving special treatment if they look to re-enter the top division.

Prospective new owner Charles Green is still keen for the club to exit administration via a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) but may be forced to go down a newco route.

Celtic fans are threatening boycotts if a Rangers newco gets into the top flight.

Doncaster met would-be Ibrox owner Charles Green at Hampden yesterday but insisted it was not to smooth a way back for the club after the SFA threw out their appeal against a 12-month transfer ban.

He said: “I have no previous experience with Charles.

“It’s important to meet the owners of all our clubs to get a better understanding of what their intentions are. We will continue to deal with clubs equally under the rules. We’ll have to do that without fear or favour.

“I can’t get into special cases because our job is to apply the rules fairly.”

The SPL are still probing Rangers’ alleged use oftwo contracts per player over a 14-year period but there’s no end in sight to the inquiry. Doncaster said: “That will take some time and it’s being done by our lawyers.

“How long will it take? How long has the HMRC investigation into Rangers been going on?

“These things take as long as they take.

“The issue for us is, have any of our rules been breached? If they have then we will act accordingly.”

Drew Barrand’s departure as Head of Communications at Benchmark has led to the company naming his successor Adam Fraser.

Fraser will be responsible for developing the communications strategy for the four businesses under the Benchmark Sport umbrella namely the Sport Industry Group, including the Sport Industry Awards in both the UK and South Africa; Beyond Sport; Square Mile Sport; and Benchmark Talent.

Fraser, who will take up his new role in mid-September, started his career as a journalist with Football365 in 2005 and has since written for a wide range of magazines, newspapers, websites and official publications, based both in England and in France.

Since 2008 he has held a number of key editorial roles at SportsPro Media, and been part of the team that has developed SportsPro into one of the sport industry’s leading publications.

Barrand leaves Benchmark Sport at the end of this week to join sports communications agency Pitch as Associate Director, beginning Tuesday 30th August.

Mit Bestürzung und Sorge haben wir die Vorkommnisse beim Relegationsspiel zwischenFortuna Düsseldorf und Hertha BSC Berlin zur Kenntnis genommen. DFB und Ligaverbandsind sich darüber einig, dass solche unverantwortlichen und die Gesundheit der vielenfriedlichen Fans gefährdenden Szenen in einem Fußballstadion nicht tolerierbar sindund konsequent geahndet werden müssen. Die Sportgerichtsbarkeit des DFB ist auchin diesem konkreten Fall dafür zuständig, das angemessene Strafmaß zu finden. DerKontrollausschuss hat die Ermittlungen bereits aufgenommen.

Grundsätzlich ist nach den Übergriffen dieser Saison ein Punkt erreicht, an dem neue Wegegegen Gewalt im Umfeld von Fußballspielen gegangen werden müssen. Die jüngstenAusschreitungen zum Saisonende machen einmal mehr auf traurige Weise deutlich, dassdie bisherigen Konzepte und Maßnahmen allein nicht mehr ausreichen. In den vergangenenMonaten wurde deshalb bereits in der eigens gegründeten Task Force Sicherheit mitVertretern aus Vereinen, Verbänden, Justiz, Polizei und Fanstrukturen ein Katalog erarbeitet,an welchen Stellen in den Bereichen Prävention und Sanktion angesetzt werden kann.

Konkret werden DFB und Ligaverband daran anknüpfend noch vor der kommenden Saisongemeinsam eine Zusammenkunft aller Präsidenten von Bundesliga, 2. Bundesliga und 3.Liga einberufen, auf der das weitere Vorgehen besprochen werden soll. Dabei wird es unteranderem darum gehen, einen Verhaltenskodex zu entwickeln, der den Umgang zwischenVereinen und Fans beschreibt. Außerdem sollen im Zusammenspiel mit Polizei und Justizeffektivere Vorgehensweisen gegen Gewalttäter auf den Weg gebracht und abgestimmtwerden.

DFB und Ligaverband werden zusammen mit den Vereinen nicht zulassen, dass der Fußballvon Randalierern und Gewalttätern als Bühne missbraucht wird. Der Fußball wird seineMöglichkeiten im Kampf gegen Gewalt ausschöpfen und vertraut auf die Kompetenz undEntschlossenheit der staatlichen Stellen. Nur im gemeinsamen Schulterschluss zwischenFußball, Politik, Polizei, Justiz und der großen Mehrheit der wahren, friedlichen Fans könnenwir das Problem lösen. Für Gewalt darf im Fußball kein Platz sein.

Pierre Weiss’s retirement has led to Essar Gabriel named as his successor as the new general secretary of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), it has been announced.

The Frenchman is to take over his compatriot Weiss, who is retiring after 20 years working for the world athletics governing body.

Gabriel, 43, was director general of the Organising Committee for the successful 2003 World Championships in·Paris and recently held the post of Director of the Youth Olympic Games for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), overseeing last year’s successful first event in Singapore. 

He was also the chief operating officer of Paris’ unsuccessful bid to host the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, which were awarded to London.

Weiss, 64, announced his decision to step down several months ago after taking over the post in 2006 following the death of Hungary’s Istvan Gyulai.

Gabriel has been chosen to succeed Weiss by IAAF President Lamine Diack, whose choice has been endorsed by the ruling Council, who are meeting on the eve of the World Championships which open on Saturday August 27.

Diack said: “With a wealth of experience working in the administration of international sporting bodies, I am convinced that he will be capable of bringing us an outside perspective that will enable us to uncompromisingly assess in those areas that we need to improve as we move forwards.”

Former Accrington Stanley chairman Ilyas Khan is prepared to join a consortium to take over at relegated Blackburn if current owners Venky’s want to sell.

Venky’s have come under huge pressure from Rovers supporters since taking control of the club in November 2010.

But they say they have no plans to leave Ewood Park despite relegation.

“If they were [prepared to sell], I would be honoured if I could facilitate a transfer,” Khan told BBC Radio Lancashire.

Khan, who stood down as chairman of Accrington and relinquished his shares in the League Two club earlier this month, has held meetings with willing investors and joined forces with local businessmen Ian Battersby and Ian Currie, who run corporate finance and capital-raising company Seneca Partners.

Khan added: “I respect the fact Venky’s are the current owners, but at some point during the close season, I think it will become clearer whether their long-term intentions are to stay where they are,” he said.

“I read the statement they put out last week that the family is in love with the club and want to see it through.

“If that is their intention, there is no time to be spent on this endeavour.

“If they were to decide that it’s time for them to move on to a different business venture, I think our consortium is the only one that could turn this into a success for the town.”

Blackburn have been relegated from the Premier League and face an uncertain future in the Championship

Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket have appointmented Ralph Waters as Deputy Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, to be hosted in New Zealand and Australia.

Waters is the Chairman of Fletcher Building Limited, a Director of Woolworths Limited, Fonterra Co-Operative Limited and Westpac New Zealand Limited and until earlier this year, was Chairman of Fisher & Paykel Appliances Limited. Previously, Mr Waters was Chief Executive of the Sydney based Email Limited and then Chief Executive of the Auckland based Fletcher Building.

James Strong, who was announced last week as Chairman, and his Deputy Mr Waters, will lead the Board overseeing the delivery of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, including the appointment of the Chief Executive Officer.

The Committee Deputy Chairman’s appointment was made following an extensive executive search process conducted on behalf of New Zealand Cricket and Cricket Australia.

Commenting on his appointment, Waters said: “As a cricket tragic, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be involved in the organisation of the next World Cup. I played years of low level cricket around Australia and for four years in London too. I have travelled the world to watch the Australian team play. Being involved with cricket – and for the two countries where I now share my time – will be a privilege.”