The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has announced the appointments of Patrick Koller as Head of Communications and Florian Wanninger, being named director of the newly founded International Basketball Foundation (IBF).

Wanninger has vacated his post as communications chief to take on the role after fronting FIBA’s department for the last two decades. The IBF’s main missions include safeguarding the sport’s heritage as well as funding and engaging in basketball related social and humanitarian projects.

Koller, former captain of Switzerland’s Men’s National Basketball Team, takes over from Wanninger, to head a team of four in-house staff covering media operations, PR, editorial and web services. Koller has accumulated over 10 years’ experience in the field of media and communications and holds degrees in both economics and journalism.

Patrick Koller spoke of his appointment: “As a lifelong basketball fan, this is a wonderful opportunity for me. International basketball is growing continuously, so the list of tasks and projects is long. But as a sportsman and competitor I can only look forward to these challenges.”

Florian Wanninger said: “The Foundation will become an important pillar of FIBA’s strategic development over the coming years and I am thrilled to be entrusted with such an important project.”

FIBA Secretary General and IOC Member Patrick Baumann added: “These are exciting times at FIBA and these two new appointments match our ambitions. There are few people who know the world of basketball as well as Florian Wanninger and he is the perfect person for the IBF. Patrick Koller has the profile and leadership qualities to push our communication team forward and spread the word about FIBA and international basketball.”

US broadcasters, ESPN has acquired the US media rights for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, the premier championship for national soccer teams in the continent of Africa.

ESPN3, the company’s live multi-screen sports network available in 83 million homes, will be the primary home for live presentation of the three-week tournament in South Africa that began 19 January through 10 February.

ESPN Deportes, the 24-hour Spanish-language sports network, will televise the semifinals and final matches on delay. This is the first time Africa’s most prominent soccer championship will be available in the United States via a media platform reaching a mass audience.

The agreement includes access to match highlights across ESPN media platforms such as ESPN FC, the company’s sole destination for soccer content; studio news, highlights and analysis programs such as SportsCenter, ESPN FC Press Pass on ESPNEWS, as well as SportsCenter and Los Capitanes on ESPN Deportes.

This year’s Africa Cup of Nations is the 29th edition of the tournament. Teams representing 16 nations compete in the tournament, following a qualification process among the 54 member nations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the governing body for the sport of soccer in Africa.

The winner of the tournament will represent Africa in the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup in Brazil, 15-30 June, competing in Group B along with Spain (Europe), Uruguay (South America) and Tahiti (Oceana).

Birmingham City finances are up in the air following the decision by parent group Birmingham International Holdings (BIH) to postpone the release of its financial results for a further three months.

The St Andrew’s club were left in no man’s land over future summer signings and other key finances after the parent group told the Hong Kong Stock Exchange the results would be delayed until the end of July.

BIH says the delay in publishing its financial figures is because “more additional time is required by the company’s subsidiaries in finalising its financial statements and preparing the final results of the group”.

The postponement of the results is likely to throw Blues’ future plans into further turmoil, prolonging the transfer embargo imposed by the Football League due to concerns over the parent group’s finances.

BIH has now postponed the results announcement three times, in October, January and April, and failed to meet three pledges that the accounts would be issued. It has also issued a profit warning forecasting substantial losses, largely blamed on Blues’ relegation last year.

But the latest delay is likely to be seen as the last straw by thousands of Blues fan increasingly disillusioned with the Chinese owners.

The head of England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid, Andy Anson has been confirmed as an independent director of the British Olympic Association (BOA).

Anson, former commercial director at Manchester United, said: “It is an exciting moment in time to be involved with Olympic sport in the UK.”

Anson will be joined by commercial lawyer Denise Jagger as non-executive directors on the 16-strong board, with the pair holding voluntary positions over a two-year term.

The ex-European chief executive of tennis’ ATP Tour, added: “I am thrilled to be able to add my commercial and sports management experience to the BOA board to benefit Team GB athletes in London 2012 and beyond.

“I will use my global commercial insight from my work in football, tennis and the media to provide advice and guidance to support the wider family of Olympic sports.”

Anson was a public figure when England’s bid to stage the 2018 World Cup ended with just two votes, including one from their own representative – with Russia going on to claim the hosting rights. He was known to be hugely against the BBC’s decision to broadcast a scathing Panorama report accusing FIFA of corruption just days before the voting process.

The inaugural Pearls Golf Premier League will be broadcast live on television on the Indian sports channel Sony SIX, allergy after a deal was struck today.

Sony SIX will show all three days of the event, anesthetist which takes place on 8-10 February and will feature leading players such as Darren Clarke and Michael Campbell competing with local champions.

Shiv Kapur and Neeraj Sareen, co-founders of the Pearls Golf Premier League, said: “We are extremely pleased to join hands with Sony SIX which is one of the most credible channels for sports in India. We believe that the format of play during the GPL will be interesting for live viewing and are confident of the reach that Sony SIX can provide as a platform to help us take golf to a larger audience in India.”

Man Jit Singh, CEO of Multi Screen Media, added: “The Golf  Premier League is an important step towards the evolution of golf as a popular spectator sport in India. I am sure that the unique format, coming together of world-class players and other exciting aspects including day and night golf will make for a compelling viewing for our audience.”

Coventry City’s commercial director, Justin Tose, has waived away claims of an exodus of sponsors leaving Sky Blues following their relegation into League One.

The relegation will have a detrimental effect to the club and they are expected to lose out on millions of pounds worth of sponsorship money from the Football League next season.

Last year the Sky Blues received somewhere in the region of £2.3 million from the Football League Pool Account, which includes all TV and sponsorship money from the Football League.

That figure is set to substantially drop to below £650,000 next season, and looks set to come down further when TV revenue us reduced for the 2012/13 campaign.

The club can also expect season ticket and matchday ticket sales to drop.

Average attendance figures have dropped by 7,000 since moving to the Ricoh Arena in 2005, and that trend looks set to continue following the drop into League One next season.

The Sky Blues still have one year remaining on the current kit deal with City Link Coventry, who pulled out of a three year sponsorship with the City ladies team this year two years into the agreed term.

But Tose is confident no such deal will be broken this summer despite the clubs position.

He said: “Our medium-term sponsorship deals remain in place but we understand that the drop into League One could affect new sponsorship opportunities.

“We have already been looking into how League One football will affect the club commercially and that will form part of the review that is going to take place in the next few weeks. Many of our local sponsors and supporters have, however, indicated that they will back the club next season and, indeed, whatever division we are in.

“That kind of support is a huge help as we build for the future.”

by Ismail Uddin

Global event management and sports consultancy Rushmans has launched a specialist recruitment business, clinic offering fresh options for sports sector employers and candidates through UK-based Impact Sports Recruitment.

The recruitment agency will provide a full range of services to organising committees and other sports sector organisations. Impact will operate independently while also providing Rushmans with a dedicated resource for meeting the staffing needs of its projects.

Founder Nigel Rushman stated: “This is a significant step forward for Rushmans. Quality people are critical to every element of the sports business, apoplectic from organising events to running governing bodies.

“Impact Sports Recruitment provides us with the ability to add this essential service to our consultancy and event management offering, thumb ensuring that the plans, processes and strategies we develop on behalf of clients are implemented by the best qualified and appropriately experienced people from around the world.”

Impact Sports Recruitment will act as the official recruitment service for the Sports Crowd social network of sports and events professionals, and the new company will be steered by Richard Graham, who has worked in the sports sector for 25 years.

Graham added: “Having our roots in a sports organisation and not a recruitment company is a major plus. In over a quarter of a century of working in sports globally, Rushmans has built up a tremendous network and understanding of a client organisation’s activities and their recruitment needs. That will allow us to offer a considered and targeted approach when identifying the types of candidates who would succeed in a particular role and environment.”

The American Hockey League (AHL) has announced that NESN will produce the telecast of the 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic, cheao viagra set for later this month in Providence, therapy R.I. 

The event, with the 2013 Pepsi AHL All-Star Skills Competition set for Sunday, Jan. 27 and the 2013 AHL All-Star Game to follow on Monday, Jan. 28, will air in high-definition and reach more than 100 million households on a comprehensive network of television partners in the United States – anchored by NESN – and on Sportsnet in Canada. 

Visit theahl.com for a complete schedule of stations and air times for the 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic on the AHL All-Star TV network. 

Sportsnet will have coverage of the AHL All-Star Classic across Canada through all four of its broadcast regions plus Sportsnet ONE. The league’s showcase event can also be seen this year on more than 25 regional networks in the United States, including Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Northwest and Comcast SportsNet California as well as The Comcast Network in Philadelphia and Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS); MSG Network, serving the New York City metro area and upstate New York; Root Sports in Pittsburgh; Fox Sports Net’s Ohio, North, Midwest, Southwest and Arizona affiliates; and Altitude Sports and Entertainment, which reaches viewers across 10 states in and around the Rocky Mountains. 

Time Warner Cable customers in New York, the Carolinas, Wisconsin, Texas and Los Angeles will get to see the AHL All-Star Classic on their local TWC sports channels. Metro Sports will carry the event for its viewers in Kansas City and parts of Kansas and Nebraska, and Florida viewers will be able to catch it on Sun Sports.

My Network TV in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (WQMY-TV) will also air the event for fans in northeast Pennsylvania, and America One will broadcast it in over 125 markets in the U.S., Caribbean and Central and South America. Additionally, fans overseas will be able to watch the 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic on ESPN America in northern Europe and the Middle East.

Wie das Magazin „sponsors“ berichtet, story hat der dramatische Einzug des FC Bayern München ins Champions-League-Finale Sat. 1 erneut Traumquoten eingebracht. Den Sieg über Real Madrid verfolgten in der Spitze fast 14 Millionen Zuschauer. Ein neuer Quotenrekord wurde nur knapp verpasst.

Bereits die erste Hälfte der Begegnung verfolgten ab 20.45 Uhr schon 10,99 Millionen Zuschauer ab drei Jahren, was einem Marktanteil von 32,7 Prozent entsprach. Zur zweiten Halbzeit legte Sat.1 nochmal kräftig zu. Durchschnittlich 13,52 Millionen Zuschauer sahen die Aufholjagd der Bayern, was den Marktanteil auf 43,8 Prozent schießen ließ.

Die anschließende Verlängerung ab 22.36 Uhr verzeichnete dann zwar einen kleinen Rückgang, kam aber immer noch auf eine hervorragende Quote von 13,15 Millionen Zuschauer (MA: 48,9 Prozent). Die zweite Hälfte der Verlängerung brachte es anschließend auf einen Marktanteil von 52,5 Prozent (13,25 Millionen Zuschauer).

Den krönenden Abschluss brachte schließlich aber das ausgetragene Elfmeter-Schießen ab 23.12 Uhr, das mit 13,97 Millionen Zuschauern einen überragenden Marktanteil von 57,9 Prozent erzielte. Auch die nachfolgende Übertragung der Highlights des zweiten Halbfinalrückspiels zwischen dem FC Chelsea und dem FC Barcelona vom Vortag, die bis weit nach Mitternacht reichte, verfolgten immerhin noch 4,54 Millionen Zuschauer (MA: 37,0 Prozent).

Somit war das Halbfinalrückspiel gegen Real Madrid erfolgreicher als das Champions-League-Finale des FC Bayern gegen Inter Mailand im Jahr 2010. Damals verfolgten die zweite Halbzeit 12,64 Millionen Zuschauer. Insgesamt verpasste Sat. 1 mit der gestrigen Übertragung nur knapp einen neuen Senderrekord. Lediglich den UEFA-Cup-Gewinn des FC Schalke 04 im Jahr 1997 wollten mit 14,44 Millionen noch mehr Zuschauer sehen.

Double Olympic gold medallist gymnast Peter Vidmar has resigned from his position as US Chef de Mission for the London 2012 Games just days after his appointment due to controversy surrounding his public opposition of same sex marriage.

Vidmar, 49, is a devout Mormon and contributed US$2,000 to the 2008 campaign for a statewide proposition in California, defining marriage as between a man and women.

Having been appointed to the post on April 28, Vidmar said he was not interested in dealing with the distractions the controversy would have on the US team to London. 

He stated: “I wish that my personal religious beliefs would not have become a distraction from the amazing things that are happening in the Olympic movement in the United States. I simply cannot have my presence become a detriment to the U.S. Olympic family.”

United States Olympic Committee (USOC) CEO Scott Blackmun said of Vidmar’s resignation: “Peter is respected the world-over for his dedication and commitment to the Olympic Movement and is rightly considered one of America’s great Olympic champions. I believe Peter would have served our athletes well, but given the nature of this issue, I certainly respect his decision to resign.”