Head of Switzerland’s National Hockey League (NHL) Werner Augsburger is to quit his role in order to take up the position of sporting director of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, it was announced today.

Augsburger, 52, will start his new role in September and claimed it was a chance too good to miss, stating: “The confidence placed in me by the Russian Organising Committee is a great honour.

“As a longtime sports official in various management functions, this offers a unique opportunity.

“It is probably comparable to a Swiss ice hockey player who gets the chance to play in the [North American] National Hockey League.”

Augsburger has held a number of top roles in sport, including being Switzerland’s Chef de Mission at three consecutive Olympics – the Summer Games in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 and the Winter Games in Turin 2006.

He was also the chief of logistics of the Swiss team at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Taj Television-owned Ten Sports has secured the broadcast rights to televise WTA Premier tournaments for India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka from 2013 to 2016.

In addition to the television rights, Ten Sports has also acquired the rights to distribute the matches on mobile and internet technology.

As part of the deal Ten Sports will be telecasting 110 matches every year including Semi Final and Final from each of the WTA’s 22 Premier tournaments, including the year-end WTA Championships.

Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande said, “As we continue to expand our content for viewers in South Asia, we’re delighted to add outstanding WTA women’s tennis tournaments from around the world.” Women’s tennis is one of the fastest growing sports in India and we are privileged to be a part of its success.

The WTA acquisition add to the existing strong line-up of tennis programming on TEN Sports , which includes US Open, Aircel Chennai Open, ATP 1000 and 500 Tournaments.

The 2013 WTA competitive season starts with the Brisbane International from 3-6 January and concludes with the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, 22-27 October, and the Tournament of Champions in Sofia, Bulgaria, 29 October – 3 November.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has strengthened its Board with the appointment of two new Directors in the shape of Nicholas Jones, appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director, and racehorse trainer Mark Johnston, appointed as the Horsemen’s Member Nominated Director.

Additionally, Justin Wadham moves from Johnston’s new position to become a third Independent Non-Executive Director, with all the appointments receiving unanimous support of the Nominations Committee, current Board members and the Authority’s four Member organisations.

Nicholas Jones is a Steward of the Jockey Club and owns Coln Valley Stud near Cirencester where he has nine mares and also several horses in training. He was a Managing Director and Vice Chairman of investment bank Lazard until June 2010.

Mark Johnston is well known as one of the country’s leading flat trainers. He is also a veterinary surgeon by profession, having qualified from Glasgow University Veterinary School in 1983 and he worked in general practice for three years before obtaining a licence to train.

Paul Roy, Chairman of the BHA, stated: “These two new appointments bring a broad range of skills and experience to an already experienced Board. Nicholas has spent years in senior positions in the worlds of finance and betting. As a breeder and owner, and a former director of one of Britain’s premier racecourses, he understands the sport from many viewpoints and I am delighted that he has agreed to become a Director.

“Mark needs little introduction and he has strong views on a wide range of subjects, It is testament to his passion for the sport and for the horse that he is finding the time to take up this position. His experience and knowledge will be an asset to the Board.

Nicholas Jones said: “It is a privilege to join the Board of the regulator of Britain’s second biggest sport and to help with the challenges ahead.

“Apart from the BHA’s continuing role in ensuring the highest standards of integrity in racing, there is the need to implement reform of decision making structures within the industry; the racing industry must be an attractive sport in which to participate and must preserve its international competitiveness.”

Mark Johnston added: “I think it is vital in any business to have a very strong understanding of the product and I hope I can bring this to the BHA board. I am looking forward to the challenge.”

SuperSport have signed a broadcast rights deal with the SA Football Association (SAFA), and will broadcast all home and away friendly matches which Bafana Bafana participate in during 2013.

“The World of Champions is very pleased to add SAFA’s content to our wide array of football and other sport,” SuperSport CEO Happy Ntshingila said in a statement.

“This is an extremely significant year for Bafana and we are proud that our subscribers will be able to support our national team through our exclusively live and high-definition broadcasts.”

The agreement includes pay broadcast rights to other Bafana matches that SAFA has jurisdiction over, Banyana Banyana fixtures, men’s and women’s national age-group teams, and other SAFA content, including development and grassroots soccer.

The deal would commence with the important Bafana AFCON warm-up fixtures to be played against Norway in Cape Town and Algeria in Soweto on January 8 and 12, respectively.

SAFA development agency CEO Robin Petersen said the deal was long overdue.

“We have wished for some time to have our product broadcast by SuperSport, which is a leading and world-class sports broadcaster.

“The revenue derived from this deal will assist SAFA with its development plans and afford substantial further exposure for our brand on the various platforms that SuperSport broadcasts on.”

The International Archery Federation (FITA)/World Archery has signed a partnership with innovative digital sports jobs board and career development service GlobalSportsJobs.

Under the agreement, erectile GlobalSportsJobs will create and power an online jobs board for the federation, symptoms enabling it to vastly increase its recruitment reach.

World Archery joins a growing number of international governing bodies and multi-national sports organisations such as IMG, find Fast Track and Eurosport which have already signed-up to the benefits of being plugged into one of the largest networks in sport.

Will Lloyd, founder of GlobalSportsJobs, stated: “We are delighted to be working with World Archery. They are a highly focused, professional and ambitious governing body which is committed to progress. They understand that taking a positive attitude towards recruitment will have a direct bearing on their future success. Together we will unlock tremendous new opportunities for people seeking jobs or developing their careers in the sector.”

Tom Dielen, World Archery Executive Director, added: “People are our biggest asset, we are all operating in an increasingly professional environment and our ability to carry out our role depends on the quality of our people. GlobalSportsJobs presents us with a tremendous opportunity to develop a talent based community for the global archery family. The fact that it is integrated into a global talent network ensures we will be able to build a successful future for our sport.”

NeuLion, Inc., a leading enabler and provider of live and on-demand sports content to Internet-connected devices, announced a partnership with TSN, Canada’s sports leader and #1 specialty network, and the National Hockey League (NHL) to deliver to fans, in Canada and the United States, respectively, the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship Tournament. 

TSN is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc., Canada’s largest communications company.

The NeuLion Sports Platform will deliver, through TSN.ca, live streaming of all games, including pre-competition match-ups and games on demand. Canadian fans can purchase a tournament streaming package or select games to watch online or on their mobile and tablet devices. Last year, 15.4 million Canadians watched some part of the World Juniors on TSN.

“The World Juniors has become a Canadian hockey holiday tradition and this is an opportunity for fans to watch TSN’s coverage of the tournament live from their PCs, smartphones or tablets,” said Mark Silver, Head of Digital for TSN. “We are looking forward to working with the NeuLion team to give fans a best-in-class online experience as they cheer on Team Canada.”

Separately, in the United States, the NeuLion Sports Platform will deliver, through NHL.com, a complimentary digital service to fans to watch all of Team USA’s games live on NHL.com. The live coverage, only available inside the U.S., will be supplemented by wraparound content on NHL.com including the latest tournament information, scores, and highlights to ensure fans don’t miss any of the action.

“We will be providing extensive coverage of the 2013 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship on NHL.com and NHL Network,” said Steve McArdle, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning for the NHL. “We will be delivering more than 15 live games on the NHL Network, and in partnership with NeuLion will stream all of Team USA’s games live on NHL.com to our United States audience.”

Hosted in Ufa, Russia, the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship will mark the 37th time hockey players under 20 years old have competed in the Championship Tournament. Beginning on December 26, 2012 and ending with the gold medal game on January 5, 2013, this is the first time the event will be held overseas since 2008 in the Czech Republic.

Participating nations include Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

“This is fantastic hockey,” said Chris Wagner Executive Vice President of NeuLion. “We are excited to have the opportunity to deliver the live digital experience for all of the games produced by TSN in Canada and give hockey fans in the U.S., through the NHL, a chance to watch all of the action.”

During Friday’s, April 8, SportAccord General Assembly, Hein Verbruggen was re-elected for another four year- term as President of the organisation.

Hein Verbruggen has been heading SportAccord, formerly GAISF, since 2007 and will now continue in his role until 2015.

Verbruggen stated after the election: “I want to thank all the delegates for your confidence and trust placed in me. With your confidence and trust, I will continue to give my commitment to you. Although we have achieved many things, we still have a  lot of work to do. I am looking forward to developing new ideas and projects together with you.”

Pat McQuaid (Union Cycliste International) and Espen Lund (World Association of Kickboxing Organisations) have been appointed to the SportAccord Council. Pat McQuaid will replace Tamás Aján (International Weightlifting Federation) and Espen Lund will follow Fumio Morooka (World Flying Disc Federation).

The International Federation Icestocksport (IFI) was approved as Full Member meaning that SportAccord now has105 Members in total.

Time Warner Cable SportsNet will telecast 12 Los Angeles D-Fenders home games during the 2012-13 season, shop after agreeing an extension with the LA Lakers and the Buss family.

The D-Fenders are the official minor league team of the Los Angeles Lakers. The network will also give fans unparalleled access to the D-Fenders through behind-the-scenes features that will air on Time Warner Cable SportsNet’s weekly documentary series “Backstage: Lakers.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Time Warner Cable SportsNet this season, treatment ” said Joey Buss, buy pills President/CEO of the D-Fenders. “This is an opportunity for our fans, Lakers fans and basketball fans to develop a connection with top D-Fenders prospects as well as Lakers assignment players, both of which are instrumental to the future of the Lakers and NBA.”

As part of the agreement, former Laker and three-time NBA Champion A.C. Green and 20-year broadcasting veteran Steve Quis have been tabbed to handle color commentary and play-by-play duties.

“The combination of Lakers and D-Fenders games and content on Time Warner Cable SportsNet will give Southern California sports fans a more comprehensive viewing experience,” said Mark Shuken, Senior Vice President and General Manager of TWC Sports Regional Networks. “We’re excited to work with the D-Fenders to televise their games this season.”

Mark Abberley has been appointed by the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) as their new permanent chief executive.

Paul King has been replaced having held the position of chief executive since March 2005 on a long term secondment from Liverpool City Council.

Abberley will begin at the end of next month and will assume responsibility for the delivery of the ABAE’s Whole Sport Plan to increase and sustain participation in amateur boxing and drive excellence.

The 43-year-old has over 20 years’ experience in Sports Management and has spent the last two years as a regional cluster manager in the David Lloyd Leisure Group.

He is also chairman of Archery Great Britain’s Performance Group, a non-executive director of GB Handball and an advisor to Goalball UK but he will vacate these roles to focus exclusively on his responsibilities with the ABAE.

Abberley stated: “This is a great opportunity to work in a fantastic sport that has a proven track record of delivering huge benefits to people and communities.

“I look forward to bringing all of my experience in both Olympic sport and membership based sports businesses to help develop amateur boxing and build on the success it has had in recent years in growing participation and producing talent.”

Despite Abberley’s appointment, King was heavy favourite to retain the role of chief executive but withdrew his application to take up the position on a permanent basis because of the fall-out from his unsuccessful campaign to challenge C K Wu for the Presidency of the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

After failing to topple the powerful Wu, King spearheaded an attempt to postpone last year’s AIBA Congress held in Almaty last October in a move that has seen the ABAE come under investigation from the AIBA Disciplinary Commission.

Abberley’s first task will be to build bridges with AIBA and Keith Walters, the chairman of the ABAE, is confident the new chief executive has the skill to succeed in the role, stating: “Mark’s combination of skills, experience and passion for the sport made him an outstanding candidate.

“I have no doubt that under Mark’s leadership; the ABAE will be successful in enabling the sport of amateur boxing to flourish in England.”