Computer giant Microsoft announced Monday a three-year, ambulance multi-million dollar partnership with the Special Olympics to modernise the nonprofit’s technology and elevate it to the cloud.

The Azure-based games management system will enable instant access to real-time updates and athlete information. Microsoft will also provide 800 Surface tablets and 1, prostate 200 Lumia phones, here which will be used to track all events at the 2015 World Games in Los Angeles, while connecting volunteers across multiple venues.

“The Special Olympics’ goal of creating a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people is something we believe in here at Microsoft,” said Lisa Brummel, Microsoft’s executive vice president of Human Resources. “I am thrilled about our partnership with the Special Olympics over the next few years and our opportunity to contribute both technology and financial support to help them run their organization.”

The company has also committed to raising additional funds for the non-profit, pledging $1 million over the life of the partnership in the spirit of Microsoft’s company-wide Giving Campaign.

“We’re so excited. This is going to change our world,” said Special Olympics Chief Executive Officer Janet Froetscher. “Our partnership with Microsoft is going to allow us to leapfrog into the next universe and be able to execute on our mission in a much more powerful way.”

After domestic rights for the DFB-Pokal which went on the market yesterday, June 6, the German Football Federation (DFB) is confident of a battle between commercial and public-service broadcasters.

The rights are being tendered by the DFB for the four seasons from the 2012-13 campaign through to 2015-16 and signals the first time they are being sold separately from the DFB’s other rights, after the rights for national team matches for the next cycle were sold to ARD and ZDF last month.

According to TV Sports Markets, the Federation expects to close deals for the cup rights by September, and DFB general secretary Wolfgang Niersbach told local media: “I expect an exciting competition between public and private television channels.”

Public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF, and Germany’s biggest commercial broadcasters, RTL and Sat.1, are all expected to bid. News agency DPA reports that the competition generated over US$88m for the Federation last season from television and sponsorship rights.

Public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF have the rights for eight live matches per season in the current cycle through to the end of the 2012-13 campaign. Pay-television broadcaster Sky Deutschland has the rights for all 63 matches in the competition, including those aired by ARD and ZDF.

English Championship team Huddersfield Town has entered into a new commercial partnership with sports nutrition company iPRO Sport.

Town has today put pen to paper to confirm the new arrangement, ailment which will see iPRO Sport become the Club’s hydration partner – establishing them as the official supplier of isotonic drinks.

Huddersfield Town’s Commercial Manager – Partnerships, physician John Williams, said: “This is yet another fantastic partnership that will see iPRO Sport become an official supplier of the Club, with a lot more to come as part of this contract. I am delighted and very much looking forward to working with iPRO Sport.”

Managing Director of iPRO Sport Dean Cook added: “The relationship with Huddersfield Town is a significant and strategic step in iPRO’s plans to extend into football and other sports. It demonstrates the importance to managers, players and coaches of having a genuinely healthy product as their hydration partner. We have recently announced similar developments within Rugby Union and have a presence in cycling through Team Raleigh.”

vialis 40mg Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; color: #000000; line-height: 18px; padding: 0px;”>The crucial African Cup of Nations qualifier between South Africa and Egypt yesterday, June 5, was saved for fans of the South African side after a deal was reached in the 11th hour between national broadcaster SABC and Sport Five, the French sports agency that acquired the rights from the Confederation of African Football.

The live broadcast of the African Cup of Nations qualifier was in doubt when it was reported that the French sports agency wanted US$742,000 from the SABC to broadcast the game.

If the SABC had failed to show Sundays game, it would have been the second time that the embattled broadcaster had failed to show a crucial Bafana official match, following its inability to broadcast Bafana’s clash against Sierra Leone from Freetown last October.

SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago stated: “We could not compromise such a crucial Bafana Bafana game.

“The most important thing for us is that the fans get to watch Bafana Bafana live, and that we deliver the best possible broadcast of such a big game.”

The game eventually saw a goalless draw between the two giants of African soccer, leaving Bafana top of Group G, with Egypt – the seven-time continental champions – facing the very real danger of being eliminated from next year’s finals as they sit bottom after four games with just 2 points.

National Rugby League team Vodafone Warriors has extended its partnership with hamburger chain Wendy’s for another three years. 

Wendy’s NZ CEO Danielle Lendich said Wendy’s was proud to be partnering with the Vodafone Warriors heading into their 20th year and beyond.

“We’re a local, family-owned business so we feel fortunate to be part of the Vodafone Warriors family and we’re committed to the team 100 percent,” she said.

Vodafone Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said the club placed the highest value on its partnership with Wendy’s.

“Danielle and everyone at Wendy’s have done a fantastic job ever since joining us,” he said.

“We love the way Wendy’s has gone about its partnership, adding excitement through its product innovations and the way our players are incorporated into television campaigns.”

A relationship that began in 2008 and progressed to an on-kit sponsor in 2011, Wendy’s has so far promoted its involvement through a Vodafone Warriors burger, various in-store promotions and several entertaining TV ads featuring selected players.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed yesterday evening that they had decided to award the US broadcasting rights to the next four Olympic Games to incumbent rights holder NBC/Comcast who will pay US$4.38bn for the privilege.

The deal covers the four editions of the Games post London 2012, starting with the Sochi Winter Games in 2014. The first summer Games under the agreement will be the Rio 2016 edition, followed by the Winter Games in 2018 in which Munich, PyeongChang and Annecy are vying for the hosting rights. The decision to bid for the next four Games following on from London 2012 includes the summer 2020 edition, for which the IOC will not decide on a host for another two years.

NBC is understood to have committed to pay $775m for Sochi 2014, $1.226bn for Rio 2016, $963m for the rights to the 2018 Winter Games and $1.418bn for the 2020 Olympics.

The IOC’s decision to award a four Games package to NBC, which has covered every Olympics in the US since 2000 and several before that, came after two days of presentations kicked of by News Corp. owned Fox on Monday, June 6, and Walt Disney’s ESPN yesterday, June 7, morning.

ESPN announced the failure of their bid in the afternoon, stating: “We made a disciplined bid that would have brought tremendous value to the Olympics and would have been profitable for our company. To go any further would not have made good business sense for us.

“We wish to congratulate the IOC on a fair and transparent process, and we offer our best wishes to Comcast/NBC. We put our best foot forward with a compelling offer that included the enthusiastic participation of all of The Walt Disney Company’s considerable assets.”

NBC was last up to present their bid yesterday and their chances were not favoured over ESPN having been further thrown into doubt last month by NBC Sports Group chairman Dick Ebersol’s resignation, a key figure in many rights bidding tenders. The company’s takeover by Comcast and a $200 million-plus loss on the Vancouver winter Games last year were also expected to adversely affect their status.

However, IOC President Jacques Rogge confirmed NBC’s reinstatement as rights holder at a press conference yesterday evening, stating: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement with our longstanding partner NBCU.

“We received three excellent bids and would like to thank each broadcaster for their presentations. In the end we were most impressed with NBCU, which not only has a track record for broadcasting the Games that speaks for itself, but also has a clear and innovative vision of where it wants to take the broadcast of the Games between now and 2020. We look forward to continuing to build on our already strong relationship beginning in London next year.”

IOC Executive Board member Richard Carrión, who, along with IOC President Jacques Rogge, led the negotiations, added: “We had an obligation to pick the best bid on behalf of the entire Olympic Movement.

“We assessed each bid against a thorough set of criteria and believe that the long-term nature of this agreement will not only ensure fantastic Olympic broadcast coverage in the US, but also support the long-term financial stability of the Olympic Movement as a whole. NBCU has proven its worth time and again over the years and we’re very excited to continue working with them.”

Brian Roberts, CEO and Chairman, Comcast, parent company of NBCUniversal, concluded: “We are honoured to continue as the US Olympic broadcaster for the remainder of this decade. The vision for our new Comcast-NBCUniversal was to create new platforms and technologies to distribute the very best content. Every two years the Olympic Games provides iconic content for us to deliver on all platforms. We are proud to continue the rich heritage and long association that NBC has had with the IOC and I personally want to thank President Rogge and Richard Carrión for their long-term trust.”

It has been confirmed that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp Fox Sports, who began the bidding for the rights to broadcast the Olympics in the United States after London 2012 yesterday, June 6, would like to secure a deal through until the Games in 2020.

The decision to bid for the four editions post 2012, which will cover the next two Winter Games and the two summer Games after the London event, has been made even though the 2020 event will not be awarded to a host city for more than two years.

Their offer ups the stakes for NBC, the current rights holders, and ESPN, who are both due to make their presentations to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the Beau Rivage Palace in Lausanne today, June 7.

Fox’s delegation was led by chairman David Hill, who helped launch BSkyB in Britain and negotiate the deal with England’s Premier League that has transformed soccer across Europe.

Up for grabs are the television rights for the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014 and the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. However, Hill wants to also tie up a deal for the 2018 Winter Olympics – which will be awarded to either Annecy, Munich or Pyeongchang – and the 2020 Summer Games. Such a deal is expected to cost between $4bn and $5bn.

Hill told the Associated Press: “We’re going to go for four. If you look at amortization, you have to make a major investment in technical hardware.

“Anyone will tell you if you advertise that over four years rather than two years, you’re financially in a much better place.”

The three bidders are due to submit sealed bids after the presentations are completed in the afternoon and a decision could be made by the IOC as soon as this evening.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) begin meetings with US broadcasters today, June 6, to award an Olympics contract post London 2012 which could be worth more than US$4bn to the body.

Senior IOC member Richard Carrion will lead the negotiations in Lausanne, Switzerland, which were pushed back because of the worldwide economic crisis.

Representatives from News Corp Fox Sports, Walt Disney Co. company ESPN with ABC, and Comcast’s NBC Universal will all be making presentations to the IOC about their proposed Olympic coverage.

A change in strategy has seen the other major US network, CBS, abandon its initial plans to bid in conjunction Time Warner Inc.’s Turner Broadcasting cable unit.

NBC currently hold the rights, having paid US$2.2bn for Vancouver 2010 and London 2012, bidding US$700m more than ESPN and Fox when they were awarded in 2003. They have broadcast every Summer Olympics since Seoul in 1988 and every Winter Games since Salt Lake City in 2002 and will broadcast London 2012. 

However, their planning has been thrown into confusion by former chairman Dick Ebersol’s surprise resignation last month after 22 years at the helm. NBC’s team is now being led by chief executive Steve Burke and Comcast chief executive Brian Robertson.

ESPN’s bid is headed by chief executive George Bodenheimer and Disney head Robert Iger, while Fox Sports will be represented by chairman David Hill, the man who helped launch BSkyB in Britain and was involved in the early negotiations for broadcasting England’s Premier League.

Each bidder is expected to make two-hour presentations behind closed doors to senior IOC members, starting with Fox this afternoon, before ESPN on Tuesday, June 7, morning and NBC later that afternoon, ahead of an expected decision late Tuesday. 

The winning bidder is expected to pay more than US$2bn for the Olympics in Sochi in 2014 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and over US$4bn if the deal is extended to also include the Games in 2018 and 2020, which have yet to be awarded by the IOC.

The Unites States Olympic Committee (USOC), with chairman Larry Probst, chief executive Scott Blackmun, general counsel and chief of legal and Government affairs Rana Dershowitz and chief communications officer Patrick Sandusky, have all travelled to Lausanne to be on hand for the negotiations.·The USOC currently receives a 12.75 percent share of US television rights deals. 

Carrion told The Associated Press yesterday, June 5: “We’ve got a full house and I’m hoping for the best.”

Carrion claimed that the departure of Ebersol did not lessen NBC’s determination to retain the rights, even though they lost US$220m on their broadcast from Vancouver last year, adding: “They reiterated that they are extremely interested, and judging from the team they’ve brought here, I take them at their word. 

“It’s just way too important for them. I expect them to play to win. We obviously expect a higher figure [than last year], and that’s it.”

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced Land Rover as the official vehicle provider for the World Rugby Conference and Exhibition 2014 (ConfEx) taking place at Hilton London Metropole on November 17-18.

With less than a month to go until ConfEx, Land Rover’s top partner status reinforces the luxury SUV manufacturer’s long-standing association with Rugby and will see it support the overall delivery of this prestigious event.

Land Rover has been embedded within the game of Rugby for more than 20 years and is proud to sponsor all levels of the sport, from the pinnacle of the global game, Rugby World Cup, to supporting grassroots initiatives such as the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup for under-11 and under-12 teams in England.

Other partnerships include top-flight sponsorship properties around the world such as the Top 14 in France, as well as Super Rugby teams the Brumbies in Australia and the Stormers in South Africa. Land Rover has also supported the British and Irish Lions since 1997.

IRB Chief Executive Brett Gosper said: “ConfEx will bring together leading figures and decision-makers from across Rugby and the wider sporting community to share knowledge and foster relationships. Having a prestigious global brand such as Land Rover on board for the event is a significant boost. Rugby has enjoyed a strong relationship with Land Rover for many years and we value their continued support.”

Jaguar Land Rover Global Brand Experience Director Mark Cameron said: “At an exciting time for the global game, Land Rover is proud to be a top partner for ConfEx. We are committed to developing Rugby at all levels around the world and as we build towards next year’s showpiece, Rugby World Cup 2015, we want to engage what is an increasingly global audience with the great values of the sport, exciting new interest and further growing the anticipation for next year’s tournament.”