LaLiga Clubs To Return To Training This Week

LaLiga clubs are returning to training this week following the Spanish Ministry of Health’s approval for the return of sports training sessions.

In accordance with the Return to Training Protocol that LaLiga has drawn up with medical experts, professional players from LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank – the first and second divisions of professional football in Spain – will start training alone following medical tests carried out by club staff.

This return to training has been planned by LaLiga with measures that have been agreed with the relevant sports and health authorities in order to guarantee as much safety as possible for the health of all those involved.

These measures cover a period of approximately four weeks with different phases that, in any case, will be subject to the de-escalation process established by the government. Thus, together with the medical tests carried out by clubs, a staggered return to training has been implemented that will start with players training alone and end with group activities prior to the return to competition, scheduled for June.

Professional footballers returning to work will go hand in hand with the recovery of a very significant economic sector that accounts for 1.37% of Spain’s GDP and creates 185,000 jobs. This is at a time when the country’s economic situation is now the main concern, precipitated by the health crisis.

“This crisis has had a profound impact on all of us. The return of football is a sign that society is progressing towards the new normal. It will also bring back an element of life that people in Spain and around the world know and love,” said Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga. “People’s health is paramount, so we have a comprehensive protocol to safeguard the health of everyone involved as we work to restart LaLiga. Circumstances are unprecedented, but we hope to start playing again in June and finish our 19/20 season this summer.”

FINA Confirms New Dates For FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Road Cycling European Championships Postponed

Following consultation with the city of Fukuoka, Japan Swimming Federation, organisers, athletes, coaches, technical committees, TV partners and sponsors, FINA is pleased to announce that the FINA World Championships in Fukuoka (JPN), initially scheduled for the summer of 2021, will now take place from May 13-29, 2022.



“After liaising with the relevant stakeholders and receiving feedback from them, we have no doubt that the decision taken will provide the best possible conditions for all participants at the Championships. We look forward to witnessing the world’s best aquatic athletes from around the world competing in the city of Fukuoka (JPN) in 2022,” said FINA President Dr Julio C. Maglione. “At a time of unprecedented uncertainty, FINA hopes the announcement of these dates will allow for some clarity in planning for all concerned.”

The FINA Family would like to thank the authorities of the City of Fukuoka, the Japan Swimming Federation, Organising Committee of the FINA World Championships, and all our partners for their commitment and support in reaching this decision.

Moreover, the FINA World Masters Championships will take place across the island of Kyushu (JPN), from May 31-June 9, 2022.

The European Cycling Union (UEC) and the organizers of the 2020 UEC Road Cycling European Championships, originally to be held in Trento (Italy) from 9th to 13th September 2020, have reached an agreement to postpone the event by one year. “Having acknowledged the consequences of the pandemic outbreak in the last few weeks – Trentino Marketing CEO Maurizio Rossini explained – we are pleased with an outcome that satisfies everybody, and puts us in the position to set up the event at its best, and produce the greatest redemption from both the technical and the promotional sides”.

The Championships will take place in the first half of September as the final decision about the date – according to the options accepted by the organizers, 1-5 September or 8-12 September 2021 – belongs to the International Cycling Union (UCI) once the new season’s international calendar will be completed.

The event shifting to 2021 was the result of lengthy negotiations among the parties involved after the Coronavirus outbreak has frozen every sports activity to date. “We have reached the wisest decision afterward – Trento’s Tourism board Director Elda Verones argued – with the full consent by the City of Trento and all the local institutions. Given how the Coronavirus is affecting the economics, we can look forward to the next year’s event as a great opportunity to gather people and share our common thrive for upturn once the emergency will be finally over”.

The UEC, along with the UCI and the National Associations, will now evaluate alternative solutions to hold the 2020 edition in a new location.

Vindicia Webinar | A Digital Sports Economy: Engage Fans and Diversify Revenue Streams

In these unprecedented times, with live events canceled or postponed, the industry is effectively in hibernation due to the Coronavirus. Now more than ever, leagues, distributors and teams need to re-examine their digital strategy. Vindicia has teamed up with Pulselive to share practical advice on how to build fan engagement platforms to diversify revenue streams.

In this live webinar, you will learn how leading sports brands are pioneering their use of digital content, how to deliver content through highly engaging platforms to fans worldwide, and the monetisation models needed to grow a sustainable source of income in the coming years. In addition, Pulselive will share insights from their recent research into sports fan behavior during the COVID-19 crisis.

Hosted by:

  • Mark Bishop, Head of Marketing, EMEA & APAC, Vindicia
  • David Strachan, Creative Director, Pulselive

May 6, 2020, 15:00 – 16:00 BST (7:00 – 8:00 am PDT)

Follow this link to sign up – https://www.vindicia.com/company/events/live-webinar-digital-sports-economy-engage-fans-and-diversify-revenue-streams

LaLiga Creates Three New Programmes To Support Global Broadcasters

  • In order to bring audiences closer to the competition, LaLiga has produced three new shows for international consumption.
  • LaLiga players have been instructed on recording techniques to help produce quality content from home.

With ‘stay at home’ measures in place around the world, broadcasters have been adapting their content in order to keep audiences entertained. At LaLiga, this situation was quickly acknowledged and a strategy was put in place to create additional new programmes and support all  broadcast partners.

To observe social distancing, the team in Spain has taken a creative approach. Instead of regular camera crews and editing studios, the content is being produced remotely and with LaLiga players (or their families) even playing the role of camera operators.

As a result, three new shows have been created from scratch, thanks to collaborations between LaLiga and the clubs. LaLiga’s national and international broadcasters, including the league’s own 24/7 channel LaLigaTV, are now able to bring ‘LaLiga StayAtHome’, ‘LaLiga Nations’ and ‘LaLiga Clubs’ to their audiences.

“We have been proactive with the creation of these shows for LaLiga broadcasters,” Melcior Soler, director of LaLiga’s audiovisual department, said of the new programmes. “We are collaborating with clubs and players, who have been extremely willing to help. Together we are providing as much content as possible.”

Creating broadcast content from home

The ‘LaLiga StayAtHome’ programme is a 30-minute weekly show that brings viewers closer to the stars of the competition, who share their fitness routines, daily diets, interesting hobbies or their perspective on the current situation. Uniquely, content has been created directly from the homes of LaLiga players, who have recorded all the material themselves…

… To read the full piece and subscribe to the LaLiga Global Fútbol Newsletter follow this link: https://newsletter.laliga.es/global-futbol/laliga-creates-three-new-programmes-to-support-global-broadcasters

“We Should Strive To Ensure There Are More Women In Leadership Positions” – Part Two Of Our Conversation With Mary Davis, Special Olympics CEO

Following her announcement as one of iSportconnect’s Influential Women In Sport List for 2020 last month, Mary Davis, CEO of Special Olympics, spoke to iSportconnect’s Ben Page about her career-long journey with the organisation and why it means so much to her, how attitude’s towards women in sport have altered in this time and equality in sport. 

This is part two of our conversation with Mary, part one was released earlier this week and you can read it here: https://www.isportconnect.com/volunteer-ceo-story-mary-davis-special-olympics-ceo-one-isportconnects-influential-women-sport-2020/

Do you think more can be done to promote not only women playing sport, but at the executive level like yourself as well?

We should strive to ensure there are more women in leadership positions. What iSportConnect is doing to recognise influential women in sport is fantastic. It is so important to acknowledge and recognise women leaders in sport so girls can see the pathway is paved. They’ll see these role models and can be inspired in the same way I was inspired.

The media coverage of women’s sports has come a long way, but in many countries it can still be improved. The gender pay gap is still entrenched around the world. The US is having a public conversation around the pay gap right now with the women’s national soccer team having more World Cup wins than then men and being paid significantly less.

What would you say is your greatest accomplishment with Special Olympics?

I represent five and a half million athletes with intellectual disabilities, half a million volunteer sport coaches, thousands of volunteers, and sponsors and partners who generously support us and what we do. I have the responsibility promote the voice and influence of our athletes and the impact that they can have in the community at large. I believe I’ve improved understanding of people with intellectual disability, and helped shift perceptions, attitudes and behaviour.

When I started as a volunteer with Special Olympics Ireland, I thought I was providing a service to people with intellectual disability—training them, making their lives better. But now we’re creating an environment where the athletes are our leaders. They’re the teachers of inclusion and respect and like Greg Silvester, who spoke at your recent event, they’re doing an incredible job.

When I was coaching a female athlete in gymnastics to win the all-round gold medal in the 1989 Special Olympic World Games in South Bend, Indiana, I will never forget that moment because she had worked so hard. She’s a wonderful example of someone who, through the confidence, self-esteem and dignity she got from sport, was able to move from sheltered employment to working in a hotel in open employment and living in an apartment which she still lives in today. She’s now on the counsel of patrons here in Ireland.

Do you think changing the perceptions the general public may have of Special Olympics athletes is the key for you?

I do. Through our programme in schools, we are changing the mindsets of young people who will be the leaders of the future. When they are in influential positions, they will change policies to be more inclusive of people with intellectual disability. They will embody the spirit of the movement, and ensure people with intellectual disability are given opportunities both on and off the playing field and ultimately be able to participate in the workforce just like everybody else.

Sport is the key that opens the door. No matter your ability, what you learn through sport training—discipline, leadership, communication, and so on—you use at school, work, and your community. We are all peers on the playing field, and learning that attitude first hand stays with you your whole life.

The 2012 Paralympics in London marked a huge change in perceptions for that organisation, could there one day be a time when Special Olympics is mentioned alongside the Olympics and Paralympics?

Media coverage of the Paralympics in London was outstanding and that awareness that did begin to change perceptions of people with disabilities in many countries.

The Olympics and Paralympics are about elite sport and being the best and winning medals. Of course Special Olympics athletes like to win medals as well, but we are about being your best. We are a community-based, grassroots organisation, with five and a half million athletes training and competing in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.

While we are best known for our World Games, we have over 100,000 competitions every year. Special Olympics is about athletes being the best they can be in every aspect of their lives. We use the platform and power of sport to achieve health, well-being and changing mindsets about people with intellectual disability being true leaders.

Premier League Clubs Reaffirm Commitment To Finishing Season

At a meeting of Premier League Shareholders today, clubs discussed possible steps towards planning to resume the 2019/20 season, when it is safe and appropriate to do so.

It was reiterated that the thoughts of all are with those directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, the Premier League’s priority is the health and safety of players, coaches, managers, club staff, supporters and the wider community.

The League and clubs are considering the first tentative moves forward and will only return to training and playing with Government guidance, under expert medical advice and after consultation with players and managers.

The League welcomed the creation of the Government medical working group for a return of elite sport, which met for the first time this morning.

No decisions were taken at today’s Shareholders’ meeting and clubs exchanged views on the information provided regarding “Project Restart”.

It was agreed that the PFA, LMA, players and managers are key to this process and will be further consulted.

The clubs reconfirmed their commitment to finishing the 2019/20 season, maintaining integrity of the competition and welcomed the Government’s support.

ECB Chair Colin Graves To Exit At The End Of August

Colin Graves confirms his term as Chair will end on 31 August 

The ECB Board confirms that ECB Chair Colin Graves has made the decision to end his term on 31 August.

The Board looks forward to celebrating the significant achievements of Colin Graves’s term in the coming months.

Commenting on his decision, Colin Graves said: “With the launch of The Hundred unavoidably moved to 2021, I have reviewed last year’s extension of my term as Chair, and put a request to the Board to now finish early, on 31 August.

“It feels important to both the game and the ECB Board, to allow Ian Watmore to commence his role earlier than originally agreed. I have no doubt that his wealth of experience in sport, business and government will be invaluable as we navigate through this crisis

“I have been extremely heartened by how cricket has come together in these recent, unimaginable times. There remains a long road ahead, but I have immense confidence in the excellent leadership of Tom Harrison, our Executive Management Team and the ECB Board as they shape the direction of our response to COVID-19.

“It has been a privilege to work with so many passionate people across the game who are driven by their belief in cricket’s power to improve lives and connect communities.

“There is still much to be done in the coming months as I continue to lead the ECB during this challenging time. As we get closer to August I will look forward to saying my farewells and sharing good wishes to all those I have worked alongside.”

The Board confirms Ian Watmore as Chair Elect

Following the publication in a national newspaper of allegations against Ian Watmore around his 2018 tenure as a non-executive director of the English Football League (EFL), the Board established a sub-committee of directors comprising Barry O’Brien, Katie Bickerstaffe and Martin Darlow to review the allegations, which Ian denied.

During an extensive process, that included a confidential review of the report referenced in media, the sub-committee has universally agreed that there was no evidence to support any allegation of wrongdoing on Ian Watmore’s part. In addition, it was concluded that the appointment process had been undertaken in a thorough and professional manner and the Board now regards the matter closed.

Accordingly, the ECB Board on Wednesday unanimously endorsed Ian Watmore’s appointment as Chair Elect, which will now be put to the membership for ratification at the AGM.

The appointment of Mr Watmore was made in February, following a rigorous search and selection process run by a dedicated Nominations Committee. The committee was chaired by ECB Non-Executive Director and ex-England cricketer, Lucy Pearson, and former England Captain and current Chair of the ECB Cricket Committee, Sir Andrew Strauss. The late David Hodgkiss, Chairman of Lancashire Cricket at the time, represented the game as an observer to the process.

Sportradar Teams Up With PlaySight, Tennis Channel And Base Tennis Academy

As live sport starts to slowly return, Sportradar, the global provider of sports content and intelligence, today announced partnerships with PlaySight Interactive and Base Tennis Academy to launch the Tennis Point Exhibition Series, a three date series of events starting in Germany this Friday, 1 May.

The four day event, featuring eight top men’s players from the ATP ranks, will be streamed live via Tennis Channel’s new Over-the-Top (OTT) platform – Tennis Channel International. Utilising Sportradar’s market leading OTT platform, Tennis Channel International is available as a paid for app to tennis fans in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, and was launched this week with a one month free trial. The service is also available on Tennis Channel’s www.tennischanneleverywhere.com website.

Organised and hosted by Base Tennis Academy at their sports complex in Höhr-Grenzhausen, Sportradar is delivering a range of live tennis content solutions directly from the event. This includes data production, using data collection software which the umpires will use to score matches and transmit data back to Sportradar.

Additional live content from the event includes a state-of-the-art audio-visual offering. Working alongside PlaySight Interactive, Sportradar’s live video content will feature a seven camera production, with live mixing and replays, graphics and German commentary. 

Sportradar is also providing integrity monitoring services for the event series, with this weekend’s fixture being the first competition to take place between ATP ranked players since professional tennis was suspended in early March due to the coronavirus outbreak.

David Lampitt, Managing Director Sport Partnerships at Sportradar, said: “This is a significant moment as we move to bring back live tennis. The players have received compliance clearance from the ATP and TIU to participate in the events and we will be monitoring event progress, as well as providing remote production services to maximise safety on-site.

“We’re tapping into the full breadth of our technological capabilities to deliver safely and responsibly at this time for our partners.” 

Playsight Managing Director Rodney Rapson said: “We have enjoyed a strong working relationship with Sportradar in other past endeavours, and are excited to lead the return of tennis with them – in a safe and responsible manner.

“We are taking the opportunity to utilize video and production technology in new ways to provide the very best viewing experience for tennis players around the world, while ensuring stringent compliance with Germany’s coronavirus measures.”

Andy Reif, Senior Vice President, Tennis Channel International, added: “Sportradar is an integral partner in the global rollout of Tennis Channel International and the platform’s ongoing performance for our customers.

“Once live tennis returns, we are especially excited to introduce MatchCast, our new play-by-play and statistics graphical interface powered by Sportradar that will allow tennis fans to follow live competition around the world in real time with dynamic graphics, advanced data and statistical information you can’t find anywhere else.”

Base Tennis Director Ruben Herrera added: “At Base Tennis, we asked ourselves a simple question: what can we do today that will help serve the tennis community’? We wanted to bring the joy of tennis back to peoples’ lives, and that is how the event came to be. It has grown well beyond our initial expectations thanks to the great partners and players that have joined in.”

The first Tennis Point Exhibition Series event begins this weekend with subsequent events taking place between 7 – 10 May and 14 – 17 May. Each event of the Series will be available via the Tennis Channel International app.

Extreme E Takes Lead On Gender Equality In Motorsport

Marking a world first in motor racing, Extreme E, the pioneering electric off-road racing series, will see teams field both a male and female driver in its races – promoting gender equality and a level playing field amongst competitors.

Teams will be composed of a male and a female driver, competing together in every two-lap race as driver and co-driver. Each will complete one lap behind the wheel of the ODYSSEY 21 electric-SUV, with a changeover incorporated into the race format, and it’s up to the teams to determine driver and co-driver to best suit their strategy.

The only differentiators in Extreme E will be raw talent and ability, with teams and drivers striving to extract every tenth-of-a-second in the fight for the top step of the podium.

Alejandro Agag, Extreme E Founder and CEO, said: “This is a first in motor racing. We are ensuring with our sporting format that drivers of all backgrounds will be able to compete with the same tools at their disposal at every event on the calendar.

“We are striving for equality, and this sporting format is the truest reflection of that goal. Everybody will race together and the most effective combination of drivers, team, engineer and car will rise to the top.”

Michèle Mouton, President of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission said: “This is a great opportunity for women and men to team up, compete together and against each other with the same material.

“Alejandro [Agag] and his team continue to really support gender equality in our sport with concrete actions that help highlight the ability of female racers and give them a chance. It will be interesting to see the team line-ups as they are announced and I look forward to following Season One when it starts early next year.”

Extreme E Drivers’ Programme member Katherine Legge has forged a career in the upper echolons of motorsport, as the first female to race in Formula E and having competed in IndyCar Series and sportscars. Legge is extremely enthused by Extreme E’s format.

Katherine Legge said: “Hearing the format was like waking up on Christmas morning. It is a giant step in the right direction for motorsport as a whole. I have been looking forward to something like this my entire racing career!

“Formula E and now Extreme E, are at forefront of breaking boundaries in technology, sustainability, and climate change, and now Extreme E will challenge perceptions with gender equality too.”

Lead Visionary of Extreme E team Veloce Racing, and legendary multi-title-winning Formula 1 engineer, Adrian Newey added: “One of the reasons I became involved in Veloce Racing was to embrace new technologies and initiatives in this very fast evolving world. The last few weeks have clarified to me that more than ever we have to embrace change, diversity and keep one step ahead at all times.

“I have watched women make a mark throughout the world of motorsport over the years and there are some great individual stories out there. I hope we can create some more positive opportunities with this exciting young series and provide a strong platform for female competitors to shine.”

Extreme E drivers will compete wheel-to-wheel on the same stages, in the same 550 horsepower E-SUVs, using the same bespoke all-terrain Continental tyres in heats, semis and finals, taking place across the series’ five formidable environments in some of the most remote regions on the planet.

As well as being used as platform for equality and the promotion of electfication, Extreme E will highlight the impact that climate change is having on its remote race locations, using a committee of leading scientists to help bring global attention to issues such as deforestation in Brazil, rising sea levels along the West African coastline, melting icecaps in Greenland, and more.

The full race and championship format is approaching finalisation and will be revealed in the coming weeks. Further team, sporting and partnership announcements will follow as the championship continues to take shape apace ahead of Season 1, starting early 2021.

Alugha Win First Ever European Tour Innovation Hub With Tata Communications

The European Tour yesterday revealed alugha as the winner of their first ever Innovation Hub programme, in association with Tata Communications.

But what is alugha’s product, how did the Innovation Hub work and why were they the standout candidate? iSportconnect delved further with Tata Communications and the European Tour.

Alugha’s idea aims to help overcome the complexities of managing multilingual video content for the European Tour’s diverse golf audiences. It would create an interlocked toolkit for the complete multilingualization process – from transcription over multi-audio-track voiceovers to video hosting and distribution. It is all about breaking through language barriers to enable more effective engagement with a global golfing fan base.

“Alugha’s idea, which would provide rapid translation of our digital content into many different languages, would help localise our engagement to continue to bring people together in the future.” – Michael Cole.

The Innovation Hub with Tata Communications was created as a way for the European Tour to give start-ups the opportunity to showcase the products they believed could provide technology-driven ways to enhance its product for golf fans all across the world.

More than 70 start-ups from around the world applied to be part of the Innovation Hub, and those were narrowed down to a final three, with alugha joined by EyeCandyLab and Sparx:

  • EyeCandyLab – A mobile augmented reality (AR) technology allows fans to enjoy live games with an interactive AR layer. By pointing their smartphone or tablet towards live action shown on TV, fans would be able to access stats, player profiles and 3D green layouts in an interactive and visually enhancing way. They could also engage with life-size holograms to bring the action from the course into their living room
  • Sparx – A consumer engagement platform for enhancing broadcast streams. It would allow for real-time audience engagement through on-screen polling, trivia, predictive gaming, sports wagering and data collection. The Sparx platform would integrate directly with the live broadcast graphics system to connect viewers to the action happening on screen, creating a two-way communication channel between the broadcaster and viewers

The final contenders attended a three-day workshop, including an evaluation and learning process with representatives from the venture capital community in London to analyse their products.

Finally, alugha, EyeCandyLab and Sparx showcased their products and how they could be of benefit to the European Tour in a Dragon’s Den style setting, where they were quizzed in great detail by a panel of experts comprising the European Tour’s Chief Content Officer Rufus Hack, Chief Technology Officer Michael Cole, and Dhaval Ponda, Global Head of Media and Entertainment at Tata Communications.

Watch how alugha’s product works (use the globe icon in the corner to change language): https://alugha.com/embed/web-player?brand=a7bfc070-8942-11ea-89ca-838eccbafb29&v=2777b0f4-853e-11ea-a3c3-c9e5bc6968ba

Speaking on the winning innovation, Cole said: “European Tour content has been particularly important for golf fans in the current global climate and alugha’s idea, which would provide rapid translation of our digital content into many different languages, would help localise our engagement to continue to bring people together in the future.”

Alugha’s product has the potential to provide the European Tour with an ability to curate its content into many different languages across the world and allow greater accessibility for fans. Further details of alugha’s proof of concept will follow in due course.

Talking about alugha, Dhaval said “Team alugha is very passionate about their work and the problem they are solving. It is a very interesting multi-language product which not only relies on self-learning but also leverages individual experiences to add that level of emotion to a piece of content. This can help with the personalization of content across the global golf fanbase helping the sport engage with its fans in the current climate and beyond”