Vietnam Grand Prix organizers are confident their race will join Singapore in lighting up the Formula One calendar for years to come, rather than adding to the list of Asian shooting stars, after it debuts in 2020.

As the sport said farewell to Singapore for another year on Sunday, it looked forward already to a return to the region in April for the inaugural Vietnamese round in Hanoi.

Reuters reports:

“Vietnam is the right country at the right time in the right place,” Vietnam Grand Prix Chief Executive Le Ngoc Chi said in an interview.

“It’s just the perfect time to join Formula One with our robust economics, with our traditions, with our culture, with our people, with our food, so everything is just right.”

Vietnam’s fast-growing and youthful economy is attractive for sponsors as well as commercial rights holders Liberty Media, who have spoken about adding ‘destination cities’ to the calendar.

Singapore, whose night race is now one of the most glittering events of the season, was the only round in South East Asia in 2019, with Malaysia joining a list of races to fall by the wayside after saying goodbye two years ago.

India (2011-13) and South Korea (2010-13) have come and gone, while plans for a floodlit race in the Thai capital Bangkok never got off the ground. Chi said Vietnam would be more resilient.

“We are not the shooting star,” she declared. “We don’t just come on the scene to stay for one year. In order for a grand prix to be successful, you have to be sustainable.

“How do you stay in the business? That’s what we can learn from the unsuccessful ones.”

Chi said the key lay in creating a satisfying experience for fans and in the longer term growing motorsport’s popularity among a local population more focused on soccer.

“It’s just a sense of pride, it’s a sense of responsibility,” she said. “We have to deliver this event successfully.”

Formula One considered racing in Vietnam when Bernie Ecclestone was the sport’s commercial boss but the Briton ruled it out, despite significant sums on offer, because he felt the region had enough races already with Singapore and Malaysia.

Ecclestone was ousted in 2017 and a deal with Vietnam’s largest conglomerate Vingroup JSC was signed last year.

“It’s obvious that tourism will benefit,” Chi said of the race. “But there are other things that we think it will bring, such as investment, promotion, technology, opportunities for businesses in Vietnam to connect with businesses in the world.

“Besides all that, we also want to showcase to the world that Vietnam and Hanoi can actually organize a world-class event.

“We want to showcase to the world that we are not just a country that got out of war anymore. We are developing, we are moving forward very quickly, we are the new dragon of Asia.”

Formula One has long expanded from its European origins, with now-departed Malaysia added in 1999 as a second race in Asia after Japan.

China joined the list in 2004, Singapore in 2008 and there are now also two races in the Middle East.

The IAAF said Monday it would maintain a ban on the Russian athletics federation pending analysis of data from the Russian anti-doping laboratory covering the 2011-2015 period when state-sponsored doping was prevalent.

Agence France-Presse reports:

“The council endorsed the strongest recommendation we’ve probably had from the taskforce that Russia remains suspended,” International Association of Athletics Federations President Sebastian Coe said following a meeting of the body’s council in Doha ahead of the World Championships.

Though the Russian federation remains banned, athletes from Russia have been competing for years as neutrals with 118 due to participate in the World Athletics Championships which get underway in Doha Friday.

Russia was barred from international competition in 2015 over a vast state-run doping conspiracy.

The IAAF announcement came as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Monday gave Russia three weeks to explain “inconsistencies” in a cache of laboratory data handed over to investigators.

Russia stands to be declared non-compliant by WADA if it fails to explain why evidence of some positive tests handed over by a whistle-blower doesn’t show up in data provided by Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory in January.

That would raise the possibility of a fresh ban on the country in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics.

Boston, Massachusetts, will host the Laver Cup tennis event at the TD Garden from September 25-27, 2020.

It will be the fourth edition of the Laver Cup, in which the best players from Europe and around the world fight for victory over the three-day team competition.

“Boston is the perfect setting for the Laver Cup,” said Tony Godsick, CEO of TEAM8 and Chairman of the Laver Cup. “The city has a deep sporting culture, but it is also steeped in profound historical events, all of which resonate with the values of the Laver Cup and its tribute to the rich heritage of tennis.”

“The Laver Cup is like nothing else in world tennis. Over one amazing weekend we bring together the greatest current players as teammates, as well as great legends and rivals from previous generations.”

Home of the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins, TD Garden is New England’s largest sports and entertainment arena and hosts more than 3.5 million people a year at its world-renowned concerts and sporting events.

The state-of-the art venue features a 19,600-seat arena, multi-million-dollar high definition video scoreboard, redesigned concourses and 360-degree LED technology.

“TD Garden is a haven for sports fans,” said Laver Cup CEO, Steve Zacks.

“The arena is close to completing a more than $100 million expansion plan and nothing is being spared to create the ultimate fan experience. We can’t wait to bring the Laver Cup to this spectacular venue.”

Team World captain John McEnroe, who together with Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg will continue in their roles for 2020, said he was excited the host city was sports-loving Boston, just 216 miles north of his home base in New York on the US East Coast.

“This is a phenomenal sports town and I expect fans will raise the roof for the home side,” McEnroe said.

“Laver Cup 2018 was unbelievably close thanks to the enthusiasm of home crowds. Boston is sure to continue that tradition at TD Garden, one of the best venues in the world.”

Since its debut at Prague in 2017, the Laver Cup has been staged at Chicago in 2018 and Geneva, Switzerland in 2019, with the host city alternating between Europe and the rest of the world.

Boston Mayor Martin J Walsh said he was thrilled the Laver Cup would touch down in 2020.

“I’m extremely excited and proud to announce that the City of Boston will host the next Laver Cup at the TD Garden in 2020, it’s a great honour for our city.

“We are already preparing for this highly acclaimed event and can’t wait to welcome the Laver Cup to the city of champions.”

World Anti-Doping Agency President Sir Craig Reedie said today that the discovery of inconsistencies in the historical data handed over by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) was a disappointment, but not an embarrassment for his agency.

Reuters reports:

WADA said on Monday it had opened compliance proceedings against RUSADA after examining the 24 terabytes of historical testing data from a Moscow laboratory which it received in January.

“I think it’s disappointing but I don’t think it’s an embarrassment because the whole point of the exercise was to get access to the information so we could then put together cases that international federations could prosecute against athletes that have been cheating,” said Sir Craig.

He told the news agency: “We’ve done that, we have 47 cases underway at the moment and potentially an awful lot more. We’ve now found some inconsistencies, we’re going to deal with it, we’re going to deal with it properly.”

RUSADA has three weeks to answer 30 questions relating to the data and Alexander Ivlev, Chairman of RUSADA’s Supervisory Board, told Interfax news agency that it would.

Sir Craig, one of the first members of the iSportconnect community and the first ever guest speaker at an iSportconnect event, said WADA were taking great care to go through the process properly and that the new compliance proceedings were about discovering the reason behind the inconsistencies.

“We don’t know yet whether it’s tampering or manipulation or whatever else it might be,” he added.

“Since the rules state that if we assert non-compliance and the Russians don’t accept it, it will be decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), so you have to be very careful, you have to know exactly what happened and that’s the process we’re involved in.”

WADA came in for a lot of criticism when RUSADA was made compliant last September despite not having completed the roadmap laid out for reinstatement in the wake of the huge doping scandal that had rocked Russian sport.

Sir Craig still thinks it was the right decision.

“The alternative to not attempting to break the impasse was not acceptable, we had to do something,” he said.

“I think that was the correct decision because for us to prosecute cases, we need clear and detailed information.”

The first of the 47 cases are already being prosecuted and Sir Craig was not concerned that the inconsistencies in the tainted data might prove grounds for appeals from the athletes affected.

“We believe that the evidence packages which we’ve put together for the various international federations will stand up to any form of scrutiny,” he said.

Russia was excluded from the last Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang because of the doping issue and the removal of compliance from RUSADA could threaten the nation’s place at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.

Sir Craig said any further action from WADA would depend on the answers provided by RUSADA but if the compliance issue did end up back at CAS, he thought the process could be completed in time to avoid tarnishing next year’s Olympics.

“If we get to that stage, I hope that this process will be completed as quickly as possible so it doesn’t affect what I think will be a supreme Games in Tokyo next August.”

 

French production technology company VOGO is aiming to complete acquisition of Vokkero, a mobile audio company whose activities have included equipping referees at the last for FIFA World Cups.

Montpellier-based VOGO, which focuses on in-venue fan engagement, has made a firm offer which received a favourable opinion from the board of ADEUNIS, the parent group of Vokkero, which has granted VOGO exclusivity until 31 October 2019. The parties are aiming to complete the transaction in October 2019.

VOGO, which is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange, has just reported revenue from activities came to €735,000 in the first half of 2019, an increase of 157% relative to the first half of 2018.

This strong growth was driven by the surge in number of events covered to a total of 422 in the first half, compared with 269 for the year-earlier period. VOGO derives more than 20% of its revenue from international operations.

Founded in 2013, VOGO develops, markets and distributes a solution for broadcasting live audiovisual content based on streamed video processing technology protected by four patents.

As expected, the ramp-up in growth was underpinned by the increase in billings in respect of championships (€405,000, up 216%), positions taken on new major events (€217,000, up 156%), and the increase in contributions from indirect distribution networks (€82,000, up 69%).

Vokkero derives more than 70% of its revenue from sports. Its ‘Squadra’ solution was notably selected to equip referees during the last four World Cup football championships, as well as by a host of professional sports leagues worldwide.

Vokkero generated revenue of €5.8 million for the financial year ending 31 March 2019, an increase of 23% year-on-year. It currently employs 25 people in France (Crolles) and the U.S. (New York).

The first round of Europa League games drew good-sized audiences around Europe last night.

In Holland, Feyenoord’s 1-0 away loss to Glasgow Rangers on RTL7 had the biggest audience of the day (other than news), with 1.215 million viewers and a share of 25.4%.

In Italy, Roma’s 4-0 win over Turkey’s Başakşehir was a big winner for second-tier network TV8, which attracted 1.459 million viewers and a share of 6.2% to crack the top five of the day.

In Germany, the second half of Borussia Moënchengladbach’s 4-0 loss at home to Austria’s Wolfsberg pulled an impressive 1.62 million viewers with 7.3% share on Nitro.

In Spain, Espanyol’s 1-1 home draw with Ferencváros of Hungary had 468,000 viewers on Gol TV and 3.2% share, third biggest audience of the day on digital terrestrial TV.

 

Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on Friday closed refinancing of the loans put in place to support the construction of its new stadium in North London with a £637 million multi-tranche, long-term financing package anchored by a Private Placement and new bank facilities.

As a first-time issuer in the U.S. Private Placement market, the club raised £525 million of finance and was significantly oversubscribed and supported by several highly established international institutional investors.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch acted as the Lead Placement Agent and Sole Bookrunner, with HSBC serving as a Co-Placement Agent for the Private Placement. Bank of America Merrill Lynch provided a £112 million term loan to complete the refinancing, with HSBC providing an additional revolving facility.

As part of the financing the club obtained a strong investment grade credit rating from two agencies. Rothschild & Co. advised on the financing.

The club’s strong profile globally realised extensive support and over-subscription from a range of leading Private Placement investors actively supporting the sports sector.

The proceeds from the issue will be used to repay the short-term bank debt which was raised during the construction phase of the stadium from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and HSBC Bank plc.

The refinancing has successfully re-positioned the club’s balance sheet by extending the debt maturities with the longest maturities out to 30 years, lowering and fixing financing costs, positively impacting annual cash flow and adding financial flexibility for years to come. The average maturity of the total debt package of £637 million is 23 years and the weighted average coupon, including the bank facilities is 2.66%.

Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy said: “We have continued to develop Tottenham Hotspur in line with prudent financial management and investment into the Club’s key infrastructure and our fast-growing global brand, successfully matching long-term assets with long-term financing.”

“It is a tribute to the team on and off the pitch that we have achieved what is considered to be one of the most attractive financing deals in the world of sport. Our Club is extremely well positioned as we move forward delivering the excitement and entertainment of Premier League and Champions League football, NFL, rugby, concerts and much more.”

Elliott McCabe, Managing Director in Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Sports Finance & Advisory Group, said: “The management team of THFC continue to position the Club for long term success by growing the brand through ongoing investment, particularly in relation to the iconic new stadium. This is reflected in the strong market reception met by Tottenham Hotspur as a first-time issuer in the Private Placement market.”

ESPN and Special Olympics have extended and expanded their game-changing relationship, with an eight-year extension of global programming and ESPN’s Global Presenting Sponsorship of Special Olympics Unified Sports.

“The relationship between ESPN and Special Olympics spans nearly three and a half decades and has been built on a bedrock of shared belief in the power of sports to positively impact lives and make lasting change in the world,” said Jimmy Pitaro, President of ESPN and co-Chair, Disney Media Networks. “In many ways, Special Olympics represents all that is great about sports.”

“The longstanding partnership between Special Olympics and ESPN goes beyond just broadcasting,” said Mary Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics. “This relationship is a catalyst for inclusion. ESPN is telling the stories of Special Olympics athletes at World Games, USA Games, and at some of the over 100,000 Special Olympics events happening around the world every year. In the past year alone, ESPN presented 40 short films showcasing our athletes, coaches, parents, and other game changers. Through its storytelling, media platforms and grant-making, ESPN is building positive attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities and showing the world that the revolution is inclusion.”

Russell Wolff, Executive Vice President and General Manager, ESPN+,  said: “Together, along with the support of The Walt Disney Company, ESPN and Special Olympics have made real progress in spotlighting these incredible athletes and their achievements, bringing inspiring stories to millions of fans and driving meaningful growth in support of the Special Olympics Movement.”

The new eight-year programming agreement will see ESPN continue as the Global Broadcast Partner of signature Special Olympics events through 2027, including the World Games, World Winter Games and USA Games. ESPN’s support of Special Olympics began over 30 years ago, and groundbreaking multimedia coverage of Special Olympics events began in 2015. Since then, ESPN has added year-round news and feature coverage of Special Olympics, its athletes, community, and culture.

This agreement includes global coverage and distribution of

• Special Olympics World Winter Games Sweden 2021,
• Special Olympics USA Games 2022 (Walt Disney World, Orlando),
• Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023
• Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025 (host city TBD),
• Special Olympics USA Games 2026 (host city TBD)
• Special Olympics World Games 2027 (host city TBD)

ESPN’s coverage of major Special Olympics events will continue to reach fans around the world via ESPN and Disney networks and media platforms in North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe and the Middle East. In addition, Special Olympics and ESPN will work together, along with host-market broadcasters, to bring

Walt Disney World Resort will host the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games, offering its 220-acre ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex as the premier venue for the USA Games.

Taking place June 5-11, the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games will feature more than 4,000 athletes, 10,000 volunteers, 1,500 coaches and 125,000 fans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, all of whom will unite in the Orlando area and participate in one of the country’s most cherished sporting events.

Online sports betting brand 10Bet has become official betting partner of Serie A championship team Juventus in a multi-year deal

During the multi-year deal, the Maltese-based company will develop promotional content and marketing activities for Juventus fans, including exclusive creations and prize giveaways that will give supporters the opportunity to experience the Italian champions up-close.

Giorgio Ricci, Juventus Chief Revenue Officer, said: “We will work exclusively outside Italy together with a partner for whom entertainment and engagement are the core activities. The particular attention paid to the global markets and audiences, a key theme for 10bet and the Club, attests to the perfect synergy between our companies. In fact, this agreement fits ideally into the ongoing international growth project that has been in development by Juventus for years now.”

A 10Bet spokesperson said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with such a prestigious brand as Juventus and both brands share the same values and principles. We are passionate about presenting our audiences with the most unique and entertaining products and we’re confident this will be a mutually beneficial long-term partnership.”