order Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.077em; text-rendering: auto; clear: left; padding: 0px;”>Arena Leisure, the UK Horseracing course operator, has posted a rise in underlying profits, but says it expects challenges ahead as funding from bookies is cut.

Amongst other leisure interests, Arena operates seven courses in the UK – Windsor, Doncaster, Southwell, Wolverhampton, Folkestone, Worcester and Lingfield Park.

Last year, the firm saw a 10.4 per cent rise in adjusted pre-tax profits to US$8.74m.

However, chairman David Thorpe said the yield from the levy on bookmakers was estimated to fall this year, stating: “The yield from the levy is estimated to fall to £64.8m ($104.9m) in 2010-11 as a result of the movement of internet and telephone betting offshore, the impact of overseas betting operators and betting exchanges.

“The levy is fundamental to the support of horseracing in the UK and it is our belief that all parties should seek to maintain it in a modernised and restructured form.”

During 2010, Arena staged 352 horse racing fixtures and said its average attendance had increased by 4.2 per cent to 1,800 over the period.

Forbes sources state that US billionaire Mike Ilitch, who walked away from buying the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Detroit Pistons a few months, is back in contention for a buyout after the exclusive negotiating period for Tom Gores to takeover the side ended last week with no deal.

It had been previously reported that the speculated US$420m deal with Gores was being held up by how much of the purchase price would be paid upfront though sources now believe that the billionaire became increasingly concerned with the team’s evaporating revenue.

The Detroit News reported that owner Karen Davidson said the other day that there is another prospective bidder, thought to be Ilitch, for the team should she and Gores fail to come to terms.

Ilitch is now looking to buy the team and the Palace of Auburn Hills for right around $360m, a full $60m less than the deal with Gores was being pegged at.

The bid of French city Annecy to host the 2018 Winter Olympics has received a public sector funding boost from the Caisse des Depots after the financial institution, discount which acts on behalf of central and local governments in France, pledged US$2.09m in support, and also the French National Olympic and Sport Committee.

The Caisse des Depots will support Annecy 2018 financially and operationally through the final phase of the bid’s campaign, with the International Olympic Committee scheduled to decide on July 6 whether Annecy, PyeongChang in South Korea or Munich in Germany should stage the Games.

The deal represents a further funding boost for the bids CEO Charles Beigbeder, who was installed in January as a replacement to Edgar Grospiron who resigned following a dispute over a perceived lack of financial support for the event.

The financial institution’s CEO, Augustin de Romanet stated: “This partnership is an illustration of the Caisse des Depots’ drive to provide effective and sustainable support for ambitious projects. In addition to providing funding and additional staff, our support takes the shape of engineering know-how, especially in the area of protecting the local environment and its heritage through sustainable development, one of our group’s core strategies.”

French Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno added: “Annecy 2018 is a project for the future. The Caisse des Depots, tasked with serving the public interest and supporting sustainable development in our regions, is a natural partner for this bid. Its commitment has made a major contribution to the new dynamic driving the bid since January. Each time a major group joins forces with us, we send a strong signal to the International Olympic Committee.”

Consideration is being taken by London Underground bosses to run the Tube around the clock during the 2012 Olympics, it has been revealed.

Transport for London (TfL) has established a working party to plan staffing for the proposed scheme with the Games expected to place extra strain on the Tube, which already handles three million passengers every day.

The main stumbling block appears to be that unions say they expect a battle on overtime pay for night staff, with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) general secretary Bob Crow stating: “The hard fact is that there is no agreement with the unions in place for operating hours, volume of service, staffing levels or payments for next year’s Olympics.

“Not only that, but the continued job cuts and attacks on maintenance schedules mean that the Tube is short of capacity and prone to regular breakdowns at the best of times, let alone when we’ve got another million people to shift around the city.

“The mayor can’t keep London moving now, let alone for the Olympics in 2012.”

However, a TfL spokesman added: “We are on track to deliver all transport improvements well ahead of the Games and are confident of supporting a fantastic London 2012 Games and keeping London moving.

“We are now drawing up our detailed transport plans for the Games. However, no decisions have yet been taken about the Tube’s hours of operation during 2012.”

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke claims that only two companies have come close to meeting world soccer governing body’s demands on goal-line technology,.

An agreement was reched by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on Saturday, March 5, that tests on various systems will continue for another year, with the possibility of using such technology at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

However, FIFA was unconvinced by 10 systems tested last month in Zurich, with the governing body calling for 100 per cent accuracy.

In an interview with Sky Sports News, Valcke stated: “I don’t think the idea is to extend (tests) beyond 2012. IFAB has to make a decision. This deadline gives us, and the companies, another 12 months to work on tests.”

He added: “Even as an empty goal, just throwing the ball through to the goal, only two companies reached 98 per cent and 94 per cent. There’s not one company who has reached 100 per cent. It means that either it’s a technical problem, or it’s not good enough to be used for a 90-minute game. That’s where we have to be very careful.”

At the IFAB meeting in Newport at the weekend it was agreed that UEFA should be allowed to use its system of five match officials at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. The two extra officials will be behind the goal-line and on the side of the goal next to the assistant referee.

In other news IFAB did address the official rules with regards to the wearing of ‘snoods’, banning them from the game with concerns over health and safety issues.

Northamptonshire, ailment England, treatment race circuit Silverstone has secured the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, the Red Bull Matadors and legendary trials rider Dougie Lampkin as part of its entertainment package.

The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup will be a new support race at this year’s event – Britain’s only round of the FIM MotoGP World Championship.

Silverstone will host rounds five and six of the popular grass roots racing series in which the best young talent from 15 nations will battle it out on the Saturday and Sunday of the MotoGP weekend.

Away from the track, the Red Bull Matadors will be a spectacular new addition for 2011. Throughout the weekend, the UK’s most dynamic aerobatic team will be taking to the skies and wowing the Silverstone crowd. Aerobatic gold medallists Paul Bonhomme and Steve Jones will be performing breathtaking manoeuvres and extreme displays in their high speed stunt planes.

Back on terra firma, Dougie Lampkin MBE will be returning to Silverstone again this year, providing further off-track entertainment. The twelve-times FIM Trial World Champion, renowned for his mesmerising skills on two wheels, was a huge draw in 2010.

Richard Phillips, managing director of Silverstone Circuits Limited, commented: “We’ve lined-up a world-class entertainment package with Red Bull – what’s more, it’s all free, adding further value to the cost of a MotoGP ticket.”

The company formerly tasked with promoting the Wolrd Rally Championship (WRC), North One Sport, has been taken over by sports marketing firm Convers Sports Initiatives (CSI).

The acquisition of North One Sport by CSI was allowed through parent company North One Television, which snapped up the WRC’s commercial rights holding company in 2007 and will continue to produce all WRC programming.

In 2009, North One Sport was appointed to look after the WRC’s commercial and media rights on a long-term deal to run until 2020. Alongside the WRC, North One Sport manages the media distribution and content delivery on behalf of the Isle of Man TT, the Velux 5 Oceans Race and the Clipper Round the World yacht race.

Based in London, CSI is part of the Convers Group headed by Russian entrepreneur and investor Vladimir Antonov, who stated: “Convers Sports’ acquisition of North One Sport starts a new page in the history of the WRC.

“Our team will use all the resources available to us to continue to excite fans with one of the best racing challenges in the world,” he added. “Our company plans to invest substantial resources to improve the promotion of the WRC and bring the quality of competition to even higher levels. This will benefit both participants and spectators in the long run.”

North One Sport’s CEO Simon Long added: “In some ways it’s business as usual for North One Sport. The vision remains the same and we have continuity in that the great team of individuals that work for us will continue to do so.”

England’s top flight rugby union league, Premiership Rugby, has sealed a licensing agreement with digital rights management agency MyVideoRights.

The agency has been awarded the distribution rights for Premiership Rugby’s content as well as the opportunity to generate advertiser-funded revenues from social media platforms including YouTube, DailyMotion and Metacafe.

The agreement has also seen Premiership Rugby licence to MyVideoRights the “Aviva Behind the Badge” weekly online show as well as weekly highlights and archive footage.

Premiership Rugby commercial director Jon Varney stated: “Many of our fans are logging onto a wide range of social media sites, such as YouTube, to watch rugby, so we’re pleased to enter into this innovative partnership with MyVideoRights to provide consumers with our legitimate, high quality coverage.”

MyVideoRights CEO Ashley MacKenzie added: “Social media platforms are delivering the vast majority of video views today and are increasingly responsible for generating video viewing on owned and operated websites. It makes clear commercial sense for rights holders to put their content where the audience and fans are.”

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor hosted a dinner for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission yesterday, March 3, despite being forced into a cabinet reshuffle earlier in the day.

Much of the main news in the nation in recent days has been regarding allegations made against Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg that he had plagiarised sources in his PhD thesis, and he was forced to quit as a result.

Merkel made the decision to replace Guttenberg as Defence Minister with Thomas de Maiziere, previously the Interior Minister, a role which has now been taken up by Hans-Peter Friedrich. The two newly appointed cabinet members joined Merkel, along with Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, in hosting the dinner – a high-powered message that the German Government are behind the bid.

“We have every chance, after the summer fairy tale we have with the 2006 World Cup to now have a winter fairy tale,” said Merkel.

The Chancellor has always been behind Munich’s bid and has also given the necessary Government financial guarantees. 

Merkel added: “I think the world would be overjoyed if we got to host the Games.

“We all – the city, the region and the nation – support the bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen.”

A deal has been agreed by the Manchester City Council which will see The National Basketball Association (NBA), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and USA Basketball matches played in the city in the coming years.

The first game to be played in Manchester will take place on 29th May this year featuring the 2010 WNBA finalists the Atlanta Dream. ‘WNBA Live – Manchester 2011’ will represent the first time that WNBA teams have played in Europe and only the second time an international game has been staged in the league’s 15 year history.

As part of the Global Community Cup tour, USA Basketball’s men’s and women’s national teams will both play a game in Manchester in July 2012 as part of their preparations for the Olympics in London next summer.

All the games will be played at the 18,100-capacity Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena. The NBA is looking to capitalise on the success of the last four consecutive years in which friendly games at London’s O2 arena have all sold out. On 4-5 March the first -ever regular season games to be held in Europe will take place between the New Jersey Nets and the Toronto Raptors at the O2 Arena.

NBA Europe senior vice president Sophie Goldschmidt stated: “We are delighted to bring NBA, WNBA, and USA Basketball games to the internationally renowned sports city of Manchester. This comprehensive schedule of premier basketball events will help grow the sport for years to come. This partnership shows our ongoing commitment to deepen basketball’s footprint in the country.”

Manchester Councillor Michael Amesbury, executive member for culture and sport, added: “Manchester has a rich sporting heritage, so it is fitting to be welcoming the NBA to the city for this ground-breaking series of events.

“The matches will fit into our varied and innovative sports events calendar and we are sure that they will not only bring thousands of visitors to the city and create huge media interest, but will also inspire Mancunians to participate, officiate, spectate and volunteer in their chosen sports.”