According to the New York Times, view US billionaire property developer Donald Trump, asthma famed for his role in the American Apprentice TV show, reportedly contacted the owners of Major League Baseball (MLB) side the New York Mets about two weeks ago to set up a meeting to talk about potentially buying a majority stake in the team.

Trump said today, February 16, that he had called current owner Fred Wilpon to arrange the meeting, which has yet to take place, the newspaper reported.

The owners of the Mets said Jan. 29 that they may sell as much as 25 percent of the team to raise money to settle a lawsuit stemming from Bernard L. Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. The owners are being sued for as much as US$1 billion over their financial dealings with Madoff, the Times said.

For the first time in any soccer league, allergy and new for the 2010-11 season, order Liga de Futbol Profesional, bronchi (LFP) & Sogepec (the Production arm of Mediapro) have announced the formation of a new joint venture business that will capture player tracking data from all 42 clubs in both La Liga 1 and 2.

The Project has been made possible through LFP’s decision to install new state-of-the-art tracking technology into all 42 club Arena’s through a “global footballing first” partnership with TRACAB – the world’s leading player & ball tracking technology which was used at UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Francisco Roca, President of the LFP commented on the formation of this new venture, stating: “We have spent a great deal of time evaluating the various technical options open to us and are confident that with the TRACAB system, we will be providing all LFP Clubs with a break-through technology to help them extend their expertise within Coaching analysis. At the same time, we are excited about bringing global fans of Spanish Football with new exciting performance data and tools to enable them to further understand why our two Leagues are among the best in the world”.

The joint venture will exploit the captured real-time data in both the media space and through providing Spanish clubs with coaching services.

Director of Mediapro, Jaume Rores commented: “It is clear that exploiting Official LFP data presents a new growth area for Spanish Football and we are delighted to have formed a joint venture business with LFP to manage the opportunity. We are for example in talks with brands keen to become the Official Performance Partner of the League and Media/Betting/Gaming companies interested in creating new products based on Official LFP data”.

The TRACAB System delivers real-time positioning data and value-added content to the sports, media and entertainment sectors via its proprietary patented tracking technology.

The unique data that the TRACAB System generates allows organisations to provide media-rich content in real or virtual form through a wide array of distribution platforms (TV, Internet, Mobile, Print), creating a new form of rights and revenue streams to sports rights owners.

Johan Apel, founder and CEO of TRACAB commented: “We are very happy to help LFP and Mediapro to create new rights and revenue streams from La Liga using the TRACAB technology. The world of sports is changing in a fast pace and we are impressed with the innovation skills shown by the LFP, they are clearly a frontrunner in the new digital era”.

A multi-year partnership has been agreed to enable Thomson Sport to bolster its sports portfolio with the National Basketball Association (NBA) ahead of the regular season games to be held in London next month.

The company will become the official presenting partner of NBA Games – London 2011 and the NBA’s official European fan travel partner.

When the New Jersey Nets play the Toronto Raptors at The O2 Arena, viagra Thomson Sport will offer fans exclusive travel packages to the event, was well as future games played on the continent.

As presenting partner of NBA Games – London 2011, Thomson Sport will support NBA Basketball Week, a week-long series of basketball events that will take place across the UK from 25th February to 5th March, culminating in the NBA Fan Zone, an interactive fan event taking place in London to coincide with the Nets versus Raptors games.

In addition to package rights, Thomson Sport will receive prominent brand exposure around the games held at The O2 in March, as well as on NBA.com, where the company will present a new editorial feature highlighting its travel offerings.

The Chairman of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), viagra Paul Roy has welcomed the written ministerial statement from John Penrose, the Minister for Tourism and Heritage, on the sale of the Tote.

Speaking on recent developments in the sale of the betting company, Roy stated: “Racing welcomes the Government’s latest steps in resolving the future of the Tote, and particularly that Racing interests are central to a successful outcome. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Government to get the best outcome for the sport.

“Racing is clear what is right for the sport from any change in the Tote’s status. MPs put it best earlier this month; the Tote was set up for Racing, and that must continue but in a way that fits the modern market after the Tote is removed from the public sector.” He added: “That means recognition of the strong relationship between the Tote and the sport, which is such an important part of the business, and recognition of the contribution the sport racing has given to the Tote over many decades.

“The Foundation is a tried and trusted way of delivering those objectives. It reflects an ownership model that is true to the Tote’s roots of being part of its community, whilst providing commercial flexibility in the modern market.

“Following today’s announcement, other parties may want to talk to Racing about plans for the Tote. This is only natural given that the future success of the Tote depends on the co-operation of racing and the fact that racing’s interests are front and centre. They will know what they must do. We will of course listen, and discuss how they plan to provide an outcome that addresses all our issues.”

The chief of Paris bid 2012 bid committee, closest rivals to the London Olympic Bid, has claimed that the row over the future of the Olympic Stadium is a result of Olympic chiefs not taking legacy plans seriously enough.

Phillipe Baudillon saw his Paris bid narrowly beaten by that of London, for the right to stage the Games after a huge lobbying effort in Singapore in 2005.

Baudillon spoke of his lack of surprise with regards to the uncertainty of the future of London 2012’s main venue, with Premier League soccer teams Tottenham and West Ham both vying to move in.

“I’m not surprised because the process of choosing a host city is not focused on legacy,” said Philippe Baudillon. 

“The 100 people who decide who gets a Games don’t have any incentive to choose the best legacy proposal. It’s not an important parameter for [the International Olympic Committee]. 

“They choose where they think is best for the Olympic brand and London was very good on this [during the bidding race]. 

“Legacy isn’t a problem for the IOC – it’s a problem for the hosts. I think they will have to take legacy into account more, otherwise people will get fed up with paying for something that only lasts 15 days.” 

Baudillon admitted the London 2012 bid team did a better job of selling their strengths than the Paris team, but thinks the IOC must change its selection criteria to reflect changes in the wider world. 

“Thirty years ago there was no talk of legacy, the environment or sustainable development with Olympic bids. It’s coming now but the evolution is very slow and the mindset of the IOC members is also slow,” he added. 

“There’s a gap between what is happening in business and government, and what the IOC is doing. Now we’re in the middle of an economic crisis, legacy planning has become crucial. 

“There have been some good examples, like Barcelona and Sydney, but Beijing, which was a great Games, is having problems with its Olympic infrastructure and Athens is a complete disaster.”

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) have announced a deal with China’s largest oil refiner, Sinopec to become a worldwide sponsor in a deal brokered by the IAAF’s worldwide marketing partner, Dentsu.

Sinopec will become the worldwide Official Partner of the IAAF and its World Athletic Series until 2015 in the category of ‘oil and natural gas’. The company is the 7th largest corporation in the Fortune 500 list in 2010.

Sinopec will also directly provide additional financial support to the IAAF for its Continental Programme along with Samsung and Adidas. This recent initiative has been introduced to support IAAF’s Area Associations and Member Federations with the sponsorship of IAAF Official Partners.

Sinopec has a recent history in the athletics world having been title sponsor of the IAAF/Sinopec World Half Marathon Championships and an official partner of the IAAF/VTB Bank Continental Cup, which were held in Nanning, China, and Split, Croatia respectively.

The IAAF now has seven confirmed Official Partners for the 2011 World Championships, Daegu, Korea (27 Aug to 4 Sep) with the deal providing further evidence of the internationalisation of the IAAF’s sponsorship portfolio.

President Lamine Diack said: “In our pursuit in growing the excellence of the sport of Athletics in all continents of the world, I am delighted to be associated with such a prestigious partner, especially with the staging of two out of our next three World Championships in the continent of Asia. I am sure that Sinopec will add a lot of value to the world athletics family and this partnership will go a long way to strengthen our presence in China and Asia.”

The Women’s European Handball Championships (EHF EURO) 2010 will begin in Norway/Denmark on December 7. The event hosts a strong sponsor line-up and extensive coverage.

The Women’s EHF EURO sponsors will benefit from TV-visible perimeter and board advertising as well as on-floor signage, media backdrops, onsite presentation and promotions with added VIP hospitality. Among the companies involved in the sponsorship of the event are AJ (Home and office furniture), Bring (postal services and cargo), GF (insurance), Gjensidige (insurance), Grundfos (Pump solutions), HMN Naturgas (energy) and Nets (payment services).

Infront has concluded agreements for 63 countries and territories worldwide in regards to media rights. The event will be transmitted by 62 television and radio stations. Most of the broadcasters will provide live or near-live transmissions, depending on the time zones and broadcaster schedules.

This year the official website will once again be jointly produced by the EHF and Infront. The platform offers fans extensive information about the event, participating nations,
players and live game statistics. For 2010 a dedicated online broadcast service will feature online video coverage of all 47 Women’s EHF EURO matches.

The Hockey Hall of Fame has opened its doors to women for the first time

Angela James of Canada and Cammi Granato of the United States received their Hall of Fame rings on Monday.

They were inducted with former NHL star Dino Ciccarelli, builder Jim Devellano and the late Daryl “Doc” Seaman, one of the founders of the Calgary Flames. The acceptance speeches are Monday night.

“I think it’s a historic night and I think it’s great for hockey at all levels,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Both Angela and Cammi are inspirational, they’re pioneers once again. What they’ve done in the game to this point has been terrific and I think they’re great role models for other girls and women looking to devote themselves to this game.”

The Hall of Fame established separate induction criteria for women this year, paving the way for James and Granato.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport’s governing body, has issued a request for proposals to become the BWF media rights agency from 2011 to 2013.

The media rights would cover five major tournaments including the world championships, the Thomas Cup (World Men’s Team Championships) and Uber Cup (World Women’s Team Championships, the Sudirman Cup (World Team Championship), the BWF World Senior Championships and the BWF World Junior Championships.