The International Cricket Council (ICC) have launched online ticket sales for the Cricket World Cup semi-finals and final today, pharmacy February 21, and via the ICC’s official ticketing partner Kyazoonga.com

With the demand for tickets for the finale of the ICC’s flagship tournament expected to reach record levels, cough there is sure to be great demand for the proportion of online tickets which will go on sale today at 1pm Indian time (0730 GMT).

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, said: “From the outset it was always going to be near impossible to satisfy the enormous demand for tickets. But the Central Organising Committee always wanted to provide as many cricket lovers as possible with an opportunity to experience the World Cup. That is why some tickets are now being made available online.

“With the tournament kicking off amidst extraordinary scenes in Dhaka, it was quite amazing to see tens of thousands of passionate supporters in the streets around the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium soaking up the remarkable atmosphere during the opening ceremony and the first match. All this excitement is causing an unbelievable demand for tickets which clearly outstrips the available supply.

“I am sure that the passion and support for the ICC’s flagship event will grow even further by the time we reach the semi-finals in Colombo and Mohali on 29 and 30 March, respectively and the final at Wankhede Stadium on 2 April. The on-line sales will be followed by a second phase where tickets will be made available to the general public through the stadium box offices.”

National Basketball Association (NBA) reigning champions, denture the Los Angeles Lakers have signed a wide-ranging 20-year broadcast distribution deal with Time Warner Cable.

The agreement, order touted to be unprecedented in terms of length and comprehensiveness, will see Lakers games and content feature on two specially-launched regional sports networks and begin with the launch of the new services at the start of the 2012/13 NBA season.

The Lakers current major broadcast rights holders KCAL Channel 9 and major broadcast partner Fox Sports Net will both be replaced by Time Warner Cable.

No official numbers were released by either party but Tim Harris, vice president of business operations for the Lakers, was quoted by ESPN as saying: “Suffice to say, any sports team in any league in any country if they’re going to be doing a broadcast agreement, there is a component that includes a discussion of economics and economics was something that needed to make sense for the Lakers and it does.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers’ previous deal with Fox Sports West was worth some US$30m per year in fees to the franchise. It also said that Time Warner Cable had dismissed outlandish speculation that the new deal could be worth as much as $3bn over two decades once all elements are taken into account.

A source familiar with the structure of such deals suggested that the Lakers could have secured as much as a 50 per cent share in the new channels.

Fox Sports had already admitted that it had tabled a significantly higher offer than its previous agreements with the Lakers in an attempt to renew the rights deal. Its exclusive negotiating period with the Lakers ran out, according to the LA Times, at the end of 2010.

Included in the deal are plans for English and, in a first, Spanish-language networks, which will utilise new facilities in Los Angeles and be made available to all cable distributors in an area including all of Southern California, Nevada and Hawaii.

Broadcast rights to live games, including pre-season, regular season and post-season fixtures, are included where the NBA’s network broadcast contracts allow.

Time Warner Cable chairman and chief executive Glenn Britt stated: “This long-term agreement represents a huge win for all Lakers fans, providing destination channels, more content and more platforms for the Lakers, one of the premier brands in professional sports today.

“It allows us to secure great ‘must-have’ content for our customers in an advantageous arrangement that affords us greater control over our own economic destiny for decades to come.”

Jerry Buss, majority owner of the Lakers expressed his delight, adding: “Time Warner has been producing quality sports programming for over a decade and the Lakers have been producing championship seasons for even longer. I am particularly proud of being part of the first ever Spanish-language RSN in the country. Together I’m confident we will delight our fans.”

The Lakers recently lost its position as the most valuable franchise in the NBA to the New York Knicks after being valued, by Forbes, at US$643 million, a figure that the company now estimate will rise to over $1bn.

International Sports Management Limited (ISM), a UK based player management and events specialist, launched its India operations on Tuesday, 15 February.

Among the company’s client roster are top Indian sports professionals Jeev Milkha Singh , Shiv Kapur and SSP Chowrasia, on its roster. World number one Lee Westwood, three-time Major winner Ernie Els and reigning Open champion Louis Ooosthuizen are also under ISM management. 

Newswire PTI quotes founder Andrew Chandler as saying: “We at ISM have been thinking about India operations for a long time. While cricket has always been very big in India, we have noticed the growth of golf and the way Indian players have made a big impact in world golf.

“We have been managing Jeev Milkha Singh, Shiv Kapur and SSP Chowrasia, all proven champions, but now it is time to more Indian players make a mark outside India.

He added: “Apart from managing players, we also wish to set up with local Indian partners golf academies, help in course design, and promoting new events in this region.”

The India operations will be led by Neeraj Sareen, a former junior amateur golfer, and a regular organiser and promoter of golf events in India.

mayor of Newham borough, Sir Robin Wales has stated that the cuts to council services announced by the Government could jeopardise the London 2012 Olympic legacy after labelling the settlement as “savage, wreckless and callous”.

Every council in England will have to reduce spending from April with Hackney, Tower Hamlets, and Newham – three of the five Olympic boroughs – taking the maximum cut of 8.9% along with 33 others.

Sir Robin Wales stated: “These are savage cuts being implemented by the coalition government. We are having to plan huge reductions in expenditure over the next few years.’

“The Government themselves have admitted that their cuts will be directed mainly against poorer people which means that Newham is being hit more fiercely than better off areas of the country.

“London’s Olympic bid book said the most enduring legacy of the Games must be the regeneration of an entire community for the direct benefit of everyone who lives there.

“For centuries London’s East End has been one of the poorest areas in Europe. The Games have provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the lives of residents and nothing should be spared in ensuring that a lasting legacy is achieved.”

It is believed that unprotected services such as play parks, leisure centres and swimming pools most at risk from the inevitable cuts made clear surrounding the funding settlements.

“We are doing everything we can to protect our residents and the services they need and value. We want the Olympics to inspire people and raise their ambitions to be healthier and more prosperous,” he added.

“Newham has been working hard to expand participation in sport and activity through investment in our sports facilities and our promise to continue offering free swims to young people. We are providing the largest programme of free sport and activity in London. We will do our utmost to defend these pioneering initiatives and support hard working low income families.

“Inevitably, however, as we are having to make massive cuts our ability to do that will be limited. The government is already taking the axe to our school sports funding. We fear the coalition’s cuts may have jeopardised the Olympic legacy. I’m shocked at the extent of their callousness. They don’t care about the people.”

A long-term partnership between window blind manufacturer, Louvolite and the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) has been extended for another year.

Louvolite will lend its support to the national ABAE championships, as well as grassroots boxing with an option for an additional 12 month extension taking Louvolite’s association with the ABAE to 14 years.

David Robinson, Louvolite director of sales and marketing, spoke of the company’s pride in its relationship with the ABAE: “It is extremely encouraging to see the professionalism with which the ABAE has promoted the significant expansion of amateur boxing in recent years, especially the proliferation of boxing clubs within schools and throughout many areas of our local community.”

ABAE chief executive Paul King added: “Louvolite’s decision to build on their investment in amateur boxing is an endorsement of the fantastic health of the sport which continues to deliver rising participation and is recognised as a valuable tool in helping to combat a range of social problems covering, health, education and crime. We are very grateful to Louvolite for its continued support and look forward to working with them for many more years and extending this mutually beneficial partnership.”

European Athletics have announced the renewal of its long-running contract with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The partnership has been in place since 1981 and was extended for the period 2012-2015.

European Athletics and EBU signed the new contract on Wednesday 15 December at the EBU headquarters in Geneva.

The contract renewal will cover all of European Athletics’ major events including the Helsinki 2012 and Zurich 2014 European Athletics Championships, the Göteborg 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships and the 2015 indoor championships which is yet to be awarded.

The agreement also covers the European Team Championships and European Cross Country Championships taking place during the four-year contract period.

European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz said, “I am very pleased that we are continuing our valued partnership with EBU. Our agreement is a vital part of our ongoing aim to increase the popularity of athletics around Europe.

“EBU gives us the biggest platform to promote our sport on public free-to-air TV channels throughout the continent, which is an extremely important consideration for us.”

Stefan Kürten, EBU Director of Sports & Business Department added: “I am very pleased that we have reached an agreement with European Athletics for another four years. This demonstrates our commitment to support all major sports and federations aiming to reach the largest audience in Europe.”

Bobby Sharma has been appointed as the senior vice-president of global business development for basketball by leading international sports company IMG. Sharma has quit his role as vice-president and general counsel at the National Basketball Association (NBA)

Sharma will initially relocate to Mumbai in India, where he will work as part of IMG Reliance, a joint venture between IMG and Reliance Industries. IMG Reliance snapped up all commercial rights to basketball in India for a 30-year period earlier in the year, and the development of a professional basketball league in the country will be one of Sharma’s immediate priorities.

Andrew Wildblood, executive vice-president of IMG and executive director of IMG Reliance said: “Bobby’s appointment is a major step forward in IMG’s commitment to developing the sport of basketball. With his experience in developing the sport of basketball for almost a decade at the NBA, Bobby is the right person at the right time to help us achieve IMG’s goals for the game around the world, both from a player and league development perspective.”

Sharma added: “There is tremendous interest in the game in India and its dynamic market in particular, where more than half of the nation’s population is under 25 years old, and just about every economic metric is headed in a positive direction.”

Phillip Brook has been named as the new chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) most commonly known for their role as the private members club as the venue for Wimbledon Tennis.

Tim Phillips, the club’s previous chairman, has retired after 11 years in the role and is replaced by Brook who previously held the position of vice-chairman with the appointment taking place with immediate effect.

Brook’s former playing career accomplishments saw him become the captain of the Cambridge University lawn tennis team as well as Men’s Singles Champion for the Yorkshire region. He has been a member of the AELTC for 21 years as well as a member of the International Lawn Tennis Club of Great Britain since 1977, serving as a treasurer for a 15 year spell between 1986 and 2001.

Georgia’s proposal to move the 2014 Winter Olympic Games from Sochi is unacceptable and represents meddling in the affairs of the Olympic movement, Alexander Zhukov, Russia’s top Olympics official, said Friday.

“It is completely unacceptable for politicians or governments to interfere with the business of the Olympic movement,” Zhukov, a deputy prime minister and head of Russia’s Olympic Committee, said on the sidelines of a meeting of the European Olympic Committees in Belgrade.

Russia fought a brief war with Georgia in 2008 that resulted in the rebel regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia breaking way from Georgia. Russia has recognized their independence, but the international community regards them as Georgian territory.

Tension between Russia and Georgia has run high since the war. Earlier this month, Georgia asked the International Olympic Committee to reconsider holding the Winter Olympics in Sochi, near the border with Abkhazia.

Zhukov said the move “goes against the spirit of the Olympic charter, which is above politics” and that Sochi was democratically chosen as the venue.

“Russia has good sporting relations with Georgia, and we will support their bid to host the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival, a decision which is due to be announced tomorrow,” he said. “We do not support the statement of the [Georgian] government, but we support the Olympic Committee of Georgia.”

The Northern Caucasus is a flashpoint where Islamic insurgents want to carve out a separate state, and earlier this month a bomb exploded on a rail line in the Sochi area.

In May, President Dmitry Medvedev ordered tighter security at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Zhukov said the security remained the organizers’ top priority.

“The investigation of this case is under way and … the safety of all visitors is of vital importance for our security services,” he said.

Zhukov also said Russia’s Olympic Committee wanted to improve on its poor performance at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, when the country’s athletes earned three gold medals, the worst-ever result after the breakup of the Soviet Union. “We are going to win in Sochi,” he said.

Following the news that the The International Cycling Union (UCI ) has asked the Spanish National Cycling Federation (RFEC) to open disciplinary hearings against Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, RFEC chief Juan Carlos Castaño has told Spanish sports daily Marca that he hopes the proceedings against Contador “go well” and has indicated that cycling’s governing body in Spain will treat the rider’s case like any other it may receive.

The rider’s press officer Jacinto Vidarte has expressed hope that he’ll be able to defend the charges.

Vidarte told Spanish media that the situation is “normal and what we expected”, explaining that the rider’s representatives will “submit all documents which show that [Contador’s case] was a clear case of food contamination.”

Contador has maintained that the presence of banned stimulant Clenbuterol in an anti-doping test sample obtained on the second rest day of this year’s Tour de France in Pau was the result of eating contaminated meat, hence the miniscule amount of substance in his system.

Upon further analysis in a German laboratory it was later discovered that Contador’s blood also contained minute levels of plasticisers found in blood bags, indicating the possible use of blood doping.

“The Federation’s official version is that it is a normal process as with any other records. It will analyse all the documentation that we have forwarded to the UCI and the Competition Committee will begin examining the process as usual,” Castaño explained.

“If the Committee decides to continue with the process, then we will contact the rider to open the file so that the athlete can present their arguments and documentation that may be necessary for his defense. We will contrast that with what the UCI has given us and thus expose the athlete, [after which we] will proceed to make a decision of record.”

Castaño added that the maximum time to process this case is three months and stated: “I would like [the case] to come out well, but now the Competition Committee has to study this and solve it the way it considers fair.”