The Daily Telegraph’s award winning sports correspondent Gareth Davies has been appointed as the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) representative on the IOC’s Press Commission.

The IOC Press Commission, which is chaired by Kevan Gosper, is responsible for advising the IOC and Organizing Committees on the provision of the best possible working conditions for the world’s written and photographic press. The Commission reviews and makes recommendations with regard to the proposed facilities and services to be provided by Organizing Committees at each edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This is the first time the IPC has nominated a current working journalist as its representative on the Commission and IPC President Sir Philip Craven believes it is testament to Gareth’s years of support to the Paralympic Movement.

Sir Philip Craven said: “Gareth is one of the world’s leading journalists when it comes to covering the Paralympic Movement. You only have to read one of his many articles dedicated to the subject to realize his passion and enthusiasm for Paralympians and the Games.

“Having attended many Games and other events the IPC believes he has the required experience and know how to be the IPC’s representative on the IOC Press Commission.

“Gareth understands exactly what the media needs when covering the Paralympics and we are confident he will share these views when representing the IPC.”

Gareth Davies commented: “Covering Paralympic Sport has always been a pioneering aspect of my career. From the very first time I saw a Paralympic event – in Atlanta in 1996 – I knew I was witnessing an amazing sporting spectacle.

“Nothing has changed after five Games. I have also covered combat sports across my career and the spirit of the Paralympians always reminds me of the fighters I cover. They are the spirit that cannot be tied down.

“I consider it a great honour and privilege to be regarded by the Paralympic Movement and the IPC as a genuine honest witness and supporter of a sporting movement which changes the way the world views people’s abilities.”

London’s newest Olympic landmark, physician the “ArcelorMittal Orbit”  is set to add its final Olympic ring organizers have said.

Officials say the top ring of the showcase sculpture for the 2012 London Olympics will be lifted by three cranes and put into place Friday afternoon.

The “ArcelorMittal Orbit” rises 35 stories and languishes above the Olympic stadium. It’s made of red steel.

The tower was designed by London-based artist Anish Kapoor and his partner, treatment Cecil Balmond.

When finished, the structure will be taller than the Statue of Liberty.

Just Marketing International (JMI), a leader in motorsports marketing, has announced that WPP, the world’s largest communications services group, has made a strategic investment in the company.

JMI represents a broad portfolio of global brands with an established presence in Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar, The World Rally Championship and the major sportscar categories. The company was founded by CEO Zak Brown in 1995, and operates from its Indianapolis headquarters with global offices in cities including London, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The investment represents a strategic affiliation by both parties to leverage expertise and elevate client insights and solutions. 

The agreement means that JMI will have access to WPP’s global network while providing a direct route for WPP clients to be introduced to motorsports. 

Spire Capital, which took a majority stake in JMI in 2008, remains the principal shareholder and Brown the second largest shareholder. 

WPP takes a minority equity stake and has representation on the board of JMI, with the Credit Suisse Customized Fund Investment Group completing the shareholder group.

Zak Brown, founder and CEO of JMI, said: “I am thrilled with WPP’s investment in JMI. It represents a significant development for the company and an endorsement of our expertise from the biggest global player in the industry. 

“The benefits to JMI, its people and most importantly our clients, will be substantial and I am excited by the potential of this alliance. Our ability to tap into the WPP network will bolster our client offerings, enhance operational excellence and drive accelerated growth. Quite simply, WPP is the turbo for JMI’s engine.”

Andrew Scott, director of corporate development of WPP, added: “We are strong believers in the marketing power of international motorsports for global brands. 

“JMI is a leading company in the sector so this investment is a natural fit for WPP and will help to offer our clients exciting new opportunities in the field of motorsports.”

2010 Ryder Cup hosts Celtic Manor Resort has appointed KTB PR Agency to provide wide-ranging PR support.

KTB, viagra based in Battersea, capsule London, specialises in lifestyle, sport and wellness PR. The company will implement a 12 month integrated campaign from 1st July.

Celtic Manor Resort was awarded European Golf Resort of the Year 2011 and Venue of the Year at this year’s Sport Industry Awards. 

The five star resort has invested heavily in its leisure and family facilities, boasting 400 bedrooms in two hotels, luxury spas, award-winning restaurants, a large and versatile Convention Centre, as well as three championship golf courses.

Vanessa Russell, Celtic Manor Resort marketing director, said: “We felt the time was right to take a fresh approach to our PR to really engage the leisure and family market.  KTB demonstrated a creative and clear strategy to help us achieve this and we were really impressed with their campaign.  
“Celtic Manor Resort is world renowned for its golf and conference facilities, KTB are now tasked with ensuring we win similar recognition as a five star leisure destination.”

Kate Bosomworth, KTB managing director, added: “We worked alongside Celtic Manor on the 2010 Ryder Cup, and are thrilled to be working more closely with the resort now.  It’s a great opportunity to combine our key strengths to support the development of a superb brand. 

“The campaign will focus heavily on the resort’s lifestyle and family credentials whilst not forgetting its core golf and conference sectors.  Another great win for the team – it’s been an exciting year and this continues that trend.”

The first 10 matches of the International Cricket World Cup (ICC) World Cup which began last month have delivered and average rating of 2.6 TVR (television viewer ratings), up 2.4 TVR for the previous 2007 edition of the quadrennial tournament.

The matches, including the opener between South Asian rivals India – Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – Pakistan have been the most watched games delivering ratings of 7.47 and 3.28 TVR respectively.

According to data released by ratings agency Tam for CS 4+ TG, the India – Bangladesh was sampled by more than 76 million viewers, while the Sri Lanka – Pakistan game attracted more than 51 million viewers on Star Cricket, ESPN, Star Sports and DD1 together.

By the end of match 10, the World Cup had been sampled by a record 127 million individuals, or 64 per cent of the total audience in the country. 

Except for two matches, New Zealand -Australia (0.68 TVR) and New Zealand – Kenya (0.63 TVR), the rest of the games got a viewership of more than 1 TVR.

The remaining games between the West Indies – South Africa and England – Netherlands delivered similar ratings of 1.68 TVR. Both the matches were sampled by more than 40 million viewers respectively. Some of the one-sided contests like Sri Lanka – Canada and Pakistan – Kenya also managed good ratings of 1.36 and 1.41 TVR.

Average ratings for the first 10 matches of the 2007 World Cup was 2.4 TVR with India-Bangladesh and Pakistan-West Indies match being the two most watched game with a rating of 8.85 and 3.66 TVR respectively.

Commenting on the ratings, ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd EVP-Ad Sales & New Media Sanjay Kailash said, “The ratings for the non-India matches are very healthy and point towards increasing viewer interest in the tournament as a whole. We expect the trend to continue as the tournament progresses towards the second phase as teams get into top gear to qualify for the knock-out stages.”

A not-yet-built National Hockey League (NHL) arena to be constructed in Quebec, Canada, will be called the Videotron amphitheatre after reaching a naming-rights deal with the cable provider via its parent company, Quebecor according to the city.

Videotron will pay US$33.85m for naming rights for a period of 25 years.

An additional $3.23m fee has been agreed annually for arena management rights. Videotron will give the city 15 per cent of profits from the facility. In return, the arena will be built entirely with taxpayers’ money.

Terms are specific to the building and profits from any future NHL team would be separate.

Italian Serie A soccer giant Juventus has posted a loss of US$54.6m in the first half of the 2010/11 season, in stark comparison with a $19.6m profit from the previous year.

This was largely down to the fact that revenue for the period was $122.8m, down 29 per cent on the $172.8m figure in the same period 12 months before due to a the financial hit of only qualifying for the Europa League as opposed to the Champions League.

It has also been affected by changes to the way Italian clubs share money from television rights.

The Turin-based club’s board admitted to predicting “a significant loss” between now and the end of the season.

The club released a statement, reading: “Economic trends in the 2010/11 financial year were negatively influenced by the club’s failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, implying lower revenues from European competitions and lower commercial revenue, as well as the effects stemming from the regulations of the centralised sale of [Italian] television rights coming into force.

“Accordingly, on the basis of the information currently available and in the absence of any extraordinary events, the 2010/11 financial year is expected to close with a significant loss.

“Nonetheless, the company is confident it has the resources necessary to tackle the negative trend of the current financial year.”

The first document in the so-called “lockout insurance” case between the National Football League and its players’ union (NFLPA) became yesterday, February 24.

The document regards the union’s brief to the federal court in Minnesota contending the court should overturn a special master’s decisions allowing the league to use US$4bn of media fees in 2011 if there is a lockout.

All documents have been sealed in the process since it began early last year, and the brief is redacted, with key numbers darkened out.

However, it does include excerpts of deposition transcripts and testimony, including from league execs like NFL Exec VP/Media and NFL Network President & CEO Steve Bornstein and Commissioner Roger Goodell conceding that the lockout insurance was a critical element in renewing the broadcast deals.

The news comes after late on Wednesday, February 23, DirecTV filed a motion in Minnesota federal court seeking to block the unsealing of its confidential records in the closely watched NFL media fees case.

Two local Minnesota newspapers are seeking a complete unsealing of records in the players union’s case against the NFL, in which the union alleges the league took lower media payments in return for guaranteed payments during a possible lockout. The arguments in that case were thought to be heard yesterday, February 24, but the DirecTV and the NFL could not prevent the unsealing.

DirecTV had said unsealing the records, which includes the contract and privileged communications, would expose the satellite channel’s NFL strategy, thereby impairing its ability to renew the deal in 2014.

A comprehensive venue testing programme has been revealed by the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) to ensure that everything from results, asthma scoring, timing systems, operational procedures and field tests, are working correctly for next year’s Games.

The programme consists of international invitational events delivered by LOCOG, international federation events, and international events organised by sports national governing bodies and other organisations.

Chairman of LOCOG Seb Coe, stated: “Our approach to operational delivery is similar to that of an athlete.   You do not want to face any conditions at competition time that you have not prepared for. When the world’s greatest Olympic and Paralympic athletes come to London in the summer of 2012, every aspect of our delivery needs to be the best it can be.”

Some of the events involved with testing will form part of UK Sport’s world class events programme, with the body having worked closely alongside LOCOG on the programme. The world class events programme invests National Lottery funding to help stage major international sporting events in the UK. 

Liz Nicholl, chief executive of UK Sport, added: “UK Sport’s world class events programme has been preparing Britain’s sports and elite athletes for their home Games in London for the past five years, so it is fantastic to be supporting LOCOG’s testing programme at this crucial time.” 

The testing programme begins with the Bupa London Marathon on 30th May and runs all the way through to May 2012.