The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have released a press statement, ampoule announcing that it will hold a Working Meeting on irregular and illegal sports betting on Tuesday 1 March 2011 at their Headquarters in Lausanne.

The meeting, ambulance which will be chaired by IOC President Jacques Rogge, generic will comprise members of the Olympic Movement, including representatives from International Federations and National Olympic Committees.

Ministers from Australia, France, Switzerland and the UK, international organisations such as Interpol, the European Union, the United Nations, and sports betting operators will also be in attendance.

The statement stressed that the meeting will be closed to the media but working facilities will be provided, and the IOC President will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. (CET) on the same day at the IOC Headquarters.

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that the decision as to whether it is safe to stage the opening Grand Prix race of the season in Bahrain will be left to the country’s crown prince. 

Fears have been mounting rapidly over the safety of drivers, teams and spectators alike as the country is currently in the middle of large-scale protests that have seen six people killed after police fired live rounds at protesters demanding reform.

Human rights protesters are believed to have targeted the high profile event as a way of getting more exposure to their cause.

However, according to media reports, Ecclestone has said that crown prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifah was in the best position to make the call having stated: “He will decide whether it’s safe for us to be there, I’ve no idea. I’m not there, so I don’t know.” 

Ecclestone said a decision on whether the race on 13 March could go ahead would be made on Tuesday, February 22.

Holding the race on that date in another location has been ruled out as there would not be enough time for alternative organisers to make the necessary arrangements, but Ecclestone confirmed that the Bahrain race could be moved to another date later in the year.

An Olympic-themed ‘Sporting Question Time’ is to be staged on April 5 to coincide with the SportAccord Convention taking place in London by the Sports Journalists’ Association.

The discussion will be held in the debating chamber of the old County Hall on London’s South Bank, with up to 200 of Britain’s leading sportswriters, editors and invited guests from international federations and national governing bodies able to put Olympic questions to the expert panel at the event. The all-ticket SJA event will be free to attend, with priority given to media accredited for SportAccord.

Panellists, who will be confirmed nearer the date, will include representatives from the London 2012 Games organising committee, the International Olympic Committee, British sporting agencies and the international media.

SJA chairman Barry Newcombe stated: “We are delighted to be able to stage our event alongside SportAccord as the convention is held in London for the first time.”

“Last year we staged a similar event with the sports spokesmen of the UK’s three leading political parties ahead of the UK General Election, and generated headlines for the rest of the week. We are sure that our Olympic Question Time will be just as newsworthy,” he added.

Anna Hellman, executive director of the SportAccord Convention, also stated: “We are gratified that the SJA is using the special occasion of the SportAccord Convention being in London to organise this initiative bringing together sport and the media.”

 

The FIM MotoGP World Championship have announced the appointment of Corrado Cecchinelli as Director of Technology, health overseeing technical developments relating to the three World Championship categories; 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP.

 

Zulqarnain Haider, the former Pakistan national cricket team wicketkeeper has pledged to shed more light on corruption within the sport after three of his compatriots were banned from the sport for five years by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Haider, 24, said that he would “name and shame” those guilty of corruption after seeking asylum in the UK in November after claiming he had received death threats for refusing to help fix two games against South Africa.

In an interview with PakPassion.net, Haider stated: “There are big names involved in these illegal activities, but they’re getting away with it. I am ready to name and shame them, if asked by the relevant authorities.”

Accusations of spot-fixing in last summer’s Test against England saw Pakistani trio Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir receive lengthy sanctions despite the three have always denied any wrongdoing.

Despite the bans, Haider claimed thorough investigations were “not being carried out” and continued: “Players are going to be even more careful now and I know they are watching their backs and attempting to make it even more difficult for the ACSU (the ICC’s Anti-corruption & Security Unit) and ICC to catch them out.”

Haider, whose contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board was terminated following his flight to the UK, suggested that one way to keep tabs on players would be to subject them to greater financial scrutiny.

“What needs to happen very soon is for an organisation to be set up by the ICC for the specific purpose of looking into the bank accounts and financial dealings of all international cricketers,” he said.

“This can be an offshoot of the ACSU and should contain individuals who have previously worked in the legal profession or the world of finance.

“The new organisation needs to work closely with all of the international cricket boards who should offer their utmost cooperation.

“The player contracts with respective boards should have a clause in the contract stating that all financial transactions have to be transparent and details of all bank accounts irrespective of location, have to be revealed by the cricketer to the board and investigating authority.”

He added: “I gave up everything in cricket. I had a promising career ahead of me and I sacrificed it all, but I don’t have any regrets and my mission now is to clean up the game.

“I am prepared to do anything to help in totally cleaning up cricket.”

Super Bowl seating issues took another turn recently after a group of fans revealed that they are suing the National Football League (NFL) and the Dallas Cowboys due to being denied seats to last weekend’s ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ despite having paid thousands of dollars for tickets.

The lawsuit was filed after the league admitted to mistakes that left about 400 paying supporters unable to watch Super Bowl XLV in person, and other Cowboys’ season ticket-holders watching from temporary metal chairs with obstructed views.

Fans filed the lawsuit late on Tuesday (February 8) in federal court in Dallas, accusing the league and team of breach of contract, fraud and deceptive trade practices and are seeking class-action status, more than US$5m of damages and unspecified punitive damages.

The league had invited the 400 affected fans who paid for tickets but did not get a seat at the game to a future Super Bowl of their choice and also offered the choice of a cash payment of $2,400 – three times the face value of the ticket – or round-trip airfare and a hotel. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated: “We are ultimately responsible for the fan experience and we want it to be the best it can possibly be.” 

The lawsuit contended that the NFL knew of seating problems before the game, but failed to tell fans in advance. It also accused Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of causing the problems with the hope of setting a Super Bowl attendance record. He fell short by 766, after some temporary seats were deemed unusable. In his attempts to break records, Jones efforts saw many fans ending up watching the game in standing-only positions.

The lawsuit also accused Jones of deceiving Cowboys season ticket-holders known as ‘founders’ into paying $1,200 a seat for Super Bowl tickets, only to be offered temporary metal fold-out chairs, many with obstructed views of the field and the stadium’s giant overhead video board.

Lead attorney Michael Avenatti told Reuters: “Frankly, it is astounding to us that the Cowboys and the NFL would treat its fans like this. What is perhaps even more amazing is that they still haven’t done the right thing.”

The PGA TOUR and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms have announced a deal to enter into a five-year integrated marketing partnership. Beginning in 2011 the agreement will make IHG an official partner of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour in the hotel and resort category.

In addition, Crowne Plaza^® Hotels & Resorts will extend its title sponsorship of the PGA TOUR’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial through until 2015.  Crowne Plaza has served as title sponsor of the historic event since 2007.

Jim Abrahamson, President, The Americas, IHG stated: “We are extremely pleased to announce this new long-term relationship with the PGA TOUR, which includes extending our sponsorship of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. This partnership provides a terrific opportunity for IHG to showcase all its eight brands and bring to life our award winning loyalty program for fans as well as the PGA TOUR’s membership base of players from around the world.”

PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem added: “We are delighted to extend our tournament sponsorship with Crowne Plaza and to expand our relationship with InterContinental Hotels Group. The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial is one of the most storied tournaments on the PGA TOUR, as well as one of the leading tournaments in terms of charitable giving, and Crowne Plaza’s sponsorship is important to continuing this legacy. Also, by welcoming IHG as an Official Marketing Partner, our players – as well as their families and caddies – will receive valuable benefits and room options throughout the year.”

As an Official Marketing Partner of the PGA TOUR, IHG will provide a variety of benefits to players, including:

• * A designated number of room nights for players across all three Tours
• * Platinum status in the Priority Club® Rewards program for all members
• * Preferred rates for all players, caddies, media partners and PGA TOUR staff across all of IHG’s brands
• * For several players who participate in a special program that includes personal appearances with IHG guests at tournaments and/or use of their name and likeness, additional benefits will include an increased number of complimentary room nights per year

IHG also will invest in PGA TOUR assets including media, special events, TPCs and charitable activities. PGATOUR.COM will feature a “hotel finder” on the tournament pages that will allow fans to easily book hotel rooms at one of IHG’s 4,500 properties when traveling to these events.

After announcing that the distribution rights had been agreed by the BBC to air horse racing’s premier flat season climax event, British Champions Day, it has now been revealed that the broadcast company have obtained international rights to distribute worldwide. BBC have acquired the rights for the 2011 and 2012 event as part of the deal.

The new event concept will take place at Ascot in October of next year and will become the circuit’s richest card with a total prize fund of £3m (US$4.65m).

Danny O’Toole, acting sports sales manager at BBC Worldwide, said: “British Champions Day and British Champions Series mark the start of an exciting new era in British racing. This new race day and series promises to rejuvenate the sport and become a major television event, and with BBC Worldwide’s longstanding association with British racing, we’re thrilled to be taking the broadcast coverage to a new generation of racing fans worldwide.”

Karl Oliver, chief executive of British Champions Series, added: “We are delighted to be launching British Champions Series in 2011, which can have a hugely positive effect on the future of our sport.  We look forward to working with BBC Worldwide to develop British Champions Day into one of the world’s most famous race days and the fantastic new climax to the British racing’s premier flat season.”

 

The World Bowls championship broadcast rights have been handed to Input Media by the BBC. The tournament, which takes place in January, will be covered by Input Media for 2011 and 2012 under the agreement of a new two-year contract.

David Johnson, Managing Director, Input Media, said: “Input Media is delighted to be appointed as producer for the BBC’s coverage of the World Bowls Championships. This is a prestigious event with a great history and complemented by our team’s expertise in sport production we’re sure this will be the best Championships ever for the BBC audience.”