The  International Hockey Federation (FIH) has awarded upcoming international hockey tournaments to Spain, pharmacy New Zealand and the Netherlands.

The semi finals of the women’s Hockey World League (which is combined with qualifying for Rio 2016) will be hosted in Spain in 2015 with the climax of the league taking place in New Zealand in 2017. It was also announced that the men’s Champions Trophy in 2018 will be hosted in the Netherlands.

The women’s Hockey World League semi finals in June 2015 will take place in Valencia, drugs Spain. Ten teams will compete for four spots in the final round, anabolics and the competition will hot up as this stage (alongside the Belgium Semi Finals) doubles up as the qualification process for Rio 2016.

This is the first time that Spanish hockey fans will have the chance to watch top class international hockey since the country hosted the women’s Hockey World Cup in 2006.

FIH also announced that the final round of the women’s Hockey World League will take place in Auckland, New Zealand in November 2017. The eight finalists will compete in the newly developed North Harbour Hockey Centre, which will by then be known as the New Zealand National Hockey Centre. This showpiece event in the women’s calendar will be the first major use of the improved venue.

Finally, the Netherlands was chosen to host the 2018 edition of the men’s Champions Trophy at the Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam over June and July 2018. The venue successfully hosted the women’s Champions Trophy in 2011 as well as the European Championships in 2009. This six-team, champions event will be the first time that the FIH returns to the Netherlands following the World Cup which is taking place in the Hague in May and June this year.

London 2012 is still boosting participation in grassroots sport according to the latest Sport England Active People survey but that there has been a significant drop-off in the last six months.

The findings for the six months to April are that 15.3m people are still playing sport once a week, every week – 1.4m more than 2005 when London won the vote to host the Olympic games.

However, that it is in contrast to when the first figures since the Games were released six months ago.

Then, 750,000 more people were playing sport each week than the year before – but that ‘Olympic factor’ appears to be fading with 220,000 fewer now playing sport every week.

That indicates that there was a big ‘spike’ in participation but that has now started to subside – although there are still half a million more people playing sport every week than there were a year ago.

In the report, Sport England point out that the unusually cold and long Winter – it was the coldest March for 50 years – may have had an adverse effect on the figures.

They stress that 71 per cent of the post-Olympic surge has been retained despite the weather and also that 3.86m 16 to 25-year-olds are playing sport regularly – an increase of 63,000 in the last year.

Der niedersächsische Innenminister Uwe Schünemann (CDU) ist davon überzeugt, doctor dass das Sicherheitskonzept der Deutschen Fußball Liga (DFL) morgen beschlossen wird. “Alles andere wäre nicht zu akzeptieren”, remedy sagte er im PHOENIX-Interview. “Wenn die Liga nicht geschlossen steht, buy ist klar, dass wir mehr Polizei einsetzen müssen. Das werden wir dann auch in Rechnung stellen.”

Einen “Sicherheits-Euro”, den der hessische Ministerpräsident Volker Bouffier (CDU) vorgeschlagen hatte, lehnt Schünemann ab. “Davon halte ich wenig. Wir sollten uns nicht in irgendwelche Preiskalkulationen von Vereinen einmischen. Wichtig ist, dass man in Sicherheit investiert. Wie sie das dann bezahlen, ist Sache der Vereine.” Schünemann forderte den Einsatz modernster Videotechnik.

Singapore’s Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme to be Reviewed in 2015

Singapore National Olympic Council’s (SNOC) Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme (MAP) will be reviewed in 2015, after the Southeast Asian Games, according to Lawrence Wong, a Member of the Parliament of Singapore.

Since 1991, a total of US$17.8million has been awarded to Singaporean athletes for winning medals at sporting games under MAP.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Lawrence Wong, said US$16.7million went to athletes, while US$1.09 million went to National Sports Associations.

The prize money was awarded for a total of 483 medals, including 336 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games medals, 62 Commonwealth Games medals, 82 Asian Games medals and three Olympic Games medals.

MP Nicholas Fang questioned whether the Olympic Council should continue with the programme.

“I think a lot of young athletes these days still view representing the country and winning for Singapore is an honour and reward in and of itself. Front loading the support from the MAP to the training and preparation process will be a more practical way of supporting sports men and associations,” he said.

“It also gives greater assurance to athletes coaches, sports associations and families that the support will be coming in at a very structured way from the start, more akin to giving somebody the petrol to drive from A to B, rather than saying you reach there, I’ll give you the petrol then.”

Wong replied: “It’s something we’ll be happy to discuss with SNOC and with the sports community in general. The member would be aware that there’s a differentiation between what the government funds through the SSC (Singapore Sports Council) and the MAP, which is an agreement between the SNOC and its sponsors, principally the Tote Board and the Singapore Pools, and other private sponsors. The agreement between the SNOC and its partners is subject to review from time to time, I think every four years. And this present agreement would be due for review in 2015 after the SEA Games.”
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Gambling companies will have to cough up £72.9million ($116.4 million) to fund British Horse-racing following the Levy Board unanimously agreeing to the 52nd Levy Scheme.

The agreement comes a full week before the deadline for the 2013-14 scheme and the figure compares favourably with the £72.4million agreed on 12 months ago.

William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral have agreed to guarantee that thier contribution will be no less than £45million while Betfair will make a contribution which is assumed to be around £7million.

The 52nd Levy Scheme will in most respects continue the terms of the current scheme, with a headline rate of Levy at 10.75% of bookmakers’ gross profits on British racing.

Levy Board Chairman Paul Lee said: “The Board is extremely pleased to have reached unanimous agreement.

“This will provide further stability and make possible significant additional expenditure on prize money in 2013.

“I would like to give recognition to Betting and Racing for the constructive approach that they have taken in seeking early resolution to the terms of the next Levy Scheme.”

It has also been announced that prize money allocations by the Board will exceed £50m, a rise of some 30% on 2012 and some 45% on 2011.

Forbes have worked alongside E-Poll Market Research firm Encino to conduct a poll on the world’s most influential athletes with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson topping the list.

After a prolonged slump, “Nascar has had a bit of resurgence, people are becoming more aware of the drivers this year,” says Gerry Philpott, CEO of Encino. Combined with the retirement of Lance Armstrong, the diminished reputation of Tiger Woods, and the fading of interest in 2010 winter Olympians like Apolo Anton Ohno and Shaun White, the mini-rally has launched three Nascar drivers into the ranks of the most influential athletes.

E-Poll and Nielsen Media Research surveyed over 1,000 adults as to the athletes they considered influential, while also assessing their likeability and awareness levels. Only those known to at least 20 per cent of the respondents were considered. (That eliminated boxer Manny Pacquiao, who scored the highest influence numbers of anyone but who’s familiar to only 12 per cent of the US population.)

1. Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR) – Influential: 25%; Awareness: 20%; Like/Like a lot: 47%; Dislike/Dislike a lot: 6%; N-Score (endorsement potential): 72 (avg. athlete 14)

2. Tom Brady (National Football League) – Influential: 23%; Awareness: 35%; Like/Like a lot: 40%; Dislike/Dislike a lot: 11%; N-Score (endorsement potential): 131 (avg. athlete 14)

3. Dale Earnhardt Jnr. (NASCAR) – Influential: 22%; Awareness: 40%; Like/Like a lot: 45%; Dislike/Dislike a lot: 3%; N-Score (endorsement potential): 217 (avg. athlete 14)

4. Shaquille O’Neal (National Basketball Association) – Influential: 21%; Awareness: 71%; Like/Like a lot: 45%; Dislike/Dislike a lot: 4%; N-Score (endorsement potential): 334 (avg. athlete 14)

5. Michael Phelps (Swimming) – Influential: 21%; Awareness: 49%; Like/Like a lot: 47%; Dislike/Dislike a lot: 4%; N-Score (endorsement potential): 214 (avg. athlete 14)

6. Troy Polamalu (NFL) – Influential: 21%; Awareness: 23%; Like/Like a lot: 64%; Dislike/Dislike a lot: 3%; N-Score (endorsement potential): 165 (avg. athlete 14)

7. Peyton Manning (NFL) – Influential: 20%; Awareness: 49%; Like/Like a lot: 54%; Dislike/Dislike a lot: 5%; N-Score (endorsement potential): 262 (avg. athlete 14)

8. Jeff Gordon (NASCAR) – Influential: 20%; Awareness: 39%; Like/Like a lot: 35%; Dislike/Dislike a lot: 7%; N-Score (endorsement potential): 144 (avg. athlete 14)

9. LeBron James (NBA) – Influential: 20%; Awareness: 42%; Like/Like a lot: 33%; Dislike/Dislike a lot: 15%; N-Score (endorsement potential): 131 (avg. athlete 14)

10. Tim Tebow (NFL) – Influential: 20%; Awareness: 19%; Like/Like a lot: 44%; Dislike/Dislike a lot: 13%; N-Score (endorsement potential): 41 (avg. athlete 14)

One of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) leading sponsors, Dow Chemical, has strengthened its ties in sports investment upon being announced as the official chemistry company of the Special Olympics.

Dow joins Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Cisco as a major sponsor of the Special Olympic World Summer Games in Athens this summer, which will be held between 25 June and 4 July, featuring more than 7,000 athletes from 180 nations across 22 sports.

Andrew Liveris, Dow chairman and chief executive, stated: “Supporting the upcoming World Summer Games aligns with Dow’s core values of integrity and respect for people. The Special Olympics celebrates the human spirit unlike any other sporting event, and Dow is proud to be part of it as an official sponsor.”

Joanna Despotopoulou, president of Athens 2011, added: “We are thrilled to have Dow’s support for the upcoming Special Olympics World Summer Games Athens 2011. The Special Olympics are about changing lives, building advocacy networks and creating a lasting positive impact. Dow’s commitment to excellence and helping people around the globe makes them an ideal partner for the Special Olympics.”

South African Tourism and the country’s Ministry of Tourism has revealed figures of a report, bronchi claiming that the country’s economy received a US$523m boost due to the hosting the FIFA World Cup last year.

South Africa has benefited from a 9 per cent increase in its image as a secure travel destination in comparison with the overall perception before the start of the event, apoplectic after more than 309, advice 000 foreign tourists entered the country for the tournament.

Of the 309,000 tourists, 38 per cent were from Africa, 24 per cent from Europe, 13 per cent from Central and South America and an impressive 11 per cent from North America.

United States fans topped the charts with 30,175 travelling fans, while 24,483 arrived from Mozambique, even though the country’s national team did not qualify for the World Cup.

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk told African Business Review: “More than half of the tourists who had attended other World Cup events in the past also felt that South Africa was a better host than other countries they had experienced.”

The government-commissioned report did not include tournament “pre-spending” in the country.

Yesterday, February 23, FS Arizona agreed a new long-term broadcast rights deal with National Basketball Association (NBA) side the Phoenix Suns as of the 2011-12 season.

Under the terms of the agreement, FS Arizona will air about 75 Suns games a year, making it the exclusive local TV provider for teams games. The side’s previous rights agreement with RSN saw only the Suns home games televised. 

FS Arizona previously split telecasts with KUTP-MYT, and FS Arizona Senior VP & General Manager Mike Connelly said that the net offers 96 per cent penetration “in the Phoenix market and more distribution to Tucson and Yuma.”

Phoenix’s National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, the Coyotes and Major League Baseball (MLB) side the Arizona Daimondbacks also have exclusive deals with FS Arizona, but the Suns will continue producing and selling their games and hiring the broadcasters.