Team HTC-Columbia agree partnership with Skype

Team HTC-Columbia has agreed a partnership deal with Skype ahead of this month’s Tour de France.

Skype, the communications software company, has become an ‘ongoing supporter’ of Team HTC-Columbia, who is owned by High Road Soprts, as it prepares to embark upon the 97th Tour de France which begins this Saturday in Rotterdam.

General Manager of Skype’s Consumer Business Unit, Neil Stevens, said: “Whether it’s to connect during those unmissable moments, or just to have a quick catch-up with their colleagues, Team HTC-Columbia is a natural fit for Skype as they have been using Skype extensively for personal and business communications from different countries worldwide for quite some time now.”

Head of High Road Sports, Bob Stapleton, said: “Skype offers innovative communication products and has ambitious marketing objectives. Our team hails from 20 different countries worldwide, so taking the decision for us to join the millions of people and businesses around the world that use Skype was simple.”

BWF invites proposals for Media Rights Agency

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.

 

 

Sacramento Kings Reveal Legends Hospitality Collaboration

NBA franchise Sacramento Kings announced a partnership with Legends Hospitality to manage the team’s food and beverage services at the upcoming Entertainment and Sports Center (ESC), scheduled to open in October of 2016.

The Kings also announced a partnership with the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Green Sports Alliance to establish and execute a sustainability program for the arena’s comprehensive food-to-waste cycle.

“Under Kings Owner Vivek Ranadivé’s leadership, our upcoming ESC will showcase the very best the Sacramento region has to offer in a way that has never been done before in the sports industry,” said Kings President Chris Granger. “The Kings will create a culinary destination that is as rich as the soil that is cultivated throughout the valley, and, together the Kings and Legends Hospitality will usher in an unprecedented era of food and beverage services. ”

“This is the latest example of how the arena is bringing out the best in Sacramento,” said Mayor Kevin Johnson. “I applaud the Kings for embracing some of Sacramento’s greatest strengths – our agriculture base and emerging farm-to-fork culture – in a way that will translate into more jobs and more revenue for local farmers and restaurants. Once again, we’re proving that the downtown ESC is so much bigger than basketball.”

The Kings selected Legends Hospitality, the market leader in hospitality services, after an extensive search process with a focus on revolutionizing premium hospitality, industry-leading business acumen, and commitment to fostering local standards.

“We are thrilled to help the Kings bring Sacramento’s dynamic farm-to-fork movement to the new ESC,” said President and COO of Legends Shervin Mirhashemi. “With a program built on local production and sustainability, we hope to represent the region’s culinary heartbeat. We’re dedicated to setting a national standard for hospitality previously unattained in sports and entertainment.”

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Arizona Coyotes Announce New Majority Owner

Hedge fund businessman Andrew Barroway has secured a majority 51 percent stake in National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, Arizona Coyotes.

The sale and ownership transfer is subject to approval by the NHL’s Board of Governors. Once the transaction has been approved and closing has occurred, Barroway will begin to serve as the Coyotes Chairman and Governor. 

“This is truly a dream come true for me and my family,” said Barroway. “I am extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity of a lifetime and look forward to working and solidifying a strong partnership with the Club’s current ownership group.

“As a group we are committed to serving our fans with a new level of excellence and our collective goal is to put a competitive team on the ice every season and, one day, win the Stanley Cup.”

“Today is an exciting day for the Arizona Coyotes and our great fans,” said Coyotes Co-Owner, President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc. “The addition of Andrew Barroway to our ownership group further solidifies the Coyotes long-term future in the Valley. Our entire ownership group is excited about this opportunity to work with Andrew in taking this franchise to the next level. It’s a great day for hockey in Arizona!”

Andrew Barroway is the Managing Partner of Merion Investment Management LP, an event driven hedge fund that currently manages more than $1 Billion. Merion was founded in January 2009.

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UCI Agrees Antidoping Switzerland Partnership

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has agreed a partnership with Antidoping Switzerland to help it combat doping.

As part of its programme of collaboration with national anti-doping organisations (NADOs), medicine the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the Cycling Anti-doping Foundation (CADF), the independent body mandated by the UCI to define and carry out the fight against doping in cycling, announce the signing of a partnership agreement with Antidoping Switzerland.

Under the agreement, the UCI and Antidoping Switzerland will share information collected about riders who are part of the biological passport. There will be a general cooperation between the UCI and Antidoping Switzerland relating to their anti-doping programme (sharing good practices, sharing information with a view to targeting).

The UCI and the CADF collaborate in the same way with other NADOs such as UKAD (United Kingdom), CCES (Canada), ADN (Norway), NADOF (Flanders).

Welcoming the announcement of this agreement, the UCI President Brian Cookson declared: “I am particularly pleased by this initiative which is a sign of the UCI’s openness to an ever-increasing number of national and international anti-doping organisations. It is a strong sign that anti-doping is at the heart of our activities. It is our responsibility to work in close collaboration with the main players in the anti-doping fight to ensure that our programme is as robust and efficient as possible. I am confident that other agreements of this sort will shortly be signed with other anti-doping organisations.”

“I am delighted that the Union Cycliste Internationale, a major international federation, considers it very important to collaborate with national anti-doping agencies. We are convinced that this cooperation can be a major element in a credible fight against doping,” says Corinne Schmidhauser, President of Antidoping Switzerland.

Vantage Remains Apparel Supplier for PGA of America

The PGA of America has selected Vantage Apparel, story a leading manufacturer and decorator of logo apparel, abortion as an apparel supplier and the exclusive embroiderer for its Member Merchandise Program.

The Member Merchandise Program allows the more than 27, pharmacy 000 PGA members to buy product with the PGA of America, PGA Master Professional, PGA Professional, PGA Certified Professional as well as, new for this year, PGA Championship and Ryder Cup logos.

“I believe the new program, which focuses on product, presentation and pricing, along with the option to purchase PGA Championship and Ryder Cup logoed product, will be a service that is fully embraced and utilized by the membership,” said Michael Quirk, senior director, merchandising for the PGA of America.

“We are very excited to work closely with such a prestigious, highly-regarded organization,” said Eric Eder, director of sales, Vantage Apparel. “PGA of America aims to provide the best products at the most affordable prices for its members, which is exactly what Vantage strives for every day. This is a winning combination for all parties involved.”

Turkish Clubs Face Europa League Expulsion Over Match-Fixing Scandal

Turkish soccer clubs Sivasspor and Eskisehirspor face a Europa League ban for involvement in a domestic match-fixing scandal in 2011. 

Both clubs were implicated in deliberately losing to eventual champions Fenerbahce late in the 2010-2011 season.

UEFA rules demand clubs are disqualified from the Champions League or Europa League if match-fixing is proven since April 2007, when its legal statutes were updated to take tougher action against clubs involved in corruption.

It was unclear Wednesday if Turkish clubs next in line for potentially vacant Europa League places would be judged eligible to play.

It’s not the first time that Turkish Superlig is in the eye of the storm, as newly crowned champions Fenerbahce were handed a two-year ban from European football for match-fixing last August.

Florida to Host Softball’s 2017 Junior Women’s World Championship

Clearwater in Florida (USA) ) will host the top event in 19-and-under female fast pitch softball in 2017, International Softball executives have announced today. 

The XII ISF Junior Women’s World Championship will take place 24-30 July 2017. 

The event will mark the first time that Clearwater has ever hosted an ISF World Championship. 

The United States will now host back-to-back junior women’s — the 2015 tournament will be contested in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the 2016 Junior Men’s World Championship in Midland, MI. 

“I have every confidence that Clearwater will put on an exceptional world championship. The ISF looks forward to working closely with the organisers,” WBSC Executive Vice President for Softball and ISF President Dale McMann said. “The location and top notch facilities will be an asset for the top youth female softball athletes to compete. This is an important competition opportunity for this age category to be able to continue to test their skills against their counterparts from around the world.” 

The Eddie C. Moore Complex — featuring nine softball fields and state of the art training facility — will host the championship.

Rotterdam to Host 2014 FIH Masters World Cup

H.C. Rotterdam, one of the biggest hockey clubs in the Netherlands, will host the second FIH Masters World Cup 2014, it has been announced.

The tournament – which take place simultaneously with the Rabobank Hockey World Cup in The Hague – will see legendary players of the past battling it out for the respective titles in the 40+, 45+, 50+, 55+ and 60+ age categories at Rotterdam’s world class venue.

It’s expected that around seventy national teams and with over one thousand players will participate in the FIH Masters World Cup 2014, which will take place between 5-13 June.

The event is being organised by the KNHB (Royal Dutch Hockey Association) in close cooperation with the International Hockey Masters Association and the host club. Participation in the tournament is only possible through national masters organisations.

“It’s a great honour for Hockey Club Rotterdam to host this fantastic event,’’ says Edwin Brouwers, president of Hockey Club Rotterdam. “The FIH Masters World Cup will highlight not only our club, but also the city of Rotterdam.’’

Qatar Signs Security Deal with Interpol for 2022 World Cup

The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has signed an agreement with INTERPOL, the world’s largest international police organization, to create a Group of Major Sporting Event Security Experts to ensure the safety and security of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

At a ceremony at INTERPOL’s General Assembly in Rome, the Chairman of Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee’s Security Committee, H.E. Sheikh Abdulla bin Nasser Al Thani, met with Ronald K. Noble, Secretary General of INTERPOL, to sanction terms of the agreement that will see INTERPOL provide a permanent Chairperson and Vice Chairperson to assist the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee in its planning. 

The INTERPOL Group of Major Event Security Experts will bring together specialized law enforcement professionals and security experts from all regions of the world to offer assistance and consultation to the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee on security strategy, framework and practices throughout Qatar to help ensure that the safety and security of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

The former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police Service, Janet Williams, who led and oversaw policing protective security planning for the 2012 London Olympic Games, will chair the new Group.

H.E. Sheikh Abdulla bin Nasser Al Thani said: “We recognize that hosting the FIFA World Cup, one of the world’s largest international sporting events, will entail a wide variety of challenges. By working with INTERPOL and its network of 190 member countries, the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee will be able to draw on a pool of expertise from around the world on how best to host a successful and safe tournament while adhering to the highest international standards.”

Al Thani added: “Together we are committed to identifying further areas of cooperation in which INTERPOL’s global tools and international law enforcement networks can further support our national and regional security. The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee looks forward to close collaboration on other strategic initiatives.”

The Group’s scope of work will also extend to providing advice, guidance and robust training to Qatar’s Ministry of Interior in preparing for the security for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, in addition to developing strategic partnerships with international and national partners to help promote security and ensure compliance with major event security standards and best practices.

INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said that Qatar’s support for the initiative demonstrated its commitment to ensuring the highest standards in event security.

“The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has shown great leadership in the area of security for its country, its people and the millions of football fans who will visit the region during the 2022 FIFA World Cup and we are delighted that they share INTERPOL’s vision for a safer world,” said Mr Noble.

INTERPOL’s group of experts and its General Secretariat will work closely with the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, the Ministry of the Interior and our National Central Bureau in Doha during the next ten years as part of a fully collaborative approach to prepare and implement the necessary security framework and practices.

“Already the world leader in international police information exchange, the creation of this group of experts will see INTERPOL become the reference point for all security elements linked to hosting a major event, sporting or otherwise,” concluded the INTERPOL Chief.