A report carried out by media rights agency MP & Silva revealed that the 26th edition of the U18 Baseball World Cup, held in Taichung (TPE) in early September, had a potential broadcast distribution reach of 144,050,000 million homes and potentialonline/mobile reach of 22 million unique users. 

Twenty-eight of the forty-five games of the U18 Baseball World Cup were broadcast, including the final in which Team USA captured the gold medal, narrowly holding off Samurai Japan 3-2.

Agreements were reached with 12 broadcasters that provided U18 Baseball World Cup coverage in 11 territories, including Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam.

The U18 Baseball World Cup’s enormous reach potential confirms the already unprecedented level of success of the 2013 international events calendar for baseball and softball and its partners, with showcases like the World Baseball Classic, the World Cup of Softball, theU12 Baseball World Cup and the Little League World Series.

“While our annual media report has not yet been finalised, the U18 Baseball World Cup numbers confirm the most successful and record-breaking year in the history of international baseball and softball broadcast reach to date, and we are extremely satisfied with the partnership with MP & Silva and with what it continues to deliver,” stated Riccardo Fraccari, WBSC co-President.

Peter Hutton, Joint-CEO, MP & Silva, said: “We are thrilled with the U18 Baseball World Cup 2013’s audience reach numbers. MP & Silva has been supporting this campaign to reach unprecedented levels of awareness and popularity for baseball since 2011. Through our leadership and expertise in the Asian TV market, we were able to guarantee that the U18 Baseball World Cup 2013 was one of the most visible international baseball competitions worldwide this year”.

The U18 Baseball World Cup is also part of WBSC’s global development strategy to continue to expand baseball and softball’s footprint.

“We are aggressively targeting youth and expansion into neighboring territories of those traditional markets where our sport is already strongly-positioned and poised for further growth,” Fraccari noted.

Triathlon England has announced the National Triathlon Championships have sold out in record fashion.

The Dambuster Triathlon, doctor one of seven events that make up the 2013 Triathlon England – National Championships, pills sold out the 1,000 places in just under a week. The event, taking place on 22 June, has always been popular, but the UK nation certainly appears to have been inspired to secure a place at the race.

Jem Lawson, Chair of Triathlon England, said: “It’s great news to see how interest in the sport has grown and we are excited to say that our 2013 Triathlon England – National Triathlon Championships is the best yet. The event sell-out shows these events are growing, and we hope this New Year will encourage many more to get involved.”

Mark Shaw from Pace Setter Events, said “The event sold out in record time this year, the fastest ever! The combination of the race this year being the Triathlon England – National Triathlon Championships for the first time, alongside a qualifier for the World Championships in London, has increased the profile and led to more excitement ahead of the race.”

There are still six other events in the Championships series available for UK triathletes to enter, whether taking part in a duathlon, aquathlon or race with a club in the Club Relays, now is the chance to achieve personal triathlon challenges in 2013.

Triathlon England is appealing to the nation to make a New Year’s resolution in 2013 to complete a triathlon. Budding triathletes can tell the organisation why they are inspired on the Triathlon England Facebook page and be in with a chance to win a free Triathlon England membership.

The top 10 entries submitted, voted by a Triathlon England judging group, will win a 2013 Triathlon England membership.

International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Leandro Negre has revealed that the 2018 hockey World Cup will be a 24-team affair although the host has yet to be picked.

Negre, cialis who is in Kuala Lumpur for the 43rd FIH congress which began today, said during a press conference that Malaysia has excellent world-class hockey stadiums and facilities to host the World Cup.

The Spaniard named Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Ipoh, Kuantan and Malacca as the venues where World Cup matches can be played when the tournament is expanded to 24 teams.

The next World Cup in 2014, which will held in Holland, will remain a 12-team affair.

Asked on the reasons for having 24 teams for the 2018 World Cup, Negre said: “FIH is determined to take the sport to all corners of the world.

“We want to promote the sport throughout the world. Hockey is a very popular sport in Europe and Asia. But we aim to take the sport to the other parts of the world, especially in South America.

“Mexico is a good place to promote hockey as the country has a big TV audience. There is a big following of the sport in Mexico. FIH want to see more countries playing in the World Cup.”

Negre is also happy to see Brazil who will host the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, are doing their best to improve the standard of their men’s and women’s hockey teams.

“This is good for the development of hockey in South America. It is nice to see Brazil doing their best for hockey.”

Premier League football team, allergist | Everton, have signed a two-year deal with Dafabet to become the side’s International Betting and Gaming Partner.

The Asian company offers users a sportsbook service that covers over 5000 live events from across the world on a weekly basis.

Fans of the Merseyside team who live abroad will be able to make use of promotional offers and competitions.

Dimitris Karatzas, Online Gaming Director at Dafabet, said: “After searching for the right partners to bring our brand to the Barclays Premier League and the millions of football fans around the world that the league attracts, we are delighted to announce our new association with Everton Football Club.”

“We are aware of the club’s tradition in top-flight football and hope to help extend the fanbase across Asia.

“We are sure this is the start of a long-term and mutually beneficial partnership.”

Dave Biggar, Commercial Director of Everton Football Club added: “Dafabet are new to the Premier League for the 2012/13 season and we are delighted to work alongside them to offer our overseas supporters a premium betting service.”

Dafabet have signed a similar deal with West Bromwich Albion and boast Newcastle and England legend Alan Shearer as a brand ambassador.

The deal comes a week after the Blues announced Paddy Power as the Club’s official Online Betting Partner across the UK, Ireland and Italy.

London 2012 Olympic security plans has impressed New York’s police chief, rejecting suggestions that US officials were concerned about arrangements for the Games. 

Commissioner Raymond Kelly said London’s police and security planning was far more comprehensive and organised than had been the case for the Atlanta games in 1996, when he was personally involved in a federal government role. 

“It seems they really have a handle on just about any contingency that might take place,’ Kelly said in London during a trip to meet Olympic security chiefs, senior London police and officials at MI5 domestic security agency.

“We’ve been universally very much impressed with everything we’ve seen. As far as I can see they have done an excellent job preparing all of their forces.”

Last November, the United States denied that there had been a diplomatic row over the Olympic security planning, following a newspaper claim that 1,000 agents including some 500 from the FBI, would be sent to protect US athletes and officials.

Chris Allison, Britain’s national Olympic security coordinator, said the claim was ‘rubbish’ and that the reported FBI contingent had been grossly exaggerated.

“I think the FBI role is a supportive one. I don’t think they’re here with specific concerns,” Kelly said, dismissing the idea that the London police needed their assistance.

He added “We were takers rather than givers, put it that way.”

Allison and other senior British security figures have said protests and public order issues rather than al-Qaeda and international terrorism were the most likely threats to the Games.

Last year, Britain suffered its worst rioting in decades and there have been high-profile anti-capitalist protests in London, some inspired by New York’s Occupy Wall Street moment.

Kelly said he had discussed the riots with his London counterparts and it was an issue that they had factored in, with plans for a rapid mobilisation to deal with any unexpected events.

“Will there be demonstrations, will there be protests of some sort? Sure. That’s a given in this day and age. It’s something that happens in New York and London literally everyday,’ Kelly said.

‘But the Met is well experienced. They’re well prepared to handle it.”

The government has waived away rumours that civil servants had been told to stay at home during the London 2012 Olympics by suggesting there would be no reduction in the amount of work they do but instead vary their travel patterns.

Dismissing newspaper reports that Whitehall had told staff to “stay home for the summer” due to Olympic disruption, a government spokesman said in a statement:

“We are encouraging staff to plan ahead and consider different work and travel patterns during the games. This might include walking or cycling, changing their route or travel to and from work or re-timing their working day to avoid the busiest periods.”

17 departments, including the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice, have signed up to the government’s target to vary 50 per cent of journeys by their civil servants. The Home Office and the Foreign Office, which both have signifiant roles in the games, have pledged to change their travel arrangements where possible.

The government statement went on: “In some cases working from home is an option, but it is only one option, it is not appropriate for all staff. In every case, staff will be expected to work just as hard and for the same amount of hours as if they were in the office.”

The Department of Transport, which is leading the planning process, was not able to say how many staff had opted to work from home.

A multi-media deal has been secured between electronics company Sharp and British Eurosport to sponsor the channel’s entire cycling coverage, cure and develop an association with live race data from major events, patient for the upcoming 2011 season.

The deal, brokered by Sharp’s media agency, Media by Design, is a six-figure sum and will give the company elements around titles and break-bumpers on the channel, online advertising, TV ad sports and the ability to provide assets for editorial content on-air or online. 

Sharp’s logo will also appear alongside official live data to activate Sharp’s role as British Eurosport’s official cycling insight partner, with a view to develop its own data information stream by late 2011.

Paul Molyneux, Sharp UK managing director, said: “We believe we can use our mindset as an inventor to deepen the enjoyment and involvement of fans, offering a higher level of insight into the sport and adding a new dimension to Eurosport’s coverage.” 

Guillaume Canard Duchene, head of UK sales for Eurosport added: “The additional branding and integration around the race data can only add to our viewers enjoyment of the sport and demonstrate Sharp’s technical abilities.”

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) have announced the conclusion of a broadcasting agreement in Italy, try by IEC in Sports, ailment IAAF’s exclusive media rights agency for Europe and Africa, recipe with public broadcaster RAI, for the 2011-2013 IAAF World Athletic Series (WAS).

The deal with RAI covers all the IAAF WAS events through 2013 and provides strong extensive coverage for the 2011 and 2013 IAAF World Championships that will take place in Daegu and Moscow respectively.

This is the third broadcasting agreement that IEC has brokered with RAI on behalf of the IAAF following contracts covering the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha and 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz.

RAI is the public Italian broadcaster with the largest audience reach, and until 2009 had been the IAAF’s broadcast partner in Italy, through the previous EBU broadcasting deal.

IAAF President Lamine Diack stated: “Following deals in the UK and France with Channel 4 and France Televisions, I am encouraged that the IAAF has now secured the third of the top five European territories.”

The IAAF now has confirmed deals in some 65 territories throughout IEC’s territory, and all but one of those concluded so far in Europe are with terrestrial broadcasters, with additional announcements expected in the near future.

The organising of major sporting events in India has come in for yet more scrutiny after the National Games organisers came in for criticism following a number of major problems reported over the first two days of the event in Ranchi.

According to The Times of India, apoplectic media facilities did not work for hours, viagra buy security check points were overwhelmed by spectator numbers and there were no tables or seats for the judges at the taekwondo competition, with T Praveen Kumar, the Taekwondo Federation of India Secretary General furious with the lack of facilities at his sport’s competition.

Kumar told reporters: “Only tall claims were made by organisers. What could be worse than judges not being provided with chairs for the matches?”

The National Games finally started on Saturday after being postponed six times due to incomplete infrastructure, but the latest news will further damage India’s event-hosting image after problems engulfed the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and more recently, issues regarding the preparations of stadia for the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup.