The International Hockey Federation’s executive board (EB) decided in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to increase the number of participating nations at the 2018 World Cup to 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams.

Earlier, FIH president Leandro Negre had said in a press conference that he would like to see 24 teams for the World Cup, but the EB decided 16 was enough.

However, the EB will look into the possibility of increasing the field to 24 teams for each gender for the 2022 edition.

“The 16-team format is the best decision for the sport,” said FIH president Leandro Negre.

“We have so many quality teams in the top-20 of our world ranking that it will still be quite competitive to earn a berth to the World Cup even with the expanded field.

“This is a testament to the global development of hockey.”

Paddy Power’s impressive first half year results was boosted by Football bets and advertising during the Euro championships, along with online growth.

The Irish bookmaker reported on a strong first half to June 30, and said it was confident about the rest of the year and beyond.

The company took 78 million euros ($98m) in bets on the Euro 2012 championship alone.

Chief executive Patrick Kennedy told investors: “This has been a very strong first half for Paddy Power.

“Revenue growth in our existing businesses has accelerated with a 29 per cent increase and each of the divisions achieving double digit growth.

“We strongly promoted our brand, products and Money-Back Specials during Euro 2012.

“This contributed to a 50 per cent increase in online customer acquisition for the half year.

“We’ve also been busy on the development front with sustained investment, a successful launch into the Italian online market and three further new revenue streams set to contribute in the second half of the year.

“With our online and retail divisions both continuing to deliver substantial growth and our expansion plans progressing, we are confident in the group’s prospects for the rest of the year and beyond.”

The firm posted a 21 per cent increase in pre-tax profits to €68.7 million ($86.2m). The interim dividend has increased 30 per cent to 39 cents a share.

Alcohol sponsorship of sports events is set to end in Ireland, viagra according to Irish Minister of State for Health Róisín Shortall has pledged.

“I am committed to phasing that out over a reasonable period of time, ed ” she said in the Dáil. There is “no room for ambivalence in our approach”.

Ms Shortall was responding to Fianna Fáil spokesman on children Charlie McConalogue, who asked if the Government was committed to banning “the advertising of alcohol in conjunction with sports events”.

The Donegal North East TD raised the issue following research published yesterday which found young people who drank to excess were more likely to suffer from severe depression, stress or anxiety. The Headstrong/UCD survey of 14,000 people aged from 12 to 25 found 38 per cent had problematic or harmful drinking behaviour, and 7 per cent of those surveyed showed signs of alcohol dependence.

Mr McConalogue highlighted an incident in his constituency last October when 26 students were checked into Letterkenny General Hospital’s emergency department on one night for alcohol poisoning.

“That came as a result of a 99c drinks promotion.”

Referring to the research, Mr McConalogue said “alcohol abuse has become a cancer in our society in recent years” and he demanded to know the Government’s response to the report and what it would do to address the problem.

Ms Shortall, who has responsibility for primary care, stressed that “we as a society can no longer tolerate the level of alcohol abuse in this country, particularly among young people”.

She said “there is no room for ambivalence in our approach”, adding that the Department of Health was working on “developing an action plan on alcohol based on the recommendations in the substance misuse strategy report”.

Recommendations from the majority report of the National Substance Misuse Steering Group, published in February, included a ban on all alcohol sponsorship of sporting and large outdoor events, as well as a ban on outdoor advertising of alcohol, higher excise duties on some alcohol products and the introduction of minimum pricing.

Ms Shortall noted the steering group’s findings that young people were drinking more than ever and from a younger age, that more than half of Irish 16-year-olds have been drunk, and one in five is a weekly drinker.

The report also said alcohol marketing led to young people starting to drink at a younger age and drinking more. And 16-21-year-olds “list alcohol advertisements as five of their top 10 favourite advertisements”.

Pledging to end alcohol sponsorship of sports events, the Minister said “there are contractual arrangements in place at present, and I am working with the different national sporting bodies to agree a proposal to phase that out over a period of time”.

Questioning the Government’s commitment to banning alcohol sponsorship of sports events, he said “we should be promoting sports as an alternative to those who are drinking too much but instead it is intrinsically associated with sporting events”.

Leading sporting goods company Adidas has announced that it made record sales last year and is in “fantastic” shape, helped by the income from the 2010 World Cup and an improved economy last year.

Sales rose 9 per cent to US$16.4bn for 2010, with net income more than doubling to $783.8m.

Adidas was able to keep profit margins and prices higher for longer, making fewer discounts in the process.

Adidas said sales of the brand rose 10 per cent, while its other key brand Reebok recorded a 15 per cent increase in sales, with growth in all regions.

Herbert Hainer, Adidas Group’s chief executive, revealed that it had been an excellent year for the business, stating: “Not only did we meet, but we beat all our initial expectations for the year.

“We outgrew our major competitors, achieving record sales of 12bn euros ($16.4bn). Therefore, I am proud to report that our group is in fantastic shape.”

The Delhi High Court has ruled in favor of ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd (ESIPL), after it filed a lawsuit for permanent injunction against cable operators across the country to prevent unauthorised broadcast of the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup 2011.

The high court has restrained all cable operators from showing the tournament through their cable networks without authorisation after ESIPL argued that the defendants, approximately 144 cable operators, are taking unauthorised connections and accessing signals of the plaintiff without taking license from the company.

After this order anyone showing the broadcast ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 through any unauthorized means or any other channel will be held in contempt of court and liable for prosecution.

T Panesar, vice president – Affiliate Sales, ESPN Software India, said, “We are delighted with the verdict. The honorable High Court has made it clear that piracy will not be tolerated. We will have a team of observers across the country to ensure that piracy does not happen and in case we spot any, we will align with the police to bring the guilty to the book.”

UK sports minister Hugh Robertson has given the green light to potential proposals from English soccer club West Ham to have retractable seating for the Olympic Stadium, provided it can fulfil its promise to athletics.

On Friday, February 11, a decision was made in unanimous fashion by the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) to award vital preferred bidder status to the East London club ahead of proposals from rival bidders Tottenham Hotspur.

The Premier League strugglers are now believed to be considering the possible seating solution to ensure the stadium is viable for soccer and athletics with Robertson stating that the proposal was “fair enough.”

As part of their bid to inherit the ground, West Ham promised that the athletics track would be kept in the stadium to enable the venue to be used for a variety of sports and concerts.

In an interview with BBC Radio Five’s Sportsweek, the Olympics minister claimed that he didn’t feel that the issue of the running track being upheld would cause problems to soccer fans at the stadium, and said West Ham could have retractable seating so long as they kept their promises to athletics.

He added: “People tend to think of a 1980s mixed-use stadium. This is a much more modern stadium, the sight lines are much better, the fans are much closer to centre spot than the outer seats at Wembley.

“Anybody who has stood in the middle of where the pitch will be will tell you that it looks much, much better. If West Ham want to bring in retractable seating and can still fulfil the promises they made to athletics then that’s fair enough.”

The OPLC’s backing backing does not mean that West Ham have been awarded the rights to move into the Olympic Stadium post 2012 just yet, but it would be highly unexpected if the decision was not ratified by two government departments and the mayor of London.

Robertson confirmed this matter by revealing that he had studied the papers produced by the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), which selected West Ham as the preferred bidder over Tottenham on Friday, and said he had been satisfied the process had been done correctly.

He added: “There is a process to go through but West Ham are clearly in the lead. We want to make a formal announcement to Parliament but we know the clock is ticking and we want to get it done as quickly as possible.”

According to Sportradar chief executive and expert witness at a soccer match-fixing tribunal in Bochum, pilule Germany, erectile Carsten Koerl, 24 European countries have been affected by match-fixing and up to 100 games have been manipulated in the past five months alone.

Koerl, whose company tracks betting patterns and works with FIFA and UEFA, claimed that the issue of match-fixing within soccer was definitely on the rise, stating: “Manipulations are increasing.”

He added: “In the past five months, we assume that between 70 and 100 games in Europe were manipulated.”

Despite this, he clarified that given the tens of thousands of games being played each year, the number of affected matches represented only a very small percentage, continuing: “There is a clear development in this [betting activity] given that nowadays there are many more possibilities to earn money from this.”

Although Koerl did not say which countries were involved or what leagues were affected, four suspects are on trial after a 2009 German police operation unearthed a European match-fixing ring which fixed or tried to fix about 200 matches across the continent, including three in the Champions League.

The 2011 SportAccord Convention in London have confirmed several speakers for the event which attracts more than 1,500 leading representatives of international sport.

Among those confirmed is CEO of advertising giant WPP, Sir Martin Sorrell as well as Daniel Frigo, executive vice-president and general manager of Walt Disney Motion Picture Studios EMEA. The two men will be on the panel that focuses on “Why Sport Matters to the Entertainment Industry&rdquo”.

Chairman of HSBC’s International Business Advisory Board, Lord Digby Jones, will join a panel on “What Sport Can Learn from the Banking Crisis”. London Organising Committee (LOCOG) chairman Lord Sebastian Coe will be joined on the programme by LOCOG chief executive Paul Deighton.

The convention takes place from April 3-8, 2011 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel.

Societe Generale has announced its sponsorship as Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand and Rugby World Cup 2015 in England. A long-term partner of rugby in France, Societe Generale acquires a new dimension by building a long-term partnership with one of the world’s foremost sporting events.

Frédéric Oudéa, Societe Generale Group’s Chairman and CEO, says, “Societe Generale and rugby share strong values: team spirit, commitment and respect. Societe Generale has supported the development of rugby for many years, at both elite and amateur levels. Today our commitment, already deeply rooted in France, is acquiring a new dimension: being a Worldwide Partner of the next two Rugby World Cups will enable us to illustrate our Group’s international strategy and strengthen our ties with rugby around the world.”

In addition to being an official partner of the French national team and of the French rugby championship, Societe Generale also provides support to over 400 amateur clubs throughout France and strives to develop local initiatives with players of all levels. Since 1987, Societe Generale has gradually extended its involvement beyond France and now supports numerous national rugby federations in Asia, Europe and Africa.

Societe Generale first became a partner of Rugby World Cup in 1999, when the tournament was hosted in Wales, with a communication strategy limited to France. In 2007, Societe Generale was the first Worldwide Partner to be announced for Rugby World Cup held in France, that beat all records in terms of audience and attendance.

Bernard Lapasset, Chairman of the International Rugby Board (IRB), is very pleased with this renewed partnership, “We are delighted to be extending our partnership with Societe Generale, a strong supporter of Rugby around the world, across the next two Rugby World Cup tournaments.”

“The strength of the commercial programme is integral to the success of Rugby World Cup and the development of the Game worldwide and this ongoing relationship with one of the world’s leading banks is a massive boost for the Tournament. We look forward to working with Societe Generale over the next five years to further the promotion of the Game around the world.”