Pwllheli in Wales has been announced as the host of the Optimist European Championship 2015 next July.

Around 250 of the World’s top young sailors from over 45 countries will travel to North Wales for what is always one of the most fiercely contested events on the international junior racing calendar.

The Optimist class is widely regarded as the breeding ground for future international sailing success with four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie and Wales’ own London 2012 470 class silver medalist, Hannah Mills, both Optimist graduates. In fact over 90% of sailors at London 2012 raced Optimists as juniors.

Bob Lowe, Chairman of the Events Committee in Pwllheli said: “We’re very much looking forward to hosting the Optimists in Pwllheli. Pwllheli is a special place where you are guaranteed a warm welcome. With the fabulous sailing waters of Cardigan Bay and a beautiful backdrop of the Snowdonia National Park everyone will have a memorable championships on and off the water.”

Tim Hall, Optimist Europeans Championship 2015 Event Director, said: “With good conditions both days, sailors got to sample the excellent sailing at Pwllheli and will have gained some useful knowledge ready to return for the European Championship. All the feedback has been positive and the event team will be working hard over the next year to ensure an amazing European Championships in July 2015.”

Pwllheli will stage the Optimist European Championship from 18-26 July 2015.

FIFA’s ethics committee prosecutor has opened an investigation into allegations of match-fixing in friendlies before the 2010 World Cup.

FIFA said in a statement to Associated Press on Friday that Michael Garcia, the chairman of FIFA’s ethics committee investigating chamber, had moved ahead because the South African government had not yet set up an inquiry – seven months after it was agreed it would and over three years after the suspicious matches.

FIFA said Garcia “has decided to open a preliminary investigation on the alleged cases of match-manipulation in South Africa in view of the time elapsed” since South Africa had initially agreed to start its own probe.

FIFA found strong evidence that friendlies played in the host country just weeks ahead of the World Cup three years ago were fixed, with allegations that the matches were manipulated by crooked referees working for illegal Asian betting syndicates.

The alleged fixing came dangerously close to football’s biggest event, with one of the games under suspicion at the official opening of the Soccer City stadium in Soweto, the showpiece venue that hosted the World Cup final.

Although the exact games have not been identified, South Africa’s 5-0 win over Guatemala and 2-1 win over Colombia in May 2010 have long been under suspicion. Three penalties were awarded in each match, mostly for handball, with a number of the decisions questionable.

The move by FIFA’s ethics committee exposes a further breakdown in the relationship between the world body and its former World Cup host.

South Africa sports minister Fikile Mbalula has criticised FIFA this week, accusing it of interfering in South Africa’s business.

FIFA said on Friday it was authorised to investigate under its ethics code “if associations fail to prosecute potential breaches of that code.”

Korea Telecom(KT), price cheap South Korea’s second largest mobile carrier, has been selected as the owner for the country’s tenth professional baseball team, and Suwon, Gyeonggi, was chosen as the team’s home

The KBO announced its evaluation council, composed of 22 baseball experts, chose mobile carrier giant as team owner and operator after reviewing applications. The KBO will request approval of its choice at a general meeting to be held with existing baseball franchise owners on January 22.

If two-thirds of the owners approve the KBO council’s designation, KT will officially become the 10th team, following its mobile industry rivals LG and SK.

KT would likely join the league in the 2015 season, after participating in the Futures’ League in 2014.

“The 22 evaluators favoured the baseball team management plan that KT and Suwon submitted more than the plan by Booyoung Group and North Jeolla,” KBO’s secretary general, Yang Hae-young, said.

Last Thursday the two candidate teams and their partner cities, KT and Suwon and Booyoung and North Jeolla (Jeonju), ountlined their plans for the 10th team at the Grand Intercontinental Hotel in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. Booyoung is a construction company with more than a dozen affiliates.

Booyoung and North Jeolla, led by Lee Joong-keun, Booyoung CEO, and North Jeolla Governor Kim Wan-joo, pledged that they would build a new baseball stadium that could accommodate 25,000 fans by investing US$104 million by 2015.

They also said that the 10th team should awarded to North Jeolla so the league can be regionally distributed.

There are currently nine teams in the league, and four of them are in the Seoul metropolitan area–three in Seoul and one in Incheon.

KT and Suwon said that the southern city in Gyeonggi has a higher market value because it could attract more baseball fans.

Suwon has a population of 1.15 million, and about 6.4 million people live within an hour of the stadium.

North Jeolla said it could reach out to 1.3 million people in Jeonju and nearby cities Gunsan, Iksan and Wanju.

Mobile carrier KT also promised to donate US$18.9 million to the league for baseball’s growth and development and to invest US$27.5 million in remodelling the existing Suwon Baseball Stadium into a facility that can accommodate up to 25,000 fans.{jcomments on}

Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. and 50 Cent fledgling business TMT Promotions is no more after the pair split.

This business and best-friends relationship is history, as has been rumored for several weeks. Mayweather and Jackson had formed TMT Promotions (“The Money Team”) while Mayweather was in jail last summer. But while it got licensed to promote fights in New York, it never got off the ground.

And 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, left no doubt about it, tweeting Thursday that “TMT IS OVER the money team is no longer a team. So it SMS promotions that’s it thats all.SMSaudio”

Also 50 Cent announced that his SMS promotions would put the Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Miguel Beltran fight on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight at the MGM Grand on Dec. 8.

That’s notable because that Dec. 8 card is promoted by Top Rank, which is run by Bob Arum, who has become a hated enemy of Mayweather. Arum once represented Mayweather, and the two haven’t had a civil word in a while.

Mayweather has been represented in fight negotiations by Golden Boy, which has been involved in a “cold war” with Top Rank for several years.

Gamboa had been with Top Rank but became friendly with Mayweather and signed with TMT. Now he’s back in Arum’s good graces.

Fitty also tweeted this: Catch IBF CHAMPION BILL DIBB VS. JASON VELEZ DEC.1 (Miguel) Cotto’s card lets go New York!!! Don’t miss it”

The rapper intimated that Mayweather wasn’t the money man he purports to be. “I move the fighters to SMSpromotion cause the other half of the money team. Didnt put up there $MONEY$.SMSaudio,” he tweeted.

And one last turn of the knife: “If anyone wants a money team jacket I’m selling mine for a dollar. The nap back hat comes with it. That’s a fare price. SMSaudio.”

Glasgow 2014 has joined forces with community arts groups to allow local people to connect with the Commonwealth Games by creating their own original flag designs.

Within Glasgow, three community groups in Toryglen, Partick and Calton have worked with a visual artist on an arts project to design flags that express something about their localities.

These completed works will join the 71 Commonwealth nation and territories’ flags at the Lord Provost’s Parade from George Square to Glasgow Green as part of the Glasgow Show on Saturday July 21.

The communities involved this year are in the clusters around some of the Games venues. They have created flag designs representing their communities using painting, photography and collage.

Councillor Archie Graham, the Chair of Glasgow Life and Executive Member for the Commonweath Games, said: “These Games belong to the people of Glasgow and Scotland and it’s important that communities across the city get involved. This excellent initiative, working with people who live a stone’s throw from Games venues, allows individuals to express creatively what their community means to them. We hope to build a lasting legacy from this project and involve more communities next year as we move closer to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.”

Rachel Mimiec, an artist who worked with the community groups, said: “The work created by the individual participants celebrates a mix of personal memories, local folklore and public occasions. Each flag represents what is important to that individual about their community and there is a real sense of pride in doing so.”

Margaret Woods, participant in Calton, who designed a flag, said: “I really enjoy being part of this art group, it’s got a lot to offer. This project has been good. I came to live in Calton in 1948 and I like where I live. Doing the flags and using local landmarks on them has brought back a few memories for me. I did one design with a symbol of weaving which was previously a big industry in the area. It’s nice to feel involved with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.”

Paul Zealey, Head of Engagement and Legacy at Glasgow 2014, said: “Glasgow 2014 provides a wide range of opportunities for communities to mark the countdown to the Games and join in local celebrations. We are delighted to showcase the creative talent across the city in our parade of flags marking ‘Two Years to Go’.”