The International Automobile Federation (FIA) have unveiled the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship calendar with Nürburgring in Germany the latest addition to the series. 

The 2015 schedule is a continuation of the previous three seasons, doctor | with eight races once again filling the line up of 6 Hour and 24 Hour events, order including a new event at the Nürburgring in Germany at the end of August.

The 2015 season will start on the 27/28 March with The Prologue at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France for the official test and is the traditional first chance for the media and fans to see the new cars all in one place, thumb including the new LMP1 manufacturer entry from Nissan alongside the hybrid prototypes from Audi, Porsche and Toyota.

As in the previous two years, the opening race of the year will be at Silverstone, where the teams will compete for the Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy at the season opener.  The 2015 WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will be the fourth time the Belgium round has taken place at the start of May for the customary last race before the ‘Big One’, the 24 Heures du Mans in June.

The 6 Hours of Nürburgring is the new race in 2015 and means that German teams Audi and Porsche will race at home for the first time in the history of the World Endurance Championship. The 6 Hours of São Paulo is not being held due to the pit building renovation work which will not be completed in time for the August race date.

The 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas in September is the first of four races overseas, with the Lone Star Le Mans event being a joint race weekend with the Tudor United Sports Car Championship.

It will be followed by races in Fuji, Shanghai and the finale in Bahrain at the end of November.

“This calendar represents continuity and stability,” said Gerard Neveu.  “We are very excited about visiting the Nürburgring and holding the first FIA WEC race in Germany, which will be a good homecoming for Audi and Porsche. Nürburgring has a long history with endurance racing and this event will be a good opportunity to celebrate it with both a modern paddock with the FIA WEC, and a historic paddock with the 50th anniversary of the 1000 Kms of Nürburgring. With this new calendar we have reduced the summer break and it will provide around one race per month.”

“The eight race calendar means we are also building the tradition of 6-hour events in the countries we visit,” said Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO.  “To maintain all of the races at the same time of the season for at least three years is a very positive move.  The 2015 FIA WEC calendar will provide a great mix of entertainment and sporting action, with the highlight of the season coming in June with the 24 Heures du Mans, which remains the jewel in the endurance racing crown.  We look forward to seeing you in 2015.”

Havas Sports & Entertainment (Havas SE), the global brand engagement network of the Havas Group, has been appointed by EF Education First (EF) to manage the marketing strategy and communications around their partnership with the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee (ROCOG) of the Olympic & Paralympic Games and the Brazilian Olympic Committee. 

Havas SE in Brazil will support EF with the development, activation and measurement of all marketing and communications activities around their role as the Official Supplier of Language Training Services for the Games.

EF Education First will contribute to the recruitment and training process of volunteers, provide language training for 500k Brazilian students, the members of ROCOG, and athletes of Team Brazil already studying abroad with EF. Havas SE will help EF communicate around their language training programs in preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which involves helping to train one million people, an ambitious project that is part of ROCOG’s plans to leave a lasting legacy for the Brazilian people after the Games.

Present in Brazil since 2010, Havas SE has an extensive track record working for sponsors around major events, most recently around the FIFA World Cup for official sponsors including Hyundai, Kia, Coca-Cola and Louis Vuitton. Havas SE works for a range of local and international clients in Brazil including the former as well as DIA Supermarkets, Akzo Nobel, Einstein Hospital, the Sony Channel and Olive Oils from Spain.

Havas SE’s local expertise is boosted by the network’s strong knowledge and history of working with sponsors, institutions and stakeholders around the Olympics since 1992. Havas SE worked for 11 sponsors during London 2012, and has organized every Olympic torch relay for The Coca-Cola Company through its experiential arm, ignition, since 1996 including, most recently, the tour for Sochi 2014 .

Bruno Baracho, Managing Director of Havas SE Brazil, commented: “We are delighted to support EF Education First in their sponsorship strategy and activation around such an important partnership.

“Being part of a global network allows us to leverage global expertise, complemented with creative thinking and deep local knowledge, to ensure that EF Education First connects with Olympic fans and shares the story of their unique Olympic partnership with the public.”

The National Hockey League have revealed they will make a decision on whether to send NHL players to the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics in about six months time.

It took nearly four years of intense negotiations with the International Olympic Committee before the NHL finally agreed to shut down its league for two weeks so its players could compete in the Sochi Games.

But NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told reporters gathered in Russia for the 12-team men’s ice hockey tournament that he expects a much quicker resolution regarding the Games in South Korea.

“It should not take all that long, but I would have said the same thing coming out of 2010,” Daly said on the eve of the men’s competition.

“We will have a broader discussion with the players’ association on international competition and what we are doing internationally.

“That discussion is under way so I would anticipate a quick resolution in respect to the Olympics, maybe six months.”

Key sticking points during the last round of negotiations focused on insurance, travel, access to players and hospitality for players’ and owners’ families.

While those same issues are likely to be on the table in the coming months, Daly also seemed to suggest that shutting down the NHL so players can compete in the Olympics may not make sense considering the growth in the league.

The NHL has a much higher profile and is more successful as a business model now than when its players first competed in the Olympics at the 1998 Nagano Games, two factors Daly said will be considered in making the decision regarding 2018.

“We are much more visible on the worldwide stage so we are at a different stage in our evolution and development than we were in 1998,” said Daly.

“That is a factor that you throw into the mix when you consider whether the Olympics makes sense for you going forward.”

Growing the NHL brand in Asia is a key part of the league’s business plan, but that does not make participation in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, or any other future Olympics, a guarantee.

“There are a lot of negatives that come along with the Olympics,” said Daly.

“The fact is we are guests here and it is not our tournament and it is someone else’s tournament. In terms of making it as good as it can be, we do not have control over that. There are positive and negatives.”

Pro Continental tour team Europcar has revealed it has applied to the International Cycling Union (UCI) for a place on next season’s WorldTour.

The French team are currently part of cycling’s second tier, but their title sponsor is keen for them to step up in order to guarantee participation in all of the sport’s biggest races.

Pro Continental teams have to rely on invites to events such as the three Grand Tours and while Europcar are a regular fixture in most French races, including the Tour de France, they regularly miss out on the likes of the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.

Confirming to the Sud Ouest newspaper that the application has been lodged, Europcar team manager Jean-Rene Bernaudeau said: “Now we have to wait for the verdict. Our sponsor wanted to participate in all the big races, including the Vuelta a Espana.”

There have been 19 teams on the 2013 WorldTour but two of those, Euskaltel-Euskadi and Vacansoleil-DCM, are set to fold at the end of the season after failing to find replacements for departing sponsors.

The WorldTour has traditionally only had 18 teams, but it was expanded by one this year after Katusha successfully appealed against being left off the original list of 18 and were later added.

Should the UCI choose to return to an 18-team WorldTour, one place will become available for the 2014 campaign. Europcar are the current highest-ranked team on the Pro Continental tour.

Yasiel Puig has signed a limited autograph memorabilia deal with Panini Authentic, therapy a division of Panini America, the leading global publisher of sports and entertainment collectibles and an official licensee.

In addition to the memorabilia agreement for Panini Authentic, Puig will also participate in a marketing appearance for Panini America at the 2013 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago in early August. 

“Yasiel’s rocket-like ascent this season has been one of the most captivating stories baseball has produced in quite some time, and we look forward to working with him,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “We’ve already incorporated some of Yasiel’s first Rookie Cards into products that will be releasing soon, but we wanted the relationship to be more than that by delivering his authentic autographed memorabilia and by having him help us entertain our most important fans, collectors and partners at our VIP event at the National Sports Collectors Convention.”

Puig will sign a customized Panini Authentic photo as part of the special #PaniniVIP event.

Jockey Club Racecourses, which owns 15 courses in the UK, have revealed strong attendances in 2012,.

The Cheltenham Festival in March attracted a record 236,700 people for four days, the John Smith’s Grand National Meeting saw a record three-day crowd of 154,000 at Aintree and in June, Investec Derby Day welcomed the biggest crowd in a sports venue in the UK in 2012, with more than 130,000 people descending on Epsom Downs.

Total average attendances across the 336 fixtures staged at Jockey Club Racecourses’ 15 courses in 2012 increased year-on-year by 1.5% (5,278 people from 5,199).

Total attendances were 1.8 million in 2012, compared to 1.9 million in 2011, as a result of staging 29 fewer fixtures.

This included 26 fixture cancellations due to adverse weather, with prolonged periods of rain impacting crowds at fixtures that did go ahead at these times.

Paul Fisher, Group Managing Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “2012 was a strong year for Jockey Club Racecourses and we look forward to publishing our annual results in due course, which will show a growth in our racing business and once again the amount we have contributed to prize money to support the sport and its participants.

“Star horses like Kauto Star and Frankel captured the public imagination, supported by the likes of Camelot and Big Buck’s helping to increase British racing’s profile and appeal. Our biggest events, from the Cheltenham Festival to the John Smith’s Grand National Meeting, have never been bigger.

“Against a highly competitive backdrop and the second wettest year on record, we’ve managed to grow our average crowds at Jockey Club Racecourses, which is a great indicator of the health of British racing.

“That’s despite losing some fixtures due to the inclement weather that would have attracted sizeable attendances, as well as those conditions consistently dampening walk-ups for periods when the sun is normally shining.

“Whether you look at our average attendances being up or if you take out the impact of the weather from our total attendances, the popularity of racing at our courses increased year-on-year.

“That’s testament to the really hard work of our people on the ground and those helping us to promote the sport, and is a superb result when you consider the doom and gloom in the economy and the major sports events we competed with in 2012.”

A potential merger between the International Softball Federation (ISF) and the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) loomed larger after ISF approved the merger to bid for inclusion in the 2020 Olympics.

The resolution passed by a vote of 71 per cent in favour of a merger at a special congress in Houston.

ISF President, view Don Porter said: “I was pleased with the results and look forward to meeting with the IBAF officials for further discussions and continuing preparations for the IOC presentation in December. There’s going to be a lot of positive things that we can do together for both our sports, pills not just for the Olympics but in the long term.”

Both sports were voted off the Olympic program in 2005 and made a final appearance at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.

The two sports are competing against karate, roller sports, squash, sport climbing, wakeboard and wushu for one opening in the 2020 Games.

 

British amateur boxers may soon be in the World Series of Boxing after the British Amateur Boxing Association confirmed it is in talks to set up a London-based franchise in the series..

The global team event kicks off its third season in November and a prospective London team was provisionally included in Sunday’s draw, where it was placed in a six-strong Group B.

BABA chairman Derek Mapp said: “We have always been supportive of the ideals that underpin WSB. We recognise its potential to deliver alternative career options for young boxers and are keen to pursue this opportunity.”

The move could provide Great Britain’s Olympic medal winners with a financial alternative to turning professional, with all WSB boxers, whilst becoming centrally contracted to the organisation, receiving individual offers.

Six Irish boxers have already been drafted for next season’s competition, while Olympic silver medallists John Joe Nevin and Ken Egan have previously competed for teams in Paris and Miami respectively.

No British boxers have entered the draft stage yet, and there is no guarantee that they would fight for a prospective London team, as all franchises are run as strictly international entities.

But such a move could produce some relatively lucrative deals for medallists, in particular super-heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, who is yet to declare his plans beyond the end of his existing GB contract in March.

Great Britain have been wary of committing their fighters to the competition in the past, citing schedule concerns in the build-up to London 2012, and the financial implications of launching a franchise.

But officials are aware a WSB team could both convince some top stars to stay amateur and boost hopes of a bigger contingent of qualifiers for Rio 2016, with more qualifying places made available to WSB-contracted boxers.