European Generations for Peace Camp opened

The first Generations for Peace camp outside the Middle East has been opened by the organisation’s founder and chairman, Prince Feisal Al-Hussein.

The camp is based in Sochi, Russia, the the host of the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. It will bring together 57 leaders of youth from eleven European and Central Asian countries involved in various conflicts.

Prince Feisal said: “This is the first time ever an organisation like Generations For Peace has collaborated so closely with an OCOG (Organising Committee for the Olympic Games).

“I cannot stress enough what an honour it is to be welcomed to the city that has been chosen by the International Olympic Committee to host the next Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

“This is the first time ever an organisation like Generations For Peace has collaborated so closely with an Organising Committees for the Olympic Games; the first time ever we have had this fantastic opportunity to celebrate with such unity our shared belief in the supreme importance of the Olympic values we all hold so dear; of respect and tolerance; fair play and teamwork; peace, understanding and reconciliation.”

The Sochi Camp 2010 becomes the seventh Generations for Peace Camp.

Mini to return to WRC

Mini will compete in selected rounds of the 2011 World Rally Championship, marking the return of one of the sports most famous competitors.

Owner BMW confirmed Mini will compete in selected rounds next year, and take part in the full series the following year.

The driver line-up is yet to be confirmed but the car will be available to to customer teams this Autumn.

Developer of the Mini Countryman WRC, Prodrive’s Dave Richards, said: “This is a very exciting new motor sport programme. During the 1960s, Mini captured the imagination of the world when the tiny car took on the might of V8-powered Fords and won what was then one of the toughest motor sport events , the 4,000km Monte Carlo Rally.

“I believe our new Mini will become a firm favourite of the latest generation of rally fans, just as it is adored by its millions of owners across the world.”

French Government denies interference in footballing affairs

The French Government has denied interfering in football matters after the game’s governing body, FIFA, had threatened to suspend the French Football Federation (FFF) over “political interference”.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy had ordered an investigation into the national team’s disastrous World Cup campaign in South Africa, but under FIFA guidelines, any governmental interference is strictly forbidden.

If these rules are breached, the national federations can face suspension from international football, or European club competition.

However, Luc Chatel, a French government spokesman, has denied FIFA’s allegations, saying: “There was never any question of the French Government interfering in the affairs of the French Football Federation.

“It is normal for members of parliament to try to find out exactly what happened because it is a topic that preoccupies French people.”

Marussia Joins Caterham in Administration

Marussia have joined fellow Formula 1 team Caterham in administration and will miss this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, it was confirmed on Monday.

A statement released by the administrators, FRP Advisory LLP, said that with current owner Andrey Cheglakov no longer able to provide investment, the team had tried unsuccessfully to find backing elsewhere.

The administrators have refused to rule out a return at either the Brazilian or Abu Dhabi GPs but added that Marussia’s re-appearance – not to mention the futures of nearly 200 employees – depends on whether a buyer can be found.

The statement, made by joint administrator Geoff Rowley, added that only a “very limited window of opportunity” exists for talks.

“Whilst the team has made significant progress during its relatively short period of operation, the highlight of which included securing two constructors championship points in the current F1 season, the position remains that operating a F1 team requires significant ongoing investment,” said Rowley.

“With the existing shareholder unable to provide the required level of funding, the senior management team has worked tirelessly to bring new investment to the team to secure its long term future, but regrettably has been unable to do so within the time available. Therefore, they have been left with no alternative but to place the Company into administration.

“With the Marussia F1 Team now in administration, the joint administrators have assessed that, given the current financial circumstances of the Group, it is not viable for the Marussia F1 Team to participate in the next race, the 2014 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, due to take place this weekend in Austin, Texas.

“The Company will continue to operate while the joint administrators assess the longer term viability of the Company in its present form.

“Following Austin, there are two further rounds of the 2014 championship remaining, in Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi, and the team’s participation in those races will depend on the outcome of the administration process and any related negotiations with interested parties in what is a very limited window of opportunity.

“No redundancies have been made following the Company’s entering into administration and all staff have been paid in full to the end of October. The ongoing staff position will however be dependent on whether the Company can secure new investment in the limited time available.

“We remain highly focused on engaging with interested parties.”

Caterham F! announced on Friday that the team had been taken over by administrators and will also miss the US Grand Prix. 

Middlesex Cricket Announce One Day Team Rebrand

Middlesex County Cricket Club have announced a rebrand for their one day side who will no longer be known as the Middlesex Panthers and instead be called ‘Middlesex CCC’. 

For the last five years the ‘Panthers’ one-day moniker has been used by Middlesex in both domestic one-day competitions, whilst the four-day County Championship side has continued to be known as Middlesex CCC. The club are keen to have one clear and consistent brand across all three domestic formats and will therefore now play under the unified banner of ‘Middlesex CCC’ in all competitions. 

Middlesex County Cricket Club Chief Executive, Vinny Codrington, commented: “When we launched our one-day Panthers brand back in 2009, there was a strong desire for each of the counties to have a vibrant and dynamic one-day name and image, resulting in names such as the ‘Dragons’, ‘Sabres’, ‘Gladiators’ and ‘Lions’ to name but a few, and we ourselves subsequently became the Middlesex ‘Panthers’. 

“A lot has changed in Middlesex cricket over the last five years and we at the county club have been and continue to work tirelessly with the Middlesex Cricket Board to engage with and immerse ourselves into the many cricket communities that reside within each of the seventeen regional boroughs that populate the county of Middlesex.

“We therefore felt that one clear, consistent and immediately recognisable brand would offer greater clarity and assist us in terms of our awareness and recognition within and around the county and further afield as this work continues at pace.

“We are looking forward to being known now simply as ‘Middlesex CCC’, which to anyone in the game of cricket is a name that immediately invokes feelings of heritage, success and respect – values which we, as a club, pride ourselves on.”

NBA Partners with Basketball England to Create New Youth League

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Basketball England today announced a new, impotent multi-year partnership to create the Jr. NBA Basketball England League – a secondary school basketball programme for boys and girls ages 11-12.

The Jr. NBA Basketball England League will feature 30 youth teams across London playing an eight-game season followed by single-elimination playoffs to determine the league champion.  Each of the secondary schools will represent one of the 30 NBA teams and will receive corresponding NBA t-shirts for their games.  The league will run for 10-12 weeks from October through December, with a Final Four to be played ahead of NBA Global Games London 2015 featuring the New York Knicks versus the Milwaukee Bucks at The O2 on January 15, 2015.

“As part of our commitment to grassroots basketball development here in the UK, we are excited to partner with Basketball England on the Jr. NBA Basketball England League,” said Benjamin Morel, NBA Senior Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa.  “Through this secondary school programme, we look forward to crowning the first-ever Jr. NBA Basketball England League Champion and continuing to grow the game of basketball.”

“We’re delighted to be entering into partnership with the NBA for the first time and look forward to providing more basketball opportunities within the English education system,” said Huw Morgan, CEO of Basketball England.  “The programme will lay the groundwork for the development of youth basketball in England, and we’re excited to collaborate with the NBA.”

Lille to Host Davis Cup Final

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) have announced that the French Tennis Federation (FFT) has nominated the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille to stage the 2014 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Final, purchase which sees France face Switzerland on 21-23 November.

The tie will be played indoors under a retractable roof with the surface for the tie to be confirmed on Monday 22 September.

The Stade Pierre-Mauroy is a multi-use stadium that is currently the home of French Ligue 1 football club Lille. The stadium has a capacity of over 50,000, but for the final a court will be set up at one end to make use of the permanent seating in conjunction with temporary stands. The expected capacity will be a minimum of 27,000 spectators.

The highest capacity for a Davis Cup Final was in 2004, when 27,200 spectators watched Spain defeat USA at the Olympic Stadium in Seville. This remains the largest ever crowd at an officially sanctioned tennis match.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “Lille will be a spectacular setting for one of the most eagerly anticipated Davis Cup Finals in years. It will be a fitting climax to a successful year for the competition that has seen strong player participation, sell-out crowds and excellent TV and media coverage.”

FFT President Jean Gachassin said: “French tennis is really looking forward to hosting such an exciting Davis Cup Final. I am particularly happy that it will be played before a record attendance in the beautiful city of Lille.”

WTA Appoints Fast Track to Provide PR for 2014 BNP Paribas WTA Finals

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has appointed international sports marketing agency Fast Track to deliver the Asia-Pacific PR and media engagement programme in the run-up to the 2014 BNP Paribas WTA Finals.

The 2014 WTA Finals is the second high profile client for Fast Track Singapore, health following the Asian Tour deal signed in March.

The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global is the finale of the international women’s tennis season, shop featuring the top-eight singles players and top-eight doubles teams battling it out for outright supremacy in the Singapore Indoor Stadium. 

“The WTA Finals is one of the highest profile and most exciting sports entertainment event to come to Asia and for us to be involved is a huge privilege and extremely exciting”, salve   said  Dan Parr, Director of Fast Track Asia. 

“We will have some of the biggest names in women’s tennis competing here in Singapore and we will be working closely with the WTA Asia-Pacific team to publicise and promote the event to key audiences across the region”, continued Parr.

Sancia Zheng, Marketing Director for the WTA Asia-Pacific commented; “The Fast Track team impressed us with their understanding of both tennis and the media landscape. 

“They have a good network across Asia and a strong pool of resource within their business to help us maximize the media and content opportunities in the lead up to our season finale in October 2014.  We are looking forward to working with them on the maiden BNP Paribas WTA Finals to be held in Singapore.”

Fast Track CEO, Andy Westlake, said: “We are delighted to be working on such a high-profile event. Fast Track’s international offices are performing very strongly in their regions, further building our capabilities and reinforcing our global credentials. The work being delivered is first-class, underlined by the quality of client feedback and the volume of interest from major brands, sports events and governing bodies in working with us.”

Fast Track has regional offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney, as well as Abu Dhabi, Doha, Madrid and London, where the agency is headquartered.  The agency specialises in sponsorship consulting, activation and communications, and works with global brands and right holders including HSBC, Lucozade, Land Rover, AIA and the Asian Tour.

The finals is scheduled for 17-26 October 2014 in Singapore.

Gene Haas Renames New F1 Team

New Formula 1 team owner Gene Haas has revealed his team will be rebranded.

The team will now be known as the Haas F1 Team changing from the previously planned Haas Formula. However, drugs the latter will remain the legal entity, as it is the name of the company that was granted the entry by the FIA.

A team statement said that the change was to better correlate his team with motor racing’s most prestigious series.

“Haas F1 Team automatically conveys our place among the pinnacle of motorsports,” said Haas. “When you hear ‘F1’ you know exactly what it is – a global racing series that showcases the latest technology and attracts the best talent in engineering and design. Haas Automation has an excellent reputation in the United States and I want that reputation to grow worldwide.

“Connecting Haas Automation with F1 in name and in practice when the Haas F1 Team debuts in 2016 is the best way to grow our business and elevate Haas Automation to a premium, global brand.”

NFL London Franchise Could be ‘five or 10 years away’ says Goodell

The National Football League (NFL) could have a franchise in London by the end of the decade, Commissioner Roger Goodell has revealed.

“It depends on if we continue to see that growth and how fast it goes,” Goodell told the NFL Network on Thursday. “We couldn’t be happier with what we are seeing.

“We actually couldn’t be more surprised by the tremendous demand for NFL football in London and the U.K. in general, and frankly even Europe. It’s not something I think is 15 or 20 years away, it could be five or 10 years away.”

For the upcoming season, the National Football League is staging three regular season games in London, the most contests ever held overseas during an NFL campaign.

“The (London) fans want to see more NFL football,” said Goodell. “Our clubs have responded very favorably. We’re anxious to do more of it.”

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft revealed how he would like to see a franchise in London soon.

“We played here three times,” Kraft said. “It’s amazing, the last two times we sold 85,000 tickets out, just like that. It was a great experience.

“I know enough of us in the ownership category along with executives at the league level feel that would be a great entry point and a way for us to expand the reach of the NFL.

“I’d personally like to see a franchise in London before the decade’s out.”