health helvetica, ailment sans-serif;”>The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) have handed in their proposal to develop the 2012 London Games site with 10,000 new homes as well as parks, shops and schools after the world’s athletic elite go home.

OPLC’s 5,000-page planning application outlines how Olympic Park could be transformed into five new neighborhoods. The company had outlined its ideas for the 64 hectares (158 acres) of the east London Olympic venue earlier, but Wednesday’s application offers a more detailed vision for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park development.

The company’s chief executive, Andrew Altman, says the five neighborhoods “will stitch together the surrounding communities” with parks, shops and schools.

The plans include plazas, canal paths, roof gardens and cycle paths, including 29 playgrounds. The neighborhoods will sit beside the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Center and the ArcelorMittal Orbit—the new landmarks of a post-London games.

London Mayor Boris Johnson described the proposal as an important step “that will revolutionize the face of East London.”

“It will be the most important regeneration project that the city has seen in 25 years,” Johnson said.

The submission triggers a 28-day consultation period. The company hopes to get permission for the development before the games begin next July 27.

Interpol secretary general Ronald K. Noble and FIFA President Sepp Blatter are to meet next week to establish a closer cooperation in the fight against illegal betting and match-fixing in soccer. 

The talks will form part of concerted efforts by FIFA to combat the growing threat of corrupt betting and match-rigging scams with Blatter and Noble holding a press conference on Monday, May 9, at 4pm CET to announce the outcome of talks.

Blatter told the conference at a Sports Funding, Sponsoring, and Sports Betting Congress in Zurich last month: “Match fixing shakes the very foundations of sport, namely fair play, respect and discipline. That’s why FIFA employs a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to any infringement of these values.”

In February, FIFA’s subsidiary company Early Warning System GmbH helped detect two friendly matches in Turkey identified as being suspicious.

Following an investigation into unusual betting patterns, FIFA charged six match officials for their involvement in fixing the Bulgaria 2-2 draw with Estonia and Latvia’s 2-1 victory over Bolivia after all seven goals were scored from penalties.

Marco Villiger, FIFA’s director of legal affairs told the March conference: “Nobody has anything against gambling. Our goal is to protect the integrity of sport and to fight against practices that undermine it. Fraud and match fixing are threats to the core values of sport.” 

It is estimated that the sports industry generates around US$300bn a year, whilst sports betting has an approximate annual worth of $350-400bn.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has claimed that Osama Bin Laden’s killing by United States troops does not add to security fears at London 2012.

The world’s most wanted man and leader of al Qaeda was killed following a shoot-out in an Abbottabad compound in Pakistan in a mission initiated by United States President Barack Obama.

His death has since led to fears that there will be a backlash of terrorist attacks targeted at major events such as the Olympics, prompting fears that there could be a repeat of the massacre at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, when 11 Israeli athletes and officials and a German policeman were killed by the Islamic terrorist group Black September.

Speaking at the 9th World Conference on Sport and the Environment, Rogge stated: “The IOC position is very clear. Osama bin Laden is a political issue that I do not want to comment on. Since the Munich 1972 Games, security has been our number one priority.

“Security at the Games is the responsibility of the local authorities and we have no doubt that our current partners will be up to the task.

“That has always been the policy of the IOC and that will not change with what happened today.”

Security at next year’s London Olympics has always been a top issue for British organisers after a terror attack on the capital that came the day after London was awarded the Games in 2005 where home-grown suicide bombers attacked the city’s transit network and killed 52 people.

The Government has repeatedly said the national terror threat will remain at the “severe” level during the Olympics, just one notch below the most extreme level of “critical” and meaning an attack is highly likely.

The overall cost of security during the London 2012 Olympics is estimated at £720 million ($1.2 billion) while up to 9,000 police officers are expected to be on duty each day of the Olympics.

London Mayor Boris Johnson has claimed that English Premier League soccer side Tottenham Hotspur’s bid to overturn the decision to allow rivals West Ham United to move to the Olympic Stadium after next year’s Games is doomed to fail.

Tottenham have sought permission from the high court to bring a judicial review against the London Borough of Newham over its provision of a US$65m loan to their London rivals in order to facilitate the club’s move to the Stratford site.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) chose to award preferred bidder status to West Ham’s joint bid with Newham to retain the stadium with its athletics track over a proposal from Tottenham to turn the site into a purpose-built 60,000-capacity soccer ground.

This decision still had to be ratified by the UK Government and the Mayor of London himself and Johnson stated: “We’ll have to see what happens with any legal challenge but my strong view is that the decision was the right one for London.

“The option of Spurs going to the Olympic Park has considerably receded.

“I’m confident the decision was properly taken. 

“There is no doubt about the way the whole thing was conducted by the OPLC.”

According to SportsBusiness Journal, leading sporting apparel brand Nike is close to finalising an extension of its sponsorship with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

The reports suggest that the deal would guarantee Nike the exclusivity to continue to outfit Team USA athletes on the podium through until at least 2016, extending the brand’s position as the official outfitter of Team USA.

Under the terms of the deal, Nike would provide the podium uniforms worn during medal ceremonies at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. Additionally Nike will have access to U.S. Olympic marks and graphics for use in advertising and marketing and for display on its other brands such as Converse.

Although terms of the deal were not available, sources indicate that it is “a modest increase” over the previous deal, which was valued at close to US$15m over four years and “was a mix of cash and product.”

The renewal  would be first the USOC has completed for the 2013-16 quadrennial and gives the organization some early momentum as it looks to extend partnerships with more than a half-dozen key partners before the 2012 London Games.

Nike has made Team USA-branded hats, shirts and jackets for every Olympics since the 2006 Turin Games and also sponsors 10 U.S. national governing bodies, including USA Basketball, USA Hockey, U.S. Soccer and USA Track & Field.

In the second part of an exclusive in-depth interview with FIFA.com, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter spoke at length about the challenges facing the game in 2011 and beyond. In doing so he discussed the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2010, the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, women’s football, refereeing and the Task Force Football 2014, among other issues.

FIFA.com: The year kicks off with the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala. What do you make of the three nominees, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Xavi?
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter: Last year was a World Cup year and it’s no surprise that two of the three candidates should play for world champions Spain. As for Argentina’s Lionel Messi, no one can deny he’s an exceptional player. Spain’s Vicente del Bosque is also in there as one of the three nominees for coach of the year.

Brazil usually have a few candidates in the frame. Why do you think they’re missing this time around?
There are some Brazilians up for the FIFA/FIFpro World XI, but they’re mostly defenders. That’s a little bit of a surprise perhaps, but it’s just a reflection of Brazil’s approach at South Africa 2010. They played a European game based around a formidable defence comprising the likes of Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Juan and Michel Bastos.

The three nominees for the FIFA Ballon d’Or are all relatively small in size. What do you think that tells us?
That anyone can play football and that you don’t necessarily have to be big and strong. That’s always been the case, though. Just look at strikers like Gerd Muller and Uwe Seeler, Diego Maradona or Jean-Pierre Papin, who weren’t very big players either.

South Africa 2010 is still fresh in the memory and now 2014 is looming on the horizon.
Yes. The World Cup will be taking place in a little over three years. The preliminary draw will be held on 30 July and there’s still a lot of work to be done in terms of infrastructures. There’s no time to waste.

The next FIFA World Cup is being played in Brazil. Is it a case of football coming home?
I’m delighted the tournament’s going back to South America for the first time since 1978, when there were only 16 teams. Now there are 32 and the World Cup has taken on a whole new dimension since then. No matter where it is held, though, the World Cup is so big that our partners in both television and marketing will follow us anywhere.

You’ve talked before about the social role of the FIFA World Cup. What will that involve in Brazil exactly?
Our goal in Brazil is to create infrastructures in the provinces. A lot of the population live in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, but at the next World Cup we’ll be going further north and to Manaus in the state of Amazonia. It’s an emerging and very multicultural country with 200 million inhabitants, although there is still poverty as well. Nevertheless, I’ve no doubt the legacy of the World Cup will help in that respect too.

Brazil 2014 aside, the year ahead promises to be a busy one.
There are competitions in four different confederations in 2011: the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, the Copa America in South America and the African Nations Championship. And then we have five FIFA World Cup competitions: the Women’s World Cup, the U-17, U-20 and Beach Soccer World Cups and the Club World Cup. So we’re going to be seeing a lot of good football this year.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™ is a major event on the calendar. What are you expecting from the competition?
I think it’s important it’s taking place in the heart of Europe, in a country where women’s football is strong. The women’s game has struggled to gain acceptance in financial terms. People don’t seem to have much faith in it, but Germany can change that by putting on a good tournament and, more importantly than anything, filling the stadiums. A crowd of 50,000 is expected for the Opening Match in Berlin, which is already a great achievement.

Why has women’s football failed to take off in some countries?
Young women have a lot of passion for the game. It’s a sport anyone can play, but when women reach a certain age or level they find there aren’t any professional leagues around, which makes it difficult for them to carry on playing. Technically, however, the game has improved a great deal. For example, the standard of play in the final of the U-17 Women’s World Cup between Japan and Korea Republic was very high.

A number of big issues will be tackled in the months ahead, some of them by the Task Force Football 2014. What is its role?
Its objective is to assess tournaments and the way in which the game is organised. Let me give you a few examples. At the moment three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw, which is something we can discuss and decide whether it’s a good thing or not. Is extra-time the only option we have when a game ends in a draw? And if we stick with extra-time, how should we end games? Is it worth taking another look at the golden goal? Some people like it, some people don’t. There are a lot of issues regarding tournaments we can look at and discuss.

What other topics will be coming up for debate?
The other big issue is the calendar. In my view, and this is something on which Michel Platini agrees, domestic championships are too long because there are too many teams and too many matches. Teams in leagues with 20 clubs play 38 games, on top of which they also have national cup competitions and league cups, etc. This also creates a conflict of interest between national teams and clubs, some of whom complain that their players come back tired or injured. That’s not the fault of the international calendar, however, and it’s a subject that ought to be discussed.

There has been a fair amount of criticism with regard to refereeing recently. What, in your opinion, are the next steps that need to be taken?
We have a very clear target in this respect, and that’s to have only professional referees officiating at the 2014 World Cup. That’s a target we have to reach. Coaches are professional now and so are players, and there’s no reason why referees shouldn’t be either. Some people say there’s not enough money to pay them, but there always seems to be plenty in the professional leagues.

Is the international calendar for youth players also up for discussion?
I think the calendar for youth tournaments should be brought into line with the international calendar. It’s the same principle. As for Olympic tournaments, we have a regulation that is valid until 2016, and that’s for teams to pick U-23 players and three over-age players if they wish. Those U-23 players should be released by their clubs.

After talks were held yesterday (January 4) between representatives of all 12 Scottish Premier League (SPL) soccer clubs, it seems that plans to reformat the league are edging ever closer. Some members and fans were strongly opposed to the latest proposal of reducing the league back down to a top-10 tier but it appears that the decision is looking more and more likely.

Ralph Topping chairman of the SPL believes that the other radical change possibility of a 16 or 18-team League has been dismissed, “It’s two (divisions of) 10s or the status quo in my view. If you look at Scottish football, a 16-team League wouldn’t work economically and it would have a knock-on effect in terms of the quality of players you can attract” he said.

Stewart Milne chairman of Aberdeen soccer club revealed that no alternative to a 10-team top flight had been put forward at the meeting. “Each option has been fully evaluated and the one that delivers way above any of the others is a 10-team league,” he claimed.

St Johnstone chairman Geoff Brown added: “The meeting went well and I would be fairly confident of the two 10-team leagues. All we have had are discussions and every club can make their own minds up, but I would like to think we have a consensus.”

A vote will be taken on a reform package with the final decision set to be made on January 17 which could also include a winter break demanding an earlier start to the season.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will join the line-up of major sports stars at the inaugural Aspire4Sport Conference and Expo, allergist it has been confirmed.

Ferguson will participate in a special on-to-one and will give an insight into his career and thoughts on management.

He visited the Aspire academy in Qatar earlier this year when he took the United team to the Middle East for warm weather training.

After the trip Ferguson said: “Aspire’s complex is without question the best I have ever seen. Not only that, clinic the operation is so well managed that it has made our stay very easy and relaxed. We hope that this journey is not our last here and that it will initiate a true bond between Manchester United and our friends at Aspire and in Qatar.”

Other confirmed speakers at the event include Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, Inter Milan CEO Ernesto Paolillo, Olympic champion Michael Johnson and tennis legend John McEnroe.

The event will take place in Doha, Qatar, from 15 to 18 November.

The Australian Government has cleared Football Federation Australia (FFA) of providing misleading information over how public money was being spent on the bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

A number of claims were made about bonuses to consultants, gifts of pearl necklaces and cufflinks to to FIFA executive committee members, and paying the costs of a Trinidad and Tobago youth team to fly to a tournament.

FIFA is still investigating the allegations, but FFA officials have indicated the document was an “informal planning document”, and government officials have examined accounts, clearing them of any attempt to mislead them.

A letter to the FFA from the Australian Government’s World Cup bid taskforce said: “We note that the contents of this planning document align with the reports provided by the FFA to the taskforce, and we accept your explanation that the existence of the planning document does not mean that the FFA maintains ‘dual’ financial reporting and records.”

FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said of the matter: “We are involved in an extremely sophisticated and competitive process where we are trying to bring the biggest sporting event in the world to Australia but we have always said that we would play by the rules.

“All of our operations are in line with FIFA guidelines and our financial reporting meets our obligations under the funding agreement with the government and any suggestion otherwise is completely wrong and the government has accepted that.”