The chief of Paris bid 2012 bid committee, closest rivals to the London Olympic Bid, has claimed that the row over the future of the Olympic Stadium is a result of Olympic chiefs not taking legacy plans seriously enough.

Phillipe Baudillon saw his Paris bid narrowly beaten by that of London, for the right to stage the Games after a huge lobbying effort in Singapore in 2005.

Baudillon spoke of his lack of surprise with regards to the uncertainty of the future of London 2012’s main venue, with Premier League soccer teams Tottenham and West Ham both vying to move in.

“I’m not surprised because the process of choosing a host city is not focused on legacy,” said Philippe Baudillon. 

“The 100 people who decide who gets a Games don’t have any incentive to choose the best legacy proposal. It’s not an important parameter for [the International Olympic Committee]. 

“They choose where they think is best for the Olympic brand and London was very good on this [during the bidding race]. 

“Legacy isn’t a problem for the IOC – it’s a problem for the hosts. I think they will have to take legacy into account more, otherwise people will get fed up with paying for something that only lasts 15 days.” 

Baudillon admitted the London 2012 bid team did a better job of selling their strengths than the Paris team, but thinks the IOC must change its selection criteria to reflect changes in the wider world. 

“Thirty years ago there was no talk of legacy, the environment or sustainable development with Olympic bids. It’s coming now but the evolution is very slow and the mindset of the IOC members is also slow,” he added. 

“There’s a gap between what is happening in business and government, and what the IOC is doing. Now we’re in the middle of an economic crisis, legacy planning has become crucial. 

“There have been some good examples, like Barcelona and Sydney, but Beijing, which was a great Games, is having problems with its Olympic infrastructure and Athens is a complete disaster.”

In an interview on Russian state television, cialis Arsenal investor and owner of Metalloinvest, ed Alisher Usmanov stated his desire to raise his stake in the top English soccer club to 29.9 per cent.

Usmanov who currently holds a 27 per cent stake in the club would join Stanley Kroenke as the majority shareholder, were he to increase his stake to the desired amount.

The Opening Match of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™ will set a new European attendance record for women’s football. It was announced today that over 50,000 tickets have already been sold for the clash between hosts Germany and Canada at Berlin’s Olympiastadion on 26 June 2011.

Renault is fully committed to remaining a part of Formula 1, cialis buy even though the French manufacturer it set to revise its strategy from the start of next year.

As Autosport.com revealed at the weekend, the Renault car company is poised to wind down its presence with its current works team so that the outfit can pursue a major commercial partnership with Lotus Cars.

But rather than that move signalling that Renault is closer an exit from the sport, the company’s CEO Carlos Ghosn has indicated that it is actually looking to expand its involvement throughout the grid.

Although Ghosn would not confirm the specific change of plan at Renault, or the Lotus tie-up, he told media that it would remain involved to some extent with its current outfit.

“What I can tell you is that Renault will be associated with this team, whatever happens: associated in connection with the supply of engines and chassis, and with the technology around the chassis,” explained Ghosn.

“Aside from this, there may be financial agreements, marketing agreements to suit our interests. There may be more developments, but for the moment, there is nothing. What I can tell you is that we will be, more and more, technology suppliers to many teams involved in Formula 1.”

Sources have suggested that despite the likely Lotus tie-up, Renault’s moniker will remain part of the team name until at least the end of 2012.

“Name changes, they are everywhere,” explained Ghosn. “What is key is to keep the name Renault.

“Under the auspices of the Renault F1 Team, yes, we can have other associated names. But it should be noted that, as part of Red Bull, you now have Red Bull Renault.

“The name Renault might appear in a few more teams because we do not want to give the impression that we are exclusive to one team.

“We are currently developing our technology with a number of teams.”

When asked whether or not Renault was planning to sell its stake in the team, amid speculation either Genii Capital or Lotus itself could buy it, Ghosn declined to give a firm answer.

“I’m not going to give direct reports of discussions which we’ve had or haven’t had,” he said.

“Everything concerning the financial situation of this team or that team is tactical. We are not in Formula 1 to own a particular team; we are in Formula 1 to promote the Renault name and promote Renault technology.

“We will do whatever is necessary to do so at a lower cost and with less investment. We are not going to put more resources than necessary into achieving that aim.”

Source: Autosport.com

India will host its first ever Asian Development Tour (ADT) tournament with the launch of the TAKE Solutions India Masters from October 29 to November 1, order 2014, officials announced today.

TAKE Solutions, the Asian Tour and PGTI have come together to unveil the TAKE Solutions India Masters where this joint initiative tournament will receive Official World Golf Ranking status, with the winner earning six world ranking points.

The newest addition to the ADT, which is the gateway to the premier Asian Tour, will raise this season’s ADT Schedule to an unprecedented 21 tournaments. The inaugural US$70,000 tournament will be staged at Eagleton Golf Resort in Bengaluru.

Srinivasan HR, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, TAKE Solutions said: “We are delighted and honoured to partner with the Asian Tour and PGTI to launch India’s very first Asian Development Tour tournament. Through this association, it is our vision for the TAKE Solutions India Masters to provide the impetus for aspiring professional golfers from India to succeed on the ADT, and subsequently on the Asian Tour.

“For almost a decade, we have been the proud sponsor of the official Indian qualifying tournament to the World Corporate Golf Challenge, acting as the gateway for highly competitive and skilled Indian corporate golfing teams to the international arena.

“We also sponsor professional golfers S.S.P. Chowrasia and Khalin Joshi to support their growth and success in Indian and international tournaments. The launch of TAKE Solutions India Masters fits aptly with our corporate mission to support the growth and development of professional golf in India and across Asia. I am very confident that our partnership with the Asian Tour and PGTI will benefit the sport in India.”

Asian Tour CEO, Mike Kerr, believes that welcoming India as the newest destination on the burgeoning ADT Schedule augurs well for the game in the sub-continent.

“On behalf of our players, I would like to welcome on board TAKE Solutions India Masters on the ADT. Through our close collaboration with PGTI and the support from great sponsors such as TAKE Solutions, professional golf in India has achieved so much success in Asia with the like of Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa ranking number one over the past decade on the Asian Tour.

“Currently, we are witnessing the exciting emergence of a new breed of young Indian stars in the form of Anirban Lahiri, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Rashid Khan and I am confident the launch of the TAKE Solutions India Masters will  further invigorate the development of golf in India,” said Kerr.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has revealed the rebrand to the national T20 tournament  and a change of timeslot has yielded record aggregate attendance ahead of NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day.

The competition, canada buy which has moved some games to a Friday night slot, bronchi has broken the 700, sale 000 barrier for season-long attendances for first time in its 12 year-history.

Ahead of tomorrow’s NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston, ECB today announced that a record number of spectators – more than 700,000 – have watched this season’s domestic T20 competition.

The season’s aggregate attendance of 704,205 – spread across 122 matches and including tomorrow’s Finals Day – is the highest number recorded since the domestic T20 format was first introduced in 2003.

It beats the previous record aggregate of 676,753 which was set in 2010 when there were a larger number of domestic T20 matches – 147 – played over the course of the season.

The average attendance for this year’s competition (5,772) is also up by 12 per cent on the average figure (5,153) for the previous five seasons of domestic T20 matches. Eight counties have also enjoyed capacity crowds this season and tomorrow’s Finals Day will see a record attendance of around 23,000 at Edgbaston.

ECB Chief Operating Officer Gordon Hollins said: “Tomorrow’s Finals Day promises to be a fantastic spectacle in front of a full-house Edgbaston crowd and a fitting way to round-off a highly memorable domestic T20 season which has seen many counties playing to full houses, record-breaking run-chases and all the drama and excitement which we traditionally associate with this format of the game.

“We’ve also been particularly pleased to see a healthy increase in the number of younger people buying tickets in advance, a growing ‘remote’ following for the competition across our social media channels, and, most important of all, a positive response from cricket fans to the new, dedicated Friday night slot for the majority of group stage matches.”

UFC fighter Miesha Tate signed with KHI, which is the management firm owned by NASCAR superstar Kevin Harvick.

The former bantamweight title challenger now joins lightweight staple Donald Cerrone on KHI’s roster and is the first female athlete the company has signed.

Speaking to Bleacher Report, Tate said: “I’m excited about the entire process. I think this is the smartest move I’ve ever made in my career because KHI and I are on the exact same page.

“I want to build my brand, and that is what their management company is about. For me it was a no-brainer. I discussed this a little bit with Donald Cerrone, and he spoke so highly of his management. And I’m telling you that is not something that is common in this sport. Normally, when I ask someone about their management they have varying things to say, but I’ve never seen someone light up the way Cerrone did when talking about working with KHI.

“I also love the fact that KHI is still new to the MMA game, and that’s great because there is room for all of us to grow together. I love that they have things outside of MMA to offer me. I think a cross promotion between the UFC and NASCAR is a no-brainer, and this is going to be a very successful partnership.”

Kevin Harvick added: “We have been looking to sign a female athlete for some time. We were so excited when she called just to look into what the management company was all about, that when Josh (Jones, director of business development) hung up the phone I told him that whatever he needed to do to make it happen…he needed to make it happen. It brings a lot to the table for us, and I think it is going to open a lot of new doors.

“From a credibility standpoint it brings a lot to the table for us. Miesha is a great person, has a great personality and we like the way she goes about handling things. As she has already mentioned, the sponsors have already bought into what she has going and what we have developed amongst our groups. It’s going to be fun to see it all progress, and our main focus is to develop a program that Miesha likes.