mayor of Newham borough, Sir Robin Wales has stated that the cuts to council services announced by the Government could jeopardise the London 2012 Olympic legacy after labelling the settlement as “savage, wreckless and callous”.

Every council in England will have to reduce spending from April with Hackney, Tower Hamlets, and Newham – three of the five Olympic boroughs – taking the maximum cut of 8.9% along with 33 others.

Sir Robin Wales stated: “These are savage cuts being implemented by the coalition government. We are having to plan huge reductions in expenditure over the next few years.’

“The Government themselves have admitted that their cuts will be directed mainly against poorer people which means that Newham is being hit more fiercely than better off areas of the country.

“London’s Olympic bid book said the most enduring legacy of the Games must be the regeneration of an entire community for the direct benefit of everyone who lives there.

“For centuries London’s East End has been one of the poorest areas in Europe. The Games have provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the lives of residents and nothing should be spared in ensuring that a lasting legacy is achieved.”

It is believed that unprotected services such as play parks, leisure centres and swimming pools most at risk from the inevitable cuts made clear surrounding the funding settlements.

“We are doing everything we can to protect our residents and the services they need and value. We want the Olympics to inspire people and raise their ambitions to be healthier and more prosperous,” he added.

“Newham has been working hard to expand participation in sport and activity through investment in our sports facilities and our promise to continue offering free swims to young people. We are providing the largest programme of free sport and activity in London. We will do our utmost to defend these pioneering initiatives and support hard working low income families.

“Inevitably, however, as we are having to make massive cuts our ability to do that will be limited. The government is already taking the axe to our school sports funding. We fear the coalition’s cuts may have jeopardised the Olympic legacy. I’m shocked at the extent of their callousness. They don’t care about the people.”

Outgoing Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Nic Coward is to return his interests to soccer and the English Premier League (EPL). Coward will become the EPL general secretary and will take his position in the second quarter of 2011.

After spending the last 4 years at the BHA, Coward announced on Tuesday 14 December, that he would be leaving his post for pastures new and just a day later it was revealed that he will make the switch in sports to back to soccer.

Before becoming chief executive at the BHA, Coward had spent 5 years at the Football Association (FA). In his time at the FA, Coward held a number of senior roles including acting chief executive and corporate and legal affairs director.

It will now be the new general secretary’s duty to manage relationships with his former employers at the FA and the Football League, as well as with the world’s leading soccer governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA.

Richard Scudamore, Cheif Executive for the Premier League stated: “We are extremely pleased to have recruited someone of Nic Coward’s calibre for what is a key role on the Premier League’s senior management team.

“His wealth of experience will make him an extremely valuable asset.”

 

 

The International Rugby Board has confirmed that Georgia will host the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy 2011 from May 24 to June 5.

It is the first time that the hosting rights to a major IRB tournament have been awarded to the Georgian Rugby Union and the selection underlines the outstanding progress that the Union has made in driving the development of the Game throughout the country since Rugby World Cup 2007.

The tournament format will follow the model that successfully delivered a compelling Trophy in 2010. The eight participating teams will be split into two pools of four with two match venues in the capital Tbilisi hosting double-headers on May 24, prostate May 28, order June 1 and June 5.

Canada, Japan, Russia, Samoa, Uruguay, USA, Zimbabwe and hosts Georgia will all be looking to lift the coveted Trophy and secure promotion to the IRB Junior World Championship in 2012.

“The IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy has grown to become a major fixture on the annual Rugby calendar, providing the participating Unions with an invaluable competition and development platform. Yet the tournament is not all about exposure for the teams, it is also about taking a major international Rugby tournament to new territories, to leave an administration legacy with the hosting Union and to deliver a golden opportunity to grow the Game,” said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

“I am delighted that the Junior World Rugby Trophy 2011 will be hosted in Georgia and would like to thank the Georgian Rugby Union and the Georgian Government for their enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to hosting a tournament that will not just be successful on the pitch, but will leave a lasting legacy for growth and participation off it.”

For Georgia, the awarding of the international tournament is a ground-breaking move and will deliver the platform for the sport to continue to grow – a trend that began with the senior national team’s performances during Rugby World Cup 2007 in France which captured the hearts of the nation.

Last month Lapasset was in Georgia to open the IRB funded state-of-the-art National Academy, a centre that will oversee the development of future international stars, while the Georgian Government has committed £6 million in funding for the growth of Rugby across the country.

“These are certainly exciting times for Rugby in Georgia, which is enjoying unprecedented interest off the back of a tremendous Rugby World Cup 2007 and a successful Rugby World Cup 2011 qualifying campaign. Hosting the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy next year will further accelerate development, administration and legacy programmes,” added Lapasset.

Georgian Rugby Union President George Nijaradze said: “This is a very exciting time for Rugby in Georgia with Rugby World Cup qualification secured for a third successive tournament creating huge interest in the country’s number one team sport. Government and IRB funding have provided two Rugby Academies in Tbilisi and Kutaisi where age grade players can get advice on conditioning, nutrition and professional sport as part of our Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD).”

“We are very pleased to host a major tournament as part of our ongoing development and look forward to welcoming the eight teams here next summer for a wonderful festival of age grade Rugby.”

IRB Tournaments Manager Philippe Bourdarias, in Tbilisi for the official launch, added: “Georgia is a wonderful setting for this key tournament which is essential for the development of players, coaches and match officials. With just 160 days to go until the tournament starts, it is shaping up to be the most competitive IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy to date and has the added incentive of being a little under four months before Rugby World Cup 2011.”

“I am sure the Georgian Rugby Union will deliver a unique festival of Rugby that will help spread awareness and interest in the Game throughout the country, attracting new players, coaches, referees and fans to the Rugby family.”

The venues, pools and match schedule will be confirmed in January 2011.

Italy won the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in 2010 and were promoted to the IRB Junior World Championship 2011 which they will host in the Veneto Region. The Azzurri have already given full international caps to players who won the title, including the exciting outside centre and captain Tommaso Benvenuti who made his full Test debut against Argentina in November. Benvenuti joins an illustrious list of players and match officials who have graduated from both the IRB Junior World Championship and IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy to full international test status.

Renault announced a double coup on Friday by agreeing engine supply deals with Red Bull and Lotus Racing.

Both contracts cover next season as well as 2012, and mean Renault join Mercedes, Ferrari and Cosworth in supporting three teams on the grid.

The extension of the arrangement with Red Bull will now run to six years as the team and manufacturer initially joined forces in 2007. As for Lotus, they were able to break free of a three-year tie-up with Cosworth earlier this season, with Friday’s confirmation of a Renault partnership unsurprising in Formula One circles.

Bernard Rey, president of Renault Sport, said: “Renault is delighted to announce an expanded agreement with Red Bull and the arrival of a new customer.

“These new agreements mean Renault engines will power three teams next year – in simple terms, 25% of the cars on the grid.

“We remain firm believers in the benefits of our successful involvement in F1. It positions Renault as a technological leader, and boosts awareness of the brand across the globe.”

In recognition of the new deal with Red Bull, Renault branding will feature more strongly on the cars and drivers’ helmets, starting with this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

Team principal Christian Horner said: “We have always enjoyed a very straightforward relationship with Renault. They have supported us extremely fairly during the past four seasons, contributing to our 13 grand prix victories so far.

“The relationship continues to evolve and we look forward to working with them during our 2011 Formula One World Championship campaign.”

Lotus Racing owner Tony Fernandes added: “There has obviously been a great deal of speculation about which engine will be powering our cars from 2011, and now the announcement has been made I think everyone can see just how ambitious we really are.”

Saracens Rugby Club has been given a deadline of 3 September to make a decision on its future at Vicarage Stadium.

The Aviva Premiership team has played at the ground since 1997, but Championship football side Watford, who also play at the ground, activated a ‘break clause’ in the deal between the two clubs in May.

The agreement had been set to run until 2017, but now Saracens has to consider its options or negotiate a new lease with Watford.

If Saracens decide not to enter into a new lease agreement, its tenancy will end on 1 June, 2011.

Watford chief executive Julian Winter said: “We have given them a couple of proposals around a future lease and their response will be back to us by 3 September. 

“I think we have to know where we are. That is what we have agreed. We need some certainty with Saracens so we can crack on and plan with or without them.”

The oldest major tournament in golf, the Open Championship, has increased its prize fund from US$6.3 million to US$7.25 million for its 150th anniversary this year.

The fund had been static since 2006, with the first prize at US$1.1 million. The winner will now take home US$1.3 million.

Chief executive at tournament organisers R&A, Peter Dawson, said: “The Open Championships sits at the forefront of world golf and it is appropriate that our prize fund reflects that position in the game. Over the last 18 months we have had to take account of the pound’s weakened position against the US dollar and euro and we have increased our prize money accordingly.”

This year’s Open Championship will take place between 15 and 18 July and will be held at St. Andrews golf course in Scotland.

Disneyland Paris has been selected to host The 2018 Junior Ryder Cup after being nominated by the Fédération Française de Golf (FFG).

Disneyland Paris was considered by all parties to be the ideal venue to host the Junior Ryder Cup in 2018. The site offers a prestigious Championship golf course, arthritis which has already proved its pedigree through hosting major events, ed including a European Challenge Tour event back in 1993, which was incidentally won by five-time Major winner Phil Mickelson of the USA, before he went on to become one of the most famous names in the game. In 2011 Golf Disneyland Paris also hosted another Challenge Tour event, the Challenge de France.

The venue, located east of the French capital on the grounds of Disneyland Paris – which attracts approximately 15 million visits per year – will add to the family-orientated atmosphere of a tournament which was established as an international showcase for golf’s next generation and to acknowledge the work of the different Federations in developing their youth programmes.

Richard Hills, Ryder Cup Director said: “This is an historic day for the development of the Ryder Cup, Junior Ryder Cup and European golf. The French Golf Federation and Disneyland Paris both present unique assets, as well top quality entertaining activities. This is an opportunity to seize if we wish to develop golf in France, in Europe and throughout the world.”

Pascal Grizot, Vice President of the French Golf Federation and Chairman of Ryder Cup France 2018, said: “Paris and the Ile de France region will give us the unique opportunity to turn the 2018 edition into the most beautiful in the history of The Ryder Cup. We will offer all the fans an exceptional experience. By hosting the Junior Ryder Cup, Disneyland Paris will greatly contribute to kick off an unforgettable week. This Junior Ryder Cup will also allow a great number of young persons to come discover the best players in junior golf in a venue that makes children dream all year long. 

“This is going to be a huge golf celebration like France has never seen before.  I am very excited that the event will start at Disneyland Paris with the Junior Ryder Cup,” said Colin Wood, President EGA said. “I am delighted with FFG’s vision for the event, a collective push for golf in Europe with such a European attraction.

“It is also a great honour to announce our next European Team Captain here this week. Stuart has done a superb job in the last four years leading the lines for our young stars and I’m sure Maitena will represent the flag of Europe with great pride and accomplishment in the next four years.”

Thierry Pedros, Vice President Strategic Alliances at Disneyland Paris, is honoured to welcome such a well-known event. He said: “We are very proud to host the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup. This event is not only the perfect opportunity to bring together an interest in golf and family entertainment, but will also highlight Disneyland Paris know-how as a host of major sports events.”

The Junior Ryder Cup is a biennial contest played between two teams of six boys and six girls under the age of 18, representing Europe and America.  

Apparel brand Panic Switch Army has signed a partnership with the Monster Energy Company to allow the brand to have trackside mobile merchandise store that will make the rounds on the NASCAR circuit this year.

Debuting at the Bristol Motor Speedway NASCAR race, drugs August 22-24, 2014 in Bristol, Tenn., the retail hauler will feature Panic Switch Army’s full line of merchandise including t-shirts, tanks, hats and accessories as well as Monster Energy branded t-shirts and fleece.

“I’m extremely excited about this because Monster Energy is one of the biggest, most well-known brands in the world,” said Luke Burrett, creator and CEO of Panic Switch Army. “They cater to an adrenaline-fueled lifestyle, supporting all things action sports and that’s what Panic Switch Army represents.”

The mobile retail store will be live on the scene at NASCAR races throughout the country for the rest of the racing season.