South Korea hopes an upcoming world youth baseball championship on home soil will provide an opportunity to further promote the country’s prowess in the sport.
South Korea will host for the first time the Under 18 Baseball World Championship, organised by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), from August 30 to September 8.
All matches will be played in Seoul at the Jamsil and Mokdong Stadiums. {jcomments on}
Game 7 of the East finals between the Heat and Celtics delivered a record 9.1 overnight rating, medicine the highest for an NBA game recorded on cable television dating back to 2003.
The winner-take-all game peaked from 10:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Eastern Time) with a rating of 11.9. Ratings denote the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program while overnight ratings measure the country’s largest markets.
The Celtics-Heat matchup also generated the three highest overnight ratings for NBA games ever on cable — 9.1 for Game 7, discount 8.2 for Game 6 and 7.9 for Game 4.
Game 7 garnered a 21.7 rating in Boston, making it the highest-rated NBA game on cable in the market.
In Miami, Game 7 ranked as market’s highest-rated NBA game ever on ESPN and third highest-rated game on cable with a rating of 25.0.
The Heat, led by LeBron James, defeated the Celtics, 101-88, in Game 7 to advance against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals, which will begin Tuesday in Oklahoma.
Penn National Gaming, Inc. have announced it has reached an agreement with the State of Ohio that will help pave the way toward the relocation of its two Ohio racetracks and the development of new approximately $200 million racetrack/video lottery terminal (VLT) facilities (inclusive of a $50 million license fee) in Dayton and in Austintown (located in the Mahoning Valley).
The non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Company and the office of Ohio Gov. John Kasich requires Penn National to pay a $75 million relocation fee per VLT facility within 180 days after each facility opens. Penn National previously announced its intent to relocate Beulah Park from the Columbus suburb of Grove City to Austintown and Raceway Park from Toledo to Dayton. The MOU contemplates Penn National paying the State 33.5% from VLT revenues as well as a yet to be determined amount to the Ohio horse racing industry. Talks between Penn National and the thoroughbred and harness horsemen’s organizations are ongoing. In addition, the agreement restricts any other gaming facility from being located within 50 miles of Penn National’s Columbus and Toledo casinos, as well as its relocated tracks, with certain exceptions.
“This agreement is a significant step toward the development of two new first-class racing and gaming facilities that will create thousands of construction jobs and more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs, and bring the excitement of horse racing and VLTs to two areas of the state that are now underserved with this type of entertainment option,” said Tim Wilmott, President and Chief Operating Officer of Penn National Gaming.
“We appreciate the efforts of the Governor’s Office in allowing us to reach this milestone and the administration’s commitment to helping us gain the remaining approvals for relocating our Ohio racetracks,” Wilmott said. “We’re also appreciative for the support of the legislative delegations from Dayton and the Mahoning Valley as well as the local elected officials and local business communities there.”
The MOU assumes final state authorization of VLTs at Ohio racetracks and a favorable resolution of the current litigation challenging the establishment of VLT facilities in Ohio. In addition, the MOU is expressly conditioned on a definitive agreement with representatives of the thoroughbred and harness horsemen that is satisfactory to Penn National and approved by the Racing Commission.
by Ismail Uddin
Wie das Magazin Horizont berichtet hat der WM-Kampf von Vitali Klitschko gegen Dereck Chisora RTL am Samstagabend Traum-Quoten beschert.
12, arthritis 88 Millionen Zuschauer verfolgten zu vorgerückter Stunde den klaren Punktsieg des amtierenden WBC-Weltmeisters gegen seinen Herausforderer aus Großbritannien.
Der Marktanteil kletterte auf starke 56, medicine 5 Prozent. Auf exakt den gleichen Marktanteil kam der WM-Kampf in der Zielgruppe der 14- bis 49-Jährigen. In der jungen Zielgruppe fieberten 5,79 Millionen Box-Fans mit dem Titelverteidiger mit.
Die Klitschko-Sponsoren wie Warsteiner und McFit dürften die Traumquoten ein ums andere Mal begeister haben.
It was confirmed on Friday, March 18, that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will head up the supervisory board for the nation’s hosting of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Having played a key role in Russia’s successful bid for the tournament, Putin will now lead a board that will also include First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and St Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko.
A statement released on the government’s official website read: “Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed an executive order approving the membership appointed to the Observation Council of the autonomous Russia 2018 Organising Committee non-profit organisation.”
The Sauber F1 Team has boosted its Asian connections after signing Asia Jet, a Hong Kong private aviation firm, as a sponsor for selected Grands Prix in 2011.
Under the terms of the deal, expected to be worth as much as US$100,000 per race, the company’s logos will appear on the cars rear wing endplates at all Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) races, plus the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in October.
Asia Jet’s chief executive Mike Walsh said: “Asia Jet is a proud supporter of Formula One, and has consistently flown fans, drivers and sponsors to attend the F1 races in different cities for the past few seasons.
“We hope to continue and extend our reach further throughout Asia and beyond, combining the best Formula One has to offer with the convenience of getting to and from the races on the schedules of our important clients.
“We are convinced this will be very successful for Asia Jet and further enhance our reputation as the leading private jet company of choice for our customers.”
Peter Sauber, team principal of Sauber, added: “Asia Jet is a prestigious and growing brand in a high-tech business in which time and performance are crucial, as is also the case in our sport. As Formula One is getting more and more popular in Asia with an increasing number of races to be held there, we regard Formula One as an ideal marketing platform for Asia Jet.”
The deal caps a successful commercial line-up for the team, having secured significant backing from Mexico, notably through a deal with telecoms firm Telmex.
A new report released by the National Bank of Kuwait on Sunday 19 December stated that the World Cup 2022 in Qatar will provide a significant economic boost to the national and its neighbouring countries.
The study revealed that Qatar’s significant construction programme ahead of the event will have a knock-on impact on other countries in the Middle East. According to the report: ‘Hosting the World Cup will set tight deadlines, create extra spending, bring in new expertise and present additional motivation and incentives’.
Among the infrastructure projects planned include a $25 billion metro and rail network, a $7 billion deep water port, a $10 billion international airport at Doha and a $4 billion causeway linking Qatar and Bahrain. $20 billion is also set to be spent on building and expanding Qatar’s road network.
A further $4 billion will be spent on 12 state-of-the-art stadia with air conditioning. The study added that Qatari officials have pledged to add 90,000 new hotel rooms before 2022, surpassing the 65,000 demanded by FIFA.
A plea has been made by England Women’s soccer team coach, Hope Powell and head of the national game for the Football Association (FA), Kelly Simmons, to move the whole of women’s soccer schedule to the summer period.
The call comes just four months before the start of the newly revamped Super League’s inaugural season.
Powell said: ‘When I was a player I always felt we should be playing in the summer. Moving the entire game to summer couldn’t realistically be done from day one, but hopefully we can work towards that and it would be great if it happens.’
Simmons added: ‘We want to grow the women’s game and I believe that taking it into the summer would attract more players and spectators. The WSL will be a closed league for two years but if the Premier League then becomes the feeder it would be a better fit if that league and the pyramid below it were played in the summer.’
By Martin Laurence, Staff Writer
Russia have won the bid to host the World Cup Finals in 2018. The team spoke of their delight stating that FIFA would “not regret their decision” and that they hoped “to make history together”. Despite rumours that Russia had slipped down in the list as favourites the bid was won based on the feeling that the World Cup could help to develop the infrastructure of the nation. President Putin’s absence was seen by many as a negative move however the move now seems to have been made through confidence in the campaign.
The final 30-minute presentations were made by the remaining four bidding nations for the World Cup 2018 today. Committees from Holland/Belgium, Russia, Spain/Portugal and England all staked their claim to host the finals in front of the FIFA executive committee at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich. With a 22-strong committee the winning bid needed to receive at least 12 votes after the final round of voting.
After years of hard work the hopefuls heard of the committees decision on who will host the finals in 2018 on Thursday afternoon.
Holland/Belgium
Holland/Belgium, the rank outsiders to claim victory, were first to present their case to FIFA on the morning of Thursday 2 December. The bid was introduced by the FIFA ExCo member for the nation, Michel D’Hooge.
The joint nations motto of ‘Together for great goals’ was perhaps the most football orientated and the bid was put forward by a number of Dutch football icons. The team was made up of Ruud Gullit, Johan Cruyff, Guus Hiddink, Jean-Marie Pfaff and Paul van Himst. Gullit was keen to highlight the key benefits of their bid including its compactness- “our limited size is our real strength”; it is a green bid due to this; it’s a bid from a strong economy; it’s a bid from the heart of Europe; it’s a showcase for joint bids; and finally, it’s a bid that intends to have a true legacy.
The presentation was littered with a total of five videos, cutting each speakers case considerably in a stop-start presentation.
Spain/Portugal
Up next were Spain/Portugal whose presentation began at 9am GMT. The presentation was opened by Pedro Mourinho and was quickly into a very formal and business-like groove.
The bidding team firmly established that though it represented a joint bid, believed to be seen as unfavourable by some of the FIFA ExCo members, the bid has a “borderless geographical reality”. After much of the media have overlooked the impact of Portugal on the joint bid perhaps it was a smart ploy to start the bid through the Prime Minister of Portugal Jose Socrates.
It was then the turn of the Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero who guaranteed that all FIFA’s requirements would be met speaking, as Socrates did, in his native tongue.
Though the presence of the political powers that be in the nations will have an impact, the presentation was lacking energy and fun installed by a short video with various clips of Spanish and Portugese culture.
Unlike the Holland/Belgium bid, Spain did look to use the FIFA ExCo member of Spain, Miguel Angel Villar Llona which they hoped would sway the vote in their favour.
England
England’s 30-minute presentation began at 10am GMT and was full of popular figures. Bid ambassador Eddie Afekafe offered a more personal touch, explaining how football had effected his life, initially in a voluntary role at Manchester City. The start to the bid had a good balance with Afekafe bringing a figure who can be related to, to the star-studded cast.
Prince William, President of the Football Association was next to speak, bringing a regal feel to the presentation from an individual who understands the importance of the game to the English public. Prime Minister David Cameron spoke without notes of the “passion and expertise” the nation has to host a successful games.
Possibly the most influential figure in the last few days has been soccer icon, David Beckham. Beckham spoke of his childhood growing up as a soccer fan and of the experiences and honours that have befallen him in his illustrious career. The player is a passionate and fantastic ambassador for the bid speaking emotionally about the benefits the Cup could bring to England and it’s children and grandchildren.
A polished and concise presentation was wrapped up by bid chief executive Andy Anson and a video showing the influence of English Football all around the world.
Russia
Last up were Russia, the favourites to win the bid for long periods of the process. Breaking news which shocked many yesterday was revealed confirming that President Vladimir Putin would not be attending the event. Putin stated that he felt his presence was not in the spirit of the game, seemingly condemning the appearance of political figures from the rival teams.
The bid was introduced by bid chief executive Alexey Sorokin who immediately looked to lift the mood following a lengthy and overrun presentation from Spain/Portugal.
“Being the last bid to present we have two options,” said Sorokin. “Either bore you to death with facts and figures from our bid book, or show you what is in our hearts. We chose the second option.”
The bid was very much focused around the fact that Russia believed they could make history with FIFA and open avenues to new markets and new fans.
A video was shown highlighting a little boys dream of playing for his country followed by a cultural glimpse of opera featuring football playing singers.
Russia hoped that FIFA would choose their bid to help them to develop their country and develop the game in a nation which may not be as familiar to international football on a global stage as some of their rivals.
Russia also used their FIFA ExCo member in Vitaly Mutko who joked, in a light hearted presentation “If you give us a chance, Fifa, you will never regret. I also promise that in 2018, I will speak English like my friend Geoff Thompson.”
The presentation was joined by sporting icons including pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and Arsenal soccer star Andrey Arshavin in a well-balanced and competent display.