Shares of Chinese sportswear companies have risen by up to 10.7 percent.

Sportswear retailers made a strong rebound on the stock market Friday with investors believing they are likely to be among the first consumer-related sectors to recover from the economic downturn.

Anta Sports Products, the largest local sportswear retailer in terms of total sales, rose 9.6 percent to close at $0.77, while Li Ning’ share price increased by 6.7 percent to $0.53.

Other sports companies that rose include Fujian-based Peak Sport Products, Xtep International Holdings and 361 Degrees International, which all climbed between 9 and 10.7 percent.

UBS Analyst, Spencer Leung, said: “We expect sportswear to be one of the first of the consumer discretionary segments to emerge from the current downturn as the consolidation process is near completion.” {jcomments on}

Members of the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association met with officials of Nippon Professional Baseball’s (NPB) 12 teams this week regarding the union’s participation in the 2013 World Baseball Classic but no progress was made according to reports.

The union maintained that it will not take part under the current system, in which all sponsorship and broadcast revenues are put in the same pot and split by all participating organisations.

The league’s side explained once more in detail about the plan to create a permanent body called the ‘Samurai Japan Project’ that would guarantee revenue.

The union maintains it will not participate as long as WBC Inc. denies the rights of Japan to its own sponsorship revenues. NPB Secretary General, Toru Matsubara said: “We explained that the players’ stance is firm.”{jcomments on}

IMG, the major sports marketing and management firm, has announced that it will part company with the World Series of Boxing (WSB) at the end of the inaugural season of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) project.

The first WSB campaign is set to conclude later this month having got underway in November of last year, while the team finals will take place on May 6-7 and the individual championships will be held on May 27-28.

AIBA, boxing’s world governing body, will acquire IMG’s 25 per cent stake in the Series after the split, making the International Federation the 100 per cent owner of WSB.

AIBA released a statement reading: “The World Series of Boxing would like to clarify that IMG and the WSB have taken a mutual decision for IMG to cease activities as the exclusive sales agent on sponsorship and TV distribution for the World Series of Boxing and, as a consequence, for IMG to transfer its shareholding in the World Series of Boxing back to AIBA, the International Boxing Association.”

A joint statement released by the two organisations claimed that “IMG and WSB are pleased with the success of the inaugural season of the World Series of Boxing”.

However, the statement added: “Since the season started WSB and IMG have been in discussions on the respective roles of each organisation beyond the first season of the tournament. During these discussions it emerged that there were different expectations as to how the partnership should develop.”

generic pills Helmet, advice Freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1.077em; text-rendering: auto; clear: left; padding: 0px;”>Arena Leisure, the UK Horseracing course operator, has posted a rise in underlying profits, but says it expects challenges ahead as funding from bookies is cut.

Amongst other leisure interests, Arena operates seven courses in the UK – Windsor, Doncaster, Southwell, Wolverhampton, Folkestone, Worcester and Lingfield Park.

Last year, the firm saw a 10.4 per cent rise in adjusted pre-tax profits to US$8.74m.

However, chairman David Thorpe said the yield from the levy on bookmakers was estimated to fall this year, stating: “The yield from the levy is estimated to fall to £64.8m ($104.9m) in 2010-11 as a result of the movement of internet and telephone betting offshore, the impact of overseas betting operators and betting exchanges.

“The levy is fundamental to the support of horseracing in the UK and it is our belief that all parties should seek to maintain it in a modernised and restructured form.”

During 2010, Arena staged 352 horse racing fixtures and said its average attendance had increased by 4.2 per cent to 1,800 over the period.

Rugby New Zealand 2011 chief executive Martin Snedden added to the debate, denying speculation that the country could lose some games to Australia. However, Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee revealed at the weekend that Christchurch’s involvement in the tournament was far from certain, even though only minor damage was sustained at the city’s AMI Stadium.

In an interview with TVNZ, Brownlee stated: “To lose the Rugby World Cup from Christchurch would be a massive blow. I don’t want to see it happen, but we’ve got to be realistic about the prospect. This place recovered amazingly well after the September 4 earthquake (last year), but let’s not rush too far ahead of things.”

While the World Cup games remain in doubt, the management at AMI Stadium have ruled out Super 15 matches taking place at the venue until at least March 15.

A non-exclusive licensing agreement has been reached between NASCAR and the world’s largest retailer Wal-Mart, to make apparel, home goods and other products bearing NASCAR, driver and team marks and imagery.

The deal is Wal-Mart’s first licensing agreement with a major sports property after agreeing to a three-year deal with options for an extension with NASCAR. Wal-Mart will pay a licensing royalty, but terms of that royalty were not available.

Wal-Mart plans to support its licensing agreement over the next two weeks with a special “Race Time” promotion that begins today in more than 1,500 stores nationwide. The “Race Time” promotion will feature nearly a dozen of NASCAR’s sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Mars and Miller-Coors in a specially branded area of the store.

Major League Soccer (MLS) side DC United are trying to be convinced by the local Development Corp. in the city of Baltimore, clinic Maryland, ask to relocate by highlighting the economic benefits gained from a new Westport based, soccer-specific stadium.

The possibility of a move has been in talks by representatives of the club and the city respectively but formal discussions are on hold until a commitment is made with regards to a facility. The possibilities of both a 25,000-seater stadium in Westport or the far smaller option of a 10,000,seat venue.

According to a feasibility study produced on the proposals, 940 new jobs could be generated through a new soccer-specific stadium with US$2.8m in city tax revenue. It was also stated that the stadium could host 49 to 54 events every year, including 17 DC United games. Spectator spending has been estimated at between $65.7 and $78 million each year.

A three-year deal has been agreed which will see Coca-Cola extend their sponsorship of German Bundesliga soccer club Eintracht Frankfurt.

Coca-Cola will remain a second tier partner of the club, with pouring rights for non-alcoholic drinks at the club’s home ground, the Commerzbank Arena. Coca-Cola will also participate in a range of promotional activities in a deal thought to be worth an estimated US$450,000 a year.

Heribert Bruchhagen, Eintracht Frankfurt chairman said that the support of a global brand like Coca-Cola would help the club build for the future.