The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has officially received the bids for the right to host the 81st IIHF World Championship in 2017 from Germany-France and the other from Denmark-Latvia.

Following the success of the Finland/Sweden World Championship in 2011-12, link the door has opened to more co-hosting opportunities for the world’s biggest annual international ice hockey tournament. The winning bid will be voted on during the 2013 IIHF Congress in Stockholm in May.

France and Germany have combined forces in an effort to bring the Worlds as part of a wider effort to promote hockey in both countries. 

“From our side, cheap cialis hosting the World Championship is a part of the development strategy for France,” said French Ice Hockey Federation General Secretary Eric Ropert. “We thought that we wouldn’t be able to do it alone, after all the last time we hosted the World Championship was in 1951. We have an excellent working relationship with Germany, and we can benefit from the experience that they had hosting the World Championship in 2010.” 

“If we look at the last six years we are increasing the number of players, the national team is doing better each year, the media attraction is developing and our budget is increasing as we take on more and more partners. The timing is good for us.” 

The plan according to the bid is to have Cologne, Germany as the primary venue, with the secondary venue located at the Palais Omnisport Paris-Bercy Arena in Paris. Cologne’s Lanxess Arena – the biggest arena in Europe with a capacity for 18,000 spectators – will host the semi-finals and medal games. 

“We chose Cologne because of the good infrastructure and because it is closer to Paris than Berlin,” said Germany Ice Hockey federation General Secretary Franz Reindl. 

“In Germany we like to always have a goal on the horizon to reach. Hockey in Germany is very regional, newspapers cover the sport in the major cities like Berlin and Cologne, but at the nationwide level is where we think the sport needs to be promoted, and the World Championship will help with this.”

Denmark and Latvia have also tabled a joint bid for 2017. These two countries may be smaller than their bid rivals, but have repeatedly punched above their weight when it comes to their hockey teams. 

For Denmark, the main host for the championship, the 2017 Worlds would be the single biggest sporting event that the country has ever hosted. The site for the games in Denmark will be Copenhagen Arena, a planned multi-use indoor arena in the neighbourhood of Ørestad Syd. Construction of the arena is set to begin in mid-2013, and will be able to host up to 12,500 spectators. 

Since 2003 Latvia has hosted nine IIHF tournaments and two Olympic qualification tournaments, with a third coming up next month. The country has also developed a reputation for having some of the most enthusiastic hockey fans on the continent, and its national team is a regular fixture at World Championships. Latvia’s hockey-mad reputation was cemented in 2006 when Riga hosted the World Championship. 

“Taking into account the successful organization of the IIHF World Championship 2006 in Latvia I believe that it was a great experience for all participating nations, as well as all parties involved, such as organizers, teams, staff and guests,” said Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis. “With the experience the Latvian Hockey Federation gained during this event, we will be honoured to host the Championship in 2017 once again.”

Bitzio, Inc., a leader in apps, mobile media and behavioral analytics, today announced a licensing partnership with NFL Players, Inc., the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFLPA, to develop an innovative, player-based trivia application for IOS devices.

The Football Trivia app, which will launch in mid-October, will pit fan against fan as they answer trivia questions about a selected player in a competitive duel of football knowledge. To make the game more challenging and fun, users will need to dodge obstacles thrown by their opponent in a race against the clock to earn the most pigskins. The fan who collects the most footballs is the winner.

“NFL PLAYERS is the perfect partner for engaging, competitive mobile gaming apps Bitzio creates,” said William Schonbrun, President and CEO of Bitzio. “The cooperation we have received from NFL PLAYERS has been amazing. We can’t wait to make this trivia app available to the over 180 million football fans out there.”

Bitzio joins the ranks of an impressive group of licensees within NFL PLAYERS’ multimedia and interactive category. The division has already demonstrated consistent growth in the mobile gaming space and continues its efforts to identify creative app developers that incorporate the use of NFL players. “Bitzio will offer one of the most innovative sports trivia games on the market today,” said Kathie Vu, Vice President of Licensing and Business Development for NFL PLAYERS. “This partnership brings unique challenges to our devoted fans and gives them a new platform to demonstrate their knowledge of football and passion for our players.”

Fans can look forward to playing with football stars like Peyton Manning, Adrian Peterson, Tom Brady, Ndamukong Suh, Tony Romo, and Aaron Rodgers with many more fan favorites slated for addition in the coming weeks and months.

“We continue to see reports suggesting almost 40% of loyal fans will download apps for their favorite athletes, entertainers or teams and that over 45% of those fans are ‘social butterflies’ who tell everybody they know about the app,” added Schonbrun. “With more than 100 million smart phone users in the U.S. alone, and with such a strong global NFL fan base reported at over 180 million, we believe downloads will be measured in the millions, or tens of millions, for superstar players. Using advanced marketing and social media techniques, gamification and a freemium model that delivers great value via in-app purchases, this trivia game is stacked for success … and this is only the beginning of what we hope to deliver to football fans across the globe.”

The 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star game had the highest-rated prime-time show Tuesday night, according to overnight ratings. The game drew a rating of 8.1 and a 14 share, up 3 percent over the 2011 game.

NBC came in second thanks to a jump from “America’s Got Talent.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series was up 17 percent with a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49.

ABC landed in third in ratings with an average 1.3/4 rating and 4.4 million total viewers. CBS ran repeats Tuesday night, leaving it in fourth place in overall ratings with a 1.1/3 and 6.5 million total viewers, reports The Wrap.

Ratings represent the percentage of all households with televisions tuned into a program, and shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time.

National Basketball Association (NBA) side the Sacramento Kings have taken another step toward a potential move to Southern California and exploring relocation to Anaheim after a Sacramento attorney representing the team’s owners filed for at least four federal trademark registrations this month.

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s website, among the names filed were: Anaheim Royals, Anaheim Royals of Southern California, Orange County Royals and Los Angeles Royals.

The name change would be a throwback to the franchise’s earlier days when the well-traveled franchise was first known as the Rochester Royals during the league’s opening season in 1949. The side went on to win the 1951 title before moving to Cincinnati in 1957.

The newly name Cincinnati Royals then moved again to Kansas City in 1972 and agreed to change their nickname to the Kings to avoid conflict with baseball’s Kansas City Royals, who joined the AL in 1969.

When the side moved to Sacramento in 1985 they kept their new nickname and have done ever since. However, another name change is highly likely if the club relocates 35 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, where the National Hockey League’s Los Angeles Kings have played since 1967.

Sports apparel brand Under Armour secured a deal yesterday, February 14, to become the official performance footwear supplier of Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 2011 season.

The deal has been confirmed as a “multi-year” agreement despite financial details being withheld. The terms will see Under Armour awarded with the rights to produce and distribute the MLB logo on the cleats of its footwear, as well as obtaining the rights to display the logo in its advertising.

The brand will also receive exclusive and prominent branding at the MLB All-Star game under the new deal which shows a significant step forward for the brands sponsorship portfolio.

However, the deal does not mean that MLB baseball players will not be able to wear any brand of cleats, as in Reebok’s deal with the National Football League (NFL).

The board of the Football Association nominated David Bernstein as the new chairman of the governing body on 22 December. Bernstein was formerly chairman at Manchester City for 5 years and was recommended by the nominations committee, chaired by Phil Gartside.

The committee’s nomination was approved in unanimous fashion by the board and the FA Council will endorse the appointment at its meeting on 25 January.

During Bernstein’s 9 year spell at City, 5 of which were as chairman, the 67-year-old saw the club promoted back into the English Premier League. Bernstein also led negotiations which delivered the club’s new City of Manchester Stadium.

He is a chartered accountant with a long career in business, sitting on the Boards of several public companies including the French Connection Group Plc, Ted Baker Plc and Blacks Leisure Plc, where he has been Chairman since 1996. Since 2003 he has been a Director of Wembley Stadium and has been Chairman since 2008. He is also President of the National Association of Disabled Supporters.

“The Board was united in its view that David would make an excellent choice as Chairman of the organisation.  I have worked with David for some years and have always been impressed by his professionalism and integrity” said Acting Chairman Roger Burden.

“We look forward to working with David to take The FA forward in the best interests of football at all levels across the country.”

Nominations Committee Chairman Phil Gartside said: “David was the outstanding candidate for the role. He combines strong business and leadership skills with tremendous insight and knowledge of football.”

“I very much look forward to working with David and together focussing on the priorities for the development of English football. We have a busy year ahead with work starting on St George’s Park, the launch of the Women’s Super League, England men’s and women’s teams competing in major competitions at a variety of age groups and a drive to implement the recommendations of our review into international player development.” added FA General Secretary Alex Horne.

Mr Bernstein said: “I am honoured to be asked to take on the role as Chairman of The FA. It is a tremendous challenge but I look forward to working with the Board, the staff at The FA and everyone in football from local playing fields to Wembley and the international stage. ”

A £32m (US$50.2m) revamp of the famous English cricket ground Edgbaston, in Birmingham, will see major event hospitality services provider, Keith Prowse install a new range of facilities.

The venue is currently home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club (WCCC) but is also a regular feature in the Test matches played in England. The works are due to be completed ahead of the 2011 season which will see the capacity of the ground increase to 25,000 once Keith Prowse introduce a new Pavilion Stand. The development will be home to the Jaguar Club, The 1882 Club, Superboxes and The Edgbaston Suite.

WCCC Commercial Director, James McLaughlin stated: “The redevelopment will keep Edgbaston on a par with the world’s greatest cricket grounds, and by partnering with Keith Prowse we can ensure the venue continues to be attractive for corporate involvement”.

The company have strong ties to English sporting venues as official hospitality provider to the Kia Oval, Lord’s, the Wimbledon Championships and Twickenham.

Andrew Hodgkins, Keith Prowse’s managing director, added: “We are thrilled at this opportunity to position Edgbaston, which is renowned in cricket for its feel-good factor, as an entertaining hub for the Midlands. Companies can use sport to bring people together to discuss business in an exhilarating but unrushed environment, and cricket in particular offers a great opportunity to enjoy valuable face to face time.”

According to Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jaber Al-Thani, the nation has no plans to issue bonds in order to cover the cost of the 2022 soccer World Cup.

Sheikh Hamad announced at the opening of a courtroom at Qatar Financial Centre, that the government had already covered “70 per cent to 80 per cent” of the costs involved in staging the event. He revealed that most of the plans, in terms of infrastructure, had already been arranged prior to the nation winning the vote on 2 December with the event’s infrastructure as a whole, predicted to take about seven years to build.

The ICC Executive Board met via teleconference today to receive an update on the progress being made by the Pakistan Cricket Board in conjunction with the ICC Pakistan Task Team (PTT), erectile which also met earlier today, in implementing the key action steps required by the ICC Board to preserve the integrity of cricket.

The Board expressed satisfaction at the progress of the work being undertaken by the Pakistan Task Team and the PCB which has already established an Integrity Committee and appointed an Integrity Officer. The Board noted that the PCB has suitably implemented or begun to implement the ICC Executive Board’s requirements within the 30-day time period set.

They also agreed unanimously that Members should introduce an Anti-Corruption Code for their domestic cricket which mirrors that of the ICC by 1 April 2011.

Sharad Pawar, the ICC President, said: “The PCB and PTT should be commended for their excellent work and everyone involved deserves special praise for the outstanding progress made since our last Board meeting. Now that the PTT has begun consulting and interviewing a wide range of stakeholders involved in Pakistan cricket on matters of cricket structures and administration, I look forward to their constructive recommendations in due course.”

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, confirmed to the Board that he had written to all ICC Members on 20 October 2010 requesting Members to review the adequacy their own processes and procedures to protect against the threat of corruption (domestic and international) and where necessary introduce new measures which would include a domestic anti-corruption code which mirrors the ICC code.

Mr Lorgat added: “In helping the PCB, the ICC has prepared a template domestic Anti-Corruption Code, which incorporates in a consistent manner the same principles, offences procedures and sanctions as those set out in the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

“It was unanimously agreed to accept a proposal from the PTT, that all ICC Members, starting with Full Members, should implement a domestic Anti-Corruption Code in its jurisdiction on or before 1 April 2011. Where no domestic Anti-Corruption Code exists the Board agreed that the template should be incorporated as soon as possible and where an Anti-Corruption Code does exist that a review of those rules should be carried out to consider their adequacy.”

The ICC Board agreed that all Members should consider the proactive steps being taken by the PCB to ensure that their own internal processes on anti-corruption issues are robust and adequate to deal with the challenges faced and these should include structures to deal with integrity issues; on-going education planning and delivery; reporting of integrity concerns in domestic cricket and the vetting of player agents.

Mr Lorgat stated that: “It would be of great benefit to all stakeholders within the game for all ICC Members to adopt a domestic Anti-Corruption Code and a template will immediately be sent to all Full Members.  ICC has a zero-tolerance towards corruption and we will do everything we can to protect the integrity of our Great Sport. All Members have a responsibility to demonstrate leadership and good practice in protecting the integrity of the sport at domestic and international level.”

The Board also noted the PTT work in progress to review and provide recommendations to support the PCB in carrying out necessary reforms to restore confidence in the administration of the game in Pakistan while they re-iterated that team selection is solely the responsibility of the PCB. PCB must therefore ensure that its selection policies are appropriate and amongst other criteria, adhere to the principles and values of international cricket.

The ICC Board consists of the chairman or president from each of the 10 Full Members plus three Associate Member representatives. Also present at ICC Board meetings is the ICC President, who chairs proceedings, the ICC Chief Executive and the ICC Vice-President, as well as, by invitation of the President, the ICC Principal Advisor.

Sharad Pawar                                                              ICC President

Alan Isaac                                                                   ICC Vice-President

Haroon Lorgat                                                            ICC Chief Executive

Ijaz Butt                                                                      Pakistan

Dr Julian Hunte                                                           West Indies

Giles Clarke                                                                England

Jack Clarke                                                                 Australia

Chris Moller                                                                New Zealand

Mostafa Kamal                                                           Bangladesh

Shashank Manohar                                                      India

Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka                                                    South Africa

DS de Silva                                                                 Sri Lanka

 

Associate Member Representatives

Imran Khwaja                                                             Singapore

Keith Oliver                                                                Scotland

Apologies

Peter Chingoka                                                           Zimbabwe

Neil Speight                                                                Bermuda

Pakistan Task Team

The PTT consists of:

Giles Clarke                                                                (ICC Director)

Peter Chingoka                                                           (ICC Director)

Haroon Lorgat                                                            (ICC Chief Executive)

David Richardson                                                       (ICC General Manager – Cricket)

Ranjan Madugalle                                                       (ICC Chief Match Referee)

Mike Brearley                                                             (Former England Captain)

Ramiz Raja                                                                  (Former Pakistan Captain)

Greg Chappell                                                              (Former Australia captain)