The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has issued charges against former New Zealand cricketer, physician Lou Vincent, abortion and former Sussex cricketer, Naveed Arif, over match-fixing offences.

Vincent is charged with a total of 14 offences in relation to two county matches played under the ECB’s jurisdiction in August 2011 – a Twenty20 match between Sussex and Lancashire and a 40 over game between Sussex and Kent.

Naveed Arif is charged with six offences in relation to the 40 over game between Sussex and Kent in August 2011.

Both players have been provisionally suspended from all cricketing activities organised, authorised or supported by the ECB, ICC, any other National Cricket Federation and any member of any other National Cricket Federation.

Chris Watts, Head of ECB’s Anti-Corruption unit, said: “This has been an extremely complex and lengthy investigation co-ordinated across many jurisdictions around the world. This matter is now the subject of formal legal proceedings and we will therefore make no further comment other than to re-iterate our determination to bring to account the very small minority who seek to corrupt cricket.”

ECB Chief Executive David Collier added: “The ECB’s ACCESS unit has worked tirelessly in conjunction with the ICC’s ACSU to bring about these charges, which once again demonstrates the ECB’s zero tolerance approach to corruption in our great game.”

Ticket provider, PrimeSport, announced today a partnership as the Official Ticket Exchange, VIP Pregame Hospitality and Travel Package Provider for the 2013 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.

This year’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game will be held on August 31, 2013 at the Georgia Dome and feature the reigning National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide vs. the Virginia Tech Hokies.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this match-up between two top programs such as Alabama and Virginia Tech with two of the best coaches in college football, Nick Saban and Frank Beamer,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “Add all of this to two of the best fan bases in the nation and an unopposed time slot on ESPN and you have the making of a classic college football game to kick off the 2013 season.”

As the Official Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Ticket Exchange, PrimeSport creates a secure and approved marketplace for fans to buy and sell tickets in a convenient, safe and guaranteed environment. Ticket holders who are unable to attend the game have a place to safely sell their tickets. Buyers can be assured that the tickets are authentic and guaranteed, even if the game is sold out.

As part of the partnership, PrimeSport will also be offering official Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game ticket and hospitality packages for the dedicated fan looking for a VIP experience at the event. Official pregame hospitality will include regional food, cold beverages, music, along with Alabama and Virginia Tech former players. Official travel packages are also available from PrimeSport and include hotel accommodations, game tickets, official pregame hospitality, official souvenirs and much more.

“We are excited to be able and give fans so many options to customize their Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game experience with official tickets, VIP experiences and travel packages,” said Greg Nortman, chief operating officer of PrimeSport. “This is going to be a great game and we are looking forward to providing the PrimeSport Experience to Alabama and Virginia Tech fans coming to Atlanta in August.”

More National Hockey League (NHL) games have been cancelled raising the realistic possibility of the entire season being lost.

The league has wiped out all fixtures until January 14 due to the failure of the NHL Players’ Association and the NHL to agree on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The announcement takes the total number of games lost in the regular season, which should have begun on October 11, to 625 – 59.8 percent of the original schedule.

The NHL has previously said a shortened campaign should include at least 48 games, which means an agreement needs to be reached in the coming weeks.

No official deadline has been announced as yet by the NHL, which is the only North American professional sports league to cancel a season because of to a labor dispute. The 2004-05 season was lost completely to a lockout.

Players are currently casting ballots on whether or not to give their executive board the authority to file a disclaimer of interest. Such action would dissolve the union and allow individual players to file anti-trust lawsuits against the league.

Das DFB-Sportgericht hat Hannover 96 heute in seiner mündlichen Verhandlung in Frankfurt am Main zu einer Geldstrafe in Höhe von 70.000, healing – Euro verurteilt. Der DFB sanktioniert damit das umfangreiche Fehlverhalten von 96-Fans, healing insbesondere auch das verbotene Abbrennen von Pyrotechnik, während des DFB-Pokalspiels gegen Dynamo Dresden am 31. Oktober 2012 in der AWD-Arena. Hannover 96 hat das Urteil angenommen, es ist damit rechtskräftig.

“Der Schaden für Hannover 96 ist immens, nicht nur finanziell. Entsprechende Konsequenzen für die Verursacher haben wir nach den Vorfällen bereits gezogen. Ich will zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt nicht ausschließen, dass diese noch umfassender werden”, erklärt 96-Präsident Martin Kind.

Björn Borg will launch his clothing and sportswear business in China with a store on Shanghai’s notorious West Nanjing Road.

Björn Borg products will also be available to buy from Taobao, China’s largest e-commerce site.

Björn Borg CEO, Arthur Engel, said: “This is a first step in our Chinese initiative. We are in it for the long term, and this will be followed by a number of stores both in Shanghai and the rest of China.”

The company will sell sportswear, fashion items, footwear and accessories. {jcomments on}

The Korea Baseball Organization is reportedly enjoying the height of its popularity with record ticket sales.

Korea’s professional baseball league reached the million attendance mark in just 65 games on April 29, fourteen games fewer than it took to reach that level in 1995.

The KBO aims to reach 4 million at the fastest pace ever. With 3,952,118 spectators so far, the original goal of getting 7 million to the ballparks this season seems very plausible and 8 million may even be achievable, as just 251 games of the 532 have been played.

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The Mayor of London Boris Johnson will be joined by local schoolchildren on a specially designed and installed, see travelling basketball court to tip off National Basketball Association (NBA)  Basketball Week.

The initiative, which was announced earlier this year, is a week of free youth-oriented basketball events, which starts in London before travelling to five UK cities and returning to London next week in order to promote the sport in the nation.

The week’s events lead up to the NBA Games – London 2011 presented by Thomson Sport on March 4 and 5 at The O2 Arena, when the New Jersey Nets and the Toronto Raptors will play in the NBA’s first-ever regular-season games in Europe.

Basketball Week is being organised by the National Basketball Association (NBA), British Basketball (representing Team GB), the British Basketball League and England Basketball and aims to increase participation in the sport, giving young people up and down the country the opportunity to try their hand at basketball.

English Premier League soccer giants Manchester United have announced an agreemnet with express and logistics company DHL to become the club’s official logistics partner.

The contract will run for a duration of three years in which DHL will undertake a range of logistics services on behalf of Manchester United and also work with the Manchester United Foundation to improve the lives of vulnerable young people in the local community. 

DHL Express (UK & Ireland) chief executive officer, Phil Couchman stated: “By partnering with Manchester United we have teamed up with a brand whose international footprint mirrors our own. A major part of our business is to help businesses grow by offering them an efficient and effective international offer.

“The way that Manchester United has grown from humble beginnings formed by a group of railway workers into a worldwide brand with 333 million followers shows how small businesses can emerge into world leaders.”

A long-term partnership between window blind manufacturer, Louvolite and the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) has been extended for another year.

Louvolite will lend its support to the national ABAE championships, as well as grassroots boxing with an option for an additional 12 month extension taking Louvolite’s association with the ABAE to 14 years.

David Robinson, Louvolite director of sales and marketing, spoke of the company’s pride in its relationship with the ABAE: “It is extremely encouraging to see the professionalism with which the ABAE has promoted the significant expansion of amateur boxing in recent years, especially the proliferation of boxing clubs within schools and throughout many areas of our local community.”

ABAE chief executive Paul King added: “Louvolite’s decision to build on their investment in amateur boxing is an endorsement of the fantastic health of the sport which continues to deliver rising participation and is recognised as a valuable tool in helping to combat a range of social problems covering, health, education and crime. We are very grateful to Louvolite for its continued support and look forward to working with them for many more years and extending this mutually beneficial partnership.”