The South Korean government has appointed Kim Jin-sun, former Gangwon Province Governor, as ambassador for PyeongChang’s 2018 Winter Olympic Bid.

Kim was Governor for three consecutive terms and his appointment is considered a major boost for PyeongChang’s bid because of his experience leading the PyeongChang 2010 and 2014 Winter Games bids.

According to PyeongChang 2018, Kim will now work with the bid committee and “use his valuable international experience to help promote the bid to his network of global sporting community contacts”.

The Korea Times reports Kim is known to have a wide network within the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and international sports arena through his bid activities.

Yang ho Cho, Chairman and CEO of PyeongChang 2018 said, “on behalf of the bid committee I welcome the appointment of Jin-sum Kim as an ambassador for PyeongChang 2018. Jin-sun Kim will join the PyeongChang 2018 delegation at the OCA General Assembly this week and his wealth of experience working with the Olympic Family and the international sports community will prove invaluable as we approach the final months of the campaign”.

Meanwhile the South Korean government met Tuesday to reaffirm its support for PyeongChang 2018 and outline plans to coordinate and develop key features of the bid for the remainder of the campaign. Representatives from 14 government departments, Gangwon Province, the Korean Olympic Committee, and the PyeongChang 2018 bid committee also discussed how all parties will work effectively together to coordinate the forthcoming IOC Evaluation Commission visit in February.

Northern Racing has agreed a ground-breaking 40-year agreement on pitch positions with on-course bookmakers in a first for the sport.

The agreement is the product of discussions since the Gambling Act was introduced in 2007. The commercial deal on positions in betting rings in September 2012, health and last until 2052, with an option of a further 10-year extension.

The continuation of auctioning and private sales of positions has also been incorporated into the deal.

The Federation of Racecourse Bookmakers (FRB) now intends to recommend the agreement to its colleagues.

Group managing director of Northern Racing, Tony Kelly, said: “We are delighted to be the first major racecourse Group to have reached a commercial agreement with the FRB in what is a first for the racing industry.

“A long-term arrangement recognises the role that on-course bookmakers play at our venues.  It provides certainty for the bookmakers, and demonstrates what can be achieved when representatives of the horse racing and betting industries work together for their respective mutual benefit.”

Barry Johnson of the FRB added: “This agreement is the result of many months of hard work and we hope that our members will find it acceptable.  We are eager for it to stimulate deals at other RCA courses, since the future for on-course bookmakers is still uncertain for the majority.

“We thank Northern Racing for the good spirit in which the talks took place, and hope for more of the same elsewhere because there remains much to do before the 2012 deadline.”

The British Basketball League (BBL) and England Basketball have launched a new league dedicated in developing Women’s basketball.  

The Women’s British Basketball League will form the top flight of women’s club basketball in the UK from the 2014/15 season.

Comprised of the existing eight Division One Women’s EBL clubs, along with two newly promoted clubs to bring the league total up to ten, the WBBL will commence at the start of the new season in September 2014. By introducing a more commercial and professional outlook to the elite level of women’s basketball and by championing improvement in playing and coaching standards the WBBL aims to continue the upward performance curve that the women’s side of the sport has been enjoying over the past few years. 

England Basketball will continue to provide administrative and regulatory support through officials appointments, league discipline and FIBA relations for player clearances while the BBL will provide scheduling and results, marketing, commercial development, rights exploitation and promotion for the WBBL. 

Huw Morgan, CEO of England Basketball said: “Growth of the sport across the whole basketball market is something that England Basketball is very passionate about. Providing more girls and women with the chance to continue their journey to the top of the game is essential for both improving the performance of players on court today and creating an aspirational pathway for the players of tomorrow. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the BBL and women’s clubs across the country in making this happen.” 

Ed Percival, the BBL Chairman: “Everyone in the BBL is committed to making the WBBL a success. All our Clubs have very significant grassroots development programme, and basketball is a sport that is very attractive to boys and girls. Thus we owe it to our young fans to ensure there is opportunity for young women to follow their dream and become as good as they can. We have seen in countries around the world the improvements on and off the court in women’s basketball, and we felt the time was right to make this investment to grow the game further in the UK. Together with England Basketball we are committed to leveraging our various partnerships and resources to really make a difference to women’s Club basketball.” 

The new WBBL Clubs include: Barking Abbey, LSBU Brixton Topcats, Cardiff Met Archers, Leeds Carnegie, Loughborough Riders, Manchester Magic, Team Northumbria, Nottingham Wildcats, Sevenoaks Suns and City of Sheffield Hatters.

In a partnership effort between Dogecoin and Reddit, the No. 98 Ford Fusion of Phil Parsons Racing will have a new look at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway this weekend.

Earlier this year, Reddit user and tech fan Denis Pavel noticed a plain black car with a driver he felt ‘raced the wheels off the car’ during a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The lack of sponsorship caused Pavel to think of some of the significant fundraisers that he’s witnessed on the Reddit platform.

“I didn’t really know much about Dogecoin or Reddit when Denis Pavel initially reached out to us about the race at Talladega Superspeedway,” commented Parsons. “He watched a race on television and was excited about what he saw from Josh Wise and our team. We were able to connect on Twitter and everything took off from there-it’s amazing how social media allows sports fans to actually connect to us, and that it would allow something like this to come together. As far as I know, this is the first online effort like this that’s been able to fund sponsorship for a NASCAR team, so it’s pretty cool to be a part of it.” 

“I knew that Dogecoin had done some significant fundraisers, like sending the Jamaican bobsled team to the Olympics,” Pavel said. “I was thinking what kind of response I would get if I did ask the (Reddit) community about sponsoring a Sprint Cup car. They were all with it.”

Familiar with the digital currency Dogecoin, the 16-year-old Pavel from Niles, Ill., decided to utilize the currency to raise sponsorship funds for driver Josh Wise and the No. 98 Ford Fusion team. Exceeding their initial goal by 10% within the opening week, Dogecoin and Reddit were able to partner with Phil Parsons Racing for the Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway. 

“We are all about fun and goofiness,” commented Ben Doernberg, board member at the Dogecoin Foundation. “At the same time, we want to make sure that digital currency is really giving back to the world. We do feel like this is a technology that can make the world a better place, and we want to put that into practice by doing fundraisers.”

To date, this marks the first fundraising effort through Dogecoin and Reddit to sponsor a NASCAR race team. In addition to raising funds online, the team also took to the internet allowing Reddit users to vote on a paint scheme for Sunday’s event. 

“The more we’ve walked through this fundraising effort, it has really been special to us,” commented Wise. “People are noticing our effort. We’re a tiny little team with seven or eight employees. The amount of support we’re getting from the Reddit community … we’re just trying to do the best job we can.”

Mobile phone virtual network Lycamobile have revealed they have ended their ownership of Caribbean Premier League franchise, Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel.

A spokesperson from Lycamobile said: “Lycamobile has a long tradition of supporting cricket and cricketing communities and we look forward to aligning our cricketing interests to the continued expansion of the Lycamobile global footprint. We will continue to look at opportunities across the world and we wish the team the very best for the 2014 season.”

The decision has been taken ahead of the next round of franchise sales, and CPL is in advanced discussions to identify and secure a new owner for The Red Steel, which has already attracted significant interest from a number of potential owners.

Damien O’Donohoe, CEO of Caribbean Premier League, said: “Our goal is to create long-term meaningful partnerships with franchise owners that benefit cricket in the region. We part on good terms and we are both keen to establish other ways in which we can work together in the future to help develop the CPL brand globally.”

The franchise rights for the remaining teams (Antigua Hawksbills, Barbados Tridents, Jamaica Tallawahs and St Lucia Zouks) will go up for sale in the near future, and are likely to be acquired in the coming months.

A cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders has launched legal action against the NFL franchise last week on behalf of current and former Raiderettes, claiming they broke California labour laws by failing to pay them adequately or on time.

Lacy T, who worked as a Raiderette for the 2013-2014 season, said that the Raiders pay cheerleaders only $US1250 for an entire season and withhold wages until the end of the season.

“I’m hoping that they change their policies and procedures for every Raiderette who comes after me, and maybe other NFL teams will do the same,” said Lacy, who is using only her last initial out of fear for her safety.

Lacy’s lawyer, Sharon Vinick, said her client began working as a Raiders cheerleader last April but wasn’t paid until recently. Vinick said that, taking into account time spent rehearsing, performing and appearing at events, the $US1250 amounts to less than $US5 an hour. Minimum wage in California is $8 an hour.

“I have never seen an employment contract with so many illegal provisions,” Vinick said. “The club uses the Raiderettes to build its image, sell merchandise, and promote the team. Yet, they don’t pay these women during the course of the season, even though they are required to do so under California law.”

Oman has beaten bids from Buenos Aires (ARG), drugs Medemblik (NED) and Gydnia (POL) to host the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships in 2016.

Held annually, click the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships is open to sailors aged 14-19. At this year’s event, also held in Dun Laoghaire, 350 competitors took part from 63 nations.

Coming off the back of successfully winning the right to hold the Laser World Championships in 2013, the bid to host the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships was presented by Oman Sail, a  government-backed initiative that harnesses the power of sailing to contribute to the development of Oman and its people. It particularly aims to rejuvenate Oman’s rich maritime heritage and to this end has set up sailing schools with the target of getting 30,000 Omanis afloat over a five year period (they recently reached 10,000).

For the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) the attractions of holding the Youth Worlds in Oman were multiple. It is always keen to support emerging nations and, thanks to Oman Sail’s initiative in the sultanate, there are few other places in the world where sailing is promoted so strongly to its population, in particular young people.

Fiona Kidd, Chair of the ISAF World Youth Sailing sub-committee, which voted to go to Oman, explained their reasoning: “We had four excellent bids to host the championship, but one of the strongest things that came through in the Oman bid, was the legacy that would be left behind after the Worlds.”

In addition to the ‘hard’ legacy such as equipment and infrastructure, the committee was particularly impressed with the ‘soft’ legacy left by staging the event in Oman. “That it will inspire a whole generation of young people into sailing, was for me the overriding issue,” said Kidd. “Obviously they have the next four years and it can be the cornerstone of their own development, getting sailors to participate in every one of the events – they want to have multihull sailors and they want to have windsurfers – now they have a goal in front of them and they can develop their sailors to achieve that goal.”

The committee was also impressed by how much Oman Sail had achieved in the relatively short time it has existed. “It is an incredible model what they have done. It should be replicated in other areas of the region, in terms of how they are getting children into water sports, and their women in sailing program is fantastic. That energy all came across in their presentation.”

Hosting the event in Oman it is hoped will also attract and inspire sailors to take part from other nations around the Gulf area and Middle East. In addition to inspiring its future sailing champions, hosting the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships will also provide local race officials and organisers with additional experience in hosting international sailing events and the economic benefits these events in turn bring to the country.

The 2016 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships will be held at the Mussanah Sports City, situated on the coast of the Wilayat of Al Mussanah, 100km northwest of the Omani capital, Muscat. Purpose-built to host the 2010 Asian Beach Games, this Olympic-standard venue spans one million square metres and is based around a marina. Among its facilities are a 4 star hotel, apartments, an athletes’ village, food halls, a state of the art media centre as well as launching and landing zones for boats. This venue will also host the Laser World Championships at the end of 2013.

Oman Sail will manage the Championships, both on and off the water. Its staff now holds a wealth of expertise in event management, having twice hosted the Extreme Sailing Series in Muscat as well as running their own events such as Sailing Arabia – The Tour and Mussanah Race Week. In 2013, in addition to the Laser World Championships, the Extreme Sailing Series is due to return while the RC44 class is to hold its first 2013 season regatta in Muscat, both classes attracted by the prospect of extending their seasons into the ‘winter’ months, when in Oman the temperature is still around 20-30degC and the water temperature 25 degC – no wet suits required. The exact date of the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship has yet to be finalised but it is expected to be in December 2016 or January 2017.

If there is any down time, sailors will also have the opportunity to visit the Omani capital, Muscat a 45 minute drive away from the venue. The best flavour of Muscat can be had by walking the Mutrah Corniche, admiring the local dhows and, depending upon the timing, the local fish market and the famous Mutrah Souq market.

Oman Sail CEO David Graham concludes: “The ISAF Youth Worlds is an opportunity to inspire our youth, as well as showcase Oman in all its natural beauty to an international audience through sport, aligning perfectly with Oman Sail’s strategy.”

Wie Sponsors berichtet hat Servus TV Einbußen bei der Reichweite seiner Live-Übertragungen der Deutschen Eishockey Liga (DEL) hinnehmen müssen. Am vergangenen Sonntag sanken die zu Saisonbeginn noch passablen Werte auf das frühere Niveau von Sky.

Die Partie zwischen den Straubing Tigers und dem ERC Ingolstadt am vergangenen Sonntag erzielte eine durchschnittliche Reichweite von 20 000 Zuschauern ab drei Jahren. Damit liegt Servus TV nach dem 8. Spieltag der laufenden Saison auf dem Niveau, ambulance das der Bezahlsender Sky Deutschland in der vergangenen Spielzeit im Schnitt pro Spiel erzielte.

Zum Auftakt der DEL-Saison hatten die Übertragungen bei Servus TV noch ein deutlich höheres Interesse hervorgerufen. Die erste Partie zwischen den Kölner Haien und den Krefeld Pinguinen an einem Freitag ab 19.35 Uhr sahen im Schnitt 50 000 Zuschauer ab drei Jahren. Am darauffolgenden Sonntag verfolgten ab 17.50 Uhr im Schnitt 80 000 Zuschauer das Top-Spiel zwischen Adler Mannheim und den Eisbären Berlin.

Es bleibt nun abzuwarten, cheap ob die aktuelle Reichweite der verhältnismäßig schwachen Paarung geschuldet war und ob Servus TV die ambitionierten Ziele der Liga erreichen kann: Die Vorgabe lautet im Schnitt 200 000 bis 250 000 Zuschauer pro Spiel.