Source: Reuters – Switzerland is considering closing a loophole for sporting bodies in its anti-corruption law following allegations of bribery among FIFA officials for World Cup bids.

Social Democrat Anita Thanei, who heads the Swiss Parliament’s legal committee, said she would launch a parliamentary initiative for the anti-corruption laws to be amended.

“I expect the measure will find broad support,” she said on Tuesday.

“International sporting bodies are acting in the public interest, which is why the public is legitimately bothered when such cases are not punished.”

Defence minister Ueli Maurer, who also oversees sport, said the justice ministry would look into the matter.

“It’s about corruption, it’s possibly about money laundering, it’s about fixing bets, touches doping too,” he told Swiss television news late on Monday.

Since the accusations surfaced last week, soccer’s world governing body FIFA has promised a zero tolerance approach to unethical behaviour in the contest to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Officials from international sport organisations are not currently covered by Switzerland’s anti-corruption statutes.

But politicians have called for action following news last week that two members of FIFA’s executive committee were provisionally suspended on suspicion of selling their votes.

Switzerland is home to dozens of international sport organisations who choose it as a base for its favourable legal framework and tax regime.

In addition to FIFA, European soccer confederation UEFA which is based in Nyon and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), housed in Lausanne and which was tainted by a vote-selling scandal involving the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002, are also located there.

Russia officially pulled out of the race to host the 2022 World Cup finals, impotent with the aim of solely concentrating on their bid for 2018.

“Russia is setting its sights exclusively on being awarded the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup and has formally withdrawn its bid for the 2022 edition of the world’s biggest and most important single sports event, abortion ” the Russian bid committee said in a statement.

“We hope to be entrusted with the hosting of FIFA’s flagship event and are ready to inspire the global football family in 2018, sale ” the statement quoted Russia’s bid chairman and the country’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko as saying.

Russia and England are bidding to stage the 2018 World Cup along with joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands while Japan, South Korea, Qatar, United States and Australia are candidates for 2022.

Last week, England officially withdrew from bidding for the 2022 tournament after the United States had pulled out of the running for the 2018 event, making certain it would be held in Europe. FIFA rules prohibit successive World Cups being staged on the same continent.

Soccer’s governing body is due to announce the winning bids in Zurich on Dec. 2.

The bidding process has been overshadowed by allegations of vote-selling, with two members of FIFA’s executive committee, Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii of Tahiti, being provisionally suspended for 30 days. — Reuters

ESPN Star Sports has signed up Bollywood film star Amitabh Bachchan to help promote cricket’s Champions League Twenty20 tournament in South Africa this September.

Bachchan wrote on his blog: “I have been signed on to endorse ESPN for the Champions League cricket T20 tournament to be held in South Africa in September. And because of paucity of time, we had to shoot all the promotional films and stills for print and short seconders for TV and dub it by the evening in order so they are able to release the publicity soon.

“Thankfully it has all gone off well and I have just completed the dub for what we shot in the morning. But the rush and the speed with which it all had to be done was some kind of a marvel.”

The Champions League Twenty20 brings together domestic league team from countries all over the world.

GBI Racing has announced a record turnover and reach for its international distribution and coverage of last month’s Royal Ascot meeting.

GBI, a worldwide provider of racing broadcasts and media services to betting shops, saw the five-day meeting generate a turnover of just over US$26 million from Tote markets – including the major territories of Hong Kong, Italy, Australia, France, Singapore and South Africa – while it was also shown in Sweden, Denmark and Norway for the first time.

GBI Racing chairman, Richard Brooke, said: “It is important that the industry can see the benefits of showcasing and selling UK and Irish horseracing as a unified product overseas and these figures are very pleasing.

“GBI Racing has performed strongly since its launch in March of this year, and we will be constantly looking at ways to enhance the service and build on this promising start.”

In addition, more than 2,000 betting shops took GBI Racing’s fixed-odds service around the world, including the Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Austria and Germany, while in the United States, races were streamed across all major online account wagering platforms for the first time.

IPC Athletics, the international federation for para-athletics, has announced that the 2015 IPC Athletics Marathon World Championships will be held in London on Sunday 26 April in association with the Virgin Money London Marathon. 

Although the IPC Athletics World Championships will be held in Doha, Qatar, in October 2015, IPC Athletics decided on switching the marathon events to London as it better suited the race schedules of the leading marathon racers. 

Up to 12 different medal events will take place including six events for male para-athletes and six for females, should they meet the minimum viability criteria.

Ryan Montgomery, Head of IPC Athletics, said: “Following the success of the IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup in London for the last two years, we are delighted that the British capital will stage the IPC Athletics Marathon World Championships next year. 

“London has a superb track record for staging top class marathon events, as demonstrated each year and during the London 2012 Paralympic Games. We are very excited about staging this event in the city in 2015. 

“In addition to world titles being up for grabs, the races next year will have added impetus as they will act as qualifiers for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and for some sport classes be the last opportunity to secure their place in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.” 

Virgin Money London Marathon Race Director Hugh Brasher, said: “The London Marathon has a proud history of inclusivity; we see it as a vital part of our organisational aims to continue to promote and empower the world of Paralympic sport over the coming years. 

“The 2012 London Paralympic Games showed the massive British public support for Paralympic sport. We are very pleased to continue working with the IPC to develop and raise the profile of the para-athletes in all categories. 

“We would like London to continue to be centre stage in developing the sport of elite marathon running within all categories, and look forward to welcoming back the world’s top para-athletes to London in April 2015.”

Sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media has become an exclusive marketing partner of 1. FC Köln.

The deal for the new season covers the complete marketing of the club including the main and equipment sponsor package, generic the stadium naming rights and the entire stadium advertising as well as hospitality services. The contract will run for at least twelve years up to and including the 2025/26 season.

Alexander Wehrle, medicine Managing Director of 1. FC Köln, capsule said: “We made the decision about our future marketing partner following a detailed market analysis. Amongst several offers, Infront clearly presented the best overall package – providing extensive planning reliability for future marketing revenues and putting us in a stronger position than would have been possible through a potential in-house marketing. In addition, Infront’s many years of experience and extensive network in domestic and international football was highly convincing. Furthermore, the company shares the same respectable and ambitious philosophy as 1. FC Köln. We are looking forward to a close and successful partnership.”

Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront Sports & Media, said: “The new partnership with 1. FC Köln is one of Infront Group’s biggest club mandates and a milestone in the expansion of our high-value international football rights portfolio. In the German market, over the past eight years we have tripled the number of clubs marketed by Infront and therefore offer our sponsors many appealing options in a highly emotional environment.”

Newly promoted English League One team Fleetwood Town have been given permission to start work on their new £6 million training complex.

The project, based on Poolfoot Farm in Thornton, which will also act as a community sports complex, faced some opposition but was given the go-ahead by Wyre Council.

The complex will incorporate a full-sized 3G playing surface and pitches for community use.

“We are delighted planning permission has been granted,” chief executive Steve Curwood told the club’s official website. “We hope the project will start within a matter of weeks.

“Once started, I anticipate the project will take up to one year to fully complete.

“This development will further put Fleetwood, Thornton and Wyre Borough on the map. The six-million cost is primarily from private investment and will create some 25 jobs.”

The Rally North Wales, due to take place next month, has been cancelled due to insufficient funding it has been announced today.

Wolverhampton & South Staffordshire Car Club Ltd revealed it was forced to cancel next month’s Welshpool-based Rally North Wales due to insufficient entries and the consequential potential loss of more than £10,000.

When the Entry List officially closed at 21.00 hours on Friday less than 80 paid entries had been received.

“We needed 106 entries just to break-even this year. With less than 80 entries the Club was facing a potential loss of in excess of £10k, which we simply cannot afford. Cancelling last year’s rally cost the Club a similar amount and wiped out any contingency funding for this year.” said Guy Weaver, Chairman of W&SSCC Ltd.

He continued by saying, “I wish to put on record the Club’s thanks to Clerk of the Course, Kevin Witton and his organising team for their hard work over the last year in producing what we believe would have been an excellent event. The Club cannot sustain this level of loss for a second consecutive year. All entry fees received will be returned in full.”

The event would have been the first of seven rounds in the 2014 MSA British Rally Championship and a qualifying round of the MSA Mintex British Historic and the MSA Pirelli Welsh Stage Championships.

BRC Manager Mark Taylor said, “I feel for the organising team who have done all they can under the circumstances, committing many months of tireless work to run what was shaping up to be a first class rally. The forests are apparently in first class condition; arguably the best in Europe and it is a real shame that the rally has a significant gap in the finances to make it viable.

“It would seem that alongside current uncertainties and lack of available sponsorship, motorsport seems to be lagging behind in the economic recovery, taking its toll on stage rallying.”

The first round of the Championship will now be the Pirelli Carlisle RB Foundation Rally on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th May.