A sponsorship renewal has been agreed by the Omega Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament with the locally-based Emirates, for a duration of four years.

The company will continue as the official airline of the event on the European Tour and in turn will receive extensive branding and signage at the Emirates Golf Club, on interview boards, and at the presentation ceremony.

Current world number one Lee Westwood and his predecessor Tiger Woods are set to participate in this year’s edition, which will be played from 10th to 13th February.

Executive vice chairman of Emirates Airline & Group, Sir Maurice Flanagan stated: “To be part of such a prestigious tournament is a great honour and with millions of TV viewers watching, it is an opportunity to consolidate our position as a global force in sports sponsorship and reiterate our commitment to Dubai.”

Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice-chairman and chief executive of tournament operators Golf in Dubai, added: “We believe that our steadfast commitment to making Dubai the ‘hub’ for all things golf, complements Emirates expanding network as they continue to work towards the goal of becoming the central hub for air travel worldwide.”

Italian soccer league Serie A will continue to be broadcast in Germany after a joint venture was agreed between Sky Deutschland and online portal Sportdigital.tv.

The programming will be added to Sky Deutschland’s Sport package and will run to the end of the current season at the earliest. Sky Deutschland will kick-off its coverage on January 6 when Inter Milan takes on Napoli and has the rights to air one game per week which will usually occur on Sunday evenings.

Sportdigital.tv’s general manager, Gisbert Wundram stated: “The acquisition of Serie A rights represents a further step in the right direction for Sportdigital.tv. Serie A is one of the most attractive and strongest football leagues in Europe.”

Sky Deutschland already carries action from the German Bundesliga and DFB Cup as well as the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

England’s 2018 World Cup bid team has lodged a complaint with Fifa against the head of Russia’s rival campaign over comments he made about London.

Russia 2018 chief executive Alexei Sorokin was quoted as criticising high crime rates and the drinking habits of young people in England’s capital.

Fifa has strict rules prohibiting criticism of rival bids.

Sorokin said he would apologise for any “misunderstanding” but not for the comments he claims were misinterpreted.

It is being reported that England is seeking a formal apology from Sorokin rather than expecting action from the ethics committee ahead of the World Cup vote for the 2018 and 2022 hosts on December 2 vote.

The ethics committee, chaired by former Swiss international Claudio Sulser, is already dealing with allegations of corruption involving two FIFA executive committee members, and collusion involving two bidding nations for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has confirmed a six-year multi-million dollar deal with German car manufacturer BMW.

BMW has been named as official mobility partner of USOC and will also work with four national governing bodies, USA bobsled and skeleton, speed skating, swimming and track and field.

USOC chief marketing officer Lisa Baird said: “All of our research shows that our fans really respect Olympic sponsors, because they know that’s the way we bring the team to the Games.”

In addition to providing financial support, BMW will also use its expertise and facilities to improve the Olympic and Paralympic teams’ training and performance, including at the BMW Energy & Environmental test centre in Munich.

Vice president of marketing for BMW of North America, Jack Pitney, said: “We can replicate any weather environment, even the most gruelling winter conditions.”

BMW has supported American athletes before as a sponsor of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has signed up Prozone as the official performance analysis partner of the 2014 IRB World Rugby Conference and Exhibition (ConfEx), which takes place at the Hilton London Metropole on November 17-18.

As part of the agreement, Prozone will conduct an official break-out workshop alongside the main plenary conference. The workshop will focus on performance analysis, data analytics and the delivery of new insights and success metrics.

IRB Chief Executive Brett Gosper said: “These are exciting times for Rugby with unprecedented participation growth, a record-breaking Rugby World Cup one year away, a ground-breaking Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019 and our Olympic Games return in 2016. It is very encouraging for the ongoing success of ConfEx that it is able to attract commercial partners so we’re delighted to announce Prozone as the official performance analysis partner for this year’s event.”

Global Head of Multi-Sport at Prozone Ryan Paterson said: “We are delighted to be a partner of the IRB ConfEx. A chance to share knowledge and build strong networks in the Rugby community, the event presents a fantastic opportunity for Prozone. As Rugby World Cup 2015 approaches, ConfEx is the ideal platform for us to communicate face to face with a large number of existing and prospective clients.”

Now in its second year, IRB World Rugby ConfEx will once again bring together leading figures and decision-makers from across Rugby and the wider sporting community, providing a unique environment for those involved to share knowledge and foster relationships.

A panel on Rugby World Cup – Past and Future has already been announced with a strong line-up speakers confirmed to take part, including Debbie Jevans, CEO of Rugby World Cup 2015; Steve Tew, New Zealand Rugby Union CEO; Alan Gilpin, Head of Rugby World Cup Ltd; Akira Shimazu, Secretary General of Japan 2019; and Bill Beaumont, RFU Chairman.

New Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Orlando City SC and the City of Orlando have announced the selection of Populous as the lead architect and Barton Malow as the construction manager for the new, downtown stadium.

Orlando City concurrently announced the selection of ICON Venue Group to serve as the Club’s owner’s representative overseeing the project.

The stadium is expected to break ground in 2014 and is funded through a 50/50 public-private partnership, with $40 million pledged by the Club and the remainder via public contributions secured to date from Orange County, City of Orlando, Seminole County and Osceola County. Orlando City SC has agreed to cover any cost overruns associated with the project. The stadium will be operated by the City of Orlando.

“We are truly excited to have Populous, Barton Malow & ICON Venue Group on board for the design and construction for the new, downtown stadium in Orlando,” said Orlando City President Phil Rawlins. “They each have proven track records and I look forward to working with them as we continue our progress toward our inaugural MLS season in 2015.”

The stadium will be located on Church Street, in a vibrant and expanding section of Orlando’s sports and entertainment district adjacent to the Parramore neighborhood. The new stadium will be accessible by both car and public transportation. The stadium’s location is adjacent to Amway Center, also designed by Populous, and will allow for synergy between the two facilities and increased activity in the surrounding community. Prior to moving into the new stadium, Orlando City will play matches on a temporary basis at the newly renovated Citrus Bowl stadium.

“This is an incredible opportunity for the City of Orlando to engrain soccer into the fabric of the city with the design of a new, soccer-specific urban stadium,” said Bruce Miller, Principal at Populous and leader of the design team. “Our design team is excited to work to capture the spirit of both the city and the fan base in our design to create a stadium that will be vibrant, intimate and iconic. It’s an opportunity for the team to redefine the soccer experience for an entire region.”

Populous is responsible for the design of the two newest MLS Stadiums – Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. and BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Tex. – as well as the design of iconic sports and entertainment destinations that include Yankee Stadium, Wembley Stadium, O2 Arena, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Amway Center and main stadiums for the London, Sochi and Sydney Olympic Games.

With the Masters underway, Augusta National chairman Billy Payne has suggested he will vote in favour of women finally being allowed to join the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson believes the club has “strong support” for the vote to admit women members, 260 years after it was founded.

And it looks certain there will be at least one ‘yes’ vote on September 18, assuming Payne travels to St Andrews to cast it in person as no postal or proxy votes will be accepted from the R&A’s 2,400 members.

Augusta National, venue for the Masters, admitted women members for the first time in October 2012, with former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore becoming the first women in green jackets.

“As I’ve said before, we readily and joyously welcomed our lady members when that happened a couple years ago and it remains a very good decision on our part,” said Payne.

“We are so delighted, and I know I speak for everyone, that they are members. I’m proud to be a member of the R&A and I bet you can guess how I’m going to vote.”

AMA Pro Racing have announced today that the premier AMA Pro SuperBike class will return to the DAYTONA 200 in 2015.

The 2015 edition of AMA Pro Road Racing’s kickoff event will be a 69-lap race contested on Daytona International Speedway’s 2.91-mile short course.

“Getting the SuperBikes back in the DAYTONA 200 has been a fan request for years and we’re thrilled to be making this announcement,” said Michael Gentry, Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. “The DAYTONA 200 is America’s premier motorcycle race, and our goal is to once again feature the biggest names in motorcycle road racing in the event.” 

The DAYTONA 200 is America’s longest-running endurance motorcycle race, tracing its history to 1937 when the inaugural race was run on the sands of Daytona Beach. 

The AMA Pro SuperBike class competed in the DAYTONA 200 from 1985 until 2004. Since 2005, the smaller-displacement motorcycles of Formula Xtreme and GoPro Daytona SportBike have campaigned the prestigious event. With the 2015 return of the AMA Pro SuperBikes for the 74th running of the DAYTONA 200, the top teams and riders will again headline the historic event. 

“The DAYTONA 200 boasts a long and prestigious history since it first ran on the sands of Daytona Beach over seven decades ago, crowning some of the true legends of motorcycle racing in that time,” said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood. “Our fans have been patiently waiting for the premier class to return to the weekend’s headline event. We are thankful to AMA Pro Racing, as well as Dunlop and the OEM’s for working together to help make this move a reality for 2015.” 

The adjustments to the AMA Pro SuperBike rules package, planned as part of the recently-announced AMA Pro Road Racing class restructuring, are a key component to getting the SuperBikes back in the DAYTONA 200 for the 2015 running. Another important element is the commitment of AMA Pro Road Racing’s spec tire partner Dunlop to the continual development of tires which are specifically suited to the special demands of Daytona International Speedway. 

“Dunlop is excited about the prospect of having SuperBikes back in the DAYTONA 200,” said Mike Buckley, Vice President of Dunlop. “Everyone on the Dunlop design and service team are enthusiasts first and foremost so the entire team is looking forward to supporting this endeavor.” 

The 2014 AMA Pro Road Racing season will kick off once again at Daytona International Speedway. The event is scheduled for March 13 – 15, 2014 and will have the same three-day format featured in recent years, highlighted by the 73rd running of the DAYTONA 200 on Saturday afternoon.