Alex Rodriguez’s past catches up with him as he will meet with Major League Baseball officials this week in Baltimore to discuss allegations the New York Yankees’ All-Star third baseman took part in illegal poker games.

“I’ll be talking to you guys on Friday afternoon,” Rodriguez told reporters yesterday. “I can’t wait.”

Rodriguez missed last night’s 6-5 loss to the Oakland Athletics with a sprained left thumb. He hurt himself fielding a ground ball at Minnesota on Aug. 21, his first game since returning from July 11 knee surgery.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig acknowledged the investigation of the allegations against Rodriguez this month. “We take this matter very seriously,” Selig’s office said in an e-mail.

Rodriguez, a three-time American League Most Valuable Player, in 2005 said he frequently used illegal gambling venues. He said at the time that it was a mistake and that he “would never be back.”

Rodriguez, 36, played in at least two high-stakes games, according to a report on celebrity website RadarOnline.com citing poker professional Dan Bilzerian and another unidentified eyewitness. Rodriguez also helped organize and participated in a 2009 poker game in Miami.

MP & Silva have required the broadcasting rights from leading Brazilian media company Globo, to show top-flight Brazilian soccer across six Asia-Pacific territories. Amongst the nations which the top sports marketing and media company will cater for will be Indonesia and Australia.

Two live matches from the top Brazilian league, Campeonato Brasileiro de Serie A, will be shown in each round as part of the rights package. The company will also distribute Globo’s ‘Brazilian Football Magic’ programme along with highlights packages.

Carlo Pozzali, chief executive of MP & Silva Americas stated: “We strongly believe that Brazilian club football possess huge potential in the global marketplace, particularly in Asia. With Brazil hosting the 2014 Fifa World Cup and the domestic economy continuing its robust growth, there is major investment being channelled into Brazil’s domestic football and its supporting infrastructure.

“Brazilian clubs will be in a strong position to retain their best players and we believe that our partnership with Globo will further develop the Brasileirao by opening up new international markets and unlocking new revenue streams through stronger media distribution to Asian channels and broadcasters.”

 

PyeongChang’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games has signed a sponsorship deal with GS Group, the seventh largest privately owned company in South Korea.

GS Sport, a subsidiary of GS Group, already owns the FC Seoul football team as well as the GS Caltex Seoul women’s volleyball team.

President and chief executive of GS Sport, Chong Soo Chung, said: “We are excited to be involved with the Pyeongchang bid as the race to host the Games gathers momentum.

“We look forward to working with the business community in Korea and fellow sponsors of Pyeongchang 2018 to provide full support for the bid in the coming months.”

Chairman and chief executive of the bid committee, Yang Ho Cho, added: “The GS Group are a global business leader and they will provide excellent support to the bid over the course of the campaign.

“This is another sign that the business community in Korea is fully committed to the 2018 bid and I am excited to work with the new sponsors to promote the campaign in the lead up to the International Olympic Committee decision in July next year.”

PyeongChang is bidding against Annecy, France, and Munich, Germany, to host the event in 2018.

The Mayor of Madrid has said the city will put a bid for the Olympic Games on hold in order to help Spain win the bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Madrid has failed in its last two attempts to host the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, generic pills losing out to London and Rio de Janeiro respectively.

And now Mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardon has said the city will do everything it can to see teh joint Spain-Portugal bid succeed.

He said: “The Spanish Football Federation behaved incredibly well towards us in our Olympic candidacy. They directed their needs for matches to be played around the dates that favoured the Madrid candidacy.

“It is not a return of favour – it is for conviction that now all of us have to work together so that Spain is able to organise this World Cup and after that we can start to think about other sporting events.”

 

The Great Britain women’s volleyball team has undertaken a 272-mile bike ride to raise the £250,000 (US$387,000) necessary to allow them to compete in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Funding cuts have meant the team may have to cancel training programmes, harming their chances of being competitive at the 2012 Games.

The team is due to finish the ride in London on Tuesday, two years exactly until the opening ceremony for the Games.

Coach Audrey Cooper said: “It’s no surprise to me the girls are doing this, knowing their determination and energy. They are not prepared to turn up at London 2012 under-prepared. They want to be as good as they can be at our home Olympics to make the country proud.

“We started from nothing in 2007 and we’ve improved out of sight since then. We are simply not prepared to give up now.”

Volleyball was one of eight Olympic sports to have had London 2012 funding slashed in January because of a £50 million (US$77.5 million) budget shortfall.

International sporsts agency Fast Track has expanded its roots in Asia with a new office opening in Singapore later this month, discount alongside sister agency ICON.   

Fast Track, drug part of CSM Sport & Entertainment (CSM), stuff a group that also includes PEOPLE Marketing in China, branding specialists ICON, and essentially, one of the world’s leading commercial sales and athlete management agencies.

Fast Track’s first Asian office was established in Hong Kong in November 2010 and currently works with a range of sporting clients across the region including HSBC, AIA, the EurAsia Cup and the Asian Tour.

In a further commitment to the region, Jonathan Castleman, former Managing Director of Fast Track’s international businesses, will be relocating to Singapore in July to take up a new role as Group Managing Director – APAC and ME for CSM Sport & Entertainment.  Castleman will drive and coordinate the growth of all CSM’s agencies across Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

Commenting on the new office, Castleman said, “This is an exciting period of growth for Fast Track and CSM as a whole.  The Fast Track office in Hong Kong has grown from a single person in 2010 to the 17 staff we have today and our team delivers best-in-class services to a range of international and regional clients all across Asia on a daily basis.”

“Singapore’s major events policy is well known and we see huge opportunities in the Lions City for both existing and new clients.  It also provides a great platform for increased activity in the growth economies of South East Asia,” continued Castleman.

Dan Parr, the current Director of Fast Track Hong Kong, will have an expanded remit to include oversight of the new Fast Track Singapore office. “We’re very excited to be opening up shop in Singapore and I’m delighted with our first recruit in Darren Lai, who we have hired as our Communications Director”, said Parr. 

“Darren’s background is in sports journalism, having started off at MediaCorp’s TODAY newspaper before venturing into PR with boutique agency IMSG, which specialises in sports events.  He has fantastic experience and contacts in Singapore having worked for Nike, New Balance and Red Bull.  He is one of the rare breed in the industry to have media, client and agency experience and we are looking forward to having him on board right from the start,” continued Parr.

Fast Track, is part of CSM Sport & Entertainment and currently represents over 50 clients covering major global, regional and national sports events and a myriad of developing sports and youth engagement programmes. 

Fast Track is headquartered in London with offices in Abu Dhabi and Qatar, as well as in Hong Kong, Sydney and now Singapore.

The European Tour have revealed the Irish Open will be held in Northern Ireland in two of the next three years.

Royal County Down will host the tournament for the first time since 1939 from May 28-31 next year, with Lough Erne Resort staging the event in 2017.

The Irish Open was last held in Northern Ireland in 2012, when record crowds watched Jamie Donaldson’s victory at Royal Portrush, and former world No 1 Rory McIlroy has inspired its return.

European Tour chief executive George O’Grady said: “The Irish Open at Royal Portrush in 2012 captured the imagination of the country after a lengthy absence and we are delighted to confirm that the tournament will be back in Northern Ireland next year at another magnificent links venue in Royal County Down, before returning again in 2017 at Lough Erne Resort.

“We must acknowledge the vision and commitment of First Minister Peter Robinson, Minister Arlene Foster and their colleagues within the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board to secure the return of the Irish Open to Northern Ireland in 2015 and 2017, which further underlines the country’s presence on the world stage following the outstanding achievements of its players in recent years.

“Indeed, it was Rory McIlroy’s inspired suggestion to me during the 2013 BMW Masters in China that proved to be the catalyst for today’s announcement and we are confident that our players will relish the chance to compete for the Irish Open title at this iconic links course next year.”

McIlroy said: “We all thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing an Irish Open in Northern Ireland two years ago so it is fantastic news that we will have another chance in 2015 and again in 2017.

“Royal County Down is another great links course, which I know particularly well, and it is one which I am very proud of as a Northern Irishman, so I’m delighted to have the opportunity to play an Irish Open there. I’m sure the fans will come out and support us again and make it another week to remember.”

England’s Paul Casey won the Irish Open at Carton House last year and will defend his title at Fota Island in Cork from June 19-22.