The Wales Rally GB has secured funding for the next two years after a successful 2013 event according to economy minister Edwina Hart.

The 2013 Wales Rally GB provided the region with a multi-million pound boost, attracted thousands of spectators and was watched by 600m television viewers world wide. Hart’s announcement is aimed at replicating this success in the 2014 and 2015 events.

“Wales Rally GB is one of our flagship events which gets worldwide coverage, so I am particularly pleased that efforts to revitalise the event and attract more spectators and entries are paying off,” she said.

“The people of north- and mid-Wales are incredibly supportive of the event and local authorities and businesses have all reported increased economic activity in the area due to the rally. We want to maximise the benefits coming to Wales and build on this momentum, which is why I have agreed in principle funding for Wales Rally GB over the next two years.”

The Welsh Government will provide up to £1.5m per annum to support the staging of the rally in 2014 and 2015, subject to evaluating the impact of the events against agreed targets.

“We are, of course, absolutely delighted for the on-going commitment from the Welsh Government,” Andrew Coe, chief executive of rally organiser International Motor Sports, said, “The move to a new base in north Wales really revitalised the event in 2013 and we are already making exciting plans to build on that success with an even bigger and better Wales Rally GB in November.

“What’s more we now also have the fillip of a top Welsh driver, Elfyn Evans, competing in a front-running world championship team and that’s another major boost both for Wales Rally GB and the sporting scene in Wales.”

In addition to the guarantee of funding, Hart added that the Welsh Government will also support an automotive conference and student industry awareness day in 2014 and 2015 to run alongside the Rally and a reprint of the Motor Sport Directory to promote Welsh businesses in the sector.

The Serbia Open has been removed from the ATP Tour calendar for 2013.

The tournament, founded and organised by the family of world No 1 Novak Djokovic, has been staged in Belgrade for the last four years, but it failed to attract decent attendances last year and the economic decline also made it difficult for sponsors to keep funding the event.

“The Serbia Open tennis tournament in Belgrade will no longer feature on the ATP World Tour calendar following the decision by the organisers to cease the tournament’s operations,” read an ATP statement.

The statement also quoted tournament organisers Family Sport as saying that they have “made the most rational decision considering the circumstances”.

“We are grateful for everyone’s contribution and help in running this event that brought a lot of international stars and attention to Serbia,” it said.

“Unfortunately, we will not be able to run the Belgrade tournament and have decided to cease the tournament’s operations from 2013.”

The UCI today announced that the Tour of Hangzhou, which was on the WorldTour calendar in its very first year and set to take place from October 17-21, has been postponed, adding that it would “seek to be part of the UCI WorldTour calendar in 2013”.

The addition of the Tour of Hangzhou to the calendar was facilitated by the UCI’s sports promotion branch, Global Cycling Productions, together with the Chinese Cycling Association, Chinese Sports Ministry and the city of Hangzhou.

The decision to scrap the 2012 edition, “was made by the UCI together with all the implicated parties … after an in-depth analysis of the situation two months out from the event,” the UCI’s press release read.

“Despite the efforts of all those involved in this initiative – and the UCI wishes to thank them for their commitment – not all the general conditions necessary to guarantee that the race would fulfil the UCI WorldTour quality criteria had been met.”

GCP director Alain Rumpf said that despite putting a lot of work into the race this year, they needed more time to “fine-tune certain internal matters in China”.

“In choosing to delay the first edition, we can ensure that the event will meet the expectations of all our partners, as was the case last year with the Tour of Beijing,” Rumpf said.

UCI President Pat McQuaid reiterated the Tour’s importance in the globalisation of the sport, calling the race, “a very important element in the UCI’s strategy for the development of cycling, and the decision to postpone the organisation of this event will have no negative consequences on the project.”

The second Tour of Beijing is due to take place from October 9-13.

Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad, has ridiculed the decision to omit Windsufing from the Olympics in his exclusive iSportconnect interview after the event was removed from the Olympics starting from Rio 2016.

The International Sailing Federation opted to instead let Kiteboarding into the Olympics. 

“The windsurfing decision is a disaster. When Flying Dutchman was removed from the Olympics I supported it because it was the right decision and it was taken in a professional way,” Frostad said.

“What I’m really upset about with this decision is that they’ve removed the second biggest Olympic class, just behind laser both in number of countries and participants. With this, they don’t even know what they’re getting. It was a poor decision and a poor process.”

Want to hear what else Knut Frostad had to say? Read his exclusive iSportconnect fearured profile here>>

An Edinburgh court has ruled in favour of Rangers appeal over a 12-month transfer embargo.

Lord Glennie considered the arguments of the club and the SFA after a three-hour hearing at the Court of Session in Edinburgh before ruling that the SFA had “no right” to issue the ban.

The matter will now be referred back to the governing body’s appeals tribunal for a new hearing.

Rangers were hit with the transfer ban, the first of its kind in Scottish football, for bringing the game into disrepute after failing to pay £13 million in taxes last season, and lost their first appeal with the SFA last week.

The conventional next step for Rangers would have been to take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, but instead the club turned to legal action, which is prohibited under FIFA rules.

Rangers argued that the sanction was an unlawful punishment as it had not been an available option to the SFA panel that imposed it, specifically a ban preventing the club from registering any players aged 18 and over.

The SFA disputed that claim, arguing that it exercised a clause included in their rules that a judicial panel can implement any sanctions it deems appropriate, and also questioned whether the court had jurisdiction over a footballing matter.

The panel stated that the club’s actions were second only to match-fixing in their seriousness and that it had considered expelling or suspending Rangers from the SFA before opting for the transfer embargo, a decision upheld on appeal by serving judge Lord Carloway.

Meanwhile, administrators Duff and Phelps remain upbeat about their chances of handing Rangers over to Charles Green’s consortium after sending a pence-in-the-pound proposal to the club’s creditors in a bid to exit administration.

If the Company Voluntary Arrangement proposals are agreed at a meeting on June 14, Rangers could exit administration within a month, but the success of that meeting is largely dependant on the result of a HMRC tribunal.

Rangers’ debts are estimated to be between £55 million and £135 million, with an investigation into the club’s tax affairs ongoing.

Queens Park Rangers (QPR) are freezing season ticket renewal prices, the club has announced.

Rangers secured Barclays Premier League status on a dramatic final day, despite losing at champions Manchester City.

With another lucrative top-flight campaign to look forward to, the west London club have moved to ease the pressure on their fans in 2012/2013, when under-eights will be able to watch the Hoops free when accompanied by a full-paying adult.

Chairman Tony Fernandes said on the club’s official website: “When I first joined this fantastic club in August, I knew our return to the Premier League would be an adventure – but nothing could prepare me for the rollercoaster ride of last season.

“Retaining our top-flight status is only the beginning.

“Rest assured that as you continue to support QPR, myself, the other owners and the playing and non-playing staff will work tirelessly to ensure it remains a club you can be proud of.

“Next season promises to be equally as exciting, yet hopefully not as nail-biting – and we want you to be part of it.”

The National Football League (NFL) is splitting the key part of its apparel licensing between two companies, including Nike Inc, in a move that analysts said would boost revenue.

The five-year, multimillion-dollar deals with those companies and five others will begin in April 2012, and analysts said they could be worth $1 billion to the U.S. sports league.

Under the new agreements, the NFL split the onfield apparel license among Nike and privately held New Era. SportsOneSource analyst Matt Powell called that license the “plum” of the group because it makes up more than half of the revenue.

“As you’re watching the game, you’ll see nothing but the Nike logo,” he said.

Adidas AG’s Reebok brand currently holds those licenses, which expire after the 2011-2012 season. Adidas and Under Armour Inc had bid for the Nike license.

Under Armour remains the sponsor of the league’s scouting combine and will also begin selling related apparel.

“The league is looking to grab as much money as it can from the licensees by splitting it,” Powell said. “They got more money than they would have from one guy.”

The NFL did not disclose the terms of the new agreements, approved by its 32 owners at a meeting in Chicago, but said they topped the value of the current deals.

Powell estimated the collective deals could be worth up to $1 billion for the NFL. While no estimate for the current deals is available, reports had Reebok alone paying $300 million over its 10-year agreement that it signed in 2001.

Revenue for NFL-licensed apparel at retail in the United States totaled about $1.9 billion in 2009, but had fallen at a mid-teen percentage rate so far this year, according to SportsOneSource.

Eric Grubman, executive vice president of NFL ventures and business operations, said: “The new framework will provide fans with a wider breadth of merchandise from global category leaders in the sports licensed apparel industry.”

Under the new deal, Nike gets the license for uniforms and gear worn by players and coaches on the sidelines, while New Era is the onfield hat supplier, the NFL said.

Nike Brand President Charlie Denson added: “Certainly, the NFL represents one of the premier sports franchises here in the USA. We believe the United States still represents a great growth opportunity for the Nike brand.”

Reebok said in a statement that it had enjoyed its long NFL deal, but would focus on its other sports partners, including the National Hockey League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer, as well as several colleges.