The International Tennis Federation (ITF) today announced the return of international tennis to the London 2012 Olympic Park after leading British charity, no rx the Tennis Foundation, anesthetist was awarded the rights to stage the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in 2014-2016.

The NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters is the ITF’s official year-end wheelchair tennis championship, cialis with an elite field featuring the top eight men, eight women and four quad players in the wheelchair world rankings. First staged in 1994, it was held in Netherlands for 17 years, before moving to its current venue in Mechelen, Belgium in 2011.

Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, known as Eton Manor when it staged the London 2012 Paralympic Tennis Event, is currently undergoing major transformation work and will offer four indoor and six outdoor courts when it opens in Spring 2014 as part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The Tennis Foundation, Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and the owners of the centre, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, are working together on a comprehensive tennis development plan that includes community outreach, schools and disability programmes and development camps in addition to various national and international events.

The Tennis Foundation has a long history of staging international wheelchair tennis events in Great Britain in partnership with the LTA. It is a three-time host of the World Team Cup, and has organised the British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships in Nottingham since 1995.

“We are delighted that wheelchair tennis will become one of the first sports to build on the legacy of London 2012 by using facilities at the Olympic Park,” said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. “The NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters is one of the most prestigious events on the circuit, and its staging in London will help us in our efforts to promote the sport. After the spectacular success of this year’s Paralympic Tennis Event, British fans can look forward to the return of some outstanding athletes to London.”

UK Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson said: “This is another exciting, world class event coming to the country on the back of London 2012. This is great news for wheelchair tennis and will help encourage people take up the sport.”

Geoff Newton, Executive Director of the Tennis Foundation, said: “The Tennis Foundation has been delivering world class tennis events for disabled people for over 20 years, and hosting the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters will give us the opportunity to encourage more people to play and watch this fantastic sport.”

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: “One of the most exciting legacies from the 2012 Games is that London now boasts new world-class sporting facilities. This event will play an important role in maximising opportunities to grow participation in the sport as we continue to build the legacy from the 2012 Games.”

Simon Morton, Director of Major Events and International Relations at UK Sport, said: “We are delighted to have secured the 2014 NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters. This is the second Paralympic event to join UK Sport’s Gold Event Series – and the first to be staged at a London 2012 venue – building on the legacy our home Games.”

Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Authority, said: “We are thrilled to be hosting the world’s premier disability tennis tournament, becoming the first London 2012 venue to secure a major international sport event that will take place in three consecutive years.

“As the only purpose built venue for the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre was conceived from the very start as a legacy venue to raise the bar for participants, competitors and spectators – and these championships are a great way to use the inspirational power of sport to boost the numbers of people taking part in the future.”

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of the British Paralympic Association, said: “The venues were packed in London 2012, which shows that the British public has an appetite for world class international Paralympic sport. Therefore it is fantastic news that the first sporting event in the Olympic Park will be a Paralympic one, and I’m sure it will be a great success.”

Dennis Hone, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be one of the most accessible destinations for sport in the country. Securing the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters comes at the same time as a successful Inclusive Sport Fund bid that will see over a million pounds invested in sport for disabled people in and around the Park. One direct benefit will be a new annual festival of disability sport starting in 2013.”

ITV enjoyed a record audience in Britain who watched Bradley Wiggins’ Tour De France win.

Bradley Wiggins’ Tour De France win sparked a 25% rise in the TV audience for the legendary cycle race.

A peak of 3.6 million watched the live coverage on ITV1 and ITV4 to see Wiggins lead the peleton home yesterday before teammate Mark Cavendish claimed a record fourth-consecutive final stage victory on the Champs-Elysees.

Wiggins became the first Briton to win the gruelling race.

Coverage on ITV4 – the TV home of the Tour De France – was up by a quarter on 2011 for the combined viewing figures for the live broadcasts, a nightly highlights shows and a morning repeat, ITV said.

A total of 16 Turkish clubs involved in the match-fixing scandal have been cleared by the Turkish Football Federation but action has still taken place against 10 players and officials.

 

“It was decided that there was no cause to apply sanctions since the elements constituting disciplinary infringement did not materialise, apoplectic ” the federation said on its web site late Sunday.The clubs involved included Fenerbahce, discount Besiktas, thumb Galatasaray and Trabzonspor.

 

The federation’s disciplinary committee on the other hand banned eight officials from the 16 clubs for one to three years and two players have been sidelined from playing in all competitions.

 

Fenerbahce official Ilhan Yuksel Eksioglu was banned for three years for trying to influence the result of three matches while two other senior management figures at the Istanbul club were suspended for a year.

 

Turkey international midfielder Ibrahim Akin, currently at first division Gaziantepspor, and Ankaragucu goalkeeper Serdar Kulbilge were banned from playing for two and three years respectively.

 

The investigation centres on 22 matches in the 2010-11 season. The punishments all result from matches involving Fenerbahce, who won the league that year with Trabzonspor in second.

 

The federation’s professional football disciplinary board inquiry is separate from an unprecedented criminal case resulting from the same allegations that began in February this year.Nearly 100 people have been charged with corruption, including Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim. They also saw their Turkish league cup trophy awarded to Besiktas.

For the fourth year in a row, the Minnesota Vikings have chosen eLayawaySPORTS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of eLayaway, Inc., to process their 2012 season ticket renewal payments for their fans.

The popular payment plan makes it possible for Vikings’ fans to pay over a period of time for their season ticket renewals. Season ticket owners can choose to have the payments automatically drafted from their checking account or pay cash at any MoneyGram location.

“The Minnesota Vikings’ decision to renew is a testament to the power and reliability of eLayaway’s technology,” said Sue Jones, COO of eLayaway.”We remain focused on growth and the generation of revenues through verticals such as eLayawaySPORTS. The program is great for both the fans and the team. Everyone wins!”

Over the years, sports fans have come to depend on eLayawaySPORTS to help them schedule and automate their season ticket payments. The Company’s enhanced payment calculator, scheduler, account manager and other program features make it an easy and convenient payment alternative for fans wanting to pre-pay for season tickets, merchandise, sporting goods and much more. Minnesota Vikings’ fans interested in using this powerful payment plan to renew their existing season tickets should visit Vikings.com/eLayaway or eLayawaySPORTS.com.

Steve LaCroix, Viking’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Chief Marketing Officer, said; “The Vikings organization is happy to, once again, offer the valuable service of eLayawaySPORTS to its fans. They provide a convenient and affordable payment alternative that helps our fans.”

by Ismail Uddin

Cardiff will stage the UK round of the Extreme Sailing Series, now in its sixth year, between the 24-27 August, 2012 after securing a three-year deal.

The Cardiff stage of the global sailing circuit is only one of four events with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Special Event status, positioning the city alongside the other seven premium international sporting venues hosting an Extreme Sailing Series Act in 2012.

The host venue agreement with Cardiff City is backed by a Welsh Government grant for 2012-2014.

Since the circuit’s inception in 2007, the UK round of the Extreme Sailing Series has been staged during Cowes Week with the support of the Isle of Wight Council and Cowes Week Ltd, entertaining thousands of spectators along The Esplanade shoreline.

“We’ve had some great events in Cowes over the last five years and we’ve made significant investment as organisers to be there, but we just couldn’t afford to continue to subsidise it as a venue in 2012,” said Mark Turner, Executive chairman of the organising company behind the series, OC ThirdPole.”

He went on to say, “Whilst Cowes Week Ltd have accommodated us as best as they could both operationally and politically, we’ve never actually received a formal bid to host the event in Cowes.

“The circuit went global last year and requires significant commercial backing to stage 8 events across 3 continents, and we have worked hard to develop the circuit to attract iconic cities and venues from around the world who value the return on investment.

“Year on year the commercial value to the host cities of securing this event has steadily increased, and this is reflected in the 2012 developments. A pro-active and innovative host venue is critical to the success of the event, and we are very excited in this respect by the partnership with Cardiff and the Welsh Government.”

“Unfortunately, Cowes hasn’t been able to make a bid to keep the circuit here and it’s also disappointing for OC ThirdPole considering it’s home to one of our three international company bases. However, we remain very committed to the area and will continue to bring significant economic value to the Island as a business and through our other operations with our clients, such as, Artemis Investment Management and their extensive activity during Cowes Week itself.

“By 2011 our surveys indicated that there were many people traveling to Cowes specifically to watch the Extreme Sailing Series and we appreciated their support – we look forward to welcoming some of those existing fans to Cardiff along with a new audience the venue will bring us.”

A spokesperson for Cowes Week Ltd gave an explanation why the Cowes couldn’t stage the event.

“Cowes Week Limited and the Isle of Wight Council have worked very hard over the years to accommodate the Series within Cowes Week and the Series has always received a considerable amount of support,” the spokesperson said.

“From a commercial perspective, the normal commercial model that is in place for the Series has differed for Cowes Week. In most other situations around the world, the local authority provides funding for the Series in recognition of the visitors that these standalone events bring to a region.

“Given that Cowes Week has always attracted a significant number of visitors and that the event ensures it is one of the busiest weeks of the year for the Island anyway, the dynamics of holding the Extreme Sailing Series as an associated part of Cowes Week were always going to be different.”

Have your say on the matter, join our discussion: The perfect sailing venue?

LOCOG, London 2012’s organising committee, has added six more companies to its list of licensees for next year’s Olympic Games.

The six new products include maps made by A to Z Maps, limited edition fine art prints by Carl Freedman, London 2012 children’s Trunki suitcases by Magmatic, adult sunglasses by Oakley, children’s sunglasses by Zoobug and food gifts from Kinnerton.

In addition, LOCOG has signed Rainbow Productions to manufacture costumes and manage the personal appearances of mascots Wenlock and Mandeville.

Chris Townsend, LOCOG’s commercial director, said: “With just over a year to go until the start of the Games, it’s fantastic to see UK retailers embracing the once in a lifetime opportunity and joining in with the excitement of the Games.

“The wide variety of products on offer to the public means that everyone can show their support for the athletes, as well as take a keepsake of the Games home with them.”

The announcement of the new deals comes as LOCOG said it is set to award more than US$1.15 billion worth of contracts in the run up to the Games next year.

American businessman David Einhorn has agreed to buy a US$200m stake in financially troubled Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise New York Mets.

The announcement made yesterday, May 26, is subject to the completion of exclusive negotiations and League approval and comes in the same week as Mets chairman and CEO Fred Wilpon’s series of stark comments about the state of the team, both on and off the ballpark.

In statements made to Sports Illustrated, Wilpon claimed that the Mets are “bleeding cash” and could lose up to $70m this year alone, all amidst the fact that he, and team president Saul Katz, face a $1bn lawsuit by the trustee seeking to recover funds lost in Bernard Madoff’s notorious Ponzi scheme.

Einhorn appears to be ready to attempt to save the struggling side and the president of private investment firm Greenlight Capital Inc. has agreed to make a “minority, non-operating investment in the team” which is expected to be completed by late June. The sale is reportedly for less than 49 per cent of the club and will not include a share in SportsNet New York, the television network owned by the Mets.

Wilpon stated: “We are very excited about David joining our ownership group for several reasons. David’s investment immediately improves the franchise’s financial position. Equally important, David’s intelligence, integrity and success in both business and civic affairs provides us with another perspective in evaluating what is best for this organisation and our fans, and we welcome his input. In partnership with David, we look forward to achieving our ultimate goal of again becoming World Series champions.”

Einhorn added: “Having an opportunity to become part of the Mets franchise is exciting beyond my wildest childhood dreams. I spent my first seven years living in New Jersey and rooting for the Mets.” He added: “I have been a baseball fan for my entire life and have enjoyed teaching the game as the coach of my daughter’s Little League team. I look forward to partnering with the Wilpon and Katz families through the good seasons, the tough seasons and especially the championship seasons.”