Sports marketing agency Essentially, part of the CSM Group, have announced that Saracens and England fly-half Owen Farrell has signed exclusively with the Athlete Commercial Division. 

The news comes just 18 months ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup which is being hosted in the UK. 

Head of Commercial, Ross Connolly, said “We’re very excited about Owen coming on board and forming a successful partnership in the run up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup and beyond. Having worked with him in the past we’ve already established a good relationship and we’re looking forward to working alongside Owen and Andy Clarke in what I believe is an incredibly exciting time for him.” 

Owen Farrell’s agent Andy Clarke added, “I’ve worked with Essentially a few times during the past year and believe they are the best placed agency to match Owen’s commercial needs. Their global reach and rugby heritage made them an obvious choice for Owen.” 

As England’s starting fly-half at just 22 years old, Owen has a bright future ahead of him and his recent performances in the Six Nations have increased his profile further, making him an attractive proposition for brands in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup. Owen said “I made the decision to sign with a sports agency to manage my growing commercial commitments and I’m really looking forward to building a long-term partnership with Essentially.” 

CSM’s current clients include Dove Men+ Care, Lucozade and HSBC as well as Rugby World Cup sponsors Clifford Chance and Land Rover. 

Venue designers Populous and Mortenson have been selected as the design/build team for the $143 million Athletic Complex Expansion at the University of Colorado.

This will be the largest renovation in the history of Folsom Field and Dal Ward Athletic Center, asthma and will significantly improve the fan and student-athlete experience by providing enhanced amenities for fans and state-of-the-art resources and spaces for student-athletes to  study and train.

The expansion project will include a renovation of the Dal Ward Athletic Center that will include adding an end zone club, cough premium seating, locker-rooms for Olympic Sports and expanding sports medicine and weight room areas. 

The northeast corner addition will feature a high performance sports center and numerous football program amenities with expanded sports medicine and sports performance areas, meeting rooms and office/meeting spaces.   In addition, an indoor practice facility will be constructed at a to be determined location.

Populous previously completed the master plan for the Athletic Complex Expansion at University of Colorado.

The project has a target completion date of August 2015.

Troon Golf has expanded its impressive Moroccan portfolio with the recent announcement it has been appointed to manage the Palm Golf Club Marrakech.

Following the announcement in 2013 that Troon will manage sister venues at Les Jardins De l’Atlas, cough Marrakech and the California Golf Resort, adiposity Casablanca, recipe the signing of Palm Golf Club Marrakech demonstrates the ownerships confidence in Troon for its winning philosophy of prestigious venues with exemplary course conditioning and superior levels of service.

Previously known as the Palmeraie Golf Club, the newly named Palm Golf Club Marrakech is an exciting move forward for the historic Robert Trent Jones course. 

“These are extremely positive times in Morocco; the destination continues to grow with loyal client bases across the globe and the signing of Palm Golf Club Marrakech adds an all-new string to the bow of Troon in the EMEA division.” commented Bruce Glasco, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director, Troon International Operation.

“We were quick to see the quality of golf on offer in Morocco and its ability to provide a unique experience, we are delighted that the Palmeraie Development Group have chosen Troon to manage yet another resort from their selection of world-class venues in Morocco. This is testament to our ongoing desire to exceed expectations and no surprise that the ownership group have realised the potential of Troon to deliver an unrivalled visitor experience, blanketing this across their existing venues.”

Nestled in the lush Palmgrove of Marrakech, the noteworthy Palm Golf course fully utilises its stunning backdrop of the snow-capped peaks of the Atlas Mountains within the 27 hole design. The clubhouse is just as striking, shaped like a Moroccan Riad, combining traditional Moroccan art and modern comfort along with 11 luxurious rooms encouraging peace and tranquillity.

Mr Stéphane Talbot, General Manager Palm Golf Club Marrakech also commented on the announcement: “The signing of Troon to manage Palm Golf Club was an easy one, their ability to install best practices and leading procedures for both the new developments in Casablanca and Marrakech was a clear indicator our overall guest experience at existing Palmeraie venues could also be enhanced to the same standards. We are confident that Palm Golf Club Marrakech, along with its sister venues, have all the foundations to become some of the world’s most captivating golfing destinations.”

Guangzhou has been selected as the host for the newly announced Chinese round for next year’s DTM championship instead of Shanghai.

The series recently confirmed its return to China earlier this year but had not specified a location until today.

DTM boss Hans Werner-Aufrecht believes the championship now stands a better chance of producing an exciting spectacle at Guangzhou rather than opting to staging the race at Shanghai for a third time.

“I’m delighted that we succeeded in finding the suiting area for a spectacular street circuit that will host the DTM race in September 2014,” said Aufrecht.

“To date, we have contested two DTM races, in China, and we have an obligation. In our previous races in China, we didn’t deliver on the top level and therefore, it’s about time for us to provide top motor racing in China, too.

“I’m convinced that we will be able to do so and thrill the Chinese motor-racing enthusiasts.”

Former double-F1 world champion and DTM race winner Mika Hakkinen thinks the move to hold the race at Guangzhou will only serve well for the championships already established popularity.

“The DTM is definitely one of the world’s premier racing series and is very much on track with the international expansion into China planned for next year, which will increase its popularity,” said Hakkinen. 

“I’ve seen for myself the enthusiasm and passion of the Chinese fans. I’m sure that the Chinese motor racing enthusiasts will really enjoy seeing the DTM in Guangzhou in 2014.”

Maggie Ip, who chairs the race promoting Brilliant Culture Groups, says Guangzhou’s interest and knowledge of motorsport along with its close proximity to Hong Kong was a key factor in the Southern province city getting the nod ahead of Shanghai.

“We wanted to race in Guangdong province because the people there have a good understanding of, and have developed an unrivalled passion for motorsports,” said Ip.

“Guangdong is also close to Hong Kong, and motorsports fans there will come to Guangzhou to experience DTM.”

Australian bank ANZ has become a sponsor of the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

The parties agreed a five-year contract that will see ANZ become the tennis tournament’s International Banking and Finance Partner.

ANZ Global Wealth and Private Banking CEO, capsule Joyce Phillips said the company wanted to sponsor the Masters because it has become one of the most important events in global tennis calendar with a worldwide audience of more than 45 million people.

“ANZ has a long-standing presence in China and this partnership not only reinforces our long-term commitment to China but also provides a valuable platform to help build our brand connection across the region, cheap ” Phillips said.

ANZ also naming rights to the China Tennis Development Program, a grassroots initiative that aims to develop young talent and help grow tennis in China.{jcomments on}

British Cycling Chief Executive Ian Drake is upbeat about the state of British Cycling following the publication of Sport England’s Active People results, adiposity which show that 161, price 000 more people are cycling now than six months ago.

The news of the growth in participation follows the continuing success of British Cycling’s annual Sky Rides – mass traffic-free bikes rides typically attended by thousands of cyclists and their families. Last year, ambulance over 200,000 people took part in Sky Ride events across the UK.   

Today’s Sport England figures also show that participation among women has risen – 54,000 more women are cycling now than six months ago. This is thanks to initiatives like Breeze – a British Cycling scheme aimed specifically at getting women back on their bikes.

The figures also show that there has been an increase in participation among people with a disability.

British Cycling’s Chief Executive, Ian Drake, said: “Cycling in this country has never been in better health.

“We’re on course to achieve our target of delivering a sustainable participation legacy before London 2012 thanks to our partnerships with Sport England, Sky and local authorities, without whom we would not be seeing these results today. These successes are also a credit to the fantastic work of our volunteers – at regional, club and event level – without whom our sport would not function.

“Grassroots initiatives like Sky Ride and Breeze are continuing to inspire people to get on their bikes and enjoy life on two wheels and it is particularly encouraging to see a rise in women’s participation.

“At the start of what could be British Cycling’s greatest summer, our ambitions remain high and the focus is on maintaining momentum and continuing to build on our success over the next Whole Sport Plan period 2013 to 2017.

“Membership is at record levels and our riders are aiming for success in the Tour de France and at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.”

The results announced today represent an almost 81,000 increase in the number of people cycling since 2010/11. The growth target set by Sport England for British Cycling (2009 – 13) is 150,000 more people cycling at least once a week. British Cycling is currently exceeding this target and is committed to inspire thousands more, in this special Olympic year, to take to their bikes. 

British Cycling has also seen a sustainable growth in the number of people taking part in sportives and competitive cycling. Over 20,000 people are now regularly racing across all disciplines and almost 3,500 competitive cycling events now take place each year.

Cycling events for young people are also on the rise. 100 Go-Ride clubs have signed up to take part in the Go-Ride Games – a national summer festival of cycling for young people. Last year, British Cycling delivered over 100,000 opportunities for young people to get into cycling.  

British Cycling also today revealed that its membership has grown by another 1,000 in the last month – taking the total membership count to almost 50,000.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suspended five cricketers who have been linked to spot-fixing in a sting operation done by a TV channel, Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla said.

“The BCCI has decided to suspend the five players pending inquiry. We have set up a committee to provide a preliminary report and it will be made public in 15-20 days. Ravi Sawani (former CBI officer) will be heading the investigation panel,” Shukla said.

Sawani was also the former head of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Ant-Corruption and Security Unit.

The five players are TP Sudhindra (Deccan Chargers), Mohnish Mishra (Pune Warriors), Amit Yadav (Kings XI Punjab), Shalabh Shrivastava (Kings XI Punjab) and Abhinav Bali, a young Delhi cricketer.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the BCCI at its headquarters in Mumbai.

Earlier today, BCCI termed the alleged spot-fixing scandal in the Indian Premier League and other domestic competitions as “disturbing” and said it would take strict action against those found guilty of indulging in corrupt practices.

“The footage that was shown by the television channel was very disturbing,” BCCI chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty said.

“There has been an immediate action proposed by the BCCI president, and strong action will be taken against those found to be guilty,” he added.