Guangzhou to Host Chinese Round for 2014 DTM Championship

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.”

Ecclestone Denies Wrongdoing in Stake Sale as Court Proceedings Begin

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has vehemently denied accusations he was involved in a “conspiracy” over the controversial sale of a stake in the Formula One Group during an appearance at the High Court on Wednesday.

Ecclestone is accused of entering into a “corrupt agreement” with German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky to facilitate the sale of the stake to a buyer of his preference.

Media company Constantin Medien is suing Ecclestone for $140m after claiming the 47 per cent stake in F1’s commercial rights was undervalued when it was sold by German bank BayernLB (BLB) to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners in 2006.

The German media firm had an agreement in place to receive 10 per cent if the stake was sold for more than $1.1bn but did not get anything as CVC paid $814m.

Ecclestone scored an early legal victory after the original claim from Constantin Medien was reduced from $171m to $140m after an expert report on the stake’s valuation.

Ecclestone said the legal action lacked merit and denied any “conspiracy”.

He told a judge he made payments to Gribkowsky because the banker insinuated he would report him for alleged tax evasion.

“It is true,” said Ecclestone. “That’s what I have always said.”

Gribkowsky, formerly chief risk officer for BayernLB, was himself convicted last year of tax evasion and also receiving a $44m bribe. He was jailed for eight-and-a-half years.

Ecclestone and his fellow defendants have claimed innocence. The trial in London is expected to last several weeks.

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Euroleague Basketball Look to Build On Positive Impact from EBI Master Course

Euroleague Basketball are looking to build on their success from their Euroleague Basketball Institute (EBI) Master programme which has brought the top basketball competition a number of highly skilled Presidents and General Managers.

The Ca’ Foscari University has officially opened the application process for the course, unhealthy which delves into Sports Management & Marketing, ed from 7 November 2013.

The first session will take place at the Euroleague Basketball headquarters in Barcelona and consists of three days of classes with a general introduction to the EBI Master, herbal an explanation of educational tools to become familiar with the e-learning platform, team building, as well as presentations by Euroleague Basketball department directors and university professors.

Speaking to iSportconnect, Eduard J. Scott – Chief Operations Officer at Euroleague Basketball, has revealed a number of the alumnus from the course have become major components of the organisation and become delgates of the competition.

He said: “The EBI Master has had a direct positive impact on the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, on the one hand because we now have a number of individuals who have gone through the program and now have positions of responsibility including Presidents and General Managers at clubs that participate. It has also had an indirect positive impact as the alumnus form the core of our Euroleague Basketball Delegates, a team of people who attend all of our games in order to collaborate with the two participating teams and monitor that the game operations are being executed to the high standards set in our bylaws.” 

A total of 138 students from 30 different countries have joined the course in previous editions, with the EBI Master featuring quality and flexibility through e-learning tools as well as sports immersion on a unique journey through three different European cities: Barcelona, Milan and Venice. 

A fomer student and now the ?FIBA 3×3 World Tour Team Coordinator at Bx3, Gisela Pahissa, was delighted with her experience on the course.

“Working with Euroleague, the Final Four experience, and the networking with international colleagues, are practical facts that enriches your personal and professional profile,” she said.

The EBI Master is designed for individuals currently working or interested in working as: club managers, federation staff, league executives, marketing managers, arena staff, event directors and representatives of companies providing products in the sports sector, among other professions. 

Alumni of the EBI Master have worked in organisations as diverse as, but not limited to: Disneyland Paris, Euroleague Basketball, FC Bayern Munich, FIBA, French Basketball Federation, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, IMG Spain, ISSF, LNBP, Mediapro, NBA India, Nike, Sportska Televizija, the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa and Zalgiris Kaunas.

Adrian Peterson Secures Equity in Ice Compression Brand Hyperice

Ice compression company, Hyperice Inc. has announced today that Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings running back, has joined the brand as an equity partner, making him the newest addition to the company’s star studded athlete roster.

Peterson, the 2012 NFL MVP, became a believer in Hyperice after using the company’s signature ice compression device as part of his recovery routine during the 2012 season, where he went on to win the NFL rushing title.

Fellow University of Oklahoma athlete and current Los Angeles Clipper Blake Griffin, who is part owner of the company, introduced Peterson to the Hyperice recovery product. Griffin had the company’s founder send Peterson the same knee ice compression device he uses as part of his recovery routine believing it would help Peterson during his rehabilitation. Peterson began using the device daily and the product quickly became a staple of his recovery routine post-practice and post-game. Peterson finished the season strong, and believed using the Hyperice helped keep his knee healthy as he powered his way through the end of the season, completing what many believe was one of the greatest comeback seasons by any player in league history.

“Once I started using the Hyperice, I could feel my knee responding positively. I immediately started incorporating it into my daily recovery routine,“ said Peterson. “Preparing my body to be as strong and as healthy as possible was my main focus going into last season and Hyperice was one of the tools I used to prepare for and recover from games and practices.” He went on, “I’m excited to join Blake and the other athletes to help grow the brand.”

“Adrian has always showed amazing dedication to preparing his body to perform at the highest level,” said Hyperice founder Anthony Katz. “That commitment is what enabled him to come back from his injury as quickly as he did and have one of the greatest seasons in NFL history.” Katz continued, “As a recovery brand, we are dedicated to developing technologies that help keep athletes on the field and performing their best, so there was a mutual interest on both sides once Adrian started using our products during his MVP season.”

“We are honored to partner with Adrian and add him to our stellar roster of athlete partners. He exemplifies everything a Hyperice athlete is all about.”

Peterson joins NBA players Blake Griffin and Rudy Gay, NFL player Troy Polamalu and US Women’s Soccer Team goalie, Hope Solo, as equity partners in Hyperice. All four of these athletes joined the company after using Hyperice daily as a part of their daily recovery routine, or in their recovery from injury.

ANZ Sponsors Shanghai Rolex Masters

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 Pleased with Cycling Participation Figures

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.

Five IPL Players Get Suspensions for Match-Fixing

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.

40,000 London 2012 Athletic Tickets Available in April

40,000 athletics tickets will be included in the final batch of one million for the London 2012 Olympic Games, when sale commences in April.

BBC Sport reports that the tickets will cover all nine days of athletic competition, thousands of which will be sought-after track-and-field sessions including the men’s 100m final.

The vast majority of the 40,000 athletics tickets are expected to be sold within 24 hours of the website going live, with officials are considering allowing every eligible applicant the chance to buy at least two each.

The 20,000 people who missed out twice in last year’s ballot are being given a headstart to choose the best tickets.

The BBC also reports that 50,000 tickets for basketball sessions at the Olympic Park and the North Greenwich Arena (O2), and a further 30,000 tickets for the diving at the Aquatics Centre, are also to be made available – while a few thousand tickets are expected to be put on sale for the opening ceremony.

by Ismail Uddin

Puma Uses Bloggers at Volvo Ocean Race to Promote Brand

German sportswear and shoe company Puma have created a bold new marketing strategy by handpicking ten lucky Tumblr and Instagram bloggers to join seasoned sailing journalist’s in Abu Dhabi for one week, to cover the 39,000-nautical-mile Volvo Ocean Race.

The power of blogging in spreading information instantaneously and forming public opinion worldwide has been increasing as technology has been expanding and can be a very marketable way of spreading the word.

Inspired by previous efforts by Tumblr to bring in influential bloggers from around the world to document high-profile events, Puma takes a new step in promoting their brand by sponsoring ten individuals to cover the international sporting event.

The bloggers are expected to post updates either via Facebook or Twitter and take pictures of the event as the competing sailors prepare and eventually depart on January 15th for the next leg of the race in Sanya, China. According to Puma, each blogger will have “free reign” to cover and document what they wish.

Andrew Schmidt, Puma’s Manager of Digital Media Projects, said: “The idea is to fly in these prominent bloggers and Instagramers and just have it be known that they’re there because of Puma and because they deserve it.”

Puma has its own team in the competition, part of the six contestants and is also the official apparel sponsor of the Volvo Ocean Race.

What’s your opinion in Puma’s new marketing tool? Join our discussion: Should Sailing take better advantage of blogging? to comment.

Adidas Show Impressive Financial Figures

Adidas announced their financial figures for the first half of 2011 with revenue increasing a massive 14%, prostate a substantial increase of 10% on a currency-neutral basis in the second quarter of the year alone.

Europe saw them have a huge leap in revenue where sales went up 21% as a result of strong increases at both Adidas and Reebok.

Herbert Hainer, capsule Adidas Group CEO, sale said: ‘After outlining our strategic vision for the company through to 2015 late last year, we have wasted no time and come out of the starting blocks in typical adidas Group fashion – fast and focused’. 

‘No matter which way we break down our results – by segment, by region or by brand – all facets of our business are excelling’.

The Adidas Groups gross margin increased 0.2 % to 49.2% (2010: 48.9%) in the second quarter as a larger share of higher-margin retail sales as well as a more favourable product and regional sales mix more than offset an increase in input costs.

This led to their Group gross profit to increase by 6% to $2.143bn while other operating expenses as a percentage of sales decreased 60 basis points to 43.3% compared to 43.9% the prior year, primarily due to lower marketing expenses.

‘No matter which retailer I speak to, or which market share statistic I read, our product sell-throughs are stronger than they have ever been. Despite severe external pressures from currency volatility and rising commodity prices, we were able to defend our profitability as a result of our unparalleled strength in innovation and design as well as supply chain excellence,’ added Hainer. 

‘After the strong first half performance, we are on our way to record sales and earnings in 2011. This is all the more notable as various currencies have been weakening versus the euro, which negatively impacts our financial results in the short term’.