The controversial British Olympic Association’s (BOA) doping bylaw has been overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) today.

Former drug cheats, including sprinter Dwain Chambers and cyclist David Millar will be allowed to compete for a place in the British team following the decision by CAS.

The Lausanne-based panel have, as expected, ruled that the BOA bylaw which stops athletes convicted of serious drugs offences representing Britain at the Olympics is against the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and must be scrapped.

“The CAS Panel has ruled that the BOA bye-law [sic] related to the selection of British athletes for the Olympic Games was not in compliance with the World Anti-doping Code,” a statement on their website said.

“Such decision confirms the jurisprudence established last year in the case between the US Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee.”

WADA had challenged the ban at a hearing in London last month claiming its controversial anti-doping bylaw non-compliant with its code, which the BOA are signatories too.

It followed a CAS decision last October that the International Olympic Committee’s controversial Rule 45 – or “Osaka Rule” – banning convicted drugs cheats from future Games was illegal.

The decision will leave the way clear for Chambers, banned for two years in 2003 after testing positive for a cocktail of anabolic steroids, to compete in the 100 metres at London 2012 and also join the 4x100m relay team.

It also opens the door for cyclist David Millar, banned for two years in 2004 after admitting taking the banned blood-boosting drug Erythropoietin, to compete.

The CAS ruled that the bylaw was against the World Anti-Doping Code.

“The Bye-Law is a doping sanction and is therefore not in compliance with the WADA Code,” the judgement said.

“The CAS confirms the view of the WADA Foundation Board as indicated in its Decision.

“Therefore, the appeal of BOA is rejected, and the decision of the WADA Foundation Board is confirmed.”

UK Athletics response was “UK Athletics has always supported the BOA byelaw but welcomes the clarity the CAS decision brings to this issue. Athletes affected by the ruling are now eligible for the team, in both individual and relay events, and will be subject to the same selection criteria and process as every other British athlete.”

by Ismail Uddin

In a strange twist to ongoing London 2012 Olympic ticketing saga, parents with infants including babies will have to pay for their admission during the games.

Organisers of the 2012 Games have confirmed that every child, including young babies carried by parents, will require their own ticket, even those who hadn’t been conceived when the tickets were purchased.

One of many angry parents on the influential website Mumsnet described it as the “biggest rip-off in the history of London”.

Around a third of the Olympics sessions had special “pay your age” prices for those under 16, but for those events that didn’t parents with newly born children find themselves in the position of having to buy new, and in some cases, full-price tickets costing more than £100 for their child.

The Winter Olympics in Vancouver admitted babies under two years of age for free. Lord’s Cricket Ground has the same policy for its cricket matches, yet when it hosts the Olympic archery competition babies will need their own tickets.

A press spokesman conceded that some venues are more baby friendly than others, but that a consistent line had to be found across all venues.

A London 2012 spokesperson said, “We want families and young people to come and enjoy the Games, which is why we created pay your age tickets at a third of sessions. Of course we understand that some new mums may want to take their babies to events they have tickets to and we will look at what we can do when the remaining tickets go on sale in April.”

This ploy is also ironic as official sponsors Procter & Gamble recently introduced a marketing campaign aimed at mums during the Olympics.

The Scottish Premier League (SPL) and Mitre has announced an extension of its partnership with the SPL that will see Mitre continue as the league’s official ball supplier until 2015.

The partnership has existed between the two parties since 1998, and the Mitre Tensile ball will continue to be used for the 2011/12 season, with each club having a personalised ball printed in club colours and displaying its club badge.

Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the SPL said: “Mitre has been a valued partner of the SPL since 1998 and I am delighted to announce their continued commitment to the SPL for the next four seasons.

“This year the SPL distributed over £17 million to Clydesdale Bank Premier League clubs. We remain focused on supporting SPL clubs financially as much as possible. The partnership with Mitre is an important piece in that jigsaw.”

Gary Hibbert, managing director of Mitre, added: “The SPL is as passionate and exciting a competition as any and we’re thrilled to extend the deal to be the official ball supplier, continuing our long standing involvement in the Scottish game.

“We’re looking forward to further successes with the SPL over the next four years and with the additional partnership with ACA Sports – meaning fans can buy replicas of their club’s footballs – this only enhances our offering to fans and clubs.”

Mitre’s partnership with leading sports retailer ACA Sports will also enable supporters to purchase each club’s Tensile ball as Mitre’s official online retail partners for the SPL.

ACA Sports managing director, Alistair Cameron, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the SPL and Mitre. This landmark deal will allow every fan in the SPL the opportunity to buy their clubs match and replica balls for the first time in the league’s history – something we are all very excited about.”

The New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB) are set to repeat losses of almost US$50m from 2010 this season, generic according to the New York Times.

In the midst of a $1bn lawsuit tied to the Bernard L. Madooff Ponzi scheme, the owners of the Mets are trying to sell a portion of the team.

According to the Times report, the Mets contributed about $24m to baseball’s revenue-sharing pool in 2010, compared with $40m two years ago.

Revenue fell by more than $60m last year, and the paper revealed that the net loss, after interest, was about $50m during 2010, the same year the Mets secured a $25m loan from the league.

The Mets declined to discuss finances, the New York Times said.

Dentsu Inc. has announced that it has concluded an exclusive domestic Japanese media rights sales agency contract with the Union des Associations Européennes de Football (Uefa).

The deal covers all four competitions operated by Uefa – namely the Uefa European Football Championship 2012 (Uefa Euro 2012) to be held in Poland and the Ukraine, apoplectic the Uefa Women’s Euro 2013, the Uefa European Under-21 Championship 2011 and the Uefa European Under-21 Championship 2013.

The Uefa European Football Championship, a national team competition that is held once every four years, is Europe’s largest sporting event, and is reportedly watched by over 1.4 billion individual viewers worldwide. Along with Poland and Ukraine, the two host nations, the 14 teams who qualify will take part in the final round of Uefa Euro 2012.

“By concluding this contract, Dentsu Inc. has gained the exclusive rights to sell television broadcasting rights, Internet distribution rights and mobile distribution rights within Japan,” the company said in a statement.

“Dentsu Inc. was already designated as a marketing agent in certain territories including Japan for the Uefa European Football Championship, and has been deeply involved with this competition through sponsorship sales activities since the 1984 Championship.”

Soccerex announced that Jose Hawilla, herbal President, click Traffic Sports Marketing and International footballing star, generic Deco, will both be speaking at the Soccerex Global Convention 2010.

Hawilla will be utilising his extensive experience as long standing President of Traffic Sports Marketing, who have been a major player in sports marketing for 30 years and are extremely influential in Brazilian football, specialising in academies, player investment, talent representation and club management.

He will be joined by Deco, the world famous Brazilian born star, who has played for the likes of Porto, Barcelona and Chelsea, and who is currently playing for Fluminese. In his hugely successful career he has won the UEFA Champions league with two different clubs as well as collecting 75 caps for Portugal.

They will be speaking on a panel focusing on the movement of South American talent which will bring together key figures from both South America and Europe to look at the career paths of players, and the commercial impact on the many different stakeholders.

The panel will be opened by Esteve Calzada, CEO, Prime Time Sport and former Chief Marketing Officer, FC Barcelona who will be announcing the launch of the Brazilian edition of the Prime Time Sport Football Transfer Review, the European editions of which have become the industry reference on European player movement analysis.

The first ever Brazilian edition will be presented as a world exclusive at the Global Convention. The review will analyse player transfers from Brazil into Europe and will compare Brazilian and European clubs squad composition among other insights addressed to football executives and other industry stakeholders.

Esteve Calzada, CEO Prime Time Sport and former Chief Marketing Officer FC Barcelona, commented “There is no better place to launch Football Transfer Review than Soccerex Global Convention, where all must-meet industry executives will be present. When you look at maximizing the impact of the news, Soccerex provides the best reach possible in football community”.

Esteve will then moderate the panel, which also includes other big names such as Raul Sanllehi, Director of Football, FC Barcelona, Juan Cobian, International Director of Football, Club Atlético Boca Juniors and Luis Correia, Director, Gestifute.

The Soccerex Global Convention (20-24 November 2010) will consist of an in-depth conference schedule, packed exhibition, a large range of networking and two-day Football Festival all taking place in the Forte de Copacabana, Copacabana beach and Sugar Loaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro.

Marie-José Pérec, the only French athlete ever to win three Olympic gold medals, has become an official ambassador of Annecy’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Pérec said: “The technical bid currently in preparation and the concept, focussing on Annecy and Chamonix, will provide an ideal living environment for athletes, while setting the scene for outstanding sporting achievements.

“Annecy is truly a land of sport and champions, not only winter sports – that goes without saying! – but also the whole spectrum of sporting disciplines, not least of all athletics, as illustrated by today’s DecaNation.

“It is therefore essential for the entire French sports world to pull together behind this French Olympic bid.”

Chief executive of Annecy 2018, Edgar Grospiron, added: “Marie-Jo’s Olympic achievements are unique in French athletics history.

“Her support, announced on a day when Annecy, with DecaNation, has once again demonstrated its expertise in the hosting of major international sporting competitions, is precious for the Annecy 2018 bid, a bid for athletes, a bid by athletes.”

International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Sir Craig Reedie has become the latest high-profile figure to predict that South Africa will make a bid for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Reedie believes the fact the country is hosting this summer’s FIFA World Cup, as well as the IOC’s decision to give the 2016 Games to South America (Rio de Janeiro) for the first time will encourage South Africa to make a bid.

Reedie said: “The two great sporting events in the world are the Olympic Games and the World Cup. I would not be surprised at all if a bid came from the South African Olympic Commitee for a future Games.

“They would obviously have to decide where of all its cities would be best or appropriate to bid. The quality of the bids is becoming very high and I think that the decision to move the Games to the south of the equator (with Rio 2016) would be a natural encouragement to South Africa. One of the great joys of being in the IOC is that we get a range of wonderful cities applying to host the Olympics.”