Sports Sponsor GoPro Opens European Headquarters

GoPro, which manufacture personalised HD cameras and sponsor of a number of global sports, have officially opened a European office in Munich.

Founder and CEO, Nicholas Woodman kicked the party off celebrating the opening with a highlight video featuring Danny Macaskill, Sam Pilgrim and Rachel Atherton – who are part of GoPro’s European athlete team – showcasing just what happens when GoPro teams up with some of the world’s best athletes. Fans, athletes, and now offices, GoPro’s global. 

Even before the official opening of the headquarters, GoPro laid a strong foundation for a successful future in Europe. In 2014, GoPro will be involved in approximately 100 events in 14 European countries including the Freeride World Tour, UCI Downhill World Cup series and FIM Motocross World Championship series. In addition, GoPro is excited to partner with nine action sports resorts in total located in the Alps and Scandinavia. 

Some of Europe’s most renown action and adventure sports athletes are wearing the GoPro HERO3+ in 2014, including the Mountain Bike Freeride World Tour Champion; Sam Pilgrim (GBR), seven times MotoX World Champion; Tony Cairoli (ITA), the reigning UCI Downhill World Champion; Rachel Atherton (GBR) as well as legends like Xavier de la Rue (FR); big mountain snowboarder and Danny MacAskill; street trials bike rider extraordinaire  (GBR). In total GoPro has 30 plus Athlete and Ambassador teams. 

There sponsorships have also included teams and organisations such as Ironman, Clipper and Manchester City.

Donington Park to Be Sole Host of British Round for 2014 World Superbikes Championship

Donington Park has confirmed they will be on the World Superbike Championship calendar for 2014 becoming the sole British host following Silverstone’s withdrawal.

One of the most popular events on the calendar, Donington Park will retain a similar place on the timetable with the event taking place on May 23-25, 2014.

The Leicestershire venue has been a mainstay of the calendar since it hosted the first-ever WSBK event back in 1988, but temporarily lost its slot to Silverstone in 2010 when Donington Park ran into financial difficulties as a result of its failed attempt to snare the rights to the Formula 1 British Grand Prix.

Managing director Christopher Tate said: “Dorna (the championship organisers) are aiming to make something special out of the series.

“I think they will feel some real synergy with the group of people we have here at Donington.

“It is our biggest international event and an important race meeting at a true motorcycle circuit.”

Reinstated from 2011, Donington Park has hosted the ‘European’ round of the series since then, with Silverstone billed as the British event. 

However, with its WSBK contract ending in 2013, Silverstone has since confirmed that it has not extended its agreement into 2014, leaving Donington Park as the sole British event on the calendar.

Silverstone will continue to host Britain’s round of the MotoGP championship.

Managing director Richard Phillips said: “We believe it is only commercially viable to stage one round of the championship in the UK at the moment. As a result, we will be focusing our efforts and attention on hosting MotoGP and the British Superbike Championship next year.”

PGA Tour & PGA of America Look to Increase Membership with Purse Increase

The PGA TOUR and the PGA of America have announced a significant expansion in cooperative initiatives that benefit the membership of both organizations and help grow the game of golf.

PGA of America President Ted Bishop said The PGA of America’s intention was to increase the PGA Championship’s purse to $10 million, recipe which will equal that of THE PLAYERS Championship as the highest in professional golf. This represents a $2 million increase over last season’s PGA Championship, story while Finchem said THE PLAYERS’ purse will increase by $500, cough 000 over 2013. In addition, the PGA TOUR will increase its longstanding support of the PGA Professional National Championship and various PGA Section Championships.

“We have always believed that working together with The PGA of America enhances efforts to grow the game and benefits the membership of both organizations,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem (pictured) said. “Today’s announcement reflects what regular communication between our organizations can accomplish, and we look forward to continuing discussions with Ted and The PGA of America regarding further opportunities.”

“The relationship between The PGA of America and the PGA TOUR has never been stronger for a variety of reasons,” said Bishop, 38th president of The PGA of America. “There have been a series of cooperative efforts  and today’s announcement is a further reflection that the essence of our relationship has been our ability to jointly do what is best for golf and our respective memberships. After all, PGA TOUR players are also members of The PGA of America.”

{jcomments on}

All-Star Game to Be Played Outside US for First Time as Toronto to Host 2016 Edition

The 2016 All-Star Game will be in Toronto, marking the first time the showcase event will be held outside of the United States, the National Basketball Association have confirmed today.

Top players representing the NBA’s Eastern and Western Conferences will tip off at the Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Raptors, on February 14, capping a weekend that includes the popular slam dunk contest and other events.

“We are thrilled that Toronto is hosting our first NBA All-Star Game outside the United States,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “As the site of the first game ever in the NBA, Toronto is an ideal location for this global basketball celebration.”

The 2013 event was held in Houston, which estimated a direct economic impact of $60 million, and an overall economic impact of slightly below $100 million.

The 2014 All-Star Game is set for New Orleans, while the 2015 event will be co-hosted by Manhattan and Brooklyn.

{jcomments on}

Michelin Open to F1 Tyre War

Tyre manufacturer Michelin has hinted they would be open to a return to Formula 1 to take on Pirelli next year.

With the sport’s existing sole supplier Pirelli having already inked 2014 contracts with Bernie Ecclestone and the bulk of the teams, Michelin have opened up the possibility of joining the grid.

Michelin competition boss Pascal Couasnon said on Monday that the French marque has dropped its earlier condition that it will only return to F1 if it can go in competition with a rival.

“We have changed one of our conditions,” he told Le Figaro newspaper. “Now, we don’t mind becoming the exclusive supplier.

“We are ready for it, as there is quite an interesting technical challenge.”

But Couasnon said Michelin is also still open to a tyre war.

“We have always said that we are interested in competition,” he added.

He said talks with the governing FIA, led by Frenchman Jean Todt, have already begun.

“We have sent them the same information as we have to the general public, so our position is known to all,” said Couasnon.

He denied, however, that talks with F1 chief executive Ecclestone are already underway.

“I was surprised by these reports, but I’m starting to get used to it,” Couasnon smiled.

“Two weeks ago, I read that Michelin planned to hold a press conference, but nothing happened. In formula one, there are always a lot of rumours.

“I can confirm that I have not scheduled any meetings with Bernie Ecclestone. If negotiations were to begin, we would hold them with the FIA, Bernie Ecclestone and the teams.”

Bangladesh Cricket Board Bans Umpire Nadir Shah for Corruption

Umpire Nadir Shah has been banned by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for 10 years for corruption.

Shah, who umpired in 40 one-day internationals between 2006 and 2011, was handed the punishment following an investigation by a special inquiry committee.

Shah and other officials from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan were shown allegedly negotiating deals with under-cover reporters to affect the outcome of matches, in footage shown on Hindi-language news channel India TV in October.

A BCB statement said: “Umpire Nadir Shah will not be considered for a BCB retainer for 10 years.”

“During this period he will not be eligible for any assignment under the jurisdiction of the BCB.”

Shah, a member of the International Cricket Council’s panel of umpires, also officiated in three Twenty20 internationals.

ICC chief executive David Richardson, added: “The ICC takes no pleasure from the fact an umpire has been found to have acted inappropriately and sanctioned accordingly, however, the decision reflects the commitment of the ICC and its members to root out corruption from our great sport.”

Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl Victory Breaks TV Ratings Record

The Baltimore Ravens’ momentous victory over the San Francisco 49ers has set a record for highest overnight ratings in Super Bowl history which was televised on american channel CBS.

The Nielsen company reported the game scored a 48.1 rating and 71 share in its select measurement of big cities. That’s 1 percent over a similar measurement in last year’s game.

For three years in a row, the Super Bowl has set a new record for most-watched event in U.S. television history. Nielsen is expected to have an estimate of how many people watched the game later on Monday.

One ratings point represents 1,147,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 114.7 million TV homes. The share means that 71 percent of TVs that were on at the time were tuned to the Super Bowl.

Baltimore managed to fend off 49ers late surge to win the Lombardi trophy 34-31.

{jcomments on}

iSportconnect Announce Event Partnership for Asia Pacific World Sport & Women Conference

unhealthy helvetica, sans-serif;”>iSportconnect are today (26th September) pleased to announce an event partnership with the Asia Pacific World Sport and Women Conference 2012.

The event taking place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia, is the first of its kind and looks at the world’s most popular sports and provides a global platform to explore ‘how’ and ‘why’ women consume sport and how to leverage this target market for greater commercial and social capital growth.

iSportconnect CEO Sree Varma said “This is not the first time we will be entering into the Asia Pacific market so we feel we can really work well together for what looks likely to be a very successful event. I am very pleased to be partnering with this growing event and working together further in the future.”

iSportconnect is an exclusive online platform that brings together thousands of sports business professionals worldwide. The site provides news, market data and analysis, columns and features, forums, listings of events and jobs and great opportunities for online networking.

There are no introductory fees and no limits on communication.

The site is complemented by events where attendees can network face-to-face and discuss relevant topics with a panel of experts.

World Sport and Women Organising Association President, Patrizia Torelli said “Once again the power of the ‘female economy’ is driving change and we are delighted to be able to feature some of the globe’s leading experts in the business of sport, who will share their knowledge and top tips for success. From the Governor General of Australia to the Federal Minister of Sport, delegates will hear from those who have delivered outstanding results by growing the role of women across every level of sports, both on and off the field.’”

For Further information on the event please click here

For more information on iSportconnect visit dev.isportconnect.com

Top Male Players Could Boycott Australian Open

The world’s top male tennis players could boycott January’s Australian Open because they want a larger percentage of Grand Slam revenues to be paid in prize money.

The issue was the top priority at a mandatory meeting for all ATP world tour players in New York Saturday night.

It has been rumoured that the ATP is considering staging an alternative event, probably in Dubai, if the players don’t receive higher percentage of tournament revenue, which currently stands below 20 percent.

World Number 1, Roger Federer said: “Obviously always going to be rumours flying, but I think we’re on the right track for many things We are making sure everybody is on the same page and understanding the situation.”

On average, first-round losers at this year’s three Grand Slam events received US$22,000 each with the Australian Open being the least lucrative at US$21,650. All of the majors have increased their prize levels this year- Wimbledon has announced a 26 percent pay rise for first-round losers.

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Australian Open director, Craig Tiley said: “We are working on a compensation plan for the 2013 event and are keen to ensure it addresses a lot of the issues players have been raising with us in our ongoing discussions.”

“Our relationship with the playing group is very strong and I’m absolutely confident we’ll see all the players in Melbourne for Australian Open 2013.”

{jcomments on}

 

Athletes Support for BOA Drug Ban Bylaw Severely Dwindles

The British Olympic Association (BOA) conceded for the first time on Monday that athlete support for its lifetime doping ban has dwindled significantly ahead of a hearing that will determine the sanction’s future.

BOA chairman Colin Moyinhan has consistently maintained that at least 90 percent of British Olympians supported world sport’s toughest sanction for doping cheats.

But now Moyinhan acknowledges that support dropped to 70 percent in a recent poll of athletes.

Backing for the bylaw in Britain has waned since the Court of Arbitration for Sport last year overturned an IOC rule barring any athlete who has received a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next Olympics.

Marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe was one of the first leading Olympians to publicly change their stance, pills announcing in an Associated Press interview that the BOA ban now unfairly penalizes compatriots like sprinter Dwain Chambers.

Chambers, adiposity who served a two-year ban after testing positive for THG in 2003, could be the main beneficiary of the CAS hearing in two weeks which will determine whether Britain can remain the only country that enforces a lifetime ban for doping cheats.

“A recent poll showed 70 percent in favor (of the bans) and 12 percent don’t knows,” Moyinhan said. “If it is 70 percent or more then we are very pleased.”

Britain could be forced to drop the rule ahead of the London Olympics if it loses its CAS case, with a verdict expected to be issued in April after the March 12 hearing in London.

The BOA filed an appeal to CAS, challenging a decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency to declare the British body “noncompliant” with the global anti-doping code because the 20-year-old rule amounted to a second punishment. The BOA maintains its bylaw is an eligibility issue.

by Ismail Uddin