The International Rugby Board’s (IRB) One Turf programme has been further boosted this week with the hosting of a ground-breaking conference attended by representatives of many of the world’s major field sports.

The two-day conference, anabolics which concluded yesterday, troche heard presentations from several sporting federations, including the IRB, FIFA, National Football League (NFL), Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and International Hockey Federation (FIH), as well as test institutes, university researchers and manufacturers of sports turf, on the benefits and challenges of devising an artificial surface that can be used across a range of sports and codes.

The IRB has taken the lead in this key area of sports development that, through regulated production and installation, will be able to revolutionise the Game in elite and community Rugby where growing conditions are challenging and promote mass participation through greater use.

IRB Head of Technical Services Steve Griffiths said: “We are delighted to have been able to welcome so many industry experts and representatives of sports federations to what has been an extremely useful conference. Ultimately, we want to develop the very best surfaces for players of all ages and abilities to enjoy Rugby and other sports safely, whatever the conditions.”

“We have already seen remarkable progress in this area over recent years and the co-operation and collaboration that has been strengthened by this conference will ensure that trend continues for the good of all sports, particularly at community and grass-roots level.”

Prof. Richard Kent, who attended on behalf of the NFL, said: “Player safety must drive the decision-making processes of any sport’s governing body. Fundamental research and understanding of the mechanisms of injury are at the heart of this issue and international collaborations like the IRB One Turf Conference are an important way for us to share this knowledge.”

The conference heard presentations from each attending sports federation on how artificial surfaces relate to their sport in terms of strategies, growth, regulation and future developments. That was followed by a review of the differences and similarities in criteria for artificial turf for each sport and a presentation by a major clothing manufacturer on what sort of footwear is best suited to artificial turf.

There were discussions on injury data relating to artificial turf and a significant proportion of the conference was given over to a collaborative process of drafting a working document based on existing performance criteria and requirements for each sport.

Launched in December 2010, the One Turf programme is benefiting the global Game by providing a regulated, one-stop solution for organisations seeking to install artificial surfaces. The landmark programme means that the same producer will manufacture, install and maintain IRB Regulation 22-compliant surfaces, opening the way for elite and community level matches to be played on artificial surfaces and promoting player welfare best practice.

pills helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;”>Wimbledon organisers have decided to be put back the event a week in the calendar, starting in 2015.

The decision will mean there will be a three-week gap between the French Open and Wimbledon. Currently there is just a two-week period between the two grand slam tournaments.

After copious murmurings on the subject the decision was made which will create a longer grasscourt season and require a revamping of other aspects of the tennis calendar.

Announcing the decision, Philip Brook, chairman of the All England Club, said: “The best interests of tennis will be served by allowing the players more time to recuperate and to adjust from the clay of Roland Garros to the grass at Wimbledon.

“All our research indicates that there is widespread support within the game for extending the gap between the French Open and Wimbledon and, importantly, we think most players will welcome the prospect of a longer grasscourt season and spending more time on the softer surface of grass.

“In making this change from 2015 we recognise that there will be some important consequences for the overall tennis calendar and enough time needs to be given to allow us all to plan accordingly.

“In anticipation of the work required, I would like to thank our colleagues throughout the game for their enthusiasm and support for the vision of a tennis calendar that will better suit the needs of the modern-day sport.”

Wimbledon 2015 will run from June 29 to July 12.

Wie das Motorsport Magazin „Motorsport-total.com“ berichtet, erhebt die Staatsanwaltschaft nach fast zweijähriger Ermittlungstätigkeit nun Anklage gegen Ex-Nürburgring-Chef Walter Kafitz und fünf weitere Beschuldigte. Die Staatsanwaltschaft Koblenz sieht den Anfangsverdacht der Untreue bestätigt. Unter den Beschuldigten sind der frühere Nürburgring-Geschäftsführer Walter Kafitz sowie der ehemalige Finanzminister des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz, Ingolf Deubel.

Deubel, früherer Aufsichtsratschef der Nürburgring GmbH, soll gemeinsam mit Kafitz und den damaligen Mitstreitern Hans Lippelt und Michael Nuss-Kaltenborn im Zuge des groß angelegten Neubaus in der Eifel Gelder veruntreut haben. Im Zusammenhang mit der Finanzierung des Projektes “Nürburgring 2009” wird den Beschuldigten zur Last gelegt, “in fünf Fällen zum Nachteil der Nürburgring GmbH Zahlungen in Höhe von insgesamt 385.000 Euro ohne vertragliche Verpflichtung” geleistet zu haben, heißt es in einer Erklärung der Staatsanwaltschaft. 

In drei Fällen habe man gegen den Beschluss des Aufsichtsrates der Nürburgring GmbH Zahlungen an die Firmengruppen Internationale Projektcoordination beziehungsweise Pinebeck geleistet. Die beiden genannten Unternehmen sollten die private Finanzierung des Großprojektes stemmen, ließen aber entsprechende Sicherheiten vermissen. Aufgrund dessen habe Deubel veranlasst, Gelder aus dem Liquiditätspool des Landes zu nutzen. Dadurch seien der Nürburgring GmbH zusätzliche Kosten in Höhe von 218.000 Euro entstanden.

Der ehemalige Finanziminister soll ferner der Zahlung einer Provision von vier Millionen Euro zugestimmt habe. Diese Zahlung sei fällig geworden, nachdem das Unternehmen Pinebeck eine erste Finanzierungsrate in Höhe von 67 Millionen US-Dollar (umgerechnet rund 50 Millionen Euro) per Scheck bezahlen wollte. Glück im Unglück: Die Provision sollte innerhalb von 48 Stunden nach Eingang des Schecks bezahlt werden. Innerhalb dieser Zeitspanne war es jedoch gar nicht möglich, zu überprüfen, ob der Scheck überhaupt gedeckt ist. Wie sich später herausstellte, handelte es sich tatsächlich um ein wertloses Stück Papier. 

In einem anderen Fall sollen die Beschuldigten “ohne rechtlichen Grund und ohne wirtschaftliches Interesse” die Zahlung von 175.000 Euro an die Firmengruppe Pinebeck veranlasst haben. “Das Strafgesetzbuch sieht für die angeklagten Taten eine Geldstrafe beziehungsweise eine Freiheitsstrafe bis zu fünf Jahren je Tat vor, bei Untreue in einem besonders schweren Fall von sechs Monaten bis zu zehn Jahren”, heißt es aus Koblenz. Wann der Prozess stattfinden wird, ist derzeit noch unklar.

A new international rule has gone into effect Sunday which will give professional track and field athletes greater opportunity to display logos on their uniforms and potentially earn more sponsorships.

It will enhance their chances of attracting corporate sponsorships to help finance their careers in a sport struggling for visibility and credibility. The rule, which permits a second corporate logo in addition to a clothing/shoe-company logo on singlets, is viewed as a welcome first step. Still, many seem confused by what will be allowed at various competitions, where the logo rule can be tightened or relaxed .

Track and field will be the centerpiece of the 2012 London Olympics, but its primacy has eroded at the elite level outside the Summer Games. The global economic downturn has made it more difficult to attract sponsorships while widening the income gap between the sport’s superstars and its less visible strivers.

Adam Nelson of the United States, a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the shot put, once auctioned himself on eBay and secured an endorsement with a medical technology firm, but it was a onemonth deal worth $12,000, not a long-term investment, according to USA Track and Field. In 2009, after his contract with Nike expired, the French pole-vaulter Romain Mesnil underscored his plight by appearing in a video that made it seem as if he were running naked with a pole through the streets of Paris.

The more permissive logo rule “is a step in the right direction, but the bigger issue is that we need a greater number of sponsors,” said Ray Flynn, a prominent agent. “Outside the shoe companies, there have not been a lot of companies wanting to get involved in the sport.” Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinting star, aspires to be the first track and field athlete to earn $10 million a year. That is a hefty income by most standards , but relative pocket change compared with the $40-million-plus that the soccer superstar Lionel Messi is said to earn yearly in salary and endorsements .

Top marathon runners, who usually compete twice a year, can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in appearance, prize and bonus money for a victory in New York, Boston , London, Chicago or Berlin. But, unlike professional football, basketball and baseball players, who rely on collective bargaining, track and field athletes compete – and negotiate – as individuals. Like Bolt, Stephanie Brown Trafton of the United States is an Olympic champion. She won gold in the discus at the 2008 Beijing Games.

But she competes in a relatively obscure event. Her basic Nike contract, she said, pays her $25,000 a year with an additional $25,000 to $30,000 available in performance bonuses – the equivalent of an entry-level salary in engineering, for which she holds a degree. As meager as Brown Trafton’s income is for a professional athlete, she and many others with salaried shoe contracts seem unlikely to benefit immediately from the new logo rule.

Companies like Nike, Adidas and Reebok, which provide the financial spine of the sport by spending tens of millions of dollars a year, want exclusivity to protect their brands. They will very likely prohibit a second logo on singlets or offer smaller contracts to share space, except perhaps for select superstars with clout, athletes, agents and track officials said. Athletes with shoe-company sponsorships will “have to determine whether they want to give that up to have multiple sponsorships ,” Brown Trafton said. “Most will take the main sponsor. It will pay more.” Nike did not respond to a request for comment .

Chris McGuire, head of sports marketing for Adidas America, said, “We support athletes and recognize the benefit partners and sponsorship can provide to support track and field athletes’ training.” Eventually, athletes hope the inclusion of a second corporate logo on their uniforms will give them greater bargaining power.

“I love Nike, but at the same time it’s important to remember that athletes are not employees of shoe companies; they’re independent contractors,” said Nick Symmonds, the United States’ top 800-meter runner. “It hurts my leverage if the shoe company has a monopoly over advertising dollars.”

FIFA announced today an extension to the appointment of MATCH Hospitality as the exclusive hospitality rights holder for the 2018 and the 2022 FIFA World Cups.

Following an industry evaluation conducted by FIFA, MATCH Hospitality emerged as the most suitable candidate. The appointment encompasses both the sale of hospitality packages on an exclusive worldwide basis and the operations of the FIFA hospitality programme for these events as well as for the FIFA Confederations Cups in 2017 and 2021 and the FIFA Women’s World Cups in 2019 and 2023. The deal for the entire period covers a financial guarantee for FIFA of $300 million as well as a profit share.

Thierry Weil, FIFA Marketing Director, said: “MATCH Hospitality delivered a successful hospitality programme in 2010 despite the very challenging economic situation influencing this particular industry at the time. FIFA has renewed and extended with a company and partner that brings together the most experienced team in the hospitality industry to deliver sustainable high-quality services to the corporate clients for FIFA’s flagship events on a long-term basis.”

MATCH Hospitality has created a unique global network of exclusive and authorised sales agents, ensuring the widest possible distribution of commercial hospitality opportunities and easy access for their clients. More than 30 of the most renowned industry representatives have been appointed by MATCH Hospitality, each with specific experience in the marketing and sale of hospitality packages for major sporting events.

Jaime Byrom, MATCH Hospitality Executive Chairman, commented: “We are delighted that FIFA has decided to extend our cooperation until 2023. MATCH Hospitality has continued to develop our sales network and strategies and our operational capabilities, and together with our shareholders we are truly looking forward to creating an unrivalled hospitality programme for all of FIFA’s events over the next 12 years.”

The agreement also further strengthens FIFA’s fight against ticket touts. Thanks to their expertise and monitoring facilities, MATCH Hospitality will be in a position to assist FIFA in enforcing the provisions governing the sale of hospitality packages, effectively preventing unauthorised dealers from luring corporate clients and individuals into buying such packages from them.

MATCH Hospitality AG is based in Zurich with offices in Johannesburg and Rio de Janeiro, and the company’s shareholders are Byrom Holdings plc (65%), Dentsu Inc. (5%), Infront Sports & Media AG (5%), the Bidvest Group Limited (5%) and Winterhill Investments Limited (20%).

Major League Baseball (MLB) giants the New York Yankees have lowered the luxury tax placed upon them by more than US$7m. It was announced on 21 December that the tax placed on the side stood at $18m this year, the sides lowest since 2003 and significantly less than last year’s total of $25.7m when the Yankees won the World Series.

The Yankees also lowered their expenditure on players this year by $12m, slashing the payroll by $5m in the process.

Looking ahead to his 2011 payroll, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said: “Atta baby. And right now we’re in the $170s”.

The season-ending payroll information and tax was obtained by The Associated Press. The Boston Red Sox are the only other MLB side to have to pay the luxury tax this year, oweing $1.5m, having exceeded the payroll threshold for the first time since 2007. Cheque’s must be paid to the league’s commissioner’s office by January 31.

Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the company which runs the Tour de France, were boosted by lance Armstrong’s comeback from retirement in 2009 which helped add around US$32m in sales.

The 39-year-old cycling legend returned to the event after three years and competed in a toughly fought and much anticipated duel with Alberto Contador which ASO stated was “certainly not irrelevant to the success”. The comeback encouraged business from the likes of Volkswagen AG’s Skoda and France Telecom SA’s Orange amongst its agreements.

Sales from ASO’s sports events rose 20 per cent to $195.4m with the global television audience of the Tour increasing 10 per cent. Net income fell 1.2 per cent to $42.3m.

Contador went on to win the battle in 2009 whilst Armstrong finished third on his return. The veteran finished 23rd this year in what will be his last in the Tour.

Qantas has signed on as a silver level sponsor and will assist Perth 2011 in transporting teams and officials to Western Australia and will promote Perth 2011 domestically and internationally.

Perth 2011 Director of Commercial Operations, Darren Beazley, said, “We are delighted to have an iconic brand like Qantas join the Perth 2011 sponsorship family. Qantas is widely regarded as the world’s leading long distance airline and one of the strongest brands in Australia. In an event where more than 5000 athletes and officials will travel to Australia from overseas, an alignment with Qantas was an obvious partnership.”

Qantas Regional General Manager for Western Australia and the Northern Territory, Ian Gay, said, “Qantas believes the Perth 2011 ISAF World Championships will be a great event for Perth and for Western Australia.”

“We are delighted to be involved and working closely with the team at Perth 2011. Not only will Western Australians be able to enjoy the party in Fremantle, but all the competitors, family and friends will have a good reason to visit Western Australia and see all we have to offer. The dream begins in Perth, the journey begins with Qantas,” said Mr.Gay.

Qantas has a long history of supporting sporting events in Australia such as the AFL, the National Rugby League and the Australian Olympic Committee and is proud to join the Perth 2011 sponsorship family and align with a World Class sailing event.

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) have signed a strategic partnership with the Australian Turf Club (ATC) that will see the two parties work closely across future events and activations.

The alliance will kick off during the Bledisloe Cup Festival, arthritis when the Bledisloe Cup Festival Race Day takes place at Royal Randwick on Saturday, abortion 9 August.

The iconic trophy will be on display for the public during the day and at a VIP function in the ballroom of the Queen Elizabeth II Grandstand.

The ARU has partnered with the ATC to stage an Australian/New Zealand-themed race day that celebrates the great rivalry that exists between the two countries on the race track and on the Rugby field. Race-goers will also directly benefit from the new partnership, with those who already have tickets to the Bledisloe Cup clash at ANZ Stadium (16 August) gaining free entry to the course.

The partnership will also extend to Australian Rugby’s night of nights, the John Eales Medal with Royal Randwick set to host the prestigious awards ceremony for the first time on Thursday 23 October. The event recognises the players and members of the Rugby community that have excelled in 2014.

Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver said: “The ARU is delighted to be partnering with the ATC, a brand that enjoys an iconic status across the Australian sporting community. There are natural synergies between both organisations that we will look to exploit and leverage over the months – and hopefully years – to come.”

Australian Turf Club Chief Executive Officer Darren Pearce was excited about the new partnership.

“The Bledisloe Cup is one of the truly great events in Trans-Tasman sport and to be hosting a game in Sydney gives us a great chance to get up and close with the stars of the game,’’ Mr Pearce said.

“At the same time fans will also see the other stars on the turf – the magnificent Australian and New Zealand thoroughbreds that Sydney highlights each week.

“Sydney racing is renowned as the strongest and most competitive in Australia, and each week features some of the home-grown stars of the sport in trainers Gai Waterhouse, the Snowden and Cummings families, as well as jockeys Nash Rawiller, Tommy Berry and Hugh Bowman, just to name a few. 

“And with the likes of Sydney’s champion trainer Chris Waller, one of the all-time great Group 1 jockeys in Jim Cassidy, star jockey James McDonald on the verge of a Sydney premiership, and Bjorn Baker from that famous New Zealand racing family all holding their Kiwi heritage very dear, I am sure we will see some patriotic battles on the track as well as the footy field.’’

The two parties have also agreed to investigate future opportunities to develop the partnership beyond 2014.