The LA City Council today gave final approval to plans to build a new NFL stadium downtown, sick a key step in returning a pro football team to the nation’s No. 2 media market by 2017.

The $1.5 billion project, which includes upgrading a portion of the adjacent LA Convention Center, is the one proposed to be privately funded by Anshutz Entertainment Group — the same AEG that has just put itself up for sale.

The stadium—its naming rights already secured by Farmers Insurance as Farmers Field—ideally will  be ready for construction in March 2013, assuming any lawsuits against the project are resolved.

There are several candidates to eventually call Farmers Field home. The San Diego Chargers appear to be the front-runners, with the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills also realistically in the mix. 

Mit einer Matinee im Abgeordneten-Restaurant des Reichstags feierte die DeutscheSporthilfe im Beisein von Bundesinnenminister Dr. Hans-Peter Friedrich an Pfingstsamstagihren 45. Geburtstag – am 26.

Mai 1967 wurde die Stiftung in Berlin gegründet. In seinerGrußadresse unterstrich der Bundesinnenminister die “besondere Bedeutung der Sporthilfefür die Gesellschaft. Sie ist Deutschlands wichtigste private Förderinstitution im Sport, durchdie Vorbildfunktion des Spitzensports wirkt sie so auch in den Breitensport hinein. MachenSie weiter so! Deutschland braucht Sie!”

Mit einem Geburtstags-Scheck über 50.000 Euro legte die Bundesliga-Stiftung als Premium-Partner der Deutschen Sporthilfe am Pfingstmontag im ZDF-Fernsehgarten nach. Der irischeExtremsportler Joey Kelly lief in einem Rekordversuch 24 Stunden lang in einem “Todesrad”,die Bundesliga-Stiftung wollte je Umdrehung des Todesrads 5 Euro spenden. Am Endelief Kelly 53,2 km bei 6.255 Umdrehungen. Die erlaufene Summe von 31.275 Euro rundeteGeschäftsführer Kurt Gaugler großzügig auf einen Gesamtbetrag von 50.000 Euro auf – mitBlick auf die kommende 50. Jubiläums-Saison der Fußball-Bundesliga.

Über diese Spende für den Förderhaushalt der Deutschen Sporthilfe wird sich besondersBehindertensportler Valentin Baus freuen. Der 16-jährige Rollstuhl-Tischtennisspieler ausBochum wurde mit der Jubiläums-Fördernummer 45.000 in die Förderung der DeutschenSporthilfe aufgenommen. Er ist amtierender Deutschen Meister in seiner Wettkampfklasse.

“Ein Modell für die Welt” wollte der einflussreiche deutsche Sport-Funktionär Willi Daume,damals Präsident des Deutschen Sportbundes (DSB) und des Nationalen OlympischenKomitees für Deutschland (NOK), schaffen und entwickelte schon zu Beginn der 60er Jahreangesichts zunehmender Professionalisierung im Sport die Vision eines eigenen bis datonoch nicht gekannten Systems leistungssportlicher Förderung.

Am 26. Mai 1967 wurde dann beim Berliner Notar Carl Scholz die Stiftungsurkundeunterzeichnet. Der erste Vorsitzende der Deutschen Sporthilfe, Josef Neckermann, verstandes, die Vision Daumes umzusetzen. Als erfolgreicher Sportler und Unternehmer brillierteer sowohl auf gesellschaftlichem Parkett, genoss aber auch hohen Respekt im Sport.Leidenschaftlich stritt der zweifache Olympiasieger für die Förderung der Leistungssportlerin Deutschland. Er öffnete die Tore der Wirtschaft für den Sport und schuf die Strukturen, dieden Erfolg der Stiftung bis heute begründen.

Die Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe hat bis heute 45.000 deutsche Sportlerinnen und Sportlermit rund 375 Millionen Euro unterstützt. 90 Prozent aller bundesdeutschen Medaillen beiOlympischen Spielen, Welt- und Europameisterschaften wurden von Athletinnen undAthleten gewonnen, die von ihr gefördert wurden.

Police investigations into allegations that Tottenham spied on Olympic officials during its failed bid to take over the main stadium after the 2012 Games have merited an arrest of a fourth man thought to be involved.

A 45-year-old man in south London was held on suspicion of fraud and an “amount of material was seized” in a search of his residential property, police said. His name was not released.

The Scotland Yard probe began in August when allegations of wrongdoing in the bidding process were made by West Ham and the Olympic Park Legacy Company, whose board members decide the future of venues on the site of the 2012 Games.

During a London Assembly committee hearing last year, OPLC chair Margaret Ford accused Tottenham of ordering surveillance on all 14 members of the legacy company board.

Tottenham denies any allegations of spying or the illegal obtaining of information.

It emerged during a separate High Court case that a company, which a judge said was hired by Tottenham, had copies of a West Ham executive’s telephone records that had been “unlawfully obtained by subterfuge.”

The investigators allegedly employed by Tottenham were from the accountancy firm PKF, whose former partner Howard Hill was arrested last week on suspicion of fraud.

Police investigating the illegal procurement of information made their first two arrests last November. There have been no charges filed in the case.

PKF denies any unlawful activity and said it has had no communication with Hill since he resigned from the firm in December.

Tottenham previously insisted that it “did not instruct PKF to engage in any unlawful activity and PKF have confirmed that they did not.”

West Ham’s deal to take over the $744 million Olympic Stadium collapsed in October amid legal uncertainty.

Instead, the venue will remain in public ownership and be rented after the Olympics. West Ham hasn’t decided whether to bid again or redevelop its existing Upton Park ground.

More than three quarters of a million fans have attended Rugby World Cup 2011 following the completion of 28 out of 48 matches.

Martin Snedden, CEO for Tournament Organiser Rugby New Zealand 2011 could not be more enthusiastic about the news.

“This is a fantastic result and resounding evidence that the Tournament is being enthusiastically embraced by local and visiting fans,” he said.

“We reached the milestone last night after nearly 27,000 fans braved a wet Wellington night to see a thrilling match between Argentina and Scotland. Rain or shine, fans up and down the country are dressing up, painting their faces and really getting into the spirit of RWC 2011.

“This weekend alone, nearly a quarter of a million fans passed through the gates for matches, which included the historic double header at Eden Park where 120,000 fans attended the two matches.

“We couldn’t be happier with the passion and joy fans from around the world are showing at matches.”

RNZ 2011 also announced that tickets are continuing to sell strongly. Sales to date total 1.32 million against a target of 1.35 million.

Shane Harmon, General Manager Marketing and Communications, said: “The surge in sales since the Tournament began means we are bang on track to hit our sales and revenue targets.”

Revenue totals NZ$259 million ($202mn), leaving $9.5 million of sales to be achieved to reach the Tournament end target of NZ$268.5 million ($209.5m).

“This is the last week of the pool phase of the Tournament before the knock-out matches in Auckland and Wellington. This week already we have sell out matches at North Harbour for Samoa’s critical final pool match against South Africa, Ireland’s decisive clash with Italy at Otago Stadium and Japan against Canada at McLean Park in Napier, Harmon added.

“However tickets are still available for the other remaining pool matches in Nelson, Palmerston North, Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton so we urge fans who have yet to experience the excitement and fun of a RWC match to move fast or they will be disappointed.

“Tickets are also still available for the semi-finals and quarter-finals and we are expecting sales to rise over the coming weeks as the make-up of those matches becomes clearer.”

IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said Rugby World Cup 2011 was on track to be an exceptional event.

“New Zealanders the length and breadth of the country are proving to be wonderful hosts. The atmosphere in venues and around the host cities and towns has truly added to a festival atmosphere,” he said.

UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner, this week appointed to position as chairman of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics Sport Technical Committee (STC), has claimed his main goal in his new job is to combine the IPC World Athletics Championships into the able-bodied version, potentially starting at London in 2017.

Currently the IPC organises its own Championships every four years while the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) stages an event on a biannual basis, and Warner told insideparasport: “There are really two points to my role which consist of a short-term and long-term goal.

“Short-term, it is about helping to ensure the success of the athletics competition at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and London 2012 is obviously a key reason why I was appointed to the position.

“In my discussions with Xavier Gonzalez [the IPC chief executive] I made it clear to him that I could really assist with the IPC’s preparations for London 2012 due to my position as chairman of UK Athletics.

“I’m based in London and I obviously have very strong links with LOCOG having worked with them for many years so it is fantastic that I can act as a type of bridgehead between the two organisations.

“But long-term, post-London 2012, the key thing is to make sure that the sport continues to grow and I think that we need to explore with the IAAF about combing their Athletics World Championships with the IPC Athletics World Championships.

“I have strong contacts within the IAAF which will be extremely helpful in any discussions.

“Combing the two will not happen straight away as there is still a long way for the IPC Athletics World Championships but that is certainly something that must be considered over the coming years.”

Warner’s comments have come quickly after the announcement earlier this week that IAAF President Lamine Diack and IPC President Sir Philip Craven had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work closer together.

Diack claimed he is ready to discuss “the prospect that future World Championships for able-bodied athletes and athletes with a disability could be held in conjunction with each other”.

London are among four bidders for the 2017 IAAF World Championships but have still to release full details of their bid, which has to be submitted by September 1. Insideworldparasport understands that it is considered likely that London will bid for both due to the fact that UK Athletics have delivered numerous successful world class disability events in recent years.

“It’s difficult to compare different bodies but UK Athletics certainly considers this IPC position to be a very prestigious appointment on the international stage,” Warner said.

“There will people out there who disagree and they are entitled to say what they like but I am proud to have this position.

“Under my chairmanship, disability athletics has also been held just important to UK Athletics as able bodied athletics has.

“There was not many chairman’s or Presidents of national athletic governing bodies at the Christchurch 2011 World Athletics Championships earlier this year but I was there because I felt it was very important to be there and to see the great things that went on and also the things that can be improved on.

“UK Athletics has shown how committed it is to disability athletics by investing heavily in the sport and making top appointments such as employing Peter Eriksson as Paralympic head coach when he was widely regarded as the best in the world.

“So Paralympic athletics could not be more important to us which is why we are so proud of this appointment.”

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has reaffirmed its commitment to growing the Women’s Rugby World Cup brand with the approval of a three-point plan to ensure the flagship event continues to grow.

The approval of the plan by the IRB Council follows an extensive strategic review of Women’s Rugby World Cup by tournament owners Rugby World Cup Limited.

Key review considerations included tournament timing within the international Women’s Rugby calendar, the tournament delivery model, tournament format and the global qualification criteria with the objective of further boosting competition standards, global profile and fan engagement.

The following recommendations were agreed by Council: 

• -Women’s Rugby World Cup to move to every four years from 2017 to optimise the international competition calendar and enable the world’s top players to compete in the pinnacle Fifteens and Sevens events
•  
• -Women’s Rugby World Cup to be capped at 12 teams to ensure the highest competition standards

   -The global qualification process to be streamlined to ensure the participation of the world’s best teams on the world’s biggest stage 

The announcement comes at an exciting time for the sport with Women’s Rugby enjoying unprecedented growth and profile, Women’s Rugby World Cup set for a record-breaking France 2014 event, the IRB Women’s Sevens Series going from strength to strength and Women’s Sevens set to debut at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Women’s Rugby is one of the world’s fastest growing team sports with an unprecedented 1.5 million women and girls participating across every continent.”

“At the forefront of the phenomenal growth are our flagship women’s Fifteens and Sevens events and we are committed to ensuring that Women’s Rugby World Cup is cemented as one of the prestige properties in women’s sport.”

Details of the qualification process and tender process for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 and 2021 will be announced in due course.

IRB Rugby Committee member Cheryl Soon said: “The Women’s Rugby World Cup is a fantastic event and today’s announcement is great news for the Game.”

“It’s a long-term commitment to the Women’s Game, which is growing at a record speed. To enhance that, we need to support the development of the Game and get the schedule right.”

“This will allow the top players compete in the Olympics, the Women’s Rugby World Cup and then the Rugby World Cup Sevens, if they choose to. The top players can take part in the top events.”