MotoGP’s Indianapolis Grand Prix to Return to IMS in 2014

MotoGP’s Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2014 after a new deal was agreed.

Next year is the final year of the agreement between IMS and sanctioning organization and commercial rights holder Dorna to bring all three classes of the MotoGP World Championship –MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 – to the Brickyard. But IMS and Dorna have started discussions about a long-term relationship past the terms of the current contract. MotoGP first came to IMS in 2008.

“We’re very pleased that we can bring our fans another thrilling MotoGP World Championship race in 2014 at IMS,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said. “The last six years have established a solid foundation for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP and we are optimistic about the growth of the event in Indianapolis. We are also eager to continue working with our friends at Dorna to ensure an exciting long-term future for MotoGP at The Racing Capital of the World.”

“I’m extremely pleased that MotoGP will be returning to iconic Indianapolis track in 2014 to bring the pinnacle of motorcycle racing to the American fans. The Brickyard not only attracts a great crowd every year, but it heritage and history in the world of motor racing also helps grow the popularity ofMotoGP in the United States and around the world. I would like to thank the organization and staff at Indianapolis for their fantastic efforts to keep the race at their track, and am already looking forward to returning next year.”, declared Carmelo Ezpeleta, Dorna CEO.

Chinese Golfer Liang Wen-Chong Becomes R&A Ambassador

China’s most successful golfer, sale Liang Wen-Chong, generic has taken up a new ambassadorial role with The R&A to support the development of golf in his home country and to promote understanding of its Rules and values. 

Liang, the winner of 18 tournaments worldwide, has become The R&A’s third Working for Golf Ambassador and attended a special signing ceremony at The Royal and Ancient Clubhouse in St Andrews with Consul Degang Wan of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Edinburgh. A ceremonial Chinese lion dance was held to wish Liang good luck in his new role.

“I am honoured to be working with The R&A and helping to promote golf and its values in China”, he said. “I have been very fortunate to become a professional golfer and enjoy a successful career. Golf has been good to me and this is an opportunity for me to give something back to the game. I look forward to working with The R&A to promote greater understanding of the game’s Rules and values in China.”

Consul Degang Wan commented: “There are many links between China and Scotland and this relationship is further enhanced by our mutual love of golf,” he said. “This is an excellent new initiative which should help improve knowledge and understanding of the game in China. Liang is a well-known sportsman at home and in this role I believe he will make an invaluable contribution to the growth of the game there and also to the ever-increasing friendship between our two peoples.”

Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Working for Golf at The R&A, said: “Liang was the first player from his country to play in The Open Championship in 2008 which is a great achievement. He has led the way for golf in China and will bring a great deal of experience and expertise to his new role. The R&A is already working hard with the China Golf Association to encourage people to learn more about golf and its values. Liang will help us to communicate these messages to an even wider audience.”

Liang will front a TV, online and print media campaign across China that will highlight and explain some of the commonly misunderstood aspects of golf. The campaign will be launched later this year.

Liang joins two-time Open Champion and former USPGA Championship winner Padraig Harrington and 2007 LPGA Champion Suzann Pettersen as R&A Working for Golf Ambassadors.

Luiz Razia Denied F1 Driver Spot after Last Minute Sponsor Pullout

Brazilian racing driver, Luiz Razia has revealed sponsors are to blame for his premature exit from Formula One this year.

Marussia signed French driver Jules Bianchi to race for them this season after terminating the contract of Brazilian Luiz Razia at the last second.

Razia has suggested he was let down by a crucial sponsor just before he could officially join the grid.

“I will sleep tonight, knowing that the failure was circumstantial,” the 23-year-old Brazilian told O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

Elsewhere, Razia even sported a smile and a humorous sense of irony, wearing a t-shirt bearing the words ‘Dream Killer’ for an interview with Brazil’s Globo.

“Two individuals who have a company signed a contract with Marussia,” he explained. “They paid the first instalment, then they had problems.”

Brazilian correspondent Livio Oricchio estimated the missing payment at EUR 6 million.

“It’s been hard for me, of course,” Razia admitted. “I need to regroup. But I have faith and sometimes these things happen for us to grow spiritually.

“Right now I am returning home to Milton Keynes to think about what to do with my life.”

Returning to his brush with F1 racing stardom, Razia continued: “It was bad luck, not because of a lack of commitment or professionalism on my park.

“I did as much as anyone could do.”

He said he is sure Jules Bianchi, his Ferrari-linked replacement at Marussia, is also well sponsored.

“It would be funny if someone didn’t think that,” insisted Razia. “If that wasn’t part of it, I’d be sitting in the car now.”

New York Knicks Reclaim Top Spot on Forbes’ NBA Most Valuable Teams List

Forbes, pills an American business magazine, has released its annual list of NBA ‘s most valuable teams with New York Knicks reclaiming the top spot. 

The Knicks are worth $1.1billion taking the No. 1 spot away from Los Angeles Lakers.

The Knicks‘ value rose 41%, mainly due to a $980 million renovation of Madison Square Garden that is expected to be completed this summer. The makeover resulted in an NBA-leading $243 million in revenue last season. The Knicks‘ operating income of $83 million was the highest in the league for a third straight year. 

Also the Knicks have enjoyed a ratings boost with the team second in the Eastern Conference. 

With the help of a new 20-year, $3.6 billion television deal with Time Warner Cable, the Lakers, while losing their top spot, did enjoy some success financially as well. They are worth $1 billion, up 11% from last year. The Lakers and Knicks are the first NBA teams to be valued at 10-figures. 

The report also revealed that an average NBA team is worth $509 million, a 30% increase over last year. 

Forbes has accounted the increase to higher revenue from television, new and renovated arenas, and the NBA’s new collective-bargaining agreement, which reduced player costs from 57% of revenues to roughly 50%. The labour deal also increased the amount of money high-revenue teams provide low-revenue teams. 

Top Ten NBA’s Most Valuable Teams (in millions unless stated): 

1. New York Knicks – $1.1 billion (Profit: $83 million)

2. Los Angeles Lakers – $1 billion (Profit: $48)

3. Chicago Bulls – $800 million (Profit: $34)

4. Boston Celtics – $730 million (Profit: $19)

5. Dallas Mavericks – $685 million (Profit: $13)

6. Miami Heat – $625 million (Profit: $15)

7. Houston Rockets – $568 million (Profit: $27)

8. Golden State Warriors – $555 million (Profit: $29)

9. Brooklyn Nets – $530 million (Profit: $17)

10. San Antonio Spurs – $527 million (Profit: $15)

ICC Suspends Officials

Six umpires accused of corruption will not be selected to officiate by the International Cricket Council (ICC) until allegations of relating to an India TV sting operation have been investigated fully.

An ICC statement read: “The International Cricket Council and its relevant Full Member Boards have agreed not to appoint any of the umpires named in a sting operation recently conducted by India TV to any domestic or international cricket matches pending the outcome of the ongoing investigations into the allegations made.

“The officials named are not contracted by the ICC and those Boards who employ and nominate the umpires directly will conduct the investigations as a matter of urgency.”{comments on}

 

St Louis Rams Pull Out of Wembley NFL Regular Season Games in 2013 & 2014

St Louis Rams have opted out of their contract to play National Football League regular season games in London in 2013 and 2014. 

The Rams will honour their arrangement to compete against New England Patriots in October this year but it is unclear if another team will agree to a multiple game deal.

“In an effort to focus on the Edward Jones Dome First Tier Process with the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, the St. Louis Rams are withdrawing their commitment to play a home game in London in each of the 2013 and 2014 seasons,” the team said in a statement to www.nfl.com.

“The St. Louis Rams will play the New England Patriots on Sunday, October 28, 2012 at London’s historic Wembley Stadium as previously announced.”

“We are looking forward to playing in London this season as the NFL’s International Series offers a unique opportunity to grow the American football audience, expand the Rams’ brand to international fans and enhance St. Louis on the global stage,” said Kevin Demoff, Rams Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “However, moving forward, we believe at this time our attention needs to be on the ongoing First Tier process. We have worked closely with the NFL in coming to this decision and remain key supporters of the International Series and its objectives.”

Chris Parsons, NFL Vice-President of International, said: “We appreciate the Rams’ support for our international growth strategy. We are currently working to add a second game in the UK, potentially for the 2013 season, in response to the growth in popularity of our sport. We hope to finalize these plans in the months ahead.”

Manchester United Launch New Website Aimed at Hosting Corporate Events

Manchester United has launched a dedicated website for their conference and events division, United Events, aimed at further positioning the club as a first class venue for corporate events.

The new website has been created to offer much more information of the facilities of the venue, with images of each of the superb suites as well as a detailed layout and seating plans ensuring they get the best possible location for their event. Themicrosite is multi-browser compatible and has also been built to suit tablet devices such as the iPad.

Old Trafford is not only the home of the Premier League’s 19-times champions, but also offers a wide range of event facilities to suit any occasion, from rooms big enough to host a thousand guests to intimate meeting rooms for two.

The conference venue has 24 suites, 155 syndicate rooms and boasts over 5,000 car parking spaces making it popular with organisers and many events returning year after year.

Director of Venue, Karl Evans said: “The launch of our own dedicated website is part of our strategy to further cement Old Trafford’s reputation as a world class venue. Everyone knows Manchester United’s success on the field and now we want to show that its conference and events space is just as spectacular. We hope that our new website makes organising an event with us as convenient and simple as possible.”

CAS Overturns IOC Rule Allowing Merritt to Defend Olympic Title

The highest court in sports has overturned a disputed International Olympic Committee (IOC) doping rule, clearing the way for reigning Olympic 400-meter champion LaShawn Merritt to defend his crown at next year’s London Games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) invalidated the IOC rule that bars any athlete who has received a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next summer or winter games.

The case centered on Merritt, the American 400-meter gold medalist in Beijing who had been ineligible under the IOC rule to compete in London even though he completed his doping ban earlier this year.

The Unites States Olympic Committee (USOC) challenged the rule, contending it amounts to a second penalty for a single offense and violates global anti-doping guidelines. The IOC maintained it was a question of eligibility, not a sanction, and the Olympic body had the right to decide who takes part in its events.

The USOC and IOC went to CAS to seek a ruling well ahead of the London Games to avoid last-minute confusion before the Olympics start on July 27, 2012. They were told the rule in place was effective and wouldnt be overturned but obviously this is not the case.

“The rule was in our view an efficient means to advance the fight against doping, and we were somewhat surprised by the judgment since we had taken an advisory opinion from CAS on the rule and been given a positive response,” the IOC said in a statement.

The verdict against the IOC also opens the door for athletes in Britain to challenge a British Olympic Association rule that bans drug offenders for life from the games.

Among those affected by the British ban are sprinter Dwain Chambers, a former European 100-meter champion who served a two-year ban in the BALCO scandal, and cyclist David Millar, who also was suspended for two years for use of EPO.

The IOC’s reaction was of “surprise” and “dissapointment” of the decision but they maintained they would abide by the decision.

The IOC said in a statement: “The IOC has a zero tolerance against doping and has shown and continues to show its determination to catch cheats. We are therefore naturally disappointed since the measure was originally adopted to support the values that underpin the Olympic Movement and to protect the huge majority of athletes who compete fairly.”

The IOC pledged to review Rule 45, also known as the “Osaka Rule”, in the future.

“When the moment comes for the revision of the World Anti-Doping Code we will ensure that tougher sanctions, including such a rule, will be seriously considered,” added the statement.

High Demand for London 2012 Tickets as Second Round of Sales Begins

2.3 million tickets for the London 2012 Olympic games were put on sale this morning to applicants who received no tickets in the previous ballot system. The tickets, discount available for 310 sessions including archery, allergist fencing, pills hockey and football, were being sold on a first-come-first serve basis.

Many visitors attempting to buy tickets on the website have received a message during their transaction which states: “We are experiencing high demand.

“You will be automatically directed to the page requested as soon as it becomes available. Thank you for your patience.”

A London 2012 spokeswoman said: “The system is working, it has not crashed. Due to high demand some people are being held outside the system.

“For those in the system it is working and transactions are going through, but we are having to hold some people back from going through the site due to high demand.”

The system started to slow down just 10 minutes after tickets went on sale.

French Open to Stay at Roland Garros After Relocation Rejected

Major international tennis tournament, the French Open will not be relocated from its long-standing stay at Roland Garros after the nation’s tennis federation ruled against plans to move the competition to the Paris suburbs from 2016, which would have ended a home at the venue lasting over 80 years.
A statement from the French Tennis Federation (FFT) confirmed that delegates chose the “enlargement and modernisation” of the current site over the other bids from Versailles, Gonesse and a site in Marne-la-Vallee close to Disneyland Paris.

Sunday (February 13) saw a federation ballot in which Gonesse was eliminated in the first round, Versailles in the second and Paris taking 70 per cent of the final-round votes.

“Members of the French Tennis Federation, who have met this weekend for a general assembly, have chosen the project of the city of Paris, which envisages the enlargement and modernisation of the historic site at Porte d’Auteuil for the new Roland Garros,” a statement said.

“It chose an ambitious, prestigious project resolutely looking to the future.”

FFT president Jean Gachassin added: “Our ambition was to offer a project with a real future and of a very high quality – to improve the reception and the comfort of the players and spectators.”

That project will see 35 outside courts built, as well as a new media centre and a centre court with a retractable roof, which will mean matches can be played in inclement weather as well as at night – although it is still expected to be the smallest of the four Grand Slam venues.