The Eurocup Final, health the crowning event of both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons will return to the Belgium city of Charleroi, Euroleague have announced.

The newest Eurocup champion will lift the trophy at the 6,000-seat RTL Spiroudome, the homecourt of Belgacom Spirou. The Eurocup Final returns this season to a single-game final format, as it was in the editions played from 2004 to 2007. The finals in those years were also played in Charleroi when the competition was called the ULEB Cup.

The Eurocup will celebrate its 11th final on April, 13, 2013 in the most emblematic basketball venue in Belgium, the RTL Spiroudome, after having had successful experiences in Torino, Vitoria, Treviso and Khimki over recent years. This two-year agreement between Euroleague Basketball and Belgacom Spirou will bring to six the number of finals that will have been played at the emblematic RTL Spiroudome by the end of the 2013-14 season. Previously, four iconic clubs – Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem in 2004, Lietuvos Rytas in 2005, Dynamo Moscow in 2006 and Real Madrid in 2007 – were crowned Eurocup champions on the RTL Spiroudome floor. Tickets for the Eurocup Finals will go on sale later in this season. 

The RTL Spiroudome was opened in 2002. Besides hosting Belgacom Spirou home games in both the Eurocup and the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, it is also a multifunctional venue where top-level events such as concerts, the Paris-Dakar presentation and women’s tennis competitions have also been celebrated. 

Euroleague also announced that Nikopharm has patnered with the Eurocup Final and the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four 2013 London.

The Ukraine-based pharmaceutical company will collaborate with the final phases of the top two European basketball competitions. The Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four 2013 London will take place in a one-of-a-kind venue, The O2 in London, from May 10 to 12. 

New England Patriots are set to receive nearly $1.7 million to license a $2 scratch ticket to go on sale Tuesday, pills Sept. 4.

The new $2 game from the Massachusetts State Lottery will offer players the chance to win more than $19.6 million in instant cash prizes, buy including $50,000 each for 15 winners. A second chance drawing allows players to enter their non-winning tickets for a chance to win one-of-a-kind Patriots home-game experiences, away game trip packages, autographed footballs and more money.

Under an agreement with the Massachusetts State Lottery, the Pats get $1.65 million for the new ticket. The two previous games scored well for the team. The $5 ticket, released in 2009, is 92 percent sold out and is projected to be gone before the end of this season and netted the team $2.5 million in fees from the Lottery. The $2 ticket released in 2011 ended earlier this month after just 11 months in stores and earned the team another $2.5 million.

Lottery officials say they have the most expansive and most successful sports-themed instant ticket portfolio in the industry with 14 games totaling $1.5 billion in sales and $194 million in net profit generated since 2006.

herbal helvetica,sans-serif;”>The 2012 Soccerex will take place in Rio de Janeiro from 24th – 28th November.

The Global Convention will return to the Brazilian city in partnership with local Government.

Soccerex is the premiere global soccer business event and combines business and learning opportunities with networking across a period of five days.

Industry stakeholders are exposed to the latest industry thought in a diverse conference line-up and the newest products and services via the exhibition hall which features showcases by a number of companies from around the world.

Soccerex described the response to the Rio 2011 event as follows. “With the post-event survey underway, initial feedback states that over 80% of attendees were pleased or very pleased with their event experience. Business was bustling during the exhibition and intense networking throughout the five days meant that the majority of attending delegates met their business objectives.”

Next year’s event is already highly anticipated with 60% of its exhibition space sold out.

It will be the seventeenth version of the Convention.

English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur have withdrawn their judicial review against the decision to award the Olympic Stadium to West Ham United after the London 2012 games.

Tottenham and League one team Leyton Orient had appealed against the decision to award West Ham the stadium, buy but the deal collapsed last week after the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) blamed concerns over whether the ongoing legal challenges would put the future ownership of the stadium at risk.

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, discount Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed that the appeal hearing would no longer be taking place.

“We have come to an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur, cough where all parties will bear their own legal costs,” he told insidethegames.

The OPLC, government and mayor of London, Boris Johnson, have now come to the agreement that the stadium will remain in public ownership, although West Ham have indicated that they will still bid for tenancy once the Games end and are willing to pay an annual rent of around £2 million ($3.1m) to acquire it.

To discuss this topic click here

UEFA has selected IMG Worldwide, discount the global sports, order fashion and media company, to be their official sales agent for UEFA Euro 12 hospitality packages in the UK, Russia and Turkey.

Official hospitality packages for UEFA Euro 2012 are now on sale through IMG in those countries. The tournament, which is jointly hosted by Poland and Ukraine, comprises of 31 matches in eight stadiums.

IMG is now on sale with Stadium Series, Country Series and Knockout Series with packages available either in exclusive skyboxes or in Club Prestige Hospitality Lounges. Club Prestige hospitality packages include top-category seats, gourmet catering, a special programme of entertainment before and after the match and much more.

The tournament begins on 8 June 2012, with the opening match to be played in Warsaw, while the final will be played in Kyiv on 1 July 2012.

English Blue Square Premier League side Mansfield Town have been bought by Doncaster-based businessman John Radford, it has been announced.

Radford secured the club after paying £1 million (US$1.5 million) to Andy Saunders, Steve Hymas and Steve Middleton. He has instantly committed £250,000 (US$395,000) to the club, and promised to commit the same amount over the course of the season.

Radford is a life-long Mansfield Town supporter and has promised that with the beginning of his reign, the club’s financial situation will improve.

Radford said: “Mansfield is my home town, I was born here, I went to school here and I love Mansfield Town.

“My intention is to get us back into the Football League. I now have the opportunity to help the town of Mansfield out.

“We have no problems as far as funding is concerned and will speak to the manager about the transfer window.”