World Archery has announced today that Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, will host the 2015 World Cup Final and 2017 World Championships.

World Archery hopes that by awarding two elite events to a city that already displays an appetite for the sport, strong development and community engagement programmes can be built to complement the continued growth of archery in Latin America.

Mexico City 2015 will be the second time the nation hosts the Archery World Cup Final. The first ever such event was held in the Mayapan Pyramids in 2006, the same year in which Merida ran the World Archery Youth Championships nearby.

Mexico also has a decorated history of hosting major multisport events, including Pan American, Caribbean and Central American Games – and the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.

A strong bid backed by Mayor Dr Miguel Angel Mancera and Director of Sport Mr Horacio De La Vega – who had a great career as an athlete – national government and broadcasters persuaded the World Archery Executive Board to award both events to the same organiser.

Director of Sport in Mexico City Mr Horacio De La Vega said: “Archery is central to Mexico’s sport programme following the success the nation’s athletes have already achieved. It is a sport on the rise in popularity and participation and there is a significant audience for its international events and athletes within the country. It’s now time for Mexico City to showcase the best of itself, internationally, thanks to great athletes.”

World Archery Secretary General Mr Tom Dielen said: “Athletes were at the centre of the decision to award these events to Mexico City. Mexico’s archers have been asking for an international tournament in their country for some time, and they are one of the most internationally competitive teams right now.

“With the Mexican Challenge concept, this organising committee proved that it shares our values of putting athletes at the heart of international archery competition. We are confident it will build on that success with two of World Archery’s flagship tournaments.”

Leeds Carnegie executive chairman Sir Ian McGeechan has revealed the RFU Championship club will be rebranded.

Following discussions with the Yorkshire RFU and clubs across the county, McGeechan has unveiled the plan to create Yorkshire Carnegie from the 2014-15 season to replace the existing Leeds Carnegie club. The team will play at Headingley Carnegie Stadium to meet minimum Premiership standards but with the intention to create a side to represent Yorkshire at the highest level and create an integrated Yorkshire wide system.

To achieve that goal, McGeechan is appealing for a broad base of financial support from across Yorkshire from people with a real interest in enhancing Yorkshire Rugby Union’s legacy that dates back to 1876 with the formation of the Yorkshire RFU.

Commenting on the announcement McGeechan said, “Since the game went professional in 1995, benevolent individuals at clubs like Leeds, Rotherham and Doncaster have pumped millions of pounds of their own money into trying to make professional Rugby Union a success in Yorkshire. Undoubtedly the player pool within the county is as strong as ever with the fantastic work being done at junior and school levels. We have successfully created an Academy structure that benefits all clubs across the county and the time is right now to spread that philosophy to the senior structure. We now face a crossroads if we are able to create a sustainable future for the professional side of the game.”

The new club will be in a strong position with a 20,000 capacity stadium, all existing players and staff from Leeds Carnegie as well as benefiting from all the existing sponsorship and income streams that currently go to Leeds Carnegie, including the club’s partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University.

Leeds Rugby Chief Executive Gary Hetherington added, “Leeds Carnegie, Rotherham and Doncaster have all tried to create a winning team on the field to gain and retain a place in the Premiership. Clearly, by leveraging talent and support across Yorkshire that gives us the best chance possible of succeeding. The Leeds Academy has long been recognised as the best in the country and that is clearly demonstrated by the success of players such as Danny Care, Calum Clark, Rob Webber and most recently Luther Burrell. These players are the latest in a long history of world class players from Yorkshire that includes the likes Sir Ian McGeechan, John Spencer, Mike Tindall and Rob Andrew. This year marks the 150thanniversary of rugby being played in Leeds for the first time which presents a timely opportunity for us to examine a way forward for the game.

“The business model for professional Rugby Union has changed dramatically over the last decade and now we must forge a new way to give Yorkshire the chance to succeed. Rather than relying on the generosity of a handful of benefactors we now want to create a group to control the Yorkshire franchise and allow the club to challenge the best in England and Europe,” added Hetherington.

Leeds Rugby Chairman Paul Caddick added, “Like myself, Ian McGeechan is passionate about Yorkshire Rugby. Since his return to the club he has persuaded the board that in order for us to not just return to the Premiership but compete, we must be in a stronger position. At Leeds we managed to compete for five consecutive seasons in the Premiership but the game has changed at that level and it needs further investment to thrive at the top.

“For many years I have invested a great deal of time, commitment and effort to create a team that the whole county can be proud of and I am happy to continue my involvement if the new board wish me to. Sir Ian McGeechan’s vision is one that deserves support by all who care about the game in the county and it has my full backing.”

Beijing-based Oceans Marketing will become the first sports marketing company to be listed on the Chinese stock market on Friday.

Regulators have just approved the flotation of Oceans, medic which launches on the so-called 3rd board, the Chinese version of the Nasdaq stock market, on January 24. Oceans Marketing was launched in 2006 and quickly established itself as an important player in the Chinese market as FIFA’s exclusive service agency in China for the 2007 Women’s World Cup.

Headed by founder Shoto Zhu, the company is a full-service agency involved in sponsorship consultancy and helping international sports companies grow in China.

Italian football club Juventus is among current clients. Oceans Marketing also distributes media rights in China for properties such as the Asian Champions League and the Australian Open tennis event.

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) has announced a long-term partnership with IMG Media, shop a subsidiary of IMG Worldwide, denture | for the global sports media company to become the media distribution partner of the surfing organisation from 2014.

IMG is to develop a content distribution strategy to help grow the sport across a wide range of broadcast outlets for both the men’s and women’s ASP World Championship (WCT) tours as well as the ASP Big Wave World Tour (BWWT).

Adam Kelly, Head of Business Development, Senior Vice President, IMG Media, said: “The sport of surfing is set to be reinvented under the new governance of the ASP. I believe in their plans to create a truly centralised sport from which both surfers and fans will benefit. Key to this fresh new approach has been to gather market leaders to support their aims and give the sport the best possible chance of realising its full potential.

“Our role will be to expand broadcast coverage of the ASP, taking the stunning visuals, outstanding athletes and exciting competition to new audiences across the world.”

Paul Speaker, ASP International CEO, said: “Our foundational media partnerships of Google YouTube (International Digital), Facebook/Instagram (International Social Media) and ESPN (US Linear Broadcast) will now be augmented by a significant relationship with global leader IMG, bringing one of the most dynamic and dangerous sports on the planet to a robust and growing international fan base.

“Working with IMG, we will finalise our international media partnerships for 2014 and beyond, ensuring that the most quality entertainment product is readily available to fans around the globe. It’s a very exciting time for professional surfing.”

The 2014 ASP Men’s WCT will start with the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast event March 1 – 12, with the final leg being the Billabong Pipe Masters from December 8 – 20. The 2014 ASP Women’s WCT will begin with the Roxy Pro Gold Coast event from March 1 – 12 and finish with the EDP Cascais Women’s Pro from October 1 – 6.

Sacramento Kings current owners, The Maloofs have agreed a deal to sell the NBA team to a Seattle based group.

A source close to the situation said Sunday that the Maloof family and the Seattle group, led by hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft billionaire Steve Ballmer, could announce a deal as early as today. If the sale is approved by the NBA’s board of governors, consisting of league owners, the team would move to Seattle next season and would be renamed the SuperSonics, after the franchise that left Seattle for Oklahoma City in 2008.

A sale price wasn’t released, but Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has said he believes the Maloofs were working on a deal that would value the entire franchise at $525 million. The Maloofs and a partner in Oklahoma control 65 percent of the team. The Maloof family declined to comment through a spokesman Sunday night, and Hansen’s representative couldn’t be reached for comment.

The price would be a record for an NBA team. ESPN.com, quoting anonymous sources, said Hansen has agreed to give the Maloofs a $30 million nonrefundable down payment and allow them to keep a small ownership stake in the team.

Sacramento officials, however, vowed to press on with their plan to assemble a counteroffer that would keep the Kings from leaving. Johnson plans to bring a rival investor group to the board of governors’ meeting in New York in April and make the case for keeping the team in Sacramento. The board would then presumably vote on which city would get the Kings – Seattle or Sacramento.

“When it comes to keeping the team in our community, Sacramento is playing to win,” the mayor said Sunday night in a prepared statement.

 

 

Sri Lankan Airlines has signed a sponsorship deal to support Japan’s National Championship, viagra order which is named the “SriLankan Airlines Japan Cup” under the agreement.

Sri Lankan Airlines has sponsored the event for the past two years, allergist the new agreement covers the 2012 edition.

Japan Cricket Association (JCA) CEO, erectile Naoki Alex Miyaji, said: “We are extremely pleased at how the Sri Lankan Airlines Japan Cup has developed with the support of Sri Lankan Airlines. Winning the Sri Lankan Airlines Japan Cup is the ultimate goal for cricket clubs in Japan. It has also played an important role in organising and developing regional cricket across Japan. We are looking forward to another great event which will be held this weekend.”

The 2012 SriLankan Airlines Japan Cup will take place on October 6-8 in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture. Five teams from across Japan compete.

The deal has also created ties with Japan and SriLanka. Last year, a Japanese high school made a cricket tour to Sri Lanka and others have visited the country to watch live cricket, including the current ICC World T20.

“Sri Lanka is a beautiful country and the people love their cricket. It is one of the closest Test playing nations to Japan, so it is an ideal place to tour. We look forward to building stronger ties with Sri Lanka and are extremely grateful to SriLanka Airlines for creating such fantastic opportunities,” Miyaji said.{jcomments on]

 

Boxing Clever, illness an advertising agency with a bull’s-eye on strategy and design, sales was announced today as the promotional and interactive agency of record for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL)

As agency of record, viagra Boxing Clever will provide creative for print, tv and radio advertising, promotions, events, as well as social and digital marketing.

“Boxing Clever is the perfect fit for the Rams,” said Brian Killingsworth, vice president of marketing and brand strategy for the St. Louis Rams. “This is an exciting time for the brand. Working in collaboration with Boxing Clever will allow us to enhance our fan interaction and engagements by creating lasting emotional connections to the team by building family-focused activities and outreach.”

“The power of the NFL is tremendous with over 182 million fans, and the excitement about the Rams around our agency is infectious,” said Dave Scott, senior partner at Boxing Clever. “We’ve already built a great relationship with the marketing team and have seen their vision. With the new leadership at the Rams, there’s a real belief St. Louis will celebrate another championship team soon. That belief is what we want to communicate to the St. Louis fans. We can be as great a football town as we are a baseball town – that time is now!”

Boxing Clever’s first assignment with the Rams is creating a new branding and messaging standard for the entire season, beginning with television spots the agency is already producing. This look and tone of voice will encompass broadcast, print and digital engagement at all consumer touchpoints.

“We’ve been watching the Rams from the South End Zone since they came to St. Louis, and our agency is extremely proud to be working with them,” said Jim Harper, partner and executive creative director at Boxing Clever. “With the youngest squad in the NFL and a marquee starting quarterback and former rookie of the year winner in Sam Bradford, the market is relatively untapped and ripe for cultivating new Rams fans and expanding the Rams brand.”