A crowd of 160,000 could fill NASCAR’s Bristol Motor Speedway to watch a American Football college game between Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee.

The two schools have reportedly agreed to play a non-conference game at the venue in 2016, with Bristol’s seated capacity of 160,000 far higher than the record 115,109 fans that filled Michigan Stadium last month for Michigan University v Notre Dame.

The idea of staging a college game at Bristol goes back almost a decade, but it will only become a reality in three years’ time.

In 2005, track owner Bruton Smith offered Virginia Tech and Tennessee $20 million each to stage a non-conference game at the track, however Tennessee was reluctant and never engaged with the offer despite Virginia Tech willing to work on the concept.

While the entire infield is concrete and asphalt for the benefit of NASCAR races, roll-in technology could be utilised in place of growing a field of grass.

The University of Phoenix Stadium, which hosts the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, has a roll-in grass field which allows the grass to grow evenly under sunlight as opposed to sitting under the retractable roof.

This wouldn’t be the first game of American football held at Bristol Motor Speedway.

When the track first opened in 1961, it hosted an NFL pre-season game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins.

French manufacturer, advice Citroën have announced today that they will join the FIA World Touring Car Championship from the next season.

They also revealed nine-time World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb will be part of the team.

This will be Citroën’s first ever commitment in a world racing championship after winning eight WRC Manufacturers titles.

Olivier Fisch, cure Managing Director Eurosport Events, illness  commented: “We are honoured that a major car manufacturer like Citroën and a motor sport superstar like Sébastien Loeb have chosen WTCC to continue their cooperation after winning so many World Rally titles. This is a an exceptional reward for all the efforts Eurosport Events is putting in to organize and promote the championship.”

WTCC General Manager Marcello Lotti added: “The addition of the pair formed by Citroën and Sébastien Loeb is a big boost for WTCC on the eve of a technical evolution. We are confident that their arrival joint to the new generations of racing cars will contribute to further enhance the championship’s popularity and visibility worldwide.” 

“Citroën Racing has spent the last few months looking in detail at this programme,” revealed Frédéric Banzet, CEO of the Citroën Brand. “The WTCC is based on several aspects that are essential to Citroën: extensive media coverage, regulations that keep costs down and a genuinely global race calendar. Our involvement in this championship will give us not only another chance to showcase our Créative Technologie but it will also help us to develop the Brand in promising, growth markets such as China, Russia and South America.”

“Competing in a category for the first time, starting from scratch, gives our division a superb challenge,” confirmed Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal. “We will be able to re-use a large part of our existing expertise, starting with the DS3 WRC’s 1.6-litre direct injection turbo engine. Work has already begun in our Versailles technical centre and is set to be stepped up in the coming weeks, with the first tests of our car and the start of our development programme to prepare for the 2014 season.”

Denmark will host a European Tour event for the first time in more than a decade next year when the inaugural Made in Denmark is held at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort from August 14-17. 

The tournament will be played at the North Jutland venue from 2014-2016 and will carry a prize fund of €1.5million, medstore with €270,000 on offer to the winner.   
Ian Poulter was triumphant the only previous time The European Tour has staged a tournament on Danish soil, the Englishman beating Colin Montgomerie by a single stroke after shooting a round of 66 on the final day of the 2003 Nordic Open, held in the capital city Copenhagen.    

Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, in Farsø, is northern Europe’s largest golf resort, comprising two 18 hole courses, a nine hole course and extensive practice facilities in the NIKE Performance Centre.

The stunning 7,382 yards (6,751 metres), par 72 Backtee New Course, which will be used for the tournament, re-opened at the start of the year after a €2million renovation programme which included the re-laying of all 18 greens and the re-shaping of every bunker.

Prior to the recent redesign, which was carried out by Dane Philip Christian Spogárd of Spogárd and VanderVaart, Backtee New Course was also the scene of Thomas Björn’s first professional victory, in the 1995 Himmerland Open – one of 27 European Challenge Tour events played on Danish soil.

Björn beat Anssi Kankkonen and Nicolas Vanhootegem in a play-off, and he would register three more victories that season to kick-start an illustrious career which has so far yielded a total of 13 European Tour titles.

Björn said: “It’s fantastic news for the Tour and the country that we’re having a new tournament in Denmark next year. I think Himmerland will be a perfect venue, and I hope the Danish golf fans will come along and support the tournament in good numbers. With Thorbjørn [Olesen] playing so well and a lot good young amateurs coming through the ranks, it’s a good time for Danish golf and having a European Tour event in Denmark can only help grow the game even more.

“My first win as a professional was the Himmerland Open on the Challenge Tour in 1995, so in many ways that’s where it all began for me. I remember winning in the play-off and it was a great feeling to get my first professional victory, especially as it was in my home country. It would be lovely to win at home again on the main Tour almost 20 years later, but most of all I hope that the tournament is a great success – and I’m sure it will be.”

Lars Larsen, co-founder of the tournament and owner of Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, said: “This dream opportunity has now become a reality. Made in Denmark will focus partly on Danish golf, but also focus on Denmark as a golfing destination. By working with a number of sponsors, Sport Event Denmark and other organisations across the North Jutland region, we will ensure that Danish design and innovation are both integral to the event marketing.”

George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “We’re delighted to be back in Denmark after a ten-year absence. With the current strength in depth of Danish golf, now is the perfect time to announce a new tournament here. 
“As Thomas Björn has been long been the flag-bearer for Danish golf and a tremendous ambassador for The European Tour, it is perhaps only appropriate that we return to the scene of his first victory as a professional.

Himmerland looks magnificent after its recent renovation, and I have no doubt our Members will enjoy testing themselves here next August.”

Lars Lundov, Director of Sport Event Denmark, said: “Made in Denmark complements our impressive event list for 2014, as Denmark also hosts the European Men’s Handball Championship, the World Badminton Championships and the World Half Marathon Championships.

“With golf joining the Olympics in 2016, we will now have even more focus on the sport. Along with the team behind Made in Denmark, we will therefore also ensure that there will be side activities at the tournament to encourage Danes and visitors to get into golf.”

The main sponsors of the tournament, which will be promoted by Flemming Astrup of GolfPromote, are: Nordea, ECCO, Willis, SAP, Mercedes-Benz, Einer Hessel, Hilding Anders, Freja Transport, JYSK and Garia.

NBA’s Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder is set to open a new retaurant in  Lower Bricktown entertainment district which is scheduled to open early fall 2013. Construction will begin following the groundbreaking ceremony held on Oct. 30.

The upscale Southern cuisine restaurant will feature Durant’s favorites including chicken satay, popcorn lobster, honey-dipped fried chicken, center cut pork chops, blackened catfish stuffed with crab meat and shrimp, slow-smoked barbecue ribs, chicken and shrimp jambalaya as well as a variety of steaks, seafood and desserts. KD’s will also feature a complete wine list and specialty drink menu.

“I am very excited to be opening my first restaurant in Lower Bricktown,” Durant said. “I look forward to spending a lot of time there with my fans and friends, and enjoying great food and live music. I want customers not only to enjoy incredible food at my restaurant, but to always gather for a great experience.”

The interior will be warm and comfortable with a vibrant atmosphere. The restaurant will feature a walk-around bar and live music played by local and nationally known musicians on select nights. KD’s will seat approximately 320 people and will occupy approximately 10,000 square feet.

Nestled between Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill and Harkins Bricktown 16 movie theater in Lower Bricktown, the restaurant will be built along the Bricktown Canal and will include an outdoor patio as well as a hookah room. KD’s is expected to be another popular destination point along the canal where water taxis carry visitors to various stops including restaurants, shops and nightclubs.

“This new restaurant will undoubtedly be a hotspot for the Oklahoma City community, Thunder fans and tourists alike,” said Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett. “We are lucky to have a professional athlete like Kevin Durant who is helping make Oklahoma City a great place to live, work and have fun.”

Lower Bricktown is an extension of Bricktown, which received a much-needed facelift in 1993 following a massive public facility enhancement project. Just steps away from Chesapeake Energy Arena, home of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Bricktown is a popular destination for both locals and tourists. Today, Bricktown together with Lower Bricktown are home to more than 50 restaurants, Harkins Theaters Bricktown 16, Bass Pro Shops, and nightclubs as well as corporate headquarters of Sonic Drive-In.

The restaurant is being developed by Hal Smith Restaurant Group and Oklahoma City Developer Randy Hogan in partnership with K. Durant Restaurant Group, LLC. Joe Jungmann will serve as managing partner overseeing day-to-day restaurant operations. Jim Buchanan from Buchanan Management Group, LLC, consulted on the project. The Hal Smith Restaurant Group is a restaurant management company which owns and operates a variety of concepts in seven states with more than 50 locations.

Durant is a professional basketball player with the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA.

 

Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd (DCHL) today issued a tender notice inviting bids from prospective buyers for its financially stricken IPL franchise, impotent | Deccan Chargers.

The Indian cricket board’s (BCCI) working committee on Monday decided to allow DCHL to go ahead and issue tender notice in the leading national dailies.

According to the tender notice, prostate | “under this invitation to tender issued by DCHL, sale the winning bidder will acquire from the DCHL on an “as is where is” basis the right to own and operate the IPL team currently known as Deccan Chargers, which is and will continue to be based in Hyderabad and which competes in the Indian Premier League and which has the opportunity (if applicable and subject to qualification) to compete in each and any CLT20 which is staged from 2013 onwards“.

The term “as is where is” means that the new buyer will have to use the name Deccan Chargers and will have to clear the liabilities of the current owner.

The invitation to tender and the bid document can be acquired from the BCCI office in Mumbai from September 7 upon a payment of Rs 5 lakh by demand draft or pay order favouring DCHL.

According to the IPL constitution, 5 per cent of the bidding amount will be acquired by the BCCI.

The last day for submitting the bid will be 12 noon on September 13 and the winning bid will be announced on the same day.

The new potential buyer may have to pay the salary of the Deccan Chargers’ players for the fifth edition of the IPL.

The move will also help consortium of banks, which had loaned out significant amount to DCHL, to recover their money since the name of the team will remain Deccan Chargers.

Earlier in June, DCHL had appointed investment banking institution, Religare to find a potential buyer but they were unable to find one, who would readily buy the team with its financial liabilities.

The National Football League (NFL) is to refurbish football fields in 15 cities spending $2.5 million in grants by doing so.

The money will go to schools, parks and other facilities in Atlanta; Spartanburg, S.C.; Chicago; Alexandria, Ky.; Grafton, Ohio; Pueblo, Colo.; Detroit; West Allis, Minn.; New Orleans; Newark, N.J.; Philadelphia; Penn Hills, Pa.; Clearwater, Fla.; Madison, Tenn.; and Washington.

Teams whose markets will benefit from the grants are the Falcons, Panthers, Bears, Bengals, Browns, Broncos, Lions, Packers, Saints, Giants, Eagles, Steelers, Buccaneers, Titans and Redskins.

Commissioner Roger Goodell calls community fields “the pillars of neighborhoods across the country, places where families can `play 60′ together in a safe environment.”

The program is a partnership between the league and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

The Terrible Towel, a yellow and black cloth, signature of the Pittsburgh Steelers fans has been in the middle of a lawsuit between the Steelers, compatriots a disabled school and Eugene Berry Enterprise LLC about trademark breach.

The lawsuit alleges that Eugene Berry Enterprise LLC filed a trademark application in May for “The Terrible T-Shirt” and had been selling the shirts emblazoned with those words and “A Pittsburgh Original,” court documents said.

Attorneys for the Allegheny Valley School, which owns the Terrible Towel trademark, asked the company to withdraw the application before its owner attempted to have more of the shirts printed, the documents said. It has been selling the shirts since February, according to the suit.

The suit, filed on Monday, alleges trademark infringement, unfair competition, fraud and other offenses. It seeks damages including profits from the T-shirts, attorneys’ fees and other expenses.

The late sportscaster Myron Cope invented The Terrible Towel in the mid-1970s. In 1996, he gave the trademark to the Allegheny Valley School, where his autistic son lived. The Steelers have an exclusive license to market Terrible Towel-marked items.

Organisers of next year’s London Olympics (LOCOG) have announced that most of the money for the first round of Olympics tickets sales will be debited from ticket applicants’ bank accounts by next week.

LOCOG said 60 per cent of cards would be debited by midnight on Wednesday, the “vast majority” by 31 May, and the process completed by 10 June. The payment process had been due to begin on 10 May, but so far no cards had been debited.

LOCOG revealed that the second round of sales, in late June, will initially offer unsuccessful first round ticket applicants the first chance to buy those tickets still available on a first come, first served basis before the public who did not originally apply are able to buy tickets.

Initial applicants will be contacted before 24 June to confirm if they have been successful in buying any of the 6.6 million tickets available, and which ones they have been allocated.

The e-mail sent out to these applicants stated that Visa payments would only be taken for successful applications, and that if cards had been lost or stolen, or there were any issues with collection of payment, applicants would be contacted about it by 10 June.

LOCOG deputy chairman Keith Mills said they were trying to make sure the system was “fair and even” and that people were informed at the same time about whether their application had been successful.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “One of the problems when you are doing something on this scale is if you tell one person they’ve got tickets, they tell their friends and suddenly we have a switchboard jammed with people – so we are trying to do this extremely thoroughly.”

“It’s going brilliantly well – it’s very complex, but it is going brilliantly well,” he added.

He added that hundreds of thousands of unsold tickets would be available to buy later in the year.