Wales Ask Permission for Closed Stadium Roof

The Welsh Rugby Union national team have asked the organisers of the Six Nations championship for permission to play all their home games under a closed roof.

Wales’ Principality Stadium is the only stadium to be used in the tournament with a retractable roof, with the ground due to play host to the fixture between Wales and England on February 11. Both sides would need to agree to the roof being closed if the change is to go ahead.

There has been general concurrence that a closed roof increases crowd engagement and atmosphere, as well as guaranteeing a cleaner, safer playing surface.

BT Confirms BT Sport Price Increase

UK telecommunications company BT have confirmed that broadband subscribers will soon have to pay £3.50 per month to receive access to pay-television service BT Sport.

From April 2, BT will charge customers a fee for the previously-free service; with the increase part of a wider pricing rise for landline and broadband services.

BT Sport has invested heavily in football in recent years: showing the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, and live Premier League action.

Swimming Australia Signs With Arena

Swimming Australia, the governing body for the Oceanic nations’ aquatic sports, have agreed a four-year apparel deal with Arena.

The agreement will commence immediately and will see Arena become the official supplier to the Australian Dolphins swimming team until 2020.

The deal will cover major events such as two World Aquatics Championships and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Australian swimmers continued their recent successes with three Gold Medals at the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio.

Chinese Football Association Confirms Overseas Players Regulations

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has confirmed the introduction of new regulations that will further limit the number of overseas players allowed to represent Chinese clubs in domestic matches. The move is designed to limit the influx of overseas players moving to China in financially-extravagant deals.

The CFA announced that clubs in the top two tiers of Chinese football will be limited to fielded a maximum of three foreign players per game for the 2017 campaign. The rule represents a tightening of former regulations which permitted three foreign players and a non-Chinese Asian player, as well as the option of substituting in another non-Chinese player from the bench .

The recent recruitment drive for foreign players has led to calls to introduce salary caps for Chinese Super League players, with recent Shanghai Shenhua signing Carlos Tevez reportedly earning £600,000 per week. Government officials have suggested a preference to reinvest large sums into grassroots development of football, as opposed to investment in high-profile marquee signings.

Sides will still be able to register five overseas players in their squad, but will only be able to field three per matchday.

Liberty Media Offers Stakes to F1 Teams

Liberty Media group will offer every Formula One team the opportunity to purchase a stake in the series, according to Sky News.

The report stated that Liberty would retain an option to reduce the total amount of shareholding sold to an aggregate of 22%- with the two teams holding the largest shares able to nominate one person to the board of Delta Topco, F1’s parent company.

The document also suggests there will be significant changes to the Championship, with increased sponsorship sales and new central commercial premises key ambitions for the series.

Liberty Media is expected to complete its F1 Takeover within a matter of weeks.

Independent Athletics Integrity Unit to Launch

The IAAF have announced that a new independent Athletics Integrity Unit will launch in April 2017.

The unit was a key component of IAAF President Lord Coe’s reform programme which was approved at the organisation congress in November.

The IAAF is seeking job applications for the head of the integrity unit, and for three board member roles.

Coe said, “I am delighted that the planning for this is now well under way and will accelerate as we head towards the beginning of April 2017 when the unit is due to be operational. We’re now inviting individuals with the necessary skills and relevant experience for either the leadership role or board positions to register their interest.”

Marisol Casado re-elected as ITU President

International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Marisol Casado has been elected as President of the International Triathlon Union (ITU) for a third term. Casado was first elected as ITU President eight years ago in Madrid.

“Thank you from the heart for nominating me as President of ITU, therapy ” Casado said. “Thank you for believing in my vision, click in my leadership, cialis cheap and where I want to take the sport. It is a great honour to be given the responsibility of directing ITU another four years.”

IOC President Thomas Bach, who spoke early in the ITU Congress, praised Casado and ITU as a good example of good governance and sustainability.

Werder Bremen and Wiesenhof extend sponsorship

German football club Werder Bremen have signed a shirt sponsorship extension with cooked meats manufacturer Wiesenhof until 2018.

The partnership is now entering its sixth year, vialis 40mg and is reportedly worth US $7.45 million.

In this challenging time we want to set an example,” said Wiesenhof chief executive Peter Wesjohann. “Since the start of our partnership, we’ve stood side-by-side with the club, and that doesn’t change now.

With Wiesenhof we’ve extended a reliable partnership for another year, we look forward to working together. It’s a continuation of a very good and open co-operation. We’re sure that we we’ll achieve all of our goals together,” said Klaus Filbry, chairman of the executive board at Werder Bremen.

Reinhardt Weinberger, chief executive of Infront Germany, commented: “With Wiesenhof’s contract extension, SV Werder Bremen have a strong and extremely reliable main and shirt partner from the same region. This partnership is now going into its sixth year and therefore belongs to one of the most stable in the Bundesliga.”

iSportconnect announce partnership with relaxation technology experts Solace Lifesciences

iSportconnect, the world’s largest global private network of sports business executives, is pleased to announce a partnership with natural wellness experts Solace Lifesciences, makers of NuCalm®.

Solace Lifesciences, Inc. is set to become the “Official Neuroscience Solutions Partner” of iSportconnect.

NuCalm is the world’s first and only patented technology clinically proven to lower stress and improve sleep quality without drugs. Professional athletes and Olympians use NuCalm to effectively manage stress, improve sleep quality, accelerate muscle recovery and healing, increase mental focus and manage jet lag. NuCalm is also used in oncology, addictive disease, executive performance, aviation, PTSD, and medical procedures.

Speaking about the exciting partnership, iSportconnect founder and CEO Sree Varma said: “We are very glad to have Solace on board as one of our partners, as they provide an innovative product whereby they help people lower their stress and pose phenomenal opportunities to the sports industry”.

Solace added, “We have the singular purpose of helping humanity and our planet by effectively using our flagship product, NuCalm, to solve the problem of stress. We are honored and feel privileged to do what we do, but cannot accomplish our goal without help. We are excited to partner with iSportconnect, as they share our vision and passion for making a profound difference in the world, and they possess an expertise in connecting like-minded individuals, who are ambitious, compassionate, and intellectually curious. iSportconnect is now an extension of the NuCalm brand, and we couldn’t ask for a better partner” says Jim Poole, President and CEO of Solace Lifesciences, the makers of NuCalm.

Notes to editors: 

About iSportconnect:

iSportconnect is the largest global private network of SportBusiness Executives where membership is exclusive and follows a strict door policy. It is a one-stop platform for any quintessential Sport Business Industry executive.

About Solace Lifesciences:

Solace Lifesciences, Inc., the makers of NuCalm, was founded in 2002 with the expressed intent to help people lower stress and improve sleep quality without drugs.

In 2010, Solace Lifesciences launched their flagship product, NuCalm. NuCalm is an all-natural, drug-free, stress intervention technology that rapidly, reliably, and safely interrupts the stress response and creates a deeply relaxed state. The outcome is improved clarity, comfort, confidence, and performance.

NuCalm received the world’s first and only patent for “systems and methods for balancing and maintaining the health of the human autonomic nervous system.”

U.S. Patent Registration No.: 9,079,030; Issued July 14, 2015

PSG to open new training base in 2019

French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are looking to open their new training base at Poissy in 2019, adiposity with construction set to begin September 2017.

The 74 hectare facility is set to include a 5, cheap 000 capacity stadium and 14 football pitches, order including a covered full-size pitch. There will also be a team hotel with 32 luxury rooms for first team players and 80 standard rooms for youth and academy players.

The facility will host Women’s Ligue 1 and Women’s Champions League matches, as well as youth team and reserve matches.

For the last five years, we have worked to develop PSG in order to make it into a leading European and worldwide football club and a truly global sports brand,” said Nasser Al-Khelaifa, CEO and chair of PSG.

“Our future training centre will be one of the best in the world. This state of the art facility will allow the club to take full advantage of the fantastic pool of youth talent from the Paris region, and also attract the most talented young footballers from all over the world. The young footballers in the Youth Academy will benefit from the best possible conditions and, to inspire them even more, they will train alongside the stars of our first team.”