Headed to Rio – The top stories before the Games

The Road to Rio has had a few bumps along the way but there have been a few stories of note, with EXCLUSIVE content and member comment, here are the Top 5 you may have missed.

IOC Member Richard Peterkin: Rio Games met by “perfect storm” of bad news

The build-up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games has been far from ideal with worries about the Zika virus, financial issues for the Brazilian capital, and the doping scandal which has dominated headlines heading into the latest showpiece event.

While all Games seem to have slight issues in the build-up, which often end up fading away, the 2016 Games seem to be encountering more issues with every passing week.

IOC member Richard Peterkin explains how the Games have been faced with more external issues than he has ever seen before

Read his thoughts HERE.

Final Russian Olympic delegation 271 out of original 387

RussianOlympics

Russia’s final Olympic delegation will be 271 out of their original 387 athletes – after the final Court of Arbitration for Sport decisions were taken in Rio. Five athletes are still waiting to hear their fate.

It means only 50 athletes outside of the IAAF’s ban have been prevented from taking part. The IAAF’s blanket ban on Russian athletes excluded 67.

Find out more HERE.

YouTube agree Rio highlights deals

Rio2016_Torch

YouTube have agreed deals with 60 countries to show Olympic highlights from the Rio Games as well as providing updates from 15 different content creators.

The list of broadcasters who have partnered with YouTube for the video site’s Olympics coverage include the UK’s BBC, Latin America’s America Movil, and Japan’s NHK. Viewers will be able to access local highlights through Google search.

Read all about it HERE

IOC Member Hayley Wickenheiser: “Russia ban protects the integrity of the Games”

IOC Member Hayley Wickenheiser has praised the International Association of Athletics Federation’s decision to uphold the ban on Russian track and field athletes at Rio 2016.

The council made the ‘unanimous’ decision after a damning report by the World Anti-Doping Agency which accused Russian officials of preventing drugs testers from doing their jobs.

They came to the decision that the Russian Athletics Federation had failed to meet the reinstatement conditions.

Read Wickenheiser’s thoughts HERE.

COMMUNITY SPECIAL: iSportconnect members reflect on London 2012

Exactly four years on from the opening ceremony of London 2012, the iSportconnect membership have been reflecting on the success and learning points taken away from the Games, with Rio just around the corner.

The fantastic turnout for the iSportconnect Directors’ Club – Olympic Special emphasised the nostalgia for the 2012 Games and the excitement as we head towards Rio.

Read the comments and join the conversation HERE.

 

Eurosport serve up Wimbledon to the UK audience

Eurosport has announced that it has secured a five-year agreement with the AELTC to show live simulcast coverage in the UK of the Wimbledon Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles finals and daily 90 minute highlights shows for the duration of The Championships.

The partnership with Eurosport has been agreed in line with the Ofcom Listed Events regulations, which entitles a secondary broadcaster to acquire certain rights alongside the primary broadcaster, which in the case of The Championships is the BBC.

Eurosport is now the only channel in the UK to show live coverage of all four of the sport’s major singles prizes.

Earlier this year, Eurosport achieved its best ever ratings with its exclusive live coverage of the Australian Open Men’s Final peaking at 1.1m viewers.

Susanna Dinnage, EVP and MD, Discovery Networks UK and Ireland said: “It is fantastic to offer fans the chance to watch one of the most iconic events in British sport on Eurosport for the first time.”

“Adding the Wimbledon rights means we now have live coverage of all four top tournaments and cements our position as the Home of Grand Slam Tennis in the UK.”

The BBC will continue to broadcast continuous daily live coverage of The Championships in the UK across BBC 1, BBC 2 and online, and remains the AELTC’s primary UK broadcast partner for the term 2016-2020 inclusive.

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Issa Hayatou Named as Acting FIFA President

FIFA have confirmed that Issa Hayatou, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and long-standing senior FIFA vice-president, will become the interim president of world football’s governing body.

Hayatou assumes the position with immediate effect after current FIFA president Sepp Blatter, along with UEFA president Michel Platini, was handed a 90-day suspension.

The Cameroonian has stated that he will only be in interim charge and will not be in the running to replace Blatter in February.

He released a statement through FIFA saying: Today, amid extraordinary circumstances, I have assumed the office of FIFA President. I will serve only on an interim basis. A new President will be chosen by the Extraordinary Congress on 26 February 2016. I myself will not be a candidate for that position.

“Until the Extraordinary Congress, I pledge that I will dedicate my best efforts to the organisation, the member associations, our employees, our valued partners, and football fans everywhere. FIFA remains committed to the reform process, which is critical to reclaiming public trust. We will also continue to cooperate fully with authorities and follow the internal investigation wherever it leads.

“Football has never enjoyed greater support throughout the world, and that is something everyone associated with FIFA should be proud of.”

Canadian Olympic Committee President Steps Down Over Sexual Harassment Claims

By Christian Radnedge

Marcel Aubut has stepped down as the president of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) following allegations of sexual harassment.

In a statement, there the COC confirmed it had received a formal complaint against Aubut last month. The charge is thought to relate to comments made to a female colleague of Aubut.

“Mr. Aubut has requested, and the Canadian Olympic Committee has agreed, that he step away from his duties as Canadian Olympic Committee president and Canadian Olympic Foundation chairman for the duration of the investigation,” the COC statement said.

“He has indicated that he will co-operate fully with the investigation, which, by its nature is confidential, out of respect for the parties.”

Aubut, who was appointed COC president in 2010, released his own statement this week in which he pledged to cooperate fully with “those responsible for investigating the remarks attributed to him and setting the record straight”.

The statement added: “Mr Aubut never intended to offend or upset anyone by anything he might have said in the performance of his duties.”

Aubut is also the former president of the Quebec Noriques, a team formerly of the National Hockey League before the franchise moved to Colorado in 1995 to become the Colorado Avalanche.

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Pitch Partners with iSportconnect to Create Joint Rugby World Cup Film Event

iSportconnect, impotent the world’s largest global private network of sports business executives, arthritis is teaming up with leading marketing agency Pitch to stage the latest instalment of the Pitch Cinema Club series.

Pitch and iSportconnect will be hosting a private screening of “Building Jerusalem”, the new film about England’s glorious 2003 Rugby World Cup campaign, at the Curzon Soho on 17th September. This will be a special Rugby World Cup industry event prior to the much anticipated kick off at Twickenham next weekend.  

The event starts at 6.30pm and will be followed by a drinks reception with 150 delegates from the sports industry, including representatives from brands, rights holders, media companies and agencies. 

Members from Diageo, Red Bull, BT, Sky, Yahoo, Channel 4, Premier League, NBA and many more are scheduled to attend this unique evening in London.

iSportconnect Founder and CEO Sree Varma said: “We’re delighted to be working with Pitch to create this unique and special evening ahead of the hugely anticipated Rugby World Cup. We’re really excited to be bringing together some of the biggest names and companies in the sports industry to celebrate the launch of what is set to be a record-breaking tournament.”

Due to limited spaces, the event will operate under a first come, first serve basis. To register your interest in attending please contact Maria Nicolaides at Pitch: maria.nicolaides@pitch.co.uk

http://www.pitch.co.uk/

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Women’s World Cup 2015: Benefits of Synthetic Turf

Synthetic turf’s place within elite sport is taking a major step forward over the next month as the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup continues in Canada.

This is the first time artificial grass has been established as the sole surface for an international tournament; every game, erectile across the six host cities, order marking a momentous moment in the playing surface’s long history.

The decision by FIFA to include the turf in Canada is yet another sign that sport, seek in particular football, is increasingly recognizing the merits and the benefits to elite athletes.

This is in spite of opposition amongst women players to 3G’s use at the 2015 tournament. Concerns over ball control, injury risk and suitability for elite sport have formed the backbone of their argument, however, all have been disproven by years of independent research and hundreds of academic studies.

Thus, synthetic turf has been accepted by governing bodies of sport worldwide as a safe, durable and high-performing surface suitable for both men’s and women’s elite sports.

A sample of independent research has found:

– No difference in the physiological response of players to natural and synthetic turf, in a study conducted by Cardiff University.

– No difference in the match statistics of synthetic and natural games in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, in a study conducted by sports analytics organization, Prozone, refuting America captain, Abby Wambach’s claims that more goals are scored on natural grass.

– The risk of injury was the same on natural and 3G across elite, amateur and youth football, a fact concluded by multiple studies.

Whilst previous generations of artificial turf felt abrasive and hard, resulting in the 1980s pitches that still heavily influence opinion today, the synthetic turf industry has heavily invested in research and technology. Checks and tests are extensive, always looking to surpass the benchmarks expected of natural pitches.

“Through fine-tuned lab processes and rigorous testing protocols, synthetic turf can now offer players a unique balance of durability, resilience and skin friendliness,” said Bryn Lee, Global Business Director of Bonar Yarns. “Some of the best surfaces in the world are now synthetic.”

For the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup an independent consultant has tested all six host stadiums to ensure the playing surfaces meet stringent performance criteria. Each pitch is FIFA Certified, meaning it is benchmarked against natural grass characteristics in terms of ball bounce, ball roll, skin abrasion and shock absorption.

“We believe that the top talent in football deserves a world-class playing surface,” said John Baize, director of Act Global, pitch manufacturer to Montreal Olympic Stadium.

“Our first priority is player safety. By identifying the needs of the player and how natural grass performs, combined with best in class resources and testing, we have developed top quality synthetic turf systems benchmarked to the performance and safety of top natural grass pitches.”

Ultimately, synthetic pitches deliver on all fronts, providing a consistent and equal playing surface, elite-level performance and a safety record supported by detailed reports. Combining the look and feel of natural grass pitches with the benefits of increased playing hours, extra revenue generation, weather resistance and reduced maintenance, makes it a worthy alternative to the traditional grass surfaces.

“The use of synthetic pitches at this World Cup is not a trial,” said Lee, “They have been chosen because they go far beyond the standards required by FIFA. Synthetic pitches are already used by some of the world’s top clubs and they regularly surpass the quality of some of the natural pitches in use across Europe’s top leagues.”  

In fact, for years synthetic turf has had a place in both male and female elite football. Its use in last year’s U-20 Women’s World Cup, 2007’s U-20 Men’s World Cup, FA Cup, Champions League and other top clubs across Europe, all show how 3G’s popularity continues to grow.

“We expect continued growth in both men’s and women’s elite sporting events throughout the world, and we will continue to advance our technology and systems to stay ahead of the demand,” said John Baize, Director of Act Global.

“With the spotlight on the Women’s World Cup, we look forward to watching the tournament progress over the coming weeks and sharing in the excitement of the games.”

Lisbon to Stage First World Snooker Event

World Snooker will stage its first ever professional snooker event in Portugal in December.

The Lisbon Cup will take place from 11 December until 14 December and will be the fifth European Tour event of the snooker season.

Running from December 11 to 14 and televised live on Eurosport, it will be the, with all professional and amateur players eligible to enter.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We have taken snooker into many brand new territories in recent years and now we are delighted to bring a professional event to Portugal, which will be the 11th different country to host a European Tour event.

“We know there is a lot of support in the country and we are thrilled to be working with the promoter to bring the dream to reality.

“Taking our sport into new regions is an integral part of the European Tour’s success, and the fantastic television coverage from Eurosport ensures that our partners receive excellent exposure.

“For the players, visiting Lisbon for the first time is going to be a wonderful experience. But there will be plenty at stake on the tables with prize money and crucial Order of Merit points to play for.”