Athletes from 17 nations and seven Associate Members in the Oceania region will participate in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) for the very first time in Turkmenistan in 2017 after an agreement was signed by Turkmenistan President, ask Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, clinic OCA President, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, ONOC President, Dr Robin Mitchell and Chairman of the AIMAG 2017 Executive Committee Dayanch Gulgeldiyev.

The President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, said: “The signing of this historic Memorandum is very important for Turkmenistan as we continue our preparations for the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games at a fast pace.

“We look forward to welcoming the nations from Oceania to our new Olympic Complex for which we are spending 5 billion US Dollars on preparation for these Games. The Olympic Complex is a state-of-the-art, world-class facility which will help Turkmenistan to promote sport participation and healthy living throughout our society.”

OCA President, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, said: “This is an historic moment for the OCA for a number of reasons.

“Not only will we be joined by elite athletes from the Oceania region for the very first time at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games but this will also be the first occasion that the Games are held in Central Asia and the first time that Turkmenistan has hosted a major sporting event of this calibre.

“I am extremely grateful to His Excellency, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, and to my colleague, Dr Robin Mitchell, for helping us to continue to pioneer sport with innovative approaches in new markets. The 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games promises to be a spectacular success.”

ONOC President, Dr Robin Mitchell, added: “On behalf of the 17 participating nations and seven Associate Members from ONOC, we are delighted to be taking part in the unique Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games here in the stunning city of Ashgabat.

“The Oceania region has many talented elite athletes in indoor and martial arts sports and we welcome the opportunity for them to display their talent on the international stage. I am hopeful that Oceania’s athletes will have a decent share of the medals by the end of the Games!”

The first ever edition of the iSportconnect Directors’ Club in Abu Dhabi is only a week away and the final preparations are already in place.

Directors in the world of sport will gather together in a closed-door meeting to discuss the current trends and challenges in sports business in the Middle East.

The new Chief of Yas Marina Ciruit and ADMM, Al Tareq Al Ameri will be joined by Brian Lott, Executive Director, Group Communications of Mubadala as speakers at the iSportconnect Directors’ Club.

The event is held in association with INTERACT, a specialist business events company in the UAE.

This high level invitation-only Club, hosted by Yas Viceroy and supported by Musco Gulf Lighting, IEC in Sports, Harlequin Arena Group and Icon Prolab focuses on ‘Building Sustainable Events in the Middle East.‘ The critical issues and challenges when doing business in sport in the region will be discussed.

An impressive panel of high-profile speakers will participate in an interactive Question-Time debate. The debate will be followed by a networking reception and Dinner at Atayeb restaurant on Yas Viceroy’s terrace overlooking the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race track which will host the final Grand Prix of the season just two weeks later.

DATE: Monday 10th November 2014, Yas Viceroy,Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE

TIME: 3.00pm – 6.30pm: Directors’ Club Discussions, Ballroom, Yas Viceroy

6.30pm– 9.30pm: Dinner Atayeb Resturant, YasViceroy

DIRECTORS CLUB OBJECTIVE:

The Directors Club facilitates business by gathering the leaders of sport together to discuss and debate the real challenges the industry needs to address in the region.

The Directors Club will give leaders the opportunity to voice their honest concerns in a closed door environment, with no media present.

The event aims to produce outcomes and results, which will shape the industry’s future so that collectively, with the support of the government, we can work together to ensure a cohesive strategy for sport, in turn increasing the ROI for sport business

The event takes place every 6 months in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 2015 will see the Directors Club launch events in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Who is Attending?

Confirmed attendees so far include;

Kareem  Nagy Hassan, CEO, Al Ain Club Investment Company

Ahmed Barakat, Commercial and Operations Director, Al Qattara Investment, Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium

Ahmed Abdulla Al Qubaisi, Director of Marketing and Communication, Abu Dhabi Sports Council

Nick McElwee, Director of Sales and Marketing, ADMM, Yas Marina Circuit

Nick Cottage, Head of Sponsorship, Etihad

Michell Chai, Director of Competitions, UAE Pro League /Arabian Gulf League

Bence Hamori, Corporate Account Manager  – Commercial, Du

Chris White, General Manager, Yas Links

Omar Dandash, Head of Marketing, Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club

Supported By:

Official Host Partner:

Official Partners:

Nenad Lalovic will run unopposed for a further six-year term as President of FILA, ambulance wrestling’s world governing body.

The news was determined at a FILA Bureau meeting in Dubrovnik and means that Lalovic, who stepped in as President when wrestling’s Olympic future looked bleak, will be the sole contender on September 7 during the FILA Congress at the World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Lalovic became Acting President in February 2013, after the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Committee omitted Wrestling from the Olympic Programme.

He was elected President at an Extraordinary Congress in May in St. Petersburg, Russia, to serve the rest of the term of Raphael Martinetti who resigned his presidency after the IOC decision.

Wrestling was eventually re-instated into the Olympic Programme, defeating squash and baseball/softball to secure their Olympic participation.

Lalovic is credited with stepping “to the forefront of Wrestling’s battle to stay in the Olympics last year,” in an official press release from FILA.

The Serbian helped change the rules of the sport and make it more appealing to broadcasters and young people – something the IOC demanded for their re-instalment into the Games.

To learn more about how wrestling has changed, click here for a full interview with Lalovic during wrestling’s campaign to be in the 2020 Olympic Games.

Further votes

In addition to the presidency, the Congress will vote on seven FILA Bureau seats. Six members will be vying for six-year terms and one will be to fill the remaining two-year term of Dr. Matteo Pellicone of Italy, who passed away earlier this year. 

The FILA constitution states that women must fill three of the seats on the 23-member Bureau. Since two are already serving, one woman will be named to the group that leads the federation in September.

Current female members are Rodica Yaksi, of Turkey, and Natalia Yariguina, of Russia.

The news comes after FILA announced they would be updating their brand identity with a new name and logo

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Location: International Cricket Council, health Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Closing date: until filled

Overview:

Liverpool FC have announced bookmaker BetVictor as their new training kit partner.

Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has increased his share in the club to around 67%.

The American businessman acquired 23 shares for around £368, bronchi 000.

Read more HERE.

World Rugby has launched the United Kingdom and Ireland broadcast rights tender process for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.

World Rugby has issued bidding information to interested parties in both markets and bids for Rugby World Cup 2019 as a stand-alone or coupled with Rugby World Cup 2023 will be considered.

Read more HERE.

By Christian Radnedge

Luis Figo says he will propose expanding the FIFA World Cup to 48 teams should he win the world governing body’s presidential election in May.

At London’s Wembley Stadium on Thursday, pills the Portuguese former footballer officially launched his manifesto for leadership of the organisation in front of a packed media suite.

While redistributing funds and grassroots were key parts of his document, one of the most interesting aspects of his proposals was the idea of making the World Cup even bigger than it is by increasing the number of teams involved.

“I want to have an open debate on future of most popular event on the planet” he said.

“We should consider proposals to expand the tournament from 32 to 40 or even 48 teams. Both these are possible with an extra three or four days of play.

“Additional teams should come from non-European nations.”

That idea would have a significant positive impact on the sponsorship and broadcasting rights in the tournament. With more games one would imagine that means; more money.

But on the issue of FIFA’s money, Figo said he wanted to return it to the member associations – insisting that it be spent on improving opportunities in grassroots football around the world.

“I am proposing 50 per cent of FIFA revenue $2.5billion distributed to national associations over four years” he said.

“The national reserves should be freed up and invested in football development.

“I am proposing $1billion of FIFA’s reserves returned to FIFA associations. This money is not FIFA money. It is the money of FIFA associations and it should be spent on football. I have set out in my manifesto how this would work. The impact of these proposals would mean $8-12million distributed to every association over four years.”

Currently, $375,000 is distributed to FIFA member associations every year whereas Figo’s manifesto is proposing increasing that to $2million.

FIFA votes for the presidency on May 29 in Zurich. They will choose from Figo, Dutch FA president Michael van Praag, executive committee member and vice-president Prince Ali bin al-Hussein and of course current president Sepp Blatter.

Blatter has been in charge of the organisation for 17 years but that is a concept Figo would not consider if he were president. In his manifesto he says that he will “propose to the congress a term limit for the FIFA president of a maximum 12 year period”.

A similar idea was rejected by the FIFA congress last year. But with Seb Coe this week also advocating 12 year term limits in his bid for the International Association of Athletics Federation presidency, there is a sense that the sporting world is looking to become more restrained in how long people stay in power.

To implement that, Figo would have to win the election in unprecedented circumstances as Blatter continues to wield significant support from around the world – particularly in Africa.

On this point, Figo said: “I am aware that the African continent will be one of the obstacles to overcome. I am working towards getting as much as support for my candidacy through my manifesto and ideas.

“We won’t have confirmation until the 29^th [May] but I trust I can manage this and achieve this.”

Watch the Special Report of the Luis Figo press conference on iSportconnect TV.

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