Monday, 4th February 2008

HEADLINE NEWS

Malaysia Land Favourable Draw for Thomas Cup

Top seeds Malaysia were handed a favourable draw on Sunday in their bid to qualify for May's Thomas Cup finals in Jakarta. Malaysia, led by world number two Lee Chong Wei, were drawn against Chinese Taipei, the Philippines and Cambodia in Group A for the Asian qualifiers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from February 19-24. Second-seeded South Korea will play Singapore and Vietnam in Group B and Japan take on India and Pakistan in Group C.

Fourth seeds Hong Kong, will have a tougher time against Thailand, Sri Lanka and Macau in Group D. Malaysia have three players in the world top 25, with Lee joined by 15th-rankled Wong Choong Hann and number 24 Hashim Muhammad Hafiz. The South Koreans are led by 12th-ranked Park Sung-hwan and world number 14 Lee Hyun-il, recent winner of the Korean Open.

In the Uber Cup Asian Zone qualifiers, top seeds Japan play Thailand and Sri Lanka in Group W. South Korea take on Singapore and Cambodia in Group X while Chinese Taipei are joined by Hong Kong and Vietnam in Group Y. Group Z consists of only two teams, Malaysia and India.

In both competitions, the top two teams from each group, after a round-robin, qualify for the quarter-finals. For the Thomas Cup, four teams qualify for the Jakarta finals. However, in the Uber Cup, only the top three teams qualify automatically. The team finishing fourth are compared to the fourth-placed team from the European qualifiers. The higher ranking of the two, as of February 27, will advance to the Finals. chinadaily.com.cn, nst.com, 3rd Feb 2008

The Best of Asian Badminton to Qualify for the Thomas & Uber Cup

Badminton - The Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC), together with Total Sports Asia (TSA), is bringing the Robot (sponsor) Thomas & Uber Cups Asian Zone Qualifying Tournament to the world. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was selected by the BAC for the Qualifying Tournament which will take place from 19th to 24th February 2008. TSA will exclusively distribute media rights on behalf of BAC.

Participating nations will converge on Kuala Lumpur for the Qualifying Tournament draw this weekend. The draw on Sunday, 3rd February 2008 will determine the groupings as follows:

Thomas Cup: Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, The Philippines, Vietnam

Uber Cup: Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam

China is exempted from the Qualifying Tournament as defending champions for both the Thomas and Uber Cups while Indonesia has the privilege by-passing the qualification process as host for the Thomas & Uber Cups Finals to be held in May. Only the top four teams from the Robot Thomas & Uber Cups Asian Zone Qualifying Tournament will make the trip to Jakarta in May to vie for top honours against China, Indonesia and six other nations from other zones, including four from Europe. SportsEmedia.com, 1st Feb 2008


SPORTS SHORTS

* Microsoft has launched a $44.6 billion takeover bid for Yahoo in an attempt to challenge Google. Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, claimed that combining the two companies would create a stronger challenger to Google in the online advertising market creating a "more efficient" company with total annual synergies of $1 billion, driven by audience critical mass, increased value for advertisers and operational efficiencies. The move comes three days after Yahoo announced 1,000 job cuts, and a 23% drop in profits. Yahoo has said it will consider the offer. ATV, Yahoo!Finance, Centraldaily.com, AdvertisingAge, Telecomasia.net, 4th Feb 2008

* Eurosport has agreed a marketing and media deal for the IBU Biathlon World Championships, which are set to run from February 8 to 17 in Östersund, Sweden. Eurosport will be an official ‘Nordic Partner’ of the event, giving the broadcaster an advertising presence, such as on the official website. Over 15 hours of live coverage across 59 countries will also be broadcast by Eurosport. Sportcal.com, 1st Feb 2008

* FINA, the international swimming federation, said four cities and national federations have formally confirmed their bids to host the 11th edition of the FINA World Swimming Championships in 2012. They are: Mar del Plata, Argentina; Vienna, Austria; Hong Kong; and Istanbul, Turkey. Sydney in Australia and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil did not confirm their potential bids. FINA will announce its choice of host of the vent on April 12 during this year’s championships in Manchester. The 2010 event will take place in Dubai on April 7 to 11. Sportcal.com, 1st Feb 2008

* Arjuna Ranatunga, the new chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, has admitted that the governing body is broke and relying on financial support from India to stay above water. In recent years, SLC has been racked by allegations of corruption and Ranatunga, the captain of the 1996 World Cup-winning side, has invited a team of auditors to investigate the organisation’s finances. He told AFP: ‘There is no money left. We are now surviving on a $6-million bank overdraft. We also plan to ask for a short-term loan from the Indian cricket board to be set off against some of our future tour revenues.’ Sri Lanka host India for a test and one-day series in July and August and Ranatunga is hopeful that the tour will provide a much-needed boost for SLC’s finances. Sri Lanka are currently ranked third in the world in test cricket, just behind India, but cannot compete with their rival in commercial terms. Sportcal.com, 1st Feb 2008

* A number of Indian media companies have been given government clearance to introduce foreign direct investment (FDI) into their ownership structures. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) gave UTV Software and Communications the go-ahead for Rs4 billion-worth (US$102 million) of convertible bonds. Also greenlit was Zee-backed Dish TV’s plans to introduce some Rs2.5 million of FDI via shares and convertible shares over the next 18 months and NDTV Networks’ conversion of the London-listed operating company into a holding and operating company. The converted company will make investments of some Rs194 million in the Indian sector. RapidTV, 4th Feb 2008


MORE NEWS

India/General: WSG Putting India Ahead of China with IPL in Hand

World Sport Group, the Singapore-based sports agency which has just made a significant investment in Twenty20 cricket, sees India as potentially a more rewarding market than China under current economic conditions. Many sports bodies, agencies and sponsors are targeting the Chinese market as Beijing prepares to host this year’s Olympic Games, but India, cricket’s financial hub, has distinct advantages, according to WSG’s chairman Seamus O’Brien.

WSG’s commitment to the region is demonstrated by its recent acquisition of the television rights to the Indian Premier League, the country’s new Twenty20 competition, from the Board of Control for Cricket in India in a 10-year deal worth $1.026 billion. The figure includes $918 million for the rights and $108 million for the promotion of the league. WSG has sub-licensed the television rights in India for the first five years to Sony Entertainment Television, but expects the tournament to have considerable appeal worldwide given the international players who have committed to take part.

The first edition of the IPL, which will comprise 59 matches over 44 days, is due to start on April 18 and the level of interest in India can be gauged from the fact that the BCCI has secured $724 million from the award of licences to run teams The list of overseas stars has yet to be confirmed, but clashes with the start of the English season and Australia’s planned tour of Pakistan could rule out some leading international players. Sportcal.com, 1st Feb 2008

Elsewhere/General: French Open Seeks Injunction Against Online Betting Operators

Organisers of tennis’ French Open today launched legal action aimed at preventing online gambling companies from taking bets on the tournament, in a bid to prevent the integrity of the event from being undermined by suspicion of match-fixing. Jean-Francois Vilotte, director general of the French tennis federation, told AP: ‘There is urgency to act because sporting ethic is at risk. It is an issue as important as the fight against doping.’

The federation is demanding an injunction against three internet betting companies – Betfair, Bwin and Ladbrokes – that would impose a fine of $75,000 a day for any violations. The move follows a series of scandals and allegations of match-fixing. Representatives of tennis’ governing bodies agreed in October to set up an ‘integrity unit’ to combat the problem. Online betting firms have also come under fire in several European countries, including France, from national governments seeking to protect state-owned gambling operations.

The European Commission has expressed its concern over alleged discrimination against the firms. Mark Davies, managing director of Betfair, told AP: ‘Targeting the only betting operator which is completely transparent and, where needed, shares all its betting information with the ITF [International Tennis Federation] and ATP [Association of Tennis Professionals] would be just plain bizarre. I would be astonished if any sensible regulator wanted to go down this route or believed it could help protect the integrity of its sport when it so obviously does the opposite.’ This year's French Open is scheduled for May 25 to June 8. Sportcal.com, 1st Feb 2008

Elsewhere/General: Australia Working on Bid for Soccer World Cup in 2018

Football Federation Australia (FAA) is conducting a major audit of national infrastructure in its efforts to launch a formal bid to host the soccer World Cup in 2018, news media reported Sunday. Australia wants to host the tournament after South Africa (2010) and Brazil (2014), amid interest from China, England, a joint bid by Belgium and the Netherlands, Mexico, Russia, Uruguay and Argentina. The winner will be announced in 2011.

"We are serious about bidding for 2018 and are currently conducting a major audit of the infrastructure within Australia," FFA chief executive Ben Buckley told Sydney's The Sun-Herald newspaper. He said the FFA has commissioned a consulting firm to deliver a report by April outlining to what extent Australian facilities meet the requirements of FIFA, the sport's international governing body, for hosting the world's biggest single sporting event.

"We are also looking at everything from the number of training venues to accommodation in each potential host location, to transport issues and the public infrastructure that needs to be in place," Buckley said. "I think we have as good a chance as anyone who is in the running, and we have made it known to FIFA that we have an ambition to host it. We have certainly had nothing but encouragement to do that." Sydney will host the FIFA Congress in May, which the world governing body's executive committee that decides hosting rights for future World Cups. Asia's soccer chief, Mohamed bin Hammam, has urged just one Asian bid to maximize the Asian soccer confederation's chances of hosting the 2018 World Cup. InteractiveInvestor, 4th Feb 2008