Wednesday, 8th August 2007
HEADLINE NEWS
Beijing Counts Down to Olympics
Washington Post & ABC News AU, 8th Aug 2007
One year from today, Beijing will host the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics on 8:00pm on 8/8/2008. For two weeks we will be treated to athletic performances that animate dreams and inspire the world, set against the backdrop of one of the world's most ancient and celebrated civilizations. That, at least, is the way Beijing would like to sell the Games. For better or worse, they will mark a critical crossroads in China's development as a responsible global player. The Olympics will be seen as China's coming out party: an event that shows the country has become a modern and sophisticated society.
The Scotsman, 8th Aug 2007
Free Tibet activists on the Great Wall, a barrage of critical human rights reports, a shroud of smog over Beijing - China's government must surely have imagined a more auspicious start for the Olympics countdown. On top of that, the flood of food-safety scandals shows no sign of abating and a group of dissidents has written an open letter to the president, Hu Jintao, calling for the Games slogan to be changed to "One World, One Dream, Same Human Rights". The weather is also refusing to co-operate in the run-up to the eighth day of the eighth month today, which will start the one-year countdown to the opening ceremony.
Radio New Zealand News, 8th Aug 2007
The one-year countdown to the Olympic Games has begun in Beijing with organisers saying preparations are on track and shrugging off concerns about pollution, food safety and human rights. The International Olympic Committee's president Jacques Rogge has also placed security high on the agenda -- he says it's always the number one factor. Rogge says the games will be a significant force for good in China but can't be expected to resolve all the issues the country faces.
THIS WEEK
Sun, 12th Aug 2007
AVP Crocs Tour 2007: Final Day – Manhattan Beach Open
SPORTS SHORTS
* Online lottery site, 500wan.com, announced that it has received rights to broadcast English Premier League soccer games on the Internet from Tian Sheng TV. Starting from August 11, 500wan users will be able to access soccer games online for approximately $5 per month. Tian Sheng TV had acquired broadcast rights for the EPL in China for $50 million. However, since Tian Sheng needs to negotiate with regional cable TV operators to launch the paid soccer channel, fans in many major cities still do not have access to the EPL games. Redline China believes 500wan’s online broadcasting will capture audience from these cities and enhance its lottery ticket sales. Source: Redline China, 6th Aug 2007
* China Leisure Sports Administrative Center announced the launch of the first National Traktor Poker Tournament in China and has selected WPT Enterprises as the exclusive marketing partner for the Tour. The unprecedented five-year partnership is a landmark agreement in China Leisure Sports history and will focus on growing the sport of Traktor Poker, known as Tuo La Ji, China’s most popular poker game. The World Poker Tour televised tournaments began production in the United States, reinventing poker as a sport and igniting a global television phenomenon. Source: Business Wire, Newswire Canada, 6th Aug 2007
* China is cracking down on pay-TV operators that have been offering unauthorized foreign satellite broadcasts. The regulatory agency ordered local authorities to determine which operators are providing customers with foreign channels, officially restricted to hotels where tourists stay. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's order say the strategy is aimed at strengthening regulation, maintaining government information controls and "blocking the intellectual and cultural infiltration of enemy forces." The paper said penalties were not stipulated, but violating operators would have to re-apply for the right to receive all satellite broadcasts. One victim may be Hong Kong's News Corp.-backed Phoenix satellite news channel - a network highly popular among the country's urban middle class. Source: Advanced Television, 7th Aug 2007
* It is reported that the Indian government is looking to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to help work out ambiguities regarding IPTV in India. Although authorities in India have reached a decision on jurisdiction of IPTV, there are no set regulations in place for the developing sector. However, leading operators have already launched IPTV services based on the grounds of the universal access service license (UASL). Currently, telcos and the cable industry are at odds over who can provide the service, with the cable industry demanding that IPTV be included under the Cable TV Act. Source: Entertainment Asia, 7th Aug 2007
* High-definition TV will remain limited in China for the next few years, according to new research. In-Stat forecasts that HD subscriber growth will reach just two million by 2011, with revenues at $358 million. But HD set shipment will be higher, at 19.7 million units by 2011. Simon Sun, In-Stat analyst, said: “The most important element in the service market is content production. At present, the majority of HDTV content is produced by government-led initiatives, and the quantity of programming is small.” Source: Rapid TV News, Advanced Television, 7th Aug 2007
* New Internet TV channel, Watch India, dedicated to providing Indian programming to expatriates around the world, has acquired over 100,000 unique viewers within a month of its launch. For US$25 a month, subscribers of Watch India can access popular Indian programming from India’s top networks such as Zee Telefilms, Zee TV, Zee Sports, Times Now News, Aastha TV, and Zoom in TV-like quality by visiting http://www.watchindia.tv. The web portal allows users to watch any of its movies on-demand without additional charges. Source: Entertainment Asia, 7th Aug 2007
* Indian telco, Bharti Airtel, is a step closer to launching a DTH satellite platform, reportedly having been awarded a letter of intent from the government – a step away from a full licence. With plans to launch by March 2008, the telco would be the fifth DTH licence holder. Two licensees have already launched pay-TV services (TataSky and Dish TV) and two more (Reliance Comm. and Sun TV) are still in planning stages. Videocon, has a licence application outstanding, while Doordashan operates a free-to-air platform, DD Direct. Bharti is also planning an IPTV service, to be launched in December 2007. Source: Rapid TV News, The Hindu, 7th Aug 2007
* The 2007 Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand officially starts with the opening ceremony on Wednesday. The World University Games are among the biggest multi-sports events outside the Olympics and will involve 10,200 students competing in 17 sports. In all, there are 36 competition sites and 43 practice sites. FISU, the international university sport federation, admitted that preparations were disrupted by last year’s military coup in Thailand as it resulted in the replacement of many officials. Source: Sportcal, 7th Aug 2007
* Field hockey’s world governing body, FIH, said that it is considering moving this year’s Champions Trophy, due to be played in Pakistan, to another country due to safety concerns. The FIH said it would meet on Friday to discuss the issue after Olympic champions Australia pulled out of the event and other countries said that they were considering following suit. Key considerations for the FIH are team withdrawals and security advice from authorities in Pakistan. India has formally approached the FIH about taking over as host of the tournament, scheduled for December 1-9. Source: Sportcal, 7th Aug 2007
* Pakistan team manager Talat Ali has laughed off attempts by the Indian Cricket League to rope in Pakistani cricketers, saying ICL was nothing more than 'Micky Mouse' cricket and lacked potential to tempt quality players. "I use this word because even if it is held it is not official or serious cricket. It is a rebel series not involving countries and it would be more befitting if it was held in Disneyland instead of in a Test playing nation," Ali said. ICL's efforts to rope in Pakistani players would not see the light of day, he claimed. Reacting to ICL's claims that it has been launched to scout talent, Ali said that was the responsibility of the respective cricket boards and not of private entrepreneurs. Source: The Hindu, Cricket Express, 7th Aug 2007
* The Australian soccer team will play China in a friendly in Sydney on October 13. The match will follow a home friendly against Argentina in Melbourne on 11 September and the Football Federation Australia is hopeful that a full strength squad will be available on both occasions. There are also plans for a friendly in May and qualification matches for the 2010 World Cup are likely to be played in Australia in February and June of next year. Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Brazil will play Algeria in a friendly in the French town of Montpellier later this month, on August 22. Source: Sportcal, 7th Aug 2007
* Eurosport has signed a four-year deal with Fifa for secondary tournaments, including live coverage of next month's Women’s World Cup. The deal is for live coverage of 25 of the 32 games at the Women’s World Cup in China, including the semi-finals and the final, which will be available across Europe with the exception of Scandinavia. The contract also covers rights across Europe to Fifa under-17 and under-20 tournaments over the next four years, along with the annual Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup and the Fifa Futsal World Cup. Source: Sportcal, 7th Aug 2007
* More sports right holders have joined the Premier League’s class action lawsuit against YouTube and Google including the Rugby Football League; the Finnish Football League Association and boxing companies Knockout Entertainment Limited and Seminole Warriors Boxing. They were also joined by various other parties including the National Music Publishers’ Association. The Premier League has brought the suit against YouTube, alleging wide-scale copyright infringement. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 7th Aug 2007
MORE NEWS
Elsewhere/General: Courier Enjoys Growing Popularity of Legends Tennis
Life has slowed down only slightly for Jim Courier since his days of practically training around the clock to maintain his status as the top-ranked tennis player in the world. Courier did what he had to do to keep the upper hand for a few years on his chums from his junior tennis days; Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Michael Chang. If Courier had to hit those exaggerated topspin forehands all day long or if it took extended sessions in the gym to keep his muscles and body in condition to compete at the top, he did it.
He won four Grand Slam tournament titles in a span of 20 months in the early 1990s. He appeared to be on his way to record Grand Slam totals, but he never advanced past the quarterfinals of another Grand Slam after the 1996 French Open. Sampras and Agassi zoomed past him once their superior tennis skills overcame Courier's zest for training. He was the first of the four greats to quit the ATP Tour. He was only 18 when he played in his first Grand Slam event, but his last one came before he turned 30.
He'll be 37 in less than two weeks. On Thursday morning, he was at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, promoting Wolf Blass Wines on the U.S. Open Series. On Friday night, he was in Kalmazoo, Mich., taking on Todd Martin in an exhibition. Courier's main job is running his Inside Out Sports and Entertainment company. But he'll serve as an analyst for the USA Network's coverage of the U.S. Open. He also serves as an analyst during the Australian Open for an Australian network.
He started the Outback Champions Series for former ATP standouts in 2005 with one tournament. "We grew to five (tournaments) last year and it's up to seven this year," Courier said Thursday morning from Washington. Although the next Outback Series event will be held Aug. 22-26 on grass in Newport, R.I., Courier is already looking ahead to returning to Charlotte Sept. 26-30 to defend his title in the Championships at the Palisades.
How good is Sampras at age 35? "Today, Pete's not training at the level of those guys (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, etc.), but with his serve he could hang in there. I would like his chances more on grass than clay," Courier said. Don't be fooled. Courier still takes his tennis seriously enough to train regularly. "I train a lot . . . five or six days a week. Everybody has to train to be able to play at this level. You have to be ready to play four matches in five days at a high level of competition. I practice a lot, ride a bike and hit the weight room."
But the Outback Series is nothing like the old ATP Tour days for the likes of Courier, Sampras, Martin, John McEnroe, Mats Wilander, Pat Cash, Chang, Goran Ivanisevic and others. "This is a bit more manageable since we don't play week-in and week-out. It is a nice balance of high-level competition and a lifestyle that is manageable," said the affable Courier, who lists himself as "a free agent" when the question of marriage is mentioned.
Courier thinks the future of the Outback Series is "very bright. We have great sponsors, and a lot of cities have contacted us about having and Outback Series." The North Charleston event will not be part of the Outback Series, but it will be promoted by Inside Out Sports and Entertainment. "We're expecting somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 people," he said. Source: Charleston Post & Courier, 6th Aug 2007
Elsewhere/General: Bundesliga Excels While Other Leagues Falter
While the mood in England has been dulled with the corporate climate infiltrating the Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga has stepped up in popularity. Two weeks ahead of the start of the new season, the Bundesliga's 18 clubs already have sold a record 377,000-plus tickets. The Bundesliga also surpassed the previous transfer record of EUR 153 million, set in 2001-2002, spending EUR 165 million before the transfer period has even ended.
But transfers aren't everything. While Bremen and Bayern Munich have invested heavily in new players, Eintracht Frankfurt set a ticket sales record without investing in a transfer. Wolfgang Holzhäuser, the president of the German League (DFL), explained to the Deutsche Welle that "great stadiums" and "the World Cup aftermath" are reasons the Bundesliga is enjoying success.
"Above all, there is a sense that the game here [Germany] has not been hijacked - neither by big commercial interests nor by hooligans," commented BBC sports reporter Margot Dunne. "It still belongs to the, ordinary, decent fans and perhaps that is the secret." According to The Guardian the Bundesliga has on offer "a crazy race for the title, cheap tickets, sausage, great stadiums and many goals." Source: EUFootball.biz, 7th Aug 2007
ARTICLES, COMMENTS & OPINIONS
Can Football Save Mobile TV?
Owen Gibson comments on The Guardian UK, 6th Aug 2007
It was supposed to be the epitome of the converged media dream and was one of the reasons the mobile phone giants shelled out £22.5bn on 3G licences. Bored waiting for a bus? Stuck on a train? Idling away a few minutes during your lunch break? Then watch television on your mobile. For the past four years the brightest technical and marketing minds at the big mobile networks have been desperately trying to persuade you to use the handset in your pocket as a TV.
But despite their best efforts, progress has been glacially slow. Most of the broadcasters, including ITV, the BBC, Channel 4 and BSkyB, are on board, so content is no longer the problem. It would appear that, as many suspected all along, the prospect of paying extra to watch programmes that we can see for nothing at home on a much bigger screen is not that attractive for most people.
Last week, BT announced it was shutting down its Movio service less than one year after it was launched with a multimillion-pound advertising campaign. The first service to offer broadcast television, albeit only five channels' worth, it was seen as a litmus test for the public's appetite for real-time TV on their mobile. But it was available only on one network, Virgin Mobile, and one handset, the ungainly Lobster, and managed to sign up less than 10,000 subscribers.
Yet the final bell has not yet tolled. An unlikely combination of overpaid Premiership footballers, European regulators and advertisers desperate to find new ways to reach consumers could yet save mobile TV.
It could be top-flight football - the battering ram for pay-TV ever since the then Spurs chairman and satellite manufacturer Alan Sugar was overheard telling BSkyB to "blow them [ITV] out of the water" during negotiations over the very first Premier League contract in 1992 - that rides to the rescue. That story came full circle last week when Amstrad was bought by BSkyB and the next day the broadcaster announced plans to deliver more sport to mobile handsets.
Amid the coverage given to the loss of its virtual monopoly on live Premiership football, with Setanta grabbing 46 matches a season, it went largely unnoticed that BSkyB had won the mobile rights. Replicating the cross-promotion that has served both so well over the past 15 years, the broadcaster will join up with News Group, parent company of the Sun and the News of the World, to offer a new service dubbed 24-7 Football.
It will offer in-game goal clips for the first time along with highlights and other football programming - including all 92 live Premiership matches being shown in the 2007/08 season - for £5 a month.
It opens up an intriguing possibility for football fans on a budget. For £5 a month, and provided they have a sophisticated enough handset with a reasonable picture, they can subscribe to all Sky Sports channels and watch all 92 live Premiership matches plus Champions League football and other sports for the price of a couple of pints. For a SkyDigital package with access to all the sports channels, television subscribers pay a minimum of £35 per month.
But mobile television is likely to remain a niche pursuit. Watching a live football match on a mobile phone will always be a last resort. The fear of racking up big data bills, a problem that the networks are only now addressing with "all you can eat" monthly data packages, has also acted as a drag on take-up.
"Many operators have focused on TV, music and the internet. They are three things that people do a hell of a lot of anyway. There is a market for all of these things, but people's need for them and willingness to pay for them are limiting factors," says Philip Makinson of media and telecoms consultant Greenwich.
The excitement around made-for-mobile content, exemplified by 3's cautious steps into commissioning 18 months ago and Endemol's decision to launch a mobile spin-off, has dissipated as consumers have made plain their lack of interest. There have been some isolated successes. 3's SeeMeTV has claimed 1m downloads a month for its mobile version of YouTube, and the same network's adoption of Slingbox, which allows subscribers to access their home TV set-top box from their mobile, offers an intriguing alternative. Meanwhile, the trend towards operators tearing down their "walled garden" portals and allowing customers to access the open internet for a flat monthly fee is also likely to have ramifications for the consumption of video content; YouTube has already reconfigured its site for mobile use, for example.
Advertisers are likely to drive the next phase of mobile TV. Operators hold detailed information on their customers, so the possibility of targeting ads to particular demographics is tempting. Vodafone and 3 are in the early stages of selling advertising around free video content, and other networks are liable to follow suit. The idea of squinting at a tiny screen is not so unappealing if it does not cost anything. Look around on any long-distance train journey and you will see dozens of people watching movies on laptops or video content on their iPod or PSP.
Italy, South Korea and Japan have all shown that there is a market. Yet the fact remains that the 3G network is too patchy for the delivery of high-quality broadcast television on the move and is more suited to high-speed downloads. Broadcast television is unlikely to truly take off until there is a cheap, accessible alternative. Soon major cities will be covered by wi-fi networks that will allow mobile phone users to seamlessly tap into linear TV and on-demand services. And beyond 2012, more spectrum is likely to be available for mobile TV in the DVB-H format that has just been mandated as the European standard and gives a comparable quality to Freeview.
Prompted by telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding, the EU has mandated all 27 European governments to support DVB-H, which has been developed by Nokia. It claims this will promote the development of a common standard in the same way that its backing for GSM helped the nascent mobile phone market. But rivals claim it is anti-competitive and will stall innovation.
In the meantime mobile TV will remain a minority interest. The demise of BT Movio and the lack of available spectrum are liable to hamper take-up for some time to come, but the mobile networks have enough cash, and enough determination, to make it a mainstream pursuit as handsets and picture quality improve - even if it is not the must-have cash cow they once envisaged.
Tuesday, 7th August 2007
HEADLINE NEWS
TSA Acquires Classic NCAA Basketball Game Rights in Japan
Total Sports Asia acquired the DVD distribution rights for the 1982 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Game in Japan. The game involved the University of North Carolina v Georgetown University and featured two of the greatest basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing.
TSA acquired the rights from the NCAA and Thought Equity, the NCAA’s exclusive global archive licensing partner. TSA plans to publish and distribute the DVD in Japan with Tohoku Shinsha Film Corporation.
Chung See LIANG, Managing Director (Korea/Japan) of Total Sports Asia said, "Although both Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing have since retired from the game, they are still extremely popular among basketball fans in Japan. The 1982 final game is still now talked about among fans and we are very pleased to be able to partner with Tohoku Shinsha Film Corporation to release a DVD of this game in Japan”. Source: Sport Business, 6th Aug 2007
RESULTS
Source: AVP Official, 6th Aug 2007
Mike Lambert and Stein Metzger won their fourth title of the pro beach volleyball season yesterday, successfully defending the AVP Chicago Open by downing Brad Keenan and John Hyden 21-19, 21-17. The duo moved into second place in the overall standings with 3,816 points. In the women’s final, favourites to win, Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan, outplayed Angie Akers and Brooke Hanson 21-16, 24-22 to take home the winners’ purse.
Source: SBK Official, 6th Aug 2007
James Toseland (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) basked in the glow of his first ever World Superbike double win, scored his first ever wins at Brands Hatch, and took a huge 66 point lead into the final three rounds, which appear after the traditional summer break. Toseland’s wins were his seventh and eighth of the year, and he has now won three of the last four races.
THIS WEEK
Sun, 12th Aug 2007
AVP Crocs Tour 2007: Final Day – Manhattan Beach Open
DID YOU KNOW…?
Where does the word "soccer" come from? It seems that in the 1880s, students of Oxford University abbreviated words by adding "er" to the end; for instance, breakfast became "brekkers" and "rugby rules" was referred to as "rugger." When one student, Charles Wreford-Brown, was asked if he'd like to play rugger, he was apparently the first to abbreviate "association rules" (Football Association rules) by answering, "No, I’d rather play soccer." Brown later became an England international and Football Association vice-president.
INFO BOX
Mobile Statics
Source: Info IQ, 3rd Aug 2007
* 13 mobile TV broadcast networks in 2007
* 149.5 million mobile subscribers in India
* 500 million cell phone accounts in China
* 51% of mobile users are found to be interested in mobile TV
* 52 million TD-SCDMA subscribers in China by 2011
* Men spend 458 minutes a month on wireless, women - 453 minutes
* Mobile content and services to generate $150 billion by 2011
* Mobile gaming in Asia-Pacific to reach $18.8 billion by 2011
SPORTS SHORTS
* Mexican beer, Corona Extra, will no longer be the title sponsor of Superbike World Championship after this season. Parent company Grupo Modelo announced on Friday that it was pulling out of motor sport for commercial reasons. FGSport Group said that a new title sponsor will be announced before the end of the season. Hannspree, the Taiwanese manufacturer of LCD televisions which sponsors the Ten Kate Honda team, is a leading contender to replace Corona Extra. Source: Sportcal, 6th Aug 2007
* The International Olympic Committee today announced an exclusive deal with Hong Kong’s i-Cable for the broadband and mobile rights for the Olympic Games in Beijing, and for rights across all media platforms for the games of 2010 and 2012. The television rights for the Beijing games had already been acquired by Asian Television and Television Broadcasts Limited through their membership of the Asian Broadcasting Union. Source: Sportcal, 6th Aug 2007
* Malaysian telco, Maxis, signed a three-year partnership deal with sports channel ESPN Star Sports to become the broadcast sponsor of English Premier League football matches in the country. Maxis said it will sponsor live and delayed matches shown over two channels, ESPN and Star Sports in Malaysia. It said the broadcast sponsorship will run from 2007 until the 2010 season and, based on previous deals, is expected to be worth RM11 million (3.2 million dollars) a year. ESS is a Singapore-based joint venture between ESPN and, Star TV. Source: Channel News Asia, 4th Aug 2007
* The International Fight League announced that STAR Sports in Asia will carry IFL programming to over 50 countries and a viewership of more than 300 million. This is IFL’s first Asian deal; content from the professional mixed martial arts league also airs in more than 50 countries in the Middle East on MBC. In addition, CanWest Global in Canada will distribute IFL content on its Global X-Treme Sports Channel. IFL’s U.S. deals include IFL Battleground on MyNetwork TV and Fight Night on FSN. IFL programming will also be seen worldwide on the Armed Forces Network. Source: Worldscreen, C21 Media, 6th Aug 2007
* ESPN Star Sports has announced the launch of season two of Nike Football Locker Room which will be hosted by Gaurav Kapoor. The series will go on air starting 8 August that coincides with the start of the new season of Barclays Premier League (BPL). Every episode of NFLR will have expert guests to review the happenings of the week showcasing the important matches, best goals, quick facts, rule clarifications and analysis of moves during the game. Nike and ESPN Star Sports entered into a partnership in 2006, to connect with football obsessed fans in India. Source: Indian Television, 2nd Aug 2007
* Ten Sports has signed a non-exclusive agreement with Dialog Satellite TV, which will ensure direct-to-home distribution of its channels in Sri Lanka. Dialog TV viewers will now be able to access the Sri Lankan cricket team’s home matches, including those on England’s tour later this year. Mark Denton, vice president-international sales at Taj TV, said: ‘We are excited about our partnership with Dialog TV, one of Sri Lanka’s most dynamic companies, and believe that we will now see strong growth in pay television throughout the country.’ Source: Sportcal, Indian Television, Exchange4Media, 6th Aug 2007
* Jordan’s private-owned television network, ATV, is to offer sports coverage from ART, the pan-Middle Eastern broadcaster. The new channel will be available on terrestrial and satellite platforms for a deal worth a reported $2 million with ART, giving it exclusive rights to local, regional and international soccer fixtures. 35% to 40% of ATV’s content will be news, but will also offer films, children’s programming, drama and sport. ATV was due to start broadcasting on Wednesday, but its launch has been suspended as authorities seek confirmation that it meets technical requirements. Source: Sportcal, 3rd Aug 2007
* Portsmouth has announced the latest in a recent spate of media deals by revealing that the club is set to launch a Chinese version of its official website, www.pompeyfc.premiumtv.co.uk. The club sealed two major deals last week by striking agreements with The Local Radio Company and IMG Media, with the new agreement coming as the first development with the latter company. Portsmouth has teamed up with Shanghai-based PremierGoals for the project, and the new site will be launched in Mandarin by the end of the year. Source: Soccerex News, 3rd Aug 2007
* AirAsia, the Malaysian budget airline, has signed up to sponsor professional referees in English soccer for the next three years. With effect from this season, the company’s logo will appear on the sleeves of all referees in the top-tier Premier League, second-tier Football League and the FA Cup and Carling Cup knockout competitions. AirAsia replaces Dubai-based airline Emirates, which has sponsored English match officials for the last three years. Source: Sportcal, 3rd Aug 2007
* The Indian Olympic Association has reacted with anger to plans by the government to set up a regulatory body to supervise the functioning of the country’s sports federations. IOA president Suresh Kalmadi said the move is against International Olympic Committee rules. He added: ‘Federations in India are autonomous as per the IOC rules. People may say whatever they want to, but bringing the federations under the government is simply not possible.’ Kalmadi attacked sports minister Mani Shankar for his involvement in the decision, adding that the government official was responsible for creating a negative atmosphere surrounding sport in general in India. Source: Sportcal, 3rd Aug 2007
* Fifteen-year-old Yuki Bhambri appears to be India's latest tennis sensation. He has recently won an ITF Grade II tournament in Cairo, which has allowed him to break into the top 100 of the junior rankings. He now has the opportunity to play in a Grand Slam - the US Open junior Championships - for the first time. Soon after Yuki's win in Cairo, he was signed on by IMG and the tie up will allow Yuki to train at the famous Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida until he turns 18. Source: NDTV.com, 3rd Aug 2007
* The Pakistan Cricket Board has warned that current or former players involved with the board will face a ban if they agree to participate in the new Indian Cricket League. The league, which is backed by India’s Essel Group, owner of Zee Television, is due to kick-off with a Twenty20 competition in October and November and is trying to recruit players from home and abroad. The PCB is following the example of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and shunning the event. The BCCI has refused to sanction the competition and affirmed that current players will be ineligible to turn out for India or in the board's domestic competitions if they sign up. Source: Sportcal, DNA India, 3rd Aug 2007
* New pan-African pay-television operator, GTV, has committed to soccer in Uganda, agreeing to pump more than $5 million into the domestic game in return for exclusive media and commercial rights. Under the five-year deal, GTV will handle rights to the Ugandan Super League, Kakangulu Cup and the national team games. The company will also work with the Ugandan soccer federation to develop the sport in the country. The company holds TV rights across sub-Saharan Africa to 80% of the available matches in the EPL, with the rest held by South African operator Multichoice. Source: Sportcal, 3rd Aug 2007
* German DTH platform Premiere is selling new subs at a rate of 3000 a day, reportedly selling 45,000 subs in July to its Bundesliga soccer games, due to start this coming weekend. He added that 200,000 new subs will materialise by the end of August, fueled by the sub-licensing deal with rights-holder Arena. A report on Premiere from Morgan Stanley following on from the recapture of the rights says this removes a significant amount of uncertainty, which has overshadowed the stock since April. Premiere can now offer Bundesliga coverage to its subscribers (cable and satellite) as before. This should drive subscriber and ARPU growth back towards 2005 levels and this suggests that Premiere is well-placed for the next Bundesliga rights tender. Source: Rapid TV News, 6th Aug 2007
* German pay-television giant Premiere, has called on the German Football League to move ‘Sportschau’, the weekly free-to-air highlights programme, to a late-evening slot. Sportschau, shown at 6.30pm on Saturdays by the German public service broadcaster ARD, ‘troubles Premiere enormously’ and asked the DFL to reschedule it and benefit from extra rights revenue from pay-television operators seeking more exclusivity. ARD currently pays around €85 million ($116.6 million) a year to broadcast Bundesliga highlights at 6.30pm on Saturdays. Source: Sportcal, 3rd Aug 2007
* French Ligue 1 club PSG launched a web TV channel, www.psg.tv. The channel will carry exclusive content including, interviews with players, re-runs of classic matches and footage showing snippets of life inside the club. Rival Ligue 1 clubs l'Olympique Lyonnais, l'Olympique de Marseille, RC Lens and AS Saint-Etienne also run web TV channels. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 6th Aug 2007
* Nokia is to launch internet-based mobile phone services for FIBA. The service will provide basketball fans with scores, news, schedules, and interviews through ‘Nokia Video Center’, available on certain Nokia phones. Nokia will also provide FIBA reporters with multimedia computers to record video, photo and audio content that will be made available on the FIBA mobile websites. Nokia will be present at many FIBA events this year, including the Olympic Qualifiers EuroBasket in Spain in September 2007. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 6th Aug 2007
MORE NEWS
Asia/Rights: Australian Open Appoints IMG Media for New Broadcast Deal
Tennis Australia appointed IMG Media to sell its Australian Open broadcast rights throughout the Asia Pacific region. Under the multi-year deal, IMG Media will add the Melbourne event to its already stable which includes Wimbledon, the French Open and the Tennis Masters series and final.
“We are delighted to have IMG Media on board,” Tennis Australia CEO Steve Wood said. “They are the experts in their field and will help us maximise income from our biggest single revenue stream, the Australian Open. All of which, I might add, we are channelling back into our sport in our bid to find Australia’s next generation of champions. We are the Grand Slam of the Asian Pacific and this extended agreement is a significant plank in our Asian strategy to get more exposure across the region on a number of platforms.”
IMG Media is the content production and distribution arm of the world’s leading sports, entertainment and media company, IMG.
“We are thrilled to be working with Tennis Australia again on what is one of the most keenly anticipated events of the tennis calendar,” Head of IMG Media, Asia Pacific, Michael Mellor said. “This year the tournament was broadcast across 192 territories to a global household reach of 649 million homes and now we look to further growing the Open’s international appeal, using IMG’s un-paralleled strength and depth on the ground in Asia and other territories.”
IMG Media’s CSI Sports CEO Chris Guinness is equally pleased with the deal. “IMG and IMG Media have enjoyed a long association with Tennis Australia and we are delighted to cement that partnership with this new deal,” Guinness said adding: “The Australian Open already has an incredible worldwide following and has recently featured some of the most dramatic play in the event’s history, as evidenced by Serena Williams this year, who became the first unseeded player in 29 years to win. We are confident we can give the tournament even greater exposure and attract new audiences.’’
Channel 7, Australia will screen domestic coverage in 2008. Source: Sport Business, 3rd Aug 2007
Mid-East/Rights: Showtime Bets the Farm on Football
Showtime Arabia is mounting a major effort to win new subscribers in the Middle East, using English Premiership soccer. Dubai-based Showtime spent a fortune to secure exclusive English Premier League soccer for its subscribers, and the marketing build-up has begun. Showtime will air every one of the 380 games kicking off August 11. In fairness, Showtime has gone the extra mile, investing in new local studio facilities, local hosting (in English and Arabic) and has secured some top-line talent to host the pre-match coverage, and actual match commentary.
Showtime is dedicating up to three live channels (Showsports 1, 2 and 3) and Showsports Extra to manage up to four live games simultaneously. There are occasions when six games are being played at the same time, and the soccer games will pre-empt some programming on other channels.
Nevertheless, the decision to back English soccer is a huge risk. There are fans of the Premiership in the Middle East, but in previous years Showtime’s rivals have held the exclusive coverage without much benefit in terms of subscribers. Time will tell whether Showtime’s blanket coverage is what soccer fans want. Critics of Showtime’s philosophy have argued that while English soccer IS important, it does not have the ratings power of local soccer, local national soccer, or local international soccer, all of which is available in abundance to pan-Arabic audiences from a number of low-cost sources. Source: Rapid TV News, 3rd Aug 2007
Asia/Broadcaster: ABU Launches New Pro-Social Media Initiative
The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) has launched the ABU-Media Awareness Exchange (MAE), a new satellite and Internet distribution service aimed at delivering pro-social content to broadcasters across the region on issues such as poverty and climate change. The ABU-MAE involves a monthly satellite delivery mechanism of pro-social content to broadcasters across the region, which will be complemented by Internet distribution of the material. The ABU-MAE will partner with the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) on a yearlong collaboration that will seek to expand the reach of AIDS content in the Asia-Pacific region.
The MAE aims to enable regional and national terrestrials to provide constructive information and content that will strengthen and protect countries and the region at a time of increasing social, health and environmental risks. Content distribution is also being expanded on the MAE website to include “toolkits” for broadcasters who may wish to obtain scripts, creative and footage to adapt for use in their own locally-produced content.
“The potential role of the media in Asia in combating pressing global issues is tremendous,” said Francyne Harrigan, the development projects manager at the ABU. “With a regular content stream touching on such issues as poverty, pandemic flu, climate change and disaster reduction, it is hoped the MAE will bring about positive social change in countries across the region.” Source: Worldscreen, 3rd Aug 2007
Korea/Broadcaster: KT Launches Mega TV On-Demand Service
Korean broadband operator KT has announced the commercial launch of its online on-demand platform Mega TV, with content protection solutions being provided by NDS, delivering programming from the terrestrial TV broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS. NDS VideoGuard conditional access will be deployed throughout the KT IPTV network to provide end-to-end content protection. VideoGuard is deployed in more than 72 million homes worldwide, and facilitates an extensive range of pay-TV business models, such as multiple channel packages, tiering, pay-per-view purchase of programs from the electronic program guide (EPG), impulse pay-per-view and other services.
KT is now initially offering Mega TV in Seoul, Gwa-Cheon, Dong-Tan and other selected cities in Kyung-Ki province. The new Mega TV service will offer a multitude of video-on-demand programming services, and a range of interactive TV services, including an electronic program guide (EPG) developed by NDS. Many genres of programming are available, including movies, sports, culture, animation, documentaries, drama, and educational content. Research conducted during the Mega TV pilot phase revealed that 84 percent of target customers want to acquire the service when it becomes available.
Megapass is the flagship high-speed broadband service provided by KT, currently providing broadband services to over 6.5 million subscribers. As a launch promotion, KT will offer Megapass and Mega TV packages to subscribers. KT has announced that the company plans to attract 300,000 Mega TV subscribers by the end of this year. KT also continues to invest heavily in capital expenditure and is scheduled to complete the build-out of nationwide FTTH broadband network by 2010.
Young-Hui Lee, the senior VP of KT, commented: "KT takes great pride in figuring among the world's leading broadband operators, and we continue to innovate through value-added services. Mega TV is the most recent example of KT deploying world-leading technology to offer new services to our customers. NDS technology is vital in delivering the quality and variety of services that are integral to our long-term business plans.”
Asia/General: AFC Announces Seedings, Qualification Process
AFC has announced the seeding and qualification process for Asian teams for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. The seeding for the qualification format is based on the results from the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ and earlier qualifying rounds. The draw for Round 1 will be conducted at AFC House here on Monday 6th August 2007 at 3pm. The draw results will be announced immediately on www.the-afc.com. The format is as follows:
* 43 teams
* 4.5 qualification berths for Asia
* Teams ranked 1-5 receive a bye to Round 3
The seeding is as follows:
Source: AFC Official, 3rd Aug 2007
Elsewhere/General: Boca Juniors Looks to MLS
Boca Juniors’ marketing chief, Orlando Salvestrini, has confirmed the club is stepping up its bid to establish a franchise in Major League Soccer (MLS). The reigning Copa Libertadores champion is one of the leading lights in world football when it comes to maximising its brand and has delved into operations such as official club cemeteries, coffins, taxis and wine in the past. Salvestrini manages ‘Boca Crece’ (Boca Grows), the company that handles the marketing arm of the club.
“The club will give its image rights and its name, and will receive between 15% and 20% of the profits in exchange,” Salvestrini told Argentinian newspaper Ole. New York, Los Angeles, Arizona and Miami are the most likely cities to host a Boca USA team. “The next step would be presenting the project to MLS, looking to earn one of the three new spots they will open for the next season,” Salvestrini added. Source: Soccerex News, 3rd Aug 2007
Elsewhere/General: Platini Says EPL Should Worry over Foreign Ownership
Michel Platini, the president of Uefa, European soccer’s governing body, has issued a warning about the dangers of foreign ownership of clubs in English soccer’s top-tier Premier League, in an interview to be broadcast by pay-television’s British Sky Broadcasting tomorrow.
He said: ‘I would be worried if I were English because of all the foreign ownership. They could be rich people coming to help English football and develop it, but they may just want to make money. I fear your clubs will lose identity. If it was in France [Platini’s native country], I would fight it.’
However, responding to concerns over the human rights record of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai prime minister who is the new owner of Manchester City, Richard Scudamore, the Premier League’s chief executive, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: ‘Until someone has been tried and found guilty of anything, as is the law in this country, we can’t rule somebody out unless they are convicted…
‘If the UK government say there is no problem with someone, it is not up to us to go around second-guessing.’ Source: Sportcal, 6th Aug 2007
Friday, 3rd August 2007
THIS WEEK
Sun, 6th Aug 2007
AVP Crocs Tour 2007: Final Day – Chicago Open
Superbikes 2007: Race Day – Brands Hatch, UK
SPORTS SHORTS
* Malaysian badminton fans can look forward to the presence of Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat in the World Badminton Championships, which will be held at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from Aug 13-19. The poser over whether Taufik will be in or out of the championships has been laid to rest with the confirmation of his attendance in the final list of players released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) two days ago. Lin Dan is the current world number one ahead of Malaysian Lee Chong Wei. The seedings for the world meet will be released today and the draw will be made the following day. Source: The Star, 2nd Aug 2007
* The High Court dismissed, with costs, an injunction application by former general manager of Badminton World Federation, Ganga Rao. Rao had applied to stop the BWF from deciding on his position as the general manager in a domestic inquiry. The court decided that BWF, a registered society in Malaysia, has been wrongly named as a party in the suit, said a statement on the BWF website. Rao’s application for an injunction to restrain BWF from delivering its decision through the panel of the domestic inquiry in respect of his position as the general manager of the federation until a formulation of a new panel of inquiry was also quashed. Source: New Straits Times MY, 31st Jul 2007
* A new commercial station in Jordan, ATV, went on air this week. ATV is the first local station to challenge Jordan’s public-backed broadcasting. However, with most Jordanians having ample access to satellite TV the station will have something of an uphill battle. Its output includes movies, Arabic and foreign dramas, cultural shows, children’s programmes, sport, family entertainment, and the country’s first independent news broadcasts and current affairs shows which will account for 35-40% of content. Source: Rapid TV News, Int. Herald Tribune, 2nd Aug 2007
* Barcelona has defended its pre-season tour of Asia, which came under fire by some players, saying it will give the club contact with its supporters in the region. The number of Barcelona supporters in China has gone up six-fold in the last three years and seven-fold in the same period in Japan. Barcelona, who finished second in the Primera Liga last season, will play two exhibition matches in China and one in Japan before returning to Spain on August 11. Barcelona defenders Gianluca Zambrotta and Lilian Thuram have criticised the tour, arguing it will hamper training for the Spanish championship that kicks off on August 25. Source: Channel News Asia, 3rd Aug 2007
* Thailand will host the second edition of the Asian Hopman Cup, the mixed team tennis tournament, in November. Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Uzbekistan have been invited to compete with the hosts in Bangkok from November 8 to 11. The winners of the two groups will meet in the final, with the champions earning a place in the main Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia next January. Hosts India won the first Asian Hopman Cup in Hyderabad last year. Source: Sportcal, 2nd Aug 2007
* The Zhuhai International Circuit in China is to stage a round of the A1 Grand Prix Series for the first time after the calendar for 2007-08 was announced. Like last season, the A1GP series will comprise 11 rounds and commence at Zandvoort in the Netherlands on September 30. There are races in the Czech Republic, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Mexico and Great Britain. The host for the other Asian race on November 4 is yet to be announced, but it is thought that a new deal with the owner of the Sentul track in Indonesia could be concluded shortly. Source: Sportcal, 2nd Aug 2007
* China will host its first extreme long-distance triathlon discipline, ‘Ironman', after Haikou was chosen to host an event next year. The city in Hainan province will stage the inaugural race on April 20. Robert Vernon, president of Ironman China Ltd, said: ‘We have cemented our relationships with both the World Triathlon Corporation and the China Triathlon Sports Association and we’ve moved the event to Haikou where we have enthusiastic support of the city and the provincial governments. Links to the event can be found at www.ironman.com, website of the World Triathlon Corporation. Source: Sportcal, 2nd Aug 2007
* Canada’s TSN's French-language partner, Réseau des Sports, announced immediate six-year contract extensions with the Montreal Canadiens and NHL. The deal involving both club and league, is worth about $35mil — $20mil to the Canadiens and $15mil to the NHL.. As for TSN, the rights fee that it will pay the NHL would be in the $50-million range. Currently, the CBC is paying the league $100mil yearly for a comprehensive national schedule that includes a Leafs game almost weekly, most of the playoff series involving Canadian teams and the exclusivity to the Stanley Cup final. TSN's new contract is unlikely to kick in until the current deal expires at the end of 2007-08, although it's possible broadband rights would start immediately. Source: Globe & Mail, 1st Aug 2007
* The National Hockey League could be set for a return to US cable sports broadcaster, ESPN, following reports of top-level negotiations. The Sports Business Journal says talks started two weeks ago about a new deal, which would see ESPN resume NHL coverage from the start of the 2008-09 season, replacing national network NBC. Following the cancellation of the 2004-05 NHL season, as a result of a labour dispute, ESPN decided not to exercise an option to extend a one-year deal for a further two seasons at the asking price of $70 million a season. Source: Sportcal, 2nd Aug 2007
* Four-time former world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield will get a chance to win the WBO title when he fights the Russian Southpaw Sultan Ibragimov in October. The 44-year-old gets his chance because Ibragimov's original opponent, the WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev of Uzbekistan withdrew from their fight claiming an unspecified illness. If he beats Ibragimov, Holyfield would become the second oldest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing behind George Foreman who was 45 when he knocked out Michael Moorer to win the WBA and IBF titles in 1994. Source: The Guardian UK, 3rd Aug 2007
MORE NEWS
WWE: Profit Halves at WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment’s second-quarter profit fell from $14.7 million last year to $7 million, despite improved revenues of $137.5 million, as a result of a one-time impairment charge. Earnings in the quarter were negatively impacted by a $15.7 million impairment charge related to revised performance expectations of the feature film The Condemned. Excluding the impairment charge, operating income would have been $25.4 million as compared to $21.4 million in the prior year quarter, representing a 19 percent increase. Net income would have been $16.9 million, as compared to $14.7 million.
“We achieved a broad-based 15% revenue increase, posting higher revenues across all key business lines in the current quarter,” said CEO Linda McMahon. “In addition to the top line growth, we achieved EBITDA of approximately $12 million, or $27.7 million excluding the film impairment. This $27.7 million represents an 18% increase over the prior year quarter.”
Television and live event revenues were boosted by WrestleMania, McMahon said, which set WWE records for both the number of pay-per-view buys and gross ticket sales. Consumer products revenues increased 29%, reflecting improvements in the home video, licensing and magazine publishing businesses. And digital media revenues were up 30%. Source: Worldscreen, 2nd Aug 2007
Asia/Rights: IMG Media to Sell Australian Open Rights in Asia Pacific
IMG Media, the international sports marketing agency, has today been appointed to sell the broadcast rights to tennis’ Australian Open in the Asia Pacific region. Tennis Australia, organisers of the Australian Open, have signed a ‘multi-year’ deal with IMG Media, allowing the agency to market the rights in Asia Pacific across different platforms. IMG Media previously held broadcast distribution rights to the tournament until 2006.
It currently distributes rights to various top tennis properties, including the Wimbledon championships, French Open and the men's Tennis Masters Series. Steve Wood, Tennis Australia’s chief executive, said that the agreement with IMG Media is ‘a significant plank in our Asian strategy to get more exposure across the region on a number of platforms.’ The 2007 Australian Open was aired in 192 territories to a global household reach of 649 million homes. Source: Sportcal, 2nd Aug 2007
Thursday, 2nd August 2007
THIS WEEK
Sun, 6th Aug 2007
AVP Crocs Tour 2007: Final Day – Chicago Open
Superbikes 2007: Race Day – Brands Hatch, UK
SPORTS SHORTS
* Singapore’s StarHub will offer its new Football Channel to subscribers to other services from its parent company. Football Channel will stream EPL matches live on its broadband internet service MaxOnline and 3G/High-Speed Packet Access mobile platform StarHub Mobile. The matches will be part of i.View and Mobile TV Xtra, and be available at no extra charge to digital cable customers who subscribe to the Sports Group package. Non-Sports Group subscribers must pay extra for the new services. StarHub is clearly using a key property to drive subscribers to take up more than one StarHub service, as well as seeking to combat a challenge from SingTel which recently launched an IPTV service. Source: Rapid TV News, Worldscreen, C21 Media, 1st Aug 2007
* The opening of X Games 13 will reach 267mil TV viewers in 145 Countries; plus countless others around the world through EXPN.com. Action sports fans in Australia, Asia, Brazil, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, India, Israel, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South America, Taiwan and the U.S. will share in the excitement as the action sports event kicks off its annual competition in Los Angeles Aug. 2-5, 2007. This year the event will feature over 150 of the world’s best athletes competing in BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and Rally Car Racing. Source: Sports e-Media, 1st Aug 2007
* Online broadcaster MediaZone and the Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) launched RWC Plus, the official and exclusive broadband video On Demand service for Rugby World Cup 2007. RWC Plus is produced in association with MediaZone Rugby and will be streamed through the official tournament website at www.rugbyworldcup.com/video. RWC Plus provides rugby fans worldwide with delayed coverage of all 48 matches from the Rugby World Cup 2007, as well as live audio feeds, match previews, halftime and fulltime highlights and interviews. Source: Sport Business, 1st Aug 2007
* Jermain Taylor, the WBO and WBC middleweight champion, will defend his titles against fellow American Kelly Pavlik in New Jersey at the end of next month. The fight will take place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and will be shown live by pay-television operator HBO. Both Taylor and Pavlik are undefeated in the professional ranks. Source: Sportcal, 2nd Aug 2007
MORE NEWS
Vietnam/General: Big Leap in Sports
Since its rejoining in the Southeast Asian arena in 1989, Viet Nam's sports have made great strides, particularly in recent Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. The country has continuously been among the top three regional nations with its considerable achievements over the past seven SEA Games. At the 23rd SEA Games held in the Philippines in 2005, Viet Nam proved its position in the region by finishing third behind the host - the Philippines and second-ranked Thailand.
Though Viet Nam ranked seventh by snatching three gold, 11 silver and 5 bronze medals at the 15th SEA Games held in Indonesia in 1989, it gradually rose in following SEA Games and reached the peak at the 22nd SEA Games in 2003 when the country topped the competition with a total haul of 340 medals, including 156 golds, 91 silvers and 93 bronzes.
ASEAN press praised the "great" sportsmanship of Vietnamese athletes at the 22nd SEA Games. Indonesian and Cambodian press said that Viet Nam is emerging as a powerful country in Southeast Asia in terms of sport, winning admiration of many regional people.
Meanwhile, Bangkok Post ran an editorial saying that Viet Nam's successful hosting of the 22nd SEA Games is considered an outstanding example for other countries to follow, particularly in honesty, consistence and organising method.
Viet Nam is now willing to take part in the upcoming 24th SEA Games slated in Thailand by the end of 2007 with a total of 958 athletes. The head of the Vietnamese delegation at the 24th SEA Games, Hoang Vinh Giang, said Vietnamese athletes will compete in 32 out of 43 events at the games and target to retain their position among top delegations.
To improve its athletes' performance, the Viet Nam National Sports and Physical Training Committee has regularly exchanged delegation of sport officials, coaches, referees and athletes with other countries.
As a result, Vietnamese sports have more say at regional fora and conferences. Viet Nam was elected President and Secretary General of the Southeast Asian Federation, and Head of the Organising Board of the 22nd SEA Games. Additionally, the number of Vietnamese sport officials and referees of international standard taking part in regional tournaments has increased rapidly.
Viet Nam has to date signed sport cooperation agreements with Laos, the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar, and is discussing the signing of similar agreements with other countries in the region. In 2006, Viet Nam also made a deep impression on friends by successfully hosting the Southeast Asian Student Sport Festival, the biggest sport event for the youths in the region. At the competition, host students ranked first by winning 74 gold, 52 silver and 37 bronze medals.
Assessing the sport development of the region in general and Viet Nam in particular, General Secretary of Viet Nam Olympic Committee Tran Van Manh said Viet Nam and ASEAN member countries need to fortify their cooperation and mutual support to make the region keep up with sport development of other continents and the world at large.
Regional countries should also pay attention to a wide range of sport events at the Olympic and Asian Games (ASIAD) like athletics, gymnasium, swimming, fencing, regatta, Taekwondo and Karatedo, in stead of focusing on only events of host countries' strength, Manh said.
Elsewhere/General: Fifa More Adventurous than IOC in Award of Major Events
Sepp Blatter, the president of Fifa, soccer’s international governing body, has claimed that his organisation is more inclined to award its major event to countries outside the developed world than the International Olympic Committee and attributes this to the composition of the Olympic body. Speaking after the presentation of Brazil’s bid for the 2014 World Cup, Blatter said it was possible for countries in South America and Africa to host big sporting events but that the ‘IOC has always denied’ them.
Blatter, himself an IOC member, said: ‘The IOC is a club, a very special club. There are 115 members, 15 come from national federations, 15 from international federations and 15 are athletes. The other 70 members are co-opted or appointed.’
Under Fifa’s current rotation policy, South America is due to host the World Cup in 2014 and Brazil is the only country to have submitted a bid. Countries from the continent have staged the competition on three occasions – Uruguay in 1930, Brazil in 1950 and Argentina in 1978 – but the Olympics have yet to be held there. The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro failed with bids for the 2004 and 2012 Olympics but hopes to have more success in the race to stage the 2016 event.
Africa, like South America, is yet to host an Olympics, but South Africa will be the host of the next World Cup in 2010. Fifa has not yet decided whether to continue with its World Cup rotation policy in 2018 as there is pressure for the tournament to return to Europe that year. Source: Sportcal, 1st Aug 2007
Wednesday, 1st August 2007
HEADLINE NEWS
Total Sports Gets Involved in Military World Games
Source: Indian Television, 31st July 2007
Total Sports & Entertainment India (TSEIPL), a subsidiary of Total Sports Asia (TSA), has been appointed as event manager for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 4th CISM Military World Games 2007. The 4th Military World Games will be held in Hyderabad from 14 - 21 October. The Military World Games are conducted under the aegis of International Military Sports Council (CISM).
This is the first time that the games are being held in Asia with 13 sporting disciplines namely - boxing, wrestling, judo, triathlon, sailing, shooting, volleyball, handball, football, pentathlon, track and field, swimming and parachuting. The games will be held over 14 venues in Hyderabad. There are 4500 athletes participating from around 90 countries, out of which about 20-25 per cent athletes represent their countries in the Olympics. The theme of the MWG Games is Friendship through Sport.
TSEIPL MD, Indian subcontinent and Middle East Navneet Sharma said, " We are proud to be working with the Indian Military and on being appointed as Event Managers for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 4th Military World Games to be held in Hyderabad from 14 to 21 October 2007 and are committed as an organisation in striving to enrich peoples lives through creative sports and entertainment solutions".
The chairman of the Ceremonials Committee Brig. R G Krishnan said, "We are happy to have appointed Total Sports and Entertainment India Pvt Ltd as the event managers in managing the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 4th Military World Games after a lengthy selection process in which over 20 companies participated. "We look forward to a successful creative execution of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies by TSEIPL. This is the first time in Asia that the 4th Military World Games are being held and it is an excellent opportunity to showcase India to the world in truly military style and finesse."
Source: Sportcal, 31st Jul 2007
Total Sports & Entertainment India, a subsidiary of sports marketing firm Total Sports Asia, has been appointed as event manager for the opening and closing ceremonies of this year’s Military World Games. The fourth edition of the event will take place in the Indian city of Hyderabad from October 14 to 21. The quadrennial games are organised by the Brussels-based International Military Sports Council.
It is the first time that the games are being held in Asia and 13 disciplines will be contested at 14 different venues. Some 4,500 athletes from around 90 countries are expected to take part in the games.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Brazil's former Formula One racer Nelson Piquet, holder of three world championship titles (1981, 1983 and 1987), had to go back to driving school in order to recover his driver's license. Piquet, 54, is currently attending lessons at a unit of the National Traffic Department (Detran), in the federal capital of Brasilia, where he lives.
The champion explained that he lost the right to drive after scoring 29 points on his license, exceeding his infraction quota. The Brazilian law establishes that, each time a driver commits a traffic infraction, he/she is attributed points. If the score exceeds the maximum quota of 20 points, the license is automatically cancelled. If the driver does not attend a number of driving lessons, his license will remain suspended.
According to Piquet, he achieved such score by exceeding the speed limit and parking illegally. He complained about the duration of the course, which will last until Friday, with three hours of classes per day. However, he admitted to having learned something. "No one wants to spend seven days sitting in a classroom," said the retired racer, who added that he got shocked by the images of traffic accidents exhibited in the class. "We start to see the images and get impressed. There is much recklessness in traffic," he said.
The champion's biography reveals that it was not the first that he got in trouble with traffic authorities. As a 19-year-old, he was chased by the Police after participating in a street race in Brasilia and almost got shot, which led him to quit illegal racing. Source: Xinhua News, 1st Aug 2007
SPORTS SHORTS
* Real Madrid will later this week offer AC Milan €90-million (around R877-million) for Brazilian star Kaka, Spanish sports daily Marca reported. If the deal goes through it would be the most expensive transfer in football history. The offer will be made this week in Milan during a meeting between officials of the two clubs which officially will discuss the possible transfer of Real Madrid forward Julio Baptista, the newspaper said. Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has put Kaka, inspirational in Milan's Champions League triumph last season, on the top of his wish list. Source: IOL South Africa, 31st Jul 2007
* ESPN Star Sports’ reality show format, Dream Job (Harsha Ki Khoj), involved searching for an anchor with strong presentation skills, like Harsha Bhogle. Now the sports broadcaster has announced the second edition of the show called Clinic All Clear Dream Job. The prize is a one-year contract with ESS. The winner will become a presenter on Star Cricket. Actor and cricket presenter, Mandira Bedi, is the celebrity judge for the show. The jury includes stars like Ravi Shastri, Wasim Akram, Harsha Bhogle and Alan Wilkins. The show will air Thursdays from 20 September on Star Cricket. Source: Indian Television, 31st Jul 2007
* India’s Zee TV will make its content available to a second mobile operator, following a deal between sister company Digital Media Convergence Ltd (DMCL) and telco, Idea. DMCL will make its Isee application available to Idea subscribers to download, enabling them to watch Zee content on their phones. Zee TV earlier agreed a deal with BSNL and has said that it is seeking further deals, including in the US and the UK. Content available to Idea subscribers will be different to that available to BSNL subs, which signed up 7,000 subscribers to the Isee service in three weeks. Source: Rapid TV News, 31st Jul 2007
* Brazil, the only confirmed bidder to host the 2014 World Cup, officially presented its candidacy to Fifa in Zurich, today. The delegation, headed by Brazil soccer federation president Ricardo Terra Teixeira, handed over a 900-page dossier, including all the guarantees demanded by Fifa to host the event. Colombia withdrew its rival bid in April, but It emerged this month that Venezuela, the host of the recent Copa America, could yet challenge Brazil. The deadline for bid submissions was April 16, but Venezuela hoped Fifa would make an exception and allow it to join the race. Source: Sportcal, 31st Jul 2007
* The Latin America golf tour, the Tour de las Americas, was made an associate member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Tour, with offices in Florida and Venezuela, focuses on development of the sport and organises tournaments throughout the region. The TLA joins the Canadian Tour in becoming an associate member of the federation and will be eligible to host World Golf Championships events and contribute ideas for consideration at meetings of the full members. Full members are the US PGA, European, Asian, Australasian, Japan Golf and South African Tours. Source: Sportcal, 31st Jul 2007
MORE NEWS
WWE: McMahon Asked to Hand Over Records
In a move that significantly widens the impact of wrestler Chris Benoit's murder-suicide case, two congressmen who opened steroid hearings into Major League Baseball have requested that World Wrestling Entertainment provide records pertaining to the WWE's testing policies and practices. In a three-page letter, Rep. Henry Waxman and Tom Davis asked WWE to provide a series of documents intended to give the committee and its investigation a detailed look at WWE's drug-testing policy, including information about the results of performance-enhancing drug tests on pro wrestlers.
The letter from Waxman and Davis described WWE wrestlers as "multimedia stars that have an influence on the behavior and attitudes of the nation's youth." The records request is wide ranging, and parallels what was asked of Major League Baseball. It seeks a list of drugs covered by its policies; the entity that conducts its drug testing; the number of tests it conducts annually; the protocols followed after a positive test; and the procedures for awarding exemptions.
It also wants hard figures about the number of tests that the WWE conducts each year; the numbers of wrestlers tested; positive results for each specific drug; and the number of positive tests for which wrestlers were penalized. In an attempt to investigate the WWE's reaction to past scandals, the committee is also seeking "the results of investigations prepared [by WWE] regarding deaths, injuries or illnesses of current or former wrestlers that may have been related to the use of steroids."
WWE chairman Vince McMahon was given until Aug. 24 to comply.
In a June 28 interview on the Today show, McMahon defended his employees, saying: "Everyone that's in this organization, to my knowledge, is well-adjusted, family people. They go to work like everybody else, except their definition of what their job is, is to put a smile on somebody's face. They're performers and they do their jobs very, very well."
The congressional request is the most direct approach on the WWE since 1994, when federal prosecutors charged McMahon with steroid distribution. A jury found him not guilty. In the years since, McMahon has regained widespread respectability, selling shares in the WWE to the public and luring celebrities like Donald Trump to his shows. But the double murder-suicide in late-June involving Benoit, one of his company¹s biggest stars, has refocused attention on the issue of wrestler deaths and steroid use. Source: ESPN, 27th Jul 2007
Asia/General: Iraq Victory Boosts Asian Cup but Fine Tuning Needed
The victory of war-torn Iraq in soccer’s Asian Cup served to raise the profile of the tournament, which was staged in four countries for the first time, but critics say it could still benefit from improvements. The Asian Football Confederation’s decision to award the tournament to Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand was widely seen as a positive move.
AFC president Mohammed Bin Hammam said: ‘There were difficulties in the beginning but by the time the competition started, most of these difficulties had disappeared. ‘There is a lot to be learned if ever again we were to try to organise the competition in more than one country.’ The event concluded on Sunday with Iraq defeating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
The only major embarrassment in the competition was a 25-minute power failure that caused the lights to go out late in the group match between Saudi Arabia and South Korea in Jakarta.
The overall level of play was considered high, although of the host nations only Vietnam made it through to the knock-out stages, losing 2-0 to Iraq in the quarter-finals. Vietnam and Indonesia attracted large crowds to their home matches, but attendances for neutral games throughout the tournament were disappointing. Television ratings were strong, although some believe this may have been a factor in the small crowds in more prosperous Thailand and Malaysia. The next Asian Cup will take place in Qatar in 2011. Source: Sportcal, 31st Jul 2007