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• The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has suspended the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) after it failed to act on agreed steps to resolve problems with the body's leadership. FIFA was unhappy after the EFF's General Assembly fired former President Dr Asheber Woldegiorgise in January for what it described as the "dismal" record of the country's teams. FIFA insisted it would not recognise any other leader of the EFF and in February this year, the global body drew up a roadmap with the EFF and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to resolve the situation. However, in the eyes of FIFA, the EFF has failed to implement any of the recommended changes, which included restoring Woldegiorgise to office and implementing a new system to dismiss senior figures.
• Viewers in Brazil and New Zealand will continue to enjoy top-level athletics action after Globosat and Sky Network renewed their deals to broadcast the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Athletic Series of events. Dentsu, the IAAF's marketing agency, has secured the agreement with existing partners Globosat (Brazil) and Sky Network (New Zealand) for the 2010-13 period. Globosat and Sky Network are the dominant pay-TV broadcasters in their respective markets with significant household reach. Sky Network reaches 45% of homes and SporTV has more than 17 million potential viewers. IAAF President Lamine Diack said: "One of the main priorities of the IAAF Athletics' World Plan is to ensure the best possible TV coverage, all over the world, as a way to motivate and encourage a new generation of athletes and fans."
• The 2008 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Diamond Ball for Men tournament is being broadcast in more than 80 territories around the globe. The event, which started this week in Nanjing, China, is the final FIBA preparation tournament for the men's national teams before the 2008 Beijing Olympic tournament, and has attracted unprecedented interest from international broadcasters. In addition to watching on television, fans can also log on to www.olympicbasketball.fiba.com for the game schedule, live scoring, interviews and reports.
• The Fédération Internationale de Tir a l'Arc (FITA) is committed to providing young men and women to judge international events as part of its aim to establish archery as a dynamic sport for young people. The FITA Judge Committee has surveyed more than 100 young judges from Member Associations around the world and will undertake a practical training seminar with around 15 of these judges at a world level event. From this elite group, a number of the youngsters will be selected to officiate at the Youth Olympic Games and possibly at other youth events, alongside established FITA international judges and judge candidates.
• Pakistan is currently hosting a Taekwondo Peace Corps Training Course through to August 17 at Rodham Hall in Islamabad. With the backing of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), a team of international taekwondo experts are training players and coaches from all over the country. The idea of Taekwondo Peace Corps Programme was initially conceived and presented by WTF President Dr Chungwon Choue at a meeting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The main objective of the Peace Corps Training Course is to "contribute to the promotion of world peace and enhance the image of taekwondo and the WTF in the international sports community," according to a statement from the Federation.

 

Cycling: UCI Denies Olympic Claims

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has denied claims that a track event bought its place in the Beijing Olympic Games. The keirin, an event in which riders follow a motorbike for a set number of laps before fighting it out in a sprint, first entered the Olympics in 2000. Keirin is big business in Japan and the BBC claims an investigation has produced documents that show payments totalling US$3 million from the Japanese Keirin Association to the UCI. However, the UCI issued a statement on Monday denying that report.

"UCI looked into this matter when questions were first raised by the BBC in early June," the statement said. "A thorough examination of our records and interviews with those involved has turned up no evidence that this was anything other than a straightforward, completely proper arrangement to promote track cycling. As UCI exists to promote cycling, it is perfectly logical that UCI would co-operate with Japanese national cycling groups to encourage international interest in track cycling. The agreement did not include any provision regarding keirin's acceptance as an Olympic sport or even a commitment by UCI to seek its inclusion in the Olympic programme. To conclude otherwise would be incorrect."

The UCI added that the dates of the transaction show it was unrelated to keirin's addition to the Olympic schedule. "The agreement was signed six months after keirin was entered in the programme, along with three other track cycling events - the men's Olympic sprint and Madison, and the women's 500-metre time trial," the statement continued. "The agreement produced clear benefits for all track cycling disciplines as evidenced by the superb progression of track cycling over the past 10 years." The UCI also said "all expenses related to the agreement were reviewed by an independent auditor and deemed proper".

Earlier on Monday, Hein Verbruggen, the President of the UCI from 1991-2005 and now Chairman of the Co-ordination Commission for the Beijing Olympics, insisted the process was above board. He told the BBC: "It's been done in total transparency. This was done for the development of track cycling around the world." Mr Karamasu, of Japan's Keirin Association, also denied the claims, saying: "No transfer of money took place. What we did is that we supported establishing the cycling training centres in Japan and also we paid the set amount that all the National Federations pay for membership... sort of a membership fee - I have to say I do not know about it at all. I have been in this position up until 1998 however I've never heard of any direct payment of money or cash."

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Cricket: ICC To Leave Champions Trophy Player Participation Up To Boards

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has admitted it cannot force players to travel to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Recent bombings in the country have sparked fears over security with several high-profile players having voiced their concerns about the tournament, which is scheduled to be held from September 11-28. The ICC, which was under pressure to move the tournament away from Pakistan, announced on Thursday that the tournament would go ahead as scheduled in the Asian country. The decision came after an ICC teleconference with officials from all the participating boards and a security review.

Players' groups from England, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia have been unhappy with the decision and there have been suggestions teams could send second-string teams for the event or even boycott the tournament. Now the ICC has revealed it is to leave the issue of player participation to the respective boards. "All we can do is make them (the players) confident about the measures taken in regard to safety and security and on that basis that we hope they participate," ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat (pictured right) said in a statement.

He said: "That is the reason we are putting together a task team inviting all the main stakeholders, including FICA (Federation of International Cricketers' Associations), so the process is inclusive." Lorgat said the ICC would not comment on possible action if teams were to boycott the tournament. "We will not speculate on teams not taking part or any action if that did occur," he added. "There was no indication that would happen during the telephone conference of ICC directors on Thursday."

Meanwhile, the ICC remains concerned over the threat of match-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), ICC General Manager Dave Richardson has said. The ICC's Anti Corruption Unit chief Paul Condon told the ICC annual conference in Dubai earlier this month that the IPL was the biggest threat to the game in terms of corruption since the days of cricket in Sharjah. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Niranjan Shah and IPL chief Lalit Modi said strict measures to check corruption in the Twenty20 tournament were already in place, but the ICC is still worried.

The IPL could be a target for match-fixers because of the huge sums of money being invested in the tournament, according to Richardson. "We are concerned," he told NDTV. "Let's face it, the IPL is the first domestic competition which has attracted such huge interest and it's inevitably going to attract the interest of match-fixers and people like that. It's just a fact of life that there is a lot of betting going on in cricket. And that because there is so much money passing hands, inevitably the temptations are going to be there to try and get the players involved. There is certainly no criticism intended for the IPL or the BCCI."

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Football: FIFA Rules Clubs Must Release Olympic Stars

A Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)-appointed judge has confirmed clubs are obliged to release players aged 23 and under for next month's Olympics football tournament in Beijing. A statement issued by world football's governing body today confirmed the Judge of the Players' Status Committee, Slim Aloulou, agreed with FIFA's previous ruling that it was "mandatory" for players to be released for Olympic duty. The Judge was called to rule on the matter after top European clubs Werder Bremen, Schalke 04 and FC Barcelona questioned FIFA's stance as the Olympics do not appear on the Federation's official calendar.

Bremen and Schalke are unhappy with the inclusions of Diego and Rafinha, respectively, in the Brazil squad, while Barcelona is trying to prevent star forward Lionel Messi joining up with Argentina. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will now have the final say on the matter after Bremen and Schalke filed complaints, with Barcelona having indicated it will do likewise. CAS revealed last week it was to put the appeals of Bremen and Schalke "on standby" until the outcome of the FIFA judgement had been made public. The body will now convene in the coming days with the Olympic football tournament due to get underway on August 7.

A statement issued by FIFA read: "The single judge of the Players' Status Committee, Slim Aloulou (Tunisia), decided today, 30 July 2008, that the release of players under the age of 23 for the Men's Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008 is mandatory for all clubs. Previously, on 29 July 2008, the FIFA Emergency Committee also took a decision in the same sense. The decision of the single judge was taken after FIFA had received requests from the German Football Association (DFB) on behalf of its affiliate club FC Schalke 04, as well as from SV Werder Bremen, FC Schalke 04 and Spanish club FC Barcelona directly, in connection with the release of their players under the age of 23 for the Men's Olympic Football Tournament."

The statement added: "The single judge, while referring to the situation of the players belonging to the clubs in question, deemed that he should address the question of the release of all players under the age of 23 for that competition. The single judge determined that the international match calendar is not of relevance in establishing whether clubs are obliged to release players for the Men's Olympic Football Tournament. The single judge stated that taking part in the Olympic Games is a unique opportunity for all athletes of any sporting discipline, and that it would not be justifiable to prevent any player younger than 23 from participating in such an event if his representative team had qualified."

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Football: Blatter's 6+5 Plan Gains Support

Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) President Sepp Blatter has gained the support of German Minister of the Interior Dr Wolfgang Schauble for his controversial 6+5 plan to increase the number of domestic-based players in world football. Blatter is keen to introduce a system whereby at least six players who start any given match must be eligible to play for the national team of the country where they are playing, but that rule would appear to be in violation of current European employment laws.

Last week, Blatter (pictured right) led a group which included FIFA Executive Committee member Franz Beckenbauer and high-ranking delegations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Deutscher Fussball-Bund (DFB) to meet with Dr Schauble in Berlin to discuss the plans. Dr Schauble expressed support for the proposal, but said there remained work to do to reconcile the plan with European law. "If autonomous sport wishes to introduce such a measure, we will help it to find a solution at European level," he said. Blatter added: "The value of football cannot be measured in business terms only; the cultural and social value of this sport carry at least the same weight."

IOC Vice-President and Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund (DOSB) President Thomas Bach also supported FIFA's initiative with the argument that other team sports are also fighting the same problem. The idea also found favour with DFB President Theo Zwanziger, Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL) President Reinhard Rauball and Beckenbauer, who had come out strongly in favour of the initiative at this year's FIFA Congress in Sydney. All those present at the meeting with Dr Schauble expressed their support for further discussion of the issue, in particular with the French Presidency of the European Union (EU).

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Surfing: ISA Furthers Olympic Claims

International Surfing Association (ISA) President Fernando Aguerre believes the sport's inclusion in the inaugural South American Beach Games is an important stepping stone in its quest to secure Olympic status. The Organización Deportiva Suramericana (ODESUR) announced the formation of the Beach Games at its General Meeting in May and its first edition will take place from February 28 to March 8, 2009 in Montevideo and Punta del Este, Uruguay. This project goes hand in hand with the first ever Asian Beach Games, which will have surfing as one of the main attractions and will be held in Bali, Indonesia, from October 18-25.

Aguerre, who started the ISA's Olympic quest in 1994, said: "A year ago, the ISA managed to introduce surfing in the first Beach Games of the Olympic World. Now the ODESUR decision moves surfing one step forward to a well deserved inclusion of the sport in the Summer Olympic Games and the Summer Youth Olympic Games. Duke Kahanamoku's (the man who is widely credited with popularising the sport) dream is one step closer." Aguerre has driven surfing's claims to be part of the Olympics with future events including surfing in the Cultural Programme of the Singapore 2010 Youth Games and London 2012 Games.

He has made different presentations to both Organisation Committees, including the construction of wave parks which will stay as a part of the legacy benefit to the organiser of the Youth Olympic Games. Aguerre added: "The question is no longer if surfing will be part of the Olympics, but in which year this will happen."

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Equestrian: FEI Reveals New Measures For Olympics

The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) has announced that Post-Arrival Elective Testing (PAET) will be available to participants at the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events this summer. The aim of PAET is to minimise inadvertent medication violations at the Games by collecting urine samples from competition horses upon their arrival in Hong Kong. To take advantage of this provision, a urine sample must be labelled and submitted together with a completed application form within 12 hours of the horse's arrival at the Olympic Post Arrival Isolation (PAI) stables in Sha Tin. The service is available for a maximum of 230 Olympic and 75 PAET samples.

Testing of the first urine sample will be paid for by the FEI and will therefore be free of charge for the competitors. Provided no more that 20% of the PAET samples come back positive, the turnaround time is expected to be between three and five days after the Hong Kong Jockey Club Racing Laboratory has received them. Confidential test reports will be given to the relevant team vet or representative. The FEI has requested that results of PAET be reported to it in anonymous fashion at the end of all competitions and no sanctions will be imposed for medications found in the PAET samples as test result are unofficial and for reference only.

In other news, the World Games 2010 Foundation and the Kentucky Horse Park have released the first renderings of the Horse Park venue plans for the 2010 Alltech (sponsor) FEI World Equestrian Games. Hundreds of temporary structures and activities will be placed on the Park in 2010, including approximately 400 trade show booths, an International Pavilion, an Equine Pavilion, and the Kentucky Experience - a 25,000-square-foot exhibition highlighting the state's culture, economy, and tourism. The artistic renderings of a 6,000-seat, climate-controlled arena showcase a competition facility that includes a competition surface of 45,000 square feet, and 300 new event stalls.

The new venue will be utilised before and long after the 2010 World Games, allowing the Kentucky Horse Park to host championship-level events all year round. Five new events are already scheduled for the new arena from 2009-13, including National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championships and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Championships. The permanent structure will feature 8,000-10,000 seats, while the Foundation will add 20,000-22,000 temporary seats in 2010. The Games, to be held from September 25 to October 10, 2010, are the world Championships of the eight equestrian disciplines recognised by the FEI, and are held every four years. The Games will provide two firsts in that they have never before been held outside of Europe or had all eight disciplines held together at a single site.

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Rowing: Bulgaria Secures World Senior And Junior Championships For 2012

Bulgaria, Poland and the Netherlands were all selected to host major events at the 19th Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron (FISA) Ordinary Congress on Friday in Linz, Austria. The 2012 World Rowing Senior and Junior Championships were awarded to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, while the 2011 World Rowing Masters Regatta went to the popular Malta Rowing Course in Poznan, Poland. A bid from Amsterdam narrowly pipped a Portuguese proposal to host the 2011 World Rowing Under-23 Championships. The organising committee for next year's World Rowing Championships at Lake Karapiro, New Zealand, received the authority move the competition to spring time in Oceania. The event will now take place between October 31 and November 7, 2010.

FISA President Denis Oswald (pictured right) presided over his final Congress before representatives from a total of 56 Member Federations. Those Federations voted unanimously to adopt the new, revised World Anti-Doping Code which will come into effect on January 1, 2009. Delegates also welcomed Ghana and Vanuatu as new FISA Member Federations. Oswald will now focus on his work as an Executive Board Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

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Luge: Viessmann Extends World Cup Sponsorship

Viessmann will continue as the main sponsor of the Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course (FIL) until 2010. The German heating company has enjoyed a 13-year association with the Federation and will remain the title sponsor of the Luge World Cup until the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, after a contract extension with FIL was negotiated by RGS Sportmarketing in Berchtesgaden. Under Viessmann's sponsorship over the last few years, television transmissions of the Luge World Cup have regularly generated market shares of more than 22%. Viessmann has been an active sponsor in winter sports since 1993 and a key sponsor of the FIL for the past 13 years.

FIL President Josef Fendt said: "Such a long partnership between an International Federation and a globally operating company is something very special in fast moving times." The Federation has also confirmed that the Russian city of Sochi, the venue for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, will host the 58th FIL Congress in 2010. Sochi was given the backing of delegates at the 56th FIL Congress in Calgary, China, after the National Federations of Latvia and the USA surprisingly withdrew their bids for Riga and Lake Placid respectively. The upcoming 57th FIL Congress in 2009 will take place in Liberec, Czech Republic.

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Motorcycling: FGSport Unveils Commercial Deals For World Superbikes

FGSport, promoter of the HANNspree (sponsor) Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) Superbike World Championship, has announced two major commercial partnerships. Pirelli has signed a three-year contract extension to continue as the World Championship's official tyre supplier until 2012, and Italian sports watch company Meccaniche Veloci has become the official timing sponsor of the competition in a deal that will run until 2010. The Pirelli agreement will include the FIM Supersport World Championship, the Superstock (sponsor) 1000 FIM Cup and the UEM Superstock 600 European Championship.

"FGSport, in agreement with the FIM, has since 2004 strongly believed in the importance of creating a one-make tyre supply rule that gives all competitors the same opportunities on a technical, service and cost level," read a statement from FGSport. "Without a shadow of doubt the growth and success of the FIM Superbike World Championship over the last five years, which is destined to continue in the near future thanks also to an exceptional participation of manufacturers and teams, has been greatly favoured by the adoption of a one-make tyre regulation." The Meccaniche Veloci deal will see the logo of the company appear on the championship's television timing graphics. FGSport is a member of the Infront Group.

Meanwhile, a meeting was held in Tokyo last week between FIM President Vito Ippolito, FIM/CMS (Commission de Motocross) President Wolfgang Srb, FIM Sports Director Ignacio Verneda, representatives of each of the four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki), Live Nation representatives, and Motorcycle Federation of Japan (MFJ) President Masatoshi Suzuki. Various subjects were discussed including the use of two-stroke engines for youth classes and the presence of two-stroke machines in all off-road classes. The FIM maintained its intention that motocross and supercross will be global sports by staging world championships rounds in a number of continents outside Europe and including riders from all continents. Live Nation made a presentation concerning its activities, and confirmed its intention to expand the FIM Supercross World Championship outside North America.

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Sailing: ISAF Aims To Satisfy Olympic Appetites With New Website

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has launched a new Olympic Games microsite, which aims to bring sports fans around the world unrivalled coverage of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition. The new ISAF Olympic Games microsite (www.sailing.org/olympics) will follow all the action from August 8-24 as 400 sailors compete across 11 events. Site visitors will find comprehensive coverage of the Olympic sailing events including live mark-by-mark roundings and results from every race, daily galleries featuring the best photography from the Games, full details on every competing sailor, nations and event, a complete database of Olympic sailing results and all the latest news and features direct from Qingdao.

Jerome Pels, ISAF Secretary General and one of two Technical Delegates for the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition, said: "The Olympic Games is a unique event in the sporting calendar and a great opportunity for ISAF and the sailing world in general to showcase the sport. Working with our Internet provider Sotic to combine information available from BOCOG's (Beijing Organising Committee) data feed, our news service and world class photography from Getty Images along with all the information already available on the ISAF website, we'll be presenting sailing to the world in the most attractive and accessible way possible. Most of all we hope the ISAF Olympic Games microsite captures and celebrates the unique spirit of the Olympic Games and its status as the ultimate sporting event."

The microsite features individual 'homepages' for each of the 11 Olympic sailing events and every one of the 62 competing nations so fans can follow the key action at the Games no matter what perspective. Leo Mindel, Sotic's Technical Director, added: "We have worked in close liaison with ISAF's Media and Marketing team to ensure that the online needs of competitors at the games and the wider sailing community have been matched up with the best technology available."

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Softball: ISF Reaches Deal For Fans To Pitch Their Opinions On Sportingo

The International Softball Federation (ISF) is giving fans the opportunity to write articles about the sport thanks to a partnership with Sportingo (www.sportingo.com). Sportingo is a sports media platform where all content is created by fans. It currently has more than 3,000 registered users. The move comes weeks after the ISF launched a page on the social networking site, Facebook. "This is just the latest in a line of steps we're taking to more closely involve our fans in the sport they love so much," said ISF President Don Porter (pictured right).

He added: "Thanks to what we're doing with Sportingo our supporters now have another outlet for showing their passion for softball." Ze'ev Rozov, Managing Director of Sportingo, added: "We have found that thriving communities often spring up around sports with such a wide-reaching appeal and so we look forward to featuring articles, comments, and conversations around the matches and tournaments the fans are keen to discuss." A key factor behind the ISF's recent drive to engage with the sport's fan base has been Back Softball, the campaign to have softball reinstated as an Olympic sport. Softball made its Olympic debut at Atalanta 1996, but will bow out at this year's Games in Beijing after failing to make the cut for London 2012.

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Anti-Doping: Lenovo Backing WADA's Olympic Efforts

Lenovo, the exclusive computing equipment supplier for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, has struck a new commercial partnership with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Under the terms of the sponsorship deal, Lenovo will provide USB keys and lanyards to WADA, which will be uploaded with educational materials about anti-doping during the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games. Athletes, coaches and officials who visit WADA's centre in the Athlete Village and play the Doping Quiz will receive the USB key as a prize for their efforts. Lenovo will have a strong presence in Beijing, as nearly every aspect of the management of the Games, from gathering and storing participant data to detailing activities for the organising committee (BOCOG) will depend on hardware provided by the company.

"Lenovo's support enables us to deliver important anti-doping information directly to athletes in an effective and innovative way," said WADA Director General David Howman. Li Lan, Vice-President of Olympic Marketing and Head of Brand Communications at Lenovo China, added: "We hope our involvement assists athletes and officials gain a better and more insightful understanding of the anti-doping issue and the spirit of fair play."

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People In Motion: Elections, Appointments & Moves

Tim Hadaway has been appointed as the London Organising Committee's Sport Competition Manager for equestrian events at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Hadaway will be responsible for the planning, organisation and management of the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events in 2012, which include show jumping, dressage and cross country. Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Secretary General Alex McLin said: "The fact that this is a full-time function will allow for the detailed consideration of all the organisational aspects of the sport. The FEI is looking forward to exceptional Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian events to be held in the heart of London. This will undoubtedly provide a strong legacy in increased interest and participation in horse sport across London and the UK as a whole."

The International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) is looking for a new Global Development Manager to be based in Manchester, England. The successful applicant will, among other duties, oversee the development and execution of the strategic and operational plans for the Federation's development initiatives; facilitate, co-ordinate, monitor and review the IFNA's development projects; monitor the development - and efficient and effective implementation - of corresponding budgets and financial strategies and develop and manage a regional development strategy for IFNA regions. The deadline for applications is Friday, August 22. For more information, contact the IFNA Secretariat on +44 (0)161 234 0025, email ifna@netball.org or visit www.netball.org.

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