February 2007 Edition

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Bollywood star and UK Celebrity Big Brother winner,Shilpa Sheety has been approached to apply her winning streak to save English cricket by fronting a cricket talent show in a format not dissimilar to the American Idol. 'Prince' Beckham is featured in his first US endorsement for Disney.  Alongside Beyonce, he appears in Disney World's Year of a Million Dreams astride a rearing horse.  'Yee hah'! Ben Curtis became the first American player under 30 to notch up 3 PGA Tour victories when he won the 84 Lumbar Classic. HSBC will end its sponsorship deal with the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth (the first in the sport to give a US$2 million prize in 2003) in favor of the Champions Tournament in China. Nine-year old Rhiannon Linacre is the youngest female to score a hole-in-one at her 20th attempt at a par 3 hole.  She beat the record holder by 76 days at the ripe old age of nine years 75 days old.  Veteran players can only watch and weep!  Sandy Lyle calls for the qualifying period of the Ryder Cup to be reduced to six months.   It was only the second time that the Ashes Urn visited Australia in its 124 years and unlike the England team, it returns to Lords Cricket Ground, England with its revered reputation in tact. 

spotlight on: harassment

Sexual harassment occurs in every environment and sport is no exception.  A recently published Consensus Statement on Sexual Harassment and Abuse in Sport has been published by the IOC:
'In its role of promoting and protecting the health of the athlete, the IOC Medical Commission recognizes all the rights of athletes, including the right to enjoy a safe and supportive sport environment. It is in such conditions that athletes are most likely to flourish and optimize their sporting performance. Sexual harassment and abuse are violations of human rights, regardless of cultural setting, that damage both individual and organizational health. While it is well known that sport offers significant potential for personal and social benefits, this potential is undermined where such problems occur. Sexual harassment and abuse occur worldwide. In sport, they give rise to suffering for athletes and others, and to legal, financial and moral liabilities for sport organizations. No sport is immune to these problems which occur at every performance level. Everyone in sport shares the responsibility to identify and prevent sexual harassment and abuse and to develop a culture of dignity, respect and safety in sport. Sport organizations, in particular, are gatekeepers to safety and should demonstrate strong leadership in identifying and eradicating these practices. A healthy sport system that empowers athletes can contribute to the prevention of sexual harassment and abuse inside and outside sport."
The recommendations are well-meaning; but how successful their implementation may only become apparent if and when expensive litigation acts as the only deterrent.

hot spot: Italy in crisis

Although Italian football is not the only victim of crowd violence, the country which won last year's Soccer World Cup has reached a hiatus which is perhaps similar to the crisis in the late eighties in the UK when Hillsborough resulted in the death of large number of football fans.  In response, the stands (standing only areas) were permanently replaced by seating-only stadium.
The Italians have seen a large number of incidents over recent years.  Perhaps one of the most dramatic of which was when Milan fans threw a scooter (small motorbike) from the third tier of seating at San Siro.  Most recently, an official of an amateur club collapsed and died while trying to separate brawling fans and players in Luzzi, Southern Italy.
But it was the death of Chief Inspector of Police, Filippo Raciti who was killed during violence outside the Catania Stadium (when Catania was playing Sicilian team, Palermo), that finally brought Italian football to an end.  Or at least for a temporary period.  
And the reasons are obvious.  A queue of Palermo fans under police escort were still outside the stadium when the police gave the go-ahead for the game to begin.  Police and Palermo fans were then set upon by a group of 'extreme' Italian fans and when Palermo scored in the first five minutes of the match, the consequences were inevitable. 
It was the home-made bomb that was thrown into the police car - from which Raciti was directing policy strategy - that directly led to his death and in theory, the death of Italian football as it has been security controlled up to that time.
Inevitably, matches have now returned to 'normal' and with almost no security in evidence inside the football stadiums, (the police focus their attention on the behavior of the crowd coming into and out the stadia) it is clear that the only solution for game is to substantially increase the level of security inside stadia.  And that costs money!

hotshot: all six of them?

sidelines money walks

New laws introduced in recent months have been designed to take the toughest measures against internet touts who sell tickets for major football matches at upto 10 times face value.  If the new laws are broken the sellers face prosecution as it is now illegal for the touts to advertise on their own sites as well as on the search engines - such as Google - and/or the likes of EBay.
Similarly, the legislation which has received Royal assent in the UK is placing pressure on the credit card companies to stop accepting payments from banned websites.  Google and the auction sites are also being asked to refuse to accept banner ads which sell tickets at these inflated prices.
However, this IS the Internet; and how far the arm of the law can stretch in the online world remains to be seen, particularly as touts may chose to go offshore to achieve their profitable objectives.
fashion icon the golden key

A sport which doesn't have an online betting site is a sport out of fashion.  Athletics may be the core product of the Olympics, but many other major athletic events fail to draw similar crowds. One remedy for a flailing sport is to add a very fashionable and lucrative component.  Betting online adds that dynamic by focusing on key competitors and raising their profile.
While the International Olympic Committee has raised the stakes within the athletics arena by tightening restrictions and prohibiting athletes, coaches and officials from betting on Olympic events during next summers Beijing Games, they have not gone on the record to say that they are against betting.  So for the rest, it's an open market.
However, the launch of a new athletics betting website owned by one of the sport's leading agents, Austrian, Robert Wagner brings into question potential conflicts of interest.   If the website's owner has privileged knowledge and expertise that goes beyond the high street betting chain, then there are reasons for concern. Bookmakers have offered odds on major athletics events for around twenty years, and as long as the international athletics sports federation, the IAFF fails to object about this latest venture - aware of the fact that betting online is a growth industry which can generate huge profits - it is unlikely that anyone will stop the inevitable growth of web-based sports betting businesses.  And with a winning 'cap' of US$5,000 on all AthleticBet.com wagers, the new site is unlikely to attract the high rollers.

home and away  Marketing maestro

Developing a global brand requires rare skills, however, marketing guru, Peter Kenyon did it for Manchester United, so why would he fail to generate the same success for his latest employer, Roman Abramovich, the cash rich owner of Chelsea FC. 
One of the quickest ways to increases your fan base is a speedy trip to China where Kenyon recently spent a few days selling the club in Beijing which coincided with the launch of a Mandarin-language website in partnership with China's largest portal, Sina. The new site has a potential audience of in excess of 100 million. 
Today the club has an international fan base of 20 million which represents four million domestic fans (twice as many as in 2003 when Abramovich bought the club for around US$300 million). The Russian oligarch owner has spent around US$700 million on new players but Chelsea FC but still declared losses of around US$280 million last year. 
This all bodes badly for the club which is in fierce competition with its rival Manchester United - with a worldwide following of 55 million and a recent annual profit of around US$100 million.
But with Kenyon now safely at the marketing helm in West London, it is difficult to imagine that Chelsea will not make good inroads in their efforts to grow their international following.   As for profits, only time will tell.

Brand Beckham was recalled to Real Madrid and taken from the benches to score a 'classic' Beckham penalty.  Always a good way for Spanish team Real Madrid to get the attention of the world's press during the final month's that Becks remains at the club.

sport culture: on ice

Unusual events are scattered across the globe and few are as dramatic as the White Turf St Moritz in Switzerland.  On three Sundays each February, 6,000 feet up, the Swiss play host to a horse racing event on the frozen Lake St Moritz. It's lots of family fun with music, art shows and hospitality marquees to keep the punters warm. This year is the centenary meeting. And spectators will yet again enjoy one of the highlights of the European Winter Social Season. 
But this is no US$1,000 plate affair.  Grandstand seats are priced at around US$25 and spectators are lured by three categories of events:
competitors on skis are dragged across the ice by their horses galloping upto 30 mph; the equivalent of trotting on ice with two wheeled carts; and the flat races, as horses with special shoes gallop against the stunning backdrop of dramatic snow covered mountain and glaciers. 
And if you like the sound of this event, you might also enjoy the Cricket On Ice World Cup which is held every year In Tallinn, Estonia.  If you want to participate, whites are optional and spikes are advisable during the month long season.  With plenty of teams willing to participate in this sport which is said to have started in 1823, it's an opportunity for the some 'national' teams to show off their skills as passing by cross country skiers skillfully avoid any wild cricket balls heading in their direction.

starting blocks the first to switch?

Juan Pablo Montoya is the first driver to make a full time switch from Formula One to NASCAR - the largest spectator sport in the US.  Just how well he switches from an aerodynamic design to a more 'sturdy' vehicle is to be determined.  And it's not only the car that will require a certain amount of adjustment from the Colombian: a field of 43 cars and 36 events over 41 weeks on a variety of tracks would prove a challenge for an professional athlete. 
And there is another difference.  The endurance of a long season means that the target for every race is to end up in the top ten, in contrast to the targeted first or second place in F1. 
Owner, Chip Ganassi has high hopes for his new driver; so watch out for the No. 42 Dodge careering round the track.  And if it doesn't work out, there is always A1.

life after..... winning again

Former Keith Mills, now Sir Keith Mills - knighted for his contribution to the London 2012 bid - has slid out of the Olympic debate to follow a personal dream.
In the early twentieth century a Scottish tea tycoon, Sir Thomas Lipton failed to failed in his bid to win the America's Cup and died in the middle of the fifth attempt.  Mills is obviously unconcerned about the fate of his predecessor, whose valiant attempts ended in his demise; but prefers to view the investment of US$40 million over the next five years - which he is personally underwriting - as a sound investment. - as a prudent business decision.
Mills began his sailing career in a dingy at the age of nine years and he now owns the Hugo Boss yacht racing team.  Last year one of the yachts capsized during the Veliux 5 Oceans Race and lies at the bottom of the Southern Ocean, but multi-millionaire Mills still remains undeterred.  He has about 3 years to find his 'international' crew for his 'Origin' team. 
This year's America's Cup in Valencia in Spain will be yet an other glamorous event for the world's jet set and Sir Keith will no doubt enjoy the challenge of putting his team and the top of yet another sporting podium.