April 2006 Edition

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Ex-president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch suggested that the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing should be limited to 2.5 hours. Although it is hard to determine the response form sponsors, Samaranch also said that sports should play a big part at the World Expo in 2010 in Shanghai. The European Union conditionally approves CVC acquiring Formula One when the European Commission confirmed that their approval was dependent upon the sale of CVC's subsidiary Dorna which is the promoter of the Moto GP motorcycle championship. Coyotes coach Wayne Gretsky and his wife Janet Jones have been linked to a betting ring allegedly run by an Phoenix Coyotes assistant, Rick Tocchet.

spotlight on a reversal of fortunes

Despite much of the world watching more TV and more sports on TV, a recent poll in Singapore shows a reversal of that trend.  According to a National Sports Survey released by the Singapore Sports Council viewership was down nine percent from 2001 to 38 percent of all potential viewers.  Football accounted for one third of the viewing.  The over 8,000 respondents - taken from a cross section of the population aged 15+ - showed that only five percent attended live sporting events. And more Singaporeans got their sports news from radio and/or newspapers than from the TV.  

hot spot

There are many elements that make for a unique and memorable event, but it is always the unexpected that adds sparkle to an occasion.  At this year's soccer World Cup , all eyes will be on Trinidad & Tobago.   for those of you who can remember the 1990 World Cup, it was the marathon of Cameroon which inspired the world.  T&T's last minute qualification - on the last day f the play0ffs in Bahrain Bahrain - is the stuff that dreams are made of.   Ranked fifty-first in the world, they have the very vocal support of all 1.3 million inhabitants back home.  In their first successful attempt to qualify for the finals at their eleventh attempt, nobody knows what kind of upset in possible in a group which their opposition is England, Paraguay and Sweden.  but he fans - swaying to the rhythm of their nearest Soca band make just make enough noise to cause upset.  And for those of you who are not sure where Trinidad & Tobago fits on the world map, you will be finding out very soon! 

hot shot

Stephen Thompson at North West 200 in 2005

If you like your sport rugged, you may want to join thousands of other fans next month camping out round the course of the North West 200.  With little accommodation to meet the demands of the enthusiastic followers  so this annual and oldest surviving motor cycle road race.  This is a Northern Island special.  It draws a huge crowd and it is claimed that the route along the coast road from Portrush to Portstewart.  The sixty riders - all vying for the US$350,000 (approx.) prize money - will be revving up supported by 1,000 officials, marshals and medical staff.  The event may be supported by volunteers but the organization swallows up over US$1.25 million - a large proportion of which the removal of the hundreds of bollards, road signs and barriers which normally form part of the 'road furniture' to guarantee safe driving.   This is not a race for the feint=hearted (Michael Rutter was timed at 201.1 mph in 2004, and the race has counted more than a few fatalities; but for local sponsor, the Kennedy Group it generates an estimated US$10million plus for businesses in the locality as well as contributing towards the wider Northern Ireland economy. This year sees a new sponsorship imitative with a minimum donation of US$180 going up to US$1,800 will give participant press recognition and a Friends of the North West 200 certificate for display purposes.  In 2004, research indicated that the average spectator spent close to US$400 on race day.

sidelines...... help at hand

The impact of SARS should not be forgotten.  Shanghai remembered it well during the unveiling of the FIFA 2007 Women;'s World Cup.  The country was sidelined back in 2003 when at the last minute the event was moved to the USA as a result of the SARS outbreak.  And the world will continue to hold its breath as a threat of Bird Flu remains a strong possibility in may regions of the world and a potential upset to the organization of many sports events.  

fashion icon...... national ID

Adidas is slipping behind in the Soccer World Cup marketing battle as the brand finds itself sponsoring fewer teams than its arch rivals, Puma and Nike.  The country count finds only six teams wearing the Adidas stripe, as compared with eight for Nike and twelve for Puma.  Of course no-one - even the big sportswear brands - can predict which teams will get through to the final thirty-two.  Adidas is determined to regain the high-ground when it takes full advantage of its role as official sponsor of the world soccer body FIFA, which will give the brand advertising rights in take twelve stadiums.

A global TV audience of 32 billion is predicted to watch (10 percent more than in 2002) and the competition for brand awareness is almost as great as the World Cup competition itself.

home and away

It may be just semantics, but the home of the game of baseball - the USA - seems to be struggling to hold onto its world class 'title' as the team was unexpectedly knocked out in the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic by none other than Mexico.  Despite the fact that it was the USA's Commissioner of Major League Basketball, Bud Selig, who pushed for a 'real' world class (and that means 'international' tournament, he may be left with a little egg on his face the next time the the World Series comes around.  In this case this is the end of season US teams fall championship. 

Why this domestic competition claimed the name World Series, is difficult to image!  But with Japan battling our the finals against Cuba, and finally claiming the title of the World Baseball Classic, will the any US team be able to hold up the World Series crown in the future with the same  degree of recognition as in the past.  However, if Americans look on the bright side this is one for 'globalization'  record books.

sport culture........ the pin-up

When you are the female pin-up of your sport  and the sport is as popular as golf, winning is the ultimate goal.  but similar to her tennis equivalent x, Natalie Gulbis has competed in 110 events as a LPGA member and her best finish is a tie for third place.  But Ms Gulbis should not be too despondent as she can look forward to the similar success of her predecessor Christie Kerr who won her first tournament after 127 attempts in 2002; and she now hold six titles.

But there is another reason Gulbis has little to complain about: at 23 years she has made as much off the course as she has made on the course.  US$1 million last year and she was ranked 97th in FHM magazine's top 100 sexiest women in the world .  her popularity is helped by obvious visibility: her own TV reality Show on the Golf Channel; a 2006 swimsuit calendar and 'Playboy' lingerie.

Let's hope she keeps her eye on the ball and achieves the goal her tennis equivalent failed to claim.

starting blocks.... ship wrecked

The latest 10-boat Clipper Round the World Race fleet faced more than just the annual challenge of circumventing the globe. Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston was left with little choice but to make repairs to all the yachts after discovering keel problems. Clipper Ventures PLC announced that it would cover the costs for crew taking part in its Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race to be flown home whilst month long repairs were completed in Subic Bay, Philippines. Sir Robin said: 'Crews will be only too aware of the problem that has affected the yachts. We believe that by the time the problem has been properly assessed and a solution decided upon, plus the remedial work carried out, the Clipper race will be delayed by as much as a month.....' At the height of work, 81 people amounting to over 1000 man hours a day worked on the ten 68ft racing boats. Keels and the outer skin and core of the sandwich construction underneath the entire keel bracing structure were removed and replaced with epoxy glass (which is six times stronger than the original material). Internally, the failed materials were replaced with laminate. The Chinese entry Qingdao was the first boat back in the water on March 17 having been lifted out on February 16, 2006. For some participants it was the end of a long road only made possible by taking a year from their routine.

With less than three days to go until the race restart on March 25, 2006, crew changes included Nicola Jolly, former Miss UK and Sky Television presenter. And if you would like to join in next time round, the cost of the full circumnavigation 07-08 including training is around US$43,000 including training. And if you want to do a single leg, the least expensive is Brazil to South Africa at around US$11,000.

life after..... winning isn't always easy

The Mr Nice-Guy of the Chinese Olympic Committee, Honorary President, He Zhenliang recently said what many might think but few would dare to say.  "People are talking about showcasing our culture and the country's economic power through ht e(Olympic) extravaganza, but I think good manners should be put at the top of the agenda."  With just over two years to change a nation the patriarch of Chinese modern sports also said that China "has a long way to go it's fully infused with the Olympic spirit".  Fir the thousands of volunteers who meet and greet the visitors to Beijing there is a lot at stake; but for the athletes themselves they expect nothing less,than gold.