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Paralympian, Oscar Pistorius
of South Africa succeeds in his attempt to compete as an able-bodied athlete in the
Beijing Olympics - but will he achieve the necessary qualifying time? Ricky
Hatton wins his fight against American Juan Lazcano in his home town of Manchester,
England. Will Rafael Nadal make it four in a row at this year's
French Open? Fourteen year old Brit, Tom Daley claims another
gold as he and his much older 25 year old diving partner, Blake Aldridge take first place
in the World Series Men's 10m synchro platform final. The
Olympic Torch Relay resumed in China after a three day mourning period for the many
thousands who died in the Sichuan earthquake. The Sichuan leg of the relay has been
rescheduled to take place just before the start of the Games on 8.8.08. This
year giant videos will replace the 'charming' dot-matrix scoreboards at Wimbledon's centre
and number one show courts. While John Terry survives the fall out from
Chelsea's lack of silverware throughout the season, manager Avram Grant achieves a mere
eight months as Roman Abramovich gives him the proverbial 'boot' as he is let go! Justine
Henin quits the pro tennis circuit while she is ahead. At the age of 25 and the
world's number one, she bows out centre stage. Under new immigration rules,
foreign footballers from outside the EU will be banned from joining Premier League
(soccer) clubs from October 2008 unless they speak simple English. All
1.05 million tickets for the 31-match Euro 2008 held in Austria and Switzerland sold out
before the June 2008 start.
spotlight on:  China 2008
In response to the Chinese earthquake,
the IOC has announced a commitment of RMB 6.9 million (US$ 1 million) in financial support
for relief and recovery efforts in the affected regions. The donation will be channeled
through BOCOG, the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games, who will
distribute support to the appropriate relief organisations.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressed its deepest sympathies to many
thousands of people whose lives and livelihoods have been affected by the earthquake:
"I feel deeply for those affected and join in solidarity with the people of
China," said IOC President Jacques Rogge. "This appears to be a major disaster,
the scale of which is only just becoming apparent. We send our deepest felt condolences to
the victims and their families."
Meanwhile, sportswear manufacturer, Reebok
International and its corporate parent, Olympic sponsor - the Adidas Group - are dropping
plans for a hospitality facility to host athletes, guests, and the media in Beijing
because of logistical demands made by the Chinese government.
Reebok, which typically provides a hospitality facility at the Olympics for around a 100
people daily, has also decided against making 'their athletes' available for press
conferences or one-on-one interviews during the Games. Instead, they plan to use a video
news service to interview athletes and distribute content to media organizations.
Reebok has long made human rights a core tenet of the company, beginning with the decision
to pull out of South Africa in 1986 in protest against apartheid.
hot spot: how to high-jump equality
A group of international athletes,
including some of the top women ski jumpers in the world, is bringing women's winter
sports to the foreground by lobbying to overturn the controversial decision by the
International Olympic Committee to leave women's ski jumping out of the 2010 Games
By filing a lawsuit against VANOC the organizers of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver,
British Columbia the athletes are making their case to force women's ski jumping back onto
the roster of official events at the 2010 Winter Olympics by alleging that banning women
jumpers violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. VANOC is being
targeted despite the fact that local organizers have no decision-making authority over the
selection of events, which is solely determined by the IOC.
Ski jumping - a Winter Olympics event since 1924 - is the only one closed to women. While
the IOC has argued that there are not enough top-calibre women ski jumpers to warrant
inclusion, according to the petitioners there are double the number of women ski jumpers
competing internationally as compared with the ski-cross men's and women's events, which
the IOC added to the 2010 Games.
The controversy has been a cause célèbre for those - including Canadian women ski
jumpers - who charge that banning women from the Olympic hill during the Games amounts to
discrimination. And although a complaint filed by the ski jumpers with the Canadian Human
Rights Commission was recently dropped in return for a federal government promise to press
the IOC to change its mind, if the new court case fails, it is unlikely that this very
vocal voice of discontent will fade away quietly.....
hot shot: track and field
What was in recent years the Norwich Union Grand Prix has now been transformed into The
Aviva London Grand Prix taking place this year in the build up to the Beijing Games.
July 25-26, 2008 is the first time for 23 years that the event has run over two days and
it is the first in as series of re-branded events which will raise the profile of Aviva -
parent company to Norwich Union.
Aviva's global branding campaign is designed to raise its profile. The insurance company
operates in 27 markets and clearly expects to benefit from the very smart deal Norwich
Union made to retain sponsorship of a series of British track and field events through to
the end of 2012. Not surprising, this takes in all the build up period to the
London2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The TV coverage of the London Crystal Palace meet is expected to seen in around 150
countries as 360 top athletes from 35 nations 'warm-up' in this pre-cursor to some
of the most exciting track and field events scheduled for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
in August and September 2008.
 With
US$750,000 in total prize money on the table, it is a headlining line-up: which includes
the Tyson Gay v Asafa Powell 100m sprint showdown - with the winner of the race claiming
prize money of US$50,000 and world record holder and reigning Olympic champion, Russia's
Yelena Isinbayeva in action at the venue where she became the first woman to clear 5
metres in the pole vault.
US superstar Gay is enthusiastic about the two-day meeting: "London will be very
crucial for me - it is one of the biggest meets of the year right now and that is where it
is going down between myself and Asafa. He has the title of being the world record holder
and I have the title of being the world champion and I think that is really good for the
sport."
While Aviva optimize exposure on a global scale, they also have an eye open for local
talent. One such example is Danny Nobbs - an employee of Aviva and victim of a motorbike
accident eleven years ago. Danny was paralyzed from the chest down but this hasn't
prevented this enthusiast of all things sport from taking the long path towards 'elite
athlete' status.
After participating in the Great North Run for charity eight years ago - and with a little
help from his friends and employers - Nobbs is now close to competing against the best in
track and field in the Beijing Paralympics in September this year. With a F54
filed/track classification, and with a Number one GB ranking and sixth in the world he has
a good chance of making it all the way to Beijing to participate in the wheelchair shot
putt event.
sidelines: an Olympic contender
Golf's bid to return to the Olympic schedule after an absence of more than a
hundred years was boosted when the PGA Tour's commissioner Tim Finchem announced his
support for the idea by confirming that it would be a significant boost to the popularity
and perception of the game.
With a decision set to be made in 2009, the earliest opportunity for the sport to be added
to the Olympic programme would be in 2016 and its inclusion may impact upon the
preparation of the bids cities in their attempt to host the 2016 Games.
With this in mind, the great and the good of golf met with with Jacques Rogge, president
of the IOC, to make the case for golf. George O'Grady (European Tour), Tim Finchem (PGA
Tour), Carolyn Bivens (LPGA Tour), David Fay (USGA) and Peter Dawson (R&A) showed a
united front in Lausanne, Switzerland by representing the three most important tours: the
European and American-based mens events; the LPGA (which has events in Asia, Africa,
Europe, the United States, Canada and Mexico); and the world's two main governing bodies.
Success will mean worldwide attention which in turn will attract public and private
money to develop world-class athletes.
A single and united campaign should give the IOC reasonable assurance that the best
players in the world will participate ad this is an essential ingredient of any and every
successful strategy.
Golf is one of seven sports competing for two spots in the 2016 Games. Softball and
baseball, which were cut from the 2012 Olympic program, will get a chance for
reinstatement at the IOC assembly in October 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Golf,
rugby, squash, karate and roller sports will also be considered for the two openings on
the 2016 schedule.
 With
a tough fight on their hands, the golf constituency is confident that they have an ace in
their bidding pack with a 40 year old Tiger Woods as part of the line-up.
But it is the expansion of golf into new countries which may be key to the game's success
in 2009 as world-class golfers are now emerging from non-traditional golf countries such
as Mexico, India and other Asian nations. However, the same could be said of several of
the other contenders!
But first the sport must form an organization or reformulate the governance of an existing
body which represents the professional and amateur game around the world. And the
most likely format will be a three players per nation competition in a 72-hole
stroke-play tournament.
And like its six competitors, golf will have to tighten up its drug testing to conform
with the IOC. At the moment none of the pro tours has a list of banned substances
compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency; and although the game has three options: file
for an exception; conform; or just conform during Olympic years, getting all the players
on the same page may prove to be the greatest challenge. Check back for updates.
fashion icons......
On the eve of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend,
Lewis Hamilton and Mika Häkkinen launched the latest campaign in the Johnnie Walker
Responsible Drinking programme and its 'call-to-action'. The program, which will be
formally launched across Europe later this year, encourages consumers to make a pact with
Mika and Lewis not to drink and drive. As part of the announcement, Lewis and Mika
also unveiled a prototype of The Pact simulator as the latest tool in Johnnie Walker's
programme to promote Responsible Drinking.
The Pact Simulator, in the form of a futuristic pod,
will provide consumers with a practical demonstration to remind them of the dangers of
driving under the influence of alcohol in a controlled virtual environment. It is based on
software developed by Systems Technology Inc., a US company that provides simulation
programmes for driver education and law enforcement agencies. The prototype software is
still in development and will allow consumers to experience in a virtual world the
negative effect of alcohol on the ability to drive.
At the beginning of April this year, Häkkinen
launched The Pact in Asia, when he demonstrated last year's McLaren MP4-22 in front of
thousands of people on a section of the Singapore Grand Prix circuit. Additional events
were held in Brazil in the build up to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and in Canada prior to the
race in Montreal. To date, thousands of consumers have provided their signatures as a mark
of their personal commitment
In Monaco, Häkkinen, 39 and twice Formula One World Champion with McLaren Mercedes team
in 1998 and 1999, revealed the centrepiece of the European launch of THE PACT; however, it
was 'newboy' Hamilton, 23 who later went on to win the Grand Prix race.|
Häkkinen had this to say about the initiative: "The Pact Simulator is a great way to
use technology to highlight and reproduce these dangers and ultimately, continue to raise
awareness, change attitudes and behaviour around the world on drinking and driving. We're
not saying people shouldn't enjoy a drink or celebrate but they should do it responsibly -
have a designated driver, use a taxi or public transport to get home safely. I've always
believed that if our actions prevent even one life from being harmed, it has to be worth
it. Remember winners always stay in control."
home and away: the sponsors way
 England's cricket team now sports a shiny white new kit thanks to
sponsors, adidas. In the past, players have worn their own trousers on Test duty
which allowed their individual kit suppliers to get an all-important logo on the left
thigh, often seen on TV and in print.
But the new deal between adidas and the English Cricket Board means new pants (trousers)
and only one 'visible' sponsor,
In response, there is now talk of the players wearing tape over the adidas logo as a form
of protest. The moral of the tale: Always check the small print.
 While abroad, Lewis Hamilton's management - in this case his
father - failed to provide the necessary 'protection' for the 22 year old boy racer when
McLaren/Mercedes' chief sponsor, Vodaphone invited him to take on the role of 'Apollo' and
fly onto the set of a local stage show depicting the sacking of Troy.
Hard to believe that the stunt - which found Hamilton suspended in a trapeze wire in an
Istanbul theatre - was a request from a sponsor who should perhaps consider a more
dignified entrance for top sportsmen and women.
Whether Lewis ends up being more embarrassed than Vodaphone is hard to tell... but the PR
event may just trigger future sponsorship contracts including the caveat: No
embarrassing entrances.
sport culture: sports docs at their best
 In 2007, ESPN teamed up with the Tribeca Film Festival to
create a showcase celebrating the essence of sport - competition, passion, teamwork and
gamesmanship. The establishment of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival captured the
passion of sports and film fans.
This year's festival featured 12 films. Two stood out: Run For Your Life directed by Judd
Erlich (World) - World Premiere, Documentary and The Zen of Bobby V directed by Jonah
Quickmire Pettigrew and Andrew Jenks - World Premiere, Documentary. Coincidentally
they both were inspirational examples of the stories of heroic sports figures: the founder
of the New York Marathon and the man who fights for equality for baseball around the
world. Both are highly recommended.
And
back in Europe, Claude Lelouch and François Reichenbach's movie "13 Days in
France" was shown as part of this year's Cannes Film Festival.
While the film was not the 'official film' of the Olympic Winter Games - but just a
document made by film makers who happened to be in Grenoble in February 1968 - the result
remains exceptional, as it tells the story of 13 days of Olympic Games in tune with its
contemporary setting.
The IOC restoration work is part of a global approach aimed at creating and preserving the
Olympic patrimony. The Games in Grenoble were marked by their sociocultural context, but
also by first-class sporting performances. It was a year when Jean-Claude Killy dominated
the men's Alpine skiing events, with an extraordinary hat-trick; Toini Gustafsson was
outstanding in the women's cross-country skiing, winning two individual events and a
silver medal in the relay; Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov successfully and
gracefully defended their Olympic figure skating title; American skater Peggy
Fleming was the only person from her country to win a gold medal, and did so with a
performance close to perfection; and the legendary Eugenio Monti won two gold medals in
the two-man and four-man bob pilot.
Each of these events document the life and times of athletes in competition at a moment in
time; and each of these 'unofficial' documentaries should have their place in sporting history.
starting blocks:  back to basics and a bang for their bucks?
CBS Corp. has announced plans to launch CBS College Sports Media, a
vertical advertising network that will direct ads for CBS-owned CBSSports.com, NCAA.com
and around 215 official college athletic sites. Targeting men between the ages of 18
and 49, the new ad network, CBS Interactive sports properties will stop selling through
remnant networks. This 'should' guarantee, media buyers the ability to buy across a
network without exposing them to the 'lower-value brands'.
The announcement is the latest in a series of traditional media companies launching
in-house ad networks in the hopes of promising advertisers niche audiences. This may
look like something new, but in reality this strategy turns back the years to a time when
media sales was only 'in-house' and third party sales
operations were not even on the radar.
life after..... Europe takes on the World
Sport is a complicated process and normally involves much more than an individual
or team enjoying the spirit of competition. And there's always a new twist to the
game and one such example is the latest development in football (soccer).
The European Parliament has voted in favour of a report, which opposes the introduction of
rules such as FIFA's Sepp Blatter's proposed '6+5' limit on the number foreign players at
football clubs. The report endorsed the UEFA rule by which a minimum number of players in
a team should be trained within that club or the same league.
"The parliament calls on the member states and sports associations not to introduce
new rules that create direct discrimination based on nationality, such as FIFA's
6+5," the resolution said. "It calls on the Commission to recognize the legality
of measures favouring the promotion of players who have come through training schemes,
such as a minimum number of locally-trained players, irrespective of their
nationality."
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted 518 votes to 49 in favour of the report,
backing up UEFAs view that Blatter's proposal contravenes EU rules on the free movement of
workers. They warned that Blatter's proposed 'gentleman's agreement' with individual
associations would risk future legal challenge in the European Court of Justice, akin to
the 1995 Jean-Marc Bosman case. Dutch MEP Toine Manders said: "In the jungle of sport
we need clear legal guidelines. If you ask if these gentleman's agreements will hold, you
are very wrong. We are talking about big business, powerful clubs who will go to court if
necessary. Mr Blatter will only open up another pandora's box like Bosman."
And how did the Bosman case come about? It arose because Belgium player,
Jean-Marc Bosman had a contract with Belgium club side RFC Liege which had run out. He
wanted to be transferred to French club Dunkerque. Liege, however, his club refused to let
him leave without the payment of a transfer fee which Dunkerque were unwilling to pay.
Bosman claimed that as a European Union citizen, he possessed the right to "freedom
of movement" within the European Union if he wished to find work (then Article 48 of
the Treaty of Rome - now Art. 39 of the EU Treaty). The transfer system prevented him
exercising his right to freedom of movement and Bosman argued that the system should be
changed so that players who were out of contract with their club could move to another
club without the paying of a transfer fee. The case was heard at the European Court of
Justice, and the court found in favour of Bosman and against RFC Liege, the Belgium
Football Association and UEFA.
There were two important decisions:
1. Transfer fees for out-of-contract players were illegal where a player was moving
between one E.U. nation and another. From then on only players still serving contracts
with their teams could have transfer fees paid for them.
2. Quota systems were also held to be illegal. Club sides are now able to play as many
foreigners from other European Union states as they liked (although limits on players from
outside the E.U. could still be imposed).
Despite potential minefields and the recent result of the MEPs vote, FIFA chief, Sepp
Blatter continues to pursue his campaign to introduce the proposed '6+5' limit.
Check back soon for updates.
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quiz on: the Indy 500 |
1. How is the oval circuit used for
the Indianapolis 500 fondly known?
a. The Backyard; b. The Brickyard; c. The Frontyard
2. How many times do the drivers race around the circuit?
a. 150: b. 200; c. 250
3. When was the first Indy 500?
a. 1911; b. 1918; c. 1921
4. How many spectators turned up to watch the first Indy 500?
a. 800; b. 8,000; 80,000
5. What was the approximate average speed of the first winner of the Indy 500?
a. 25 miles per hour; b. 50 miles per hour; c. 75 miles per hour
6. How many hours did it take the winner of the first race to complete the course?
a. 6 hours; b. 7 hours; c. 8 hours
7. What is the top speed drivers reach in today's race?
a. 220 miles per hour; b. 230 miles per hour; c. 240 miles per hour
8. How much prize money does today's winner receive?
a. US$1.2 million; b. US$1.5 million; c. US$1.8 million
9. What is the name of the trophy given to the winner of the Indy 500?
a. Boris-Warner: b. Borg-Warner; c. Boris-Borg
10. With what is the base of the Indy 500 trophy decorated?
a. miniature past-winning cars; b. miniature past-winning drivers; c. details of past
winners' names and prize money
answers below
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what's hot
It
is not only sport and drugs that don't mix, as former 100m World record holder, American
Tim Montgomery found out to his cost. He recently began a 46 month prison sentence
in Virginia for his part in a US$1.7 million check fraud.
This September finds a new
Continental Ice Hockey League, as Russia plans to relaunch the Russian Super League.
The revamp includes the existing 20 teams with an additional plus one from a lower
league and one each from the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Belarus and Latvia.
The teams will adopt international rules, playing for the Gagarin Cup.
The top two teams will then compete in a Europe-wide championship.
Alexander Medvedev - Deputy Chairman of energy giant OAO Gazprom takes on the top job and
plans talent from around the world. He was also recently elected to the
International Ice Hockey Federation council.
|
 Bloomberg News Cablevision Systems Corp. is likely to acquire Long
Island based newspaper, Newsday; and this purchase may result in a showdown between
editorial and the new owners.
The paper has long enjoyed a somewhat acrimonious relationship with Madison Square Garden
including its Chairman Jim Dolan, and its professional basketball team. The sports
reporters have been somewhat critical of the company’s success rate, particularly in
respect to the New York Knicks.
If and when Cablevision seals the editorial team plan to continue their coverage of their
new owners favorite sports teams, but will the status quo remain in tact?
Spiraling poor relations between the media and the teams owners is largely the result of a
seven year drought: the number of years the Knicks have failed to make the playoffs.
Combined with coverage of the former Knicks president and coach Isiah Thomas’s
sexual harassment trial, and Madison Square Garden's torpedoing of the Moynihan Station
project relations have deteriorated to an all-time low.
If the new management do take a heavy-handed approach, diehard New York fans will surely
have something to say about it and their voice may prove even louder than that of the
sports press.
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 Countdown the
Dateline
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Quiz Answers
1B; 2B; 3A; 4C; 5C; 6B; 7B; 8B;
9B; 10B
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all the back issues:
Your chance to look back at some of the most recent back editions:
April/May 2008
February/March
2008
December
2007/January 2008
November/December 2007
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Nadal
goes for number 4 
