May/June 2011 edition

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  headlines:  It was a Nadal-Federer final at the Franch Open.  And its six in a row for Nadal!

F1 drivers protest saying that the decision to hold a race in Bahrain at this time is inappropriate; as Vettel remains way on top!


RIP: Seve Ballesteros after many years fighting a terminal disease; and Olympic Marathon runner, Sammy Wanjiru committed suicide; and teenager, Emma Broad - just called up to play for England's hockey team - died in her sleep.  Barcelona beats Manchester United 3-1 in the Champions League. One million apply for tickets for 100m Olympic Final.   2004 Olympic Champion, Tyler Hamilton has accused seven times winner of the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong of using performance enhancing drugs. Pakistani wicket-keeper, Zulqarnair Haider will be returning to the game of cricket after fleeing his team hotel claiming that he had received death threats for not taking part in match-fixing.  Stella McCartney is designing Team GB and Paralympic GB's range for Adidas which will feature in the 2012 Games. Will they set the bar? and will fashion designers feature as an ancillary contest?   Tyson Gay fails to break Bolt's record in the 150 metres race in Manchester.  He ran a fantastic 14.51 secs; however, Bolt ran the same city track 2 years ago in a time of 14.35 secs.  Roger Federer is relaxed that he is no longer the man to beat... but will his lack of ambition to return to the No 1 position last for long?  Wimbledon may provide the answers! London's Southbank - at a cost of US$6million will be made accessible to the disabled, hard of hearing, etc. in advance of the 2012 Games. Captain Darren Sammy claimed cricket victory in Georgetown Guyana. The West Indies first test win in more than 2 years.   Since West Ham FC was awarded the Olympic Stadium venue post Games, the value of the club has rocketed to almost double the price; however, with Leyton FC - the existing 'local club' taking West Ham to court for 'invading its patch', the future of the proposed multi-purpose venue is still on hold. West Ham United was demoted from the Premier League followed by the manager Grant's resignation....... leaving a job that no-one wants!   Novak Djokovic winning streak continues but will he claim the No One spot? Sign up for the London Triathlon and train with athlete Daley Thompson.  The 25 members of the Laureus /City A.M. team will be asked to raise a minimum of 2,000 pounds each. London Paralympic Games tickets are priced at a minimum of 10 pounds (plus discounted concessions); and more than 95% of all of the 2 million tickets will cost less than 50 pounds.   Serena Williams is out of the French Open due to injuries.  Tiger Wood's knee injuries may keep him out of the game indefinitely according to his former coach Butch Harmon.   Rugby World Cup organizers remain confident that the US&80 million ticket sales short fall - following the earthquake in New Zealand in February is just a temporary blip as the disaster forced seven games to be relocated resulting in around US$20 million in refunds.   Palestinians hosted their first Marathon in Gaza; and while more than 1,400 participated, only nine runners completed the 26-mile course which covered the entire length of the territory.   A ticket tout was fined 1,000 pounds for trying to sell 60 illegal tickets for the Champions League final at Wembley.  F1 driver, Mark Webber has tipped Ferrari as the team to beat in the upcoming Formula One season. 

spotlight on: following a disaster of earthquake proportions

The recent correspondence from Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara to all members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) - following his re-election - has been the biggest indication that Tokyo plans to bid for the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tokyo will officially announce its plans to bid again in July to coincide with centenary celebrations of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC).

The "ceremonial greeting card" which was sent to all the IOC members last month, is timely after the country begins the slow process of regaining normality after what can only be described as a terrible disaster.

There was initial concern that the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami followed by the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima power plant would make a 2020 bid untenable; but it would appear that Japan is confident of a recovery that will provide the platform for a successful Tokyo bid.

Last time Tokyo hosted the Games was in 1964. Their 2016 bid did not fare well; but now the city has the opportunity to create a truly 'positive story' for a 2020 bid.

The bid must be approved by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, but it it hard to imagine that winning the right to host the 2020 Games will give Japan a vast injection of confidence in these difficult time of course."

The final decision will be made by the JOC and will be announced in mid-July. "The disaster threw our preparations into a spin," the JOC's Olympic cooperation director Yasuhiro Nakamori admitted; and we have to assess the situation with the nuclear issue.

Check back for updates!______________________

 
hot spot: the show must go on

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has launched the latest bid process for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in 2020. National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have been invited to submit the name of one city within their jurisdiction as an applicant to host the Summer Games in 2020.  It has also clearly stated that no joint-city bids will be eligible!

The NOCs have until 1 September 2011 to submit the name of an Applicant City, and these cities will then be required to submit their application files and guarantee letters to the IOC by 15 February 2012. The election of the Host City for the 2020 Olympic Games will take place on 7 September 2013 during the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The key phases and dates of the procedure are as follows: *Pre-registration - For the first time, a number of prerequisite criteria for NOCs/ cities wishing to bid for the Olympic Games have been put in place.

*By 29 July 2011 1) Submission of proposed dates if outside normal Olympic Games period (15 July - 31 August)
2) Submission of letter regarding WADA compliance
3) Submission of letter regarding CAS jurisdiction
*By 29 August 2011 IOC to reply to NOCs regarding WADA compliance, CAS jurisdiction and the proposed dates

*Phase I - Known as the Candidature Acceptance Procedure, this involves a thorough review by the IOC of each city’s potential to organize the 2020 Olympic Games. Cities will be asked to reply to a questionnaire. Their answers will be studied by the IOC in order to help the IOC Executive Board select the cities that will become Candidate Cities and therefore move on to Phase II.

*1 September 2011 NOCs to inform the IOC of the name of an Applicant City
November 2011 IOC information seminar for 2020 Applicant Cities
15 February 2012 Submission of Application File and guarantee letters to the IOC
February - April 2012 Examination of replies by the IOC
May 2012 IOC Executive Board meeting to accept Candidate Cities for the 2020 Olympic Games

*Phase II - Known as the Candidature Procedure. Candidate Cities will be requested to submit their Candidature File, which is an in-depth description of their Olympic project, and prepare for the visit by the IOC Evaluation Commission. The Evaluation Commission will make a detailed technical assessment of each candidature and publish a report at least one month before the election of the host city for IOC members to review.

27 July - 12 August 2012 Candidate Cities participate in the London 2012 Olympic Games Observers’ Programme
November 2012 London 2012 debrief in Rio de Janeiro
7 January 2013 Submission of the Candidature File to the IOC
June 2013 Report by the 2020 IOC Evaluation Commission
June 2013 (tbc) Candidate City Briefing to IOC Members

ending with the election on 7 September 2013 at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires.

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hot shot: playing a winning game

The British press and the Football Association has done everything in their power to upturn the progress of FIFA and the re-appointment of Blatter.

For those interested - and it would appear that there are not many other countries of international members of the press that are interested - England perhaps might have considered that fighting their position from within - rather than alienating the other members of the FIFA committee - may have proved a better long-term strategic solution.

In a previous edition of shortsandsports we published the schedule of events for the women's game when the  FIFA Executive Committee announced that the 2015 Women’s World Cup and 2014 Under-20 Women’s World Cup will be staged by Canada, the 2013 Under-20 World Cup will be hosted by Turkey and the 2015 Under-20 World Cup will take place in New Zealand. It was also decided that the 2013 Under-17 World Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates, the 2015 Under-17 World Cup will take place in Chile, the 2012 Women’s Under-20 World Cup will be staged in Uzbekistan and the 2014 Under-17 Women’s World Cup will be hosted by Costa Rica.

shorts and sports would like to suggest that changes in the FIFA Executive Committee - in line with their 'membership' should include at least 30 percent of Executive Committee members being Women. 

Surely this would help the game and bring a more balanced approach to equality in decision-making!


sidelines: Hedging their bets

As the New York Mets searched for new investors by selling a minority share of the team, has a marriage made in heaven taken place in difficult financial times?  Or has an aspirational hedge fund manager named David Einhorn done a deal of a lifetime for a mere US$200 million? Time will tell as we find out just how much stock that US$ is worth?

Recently entering stage left Mr Einhorn, President of the private investment firm Greenlight Capital Inc. may have made a dream come true: "Having an opportunity to become part of the Mets franchise is exciting beyond my wildest childhood dreams," he said in a statement released by the Mets. "I look forward to partnering with the Wilpon and Katz families through the good seasons, the tough seasons and especially the championship seasons."

The Mets have confirmed so far that Einhorn will be a "preferred partner" and have a "non-operating investment" in the team. The club said the deal is subject to the "negotiation of a mutually acceptable definitive agreement" and is expected to be completed next month.  And following the details, Major League Baseball must give approval.

The deal will allow owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz to retain control of the team; while the injection of funds will cover debts and operating expenses.

Fred Wilpon recently told Sports Illustrated this week his team is "bleeding cash" and could lose up to US$70 million this year. He also told the magazine the club might slash payroll next year. And to add to their difficulties, the current owners are also facing a multimillion dollar lawsuit filed by a court trustee seeking to recover money for victims of the Madoff Ponzi scheme.

Recently, Forbes magazine estimated the value of the Mets had dropped 13% in one year to US$747 million—and that was before the team's projected losses this season. The Mets also received a reported $25 million loan from MLB in November to help cover expenses.

fashion icon..... The Ryder Cup

For any destination hoping to host one of the short-list of mega events, France has successfully edged out rival bids from Spain, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands to land the tournament, which sees a European team take on the United States. Pascal Grizot, head of the Ryder Cup commission at the French Golf Federation, described the confirmation of Le Golf National as the host venue as a “huge accolade” and “an honour” for France.

It also gives the country a shoe-in asset for hosting the Summer Olympic Games in the not-to-distant future,

The 2018 edition will be only the second time in the history of the Ryder Cup that the biennial event has been staged on mainland Europe after the 1997 match, which saw Seve Ballesteros captain Europe to a single-point victory at Valderrama in Spain.

Following the death of Ballesteros earlier this month there had been a groundswell of support to hand the 2018 Ryder Cup to his homeland, Spain, in honour of the legendary golfer. However, George O’Grady, the CEO of the European Tour, insisted it was right to award the event to the strongest bid.

“I don't think it's a missed opportunity at all in the sense that we've been well aware of the legacy of Severiano Ballesteros right from the beginning of this bidding process,” said O’Grady, who added that France had won by a “clear but narrow margin” in the tender. “Everything we do as a European Tour is to honour him. I don't think this is going to be the last Ryder Cup that will be played in most of our lifetimes, it's just that at the moment the French bid was outstanding.”

home and away: warming up for the Winter Olympics cup

All part of the pass the winning post process of hosting an Olympic/Raralympic Games, representatives from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) were in Sochi on 26 and 27 May for the fourth Project Review with the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee.

Led by IPC Paralympic Games Senior Manager Thanos Kostopoulos, the IPC delegation received updates on various topics including Barrier Free Environment, Paralympic Awareness and Inclusiveness programmes as well as Accommodation, Marketing, Ticketing, Look of the Games, the Paralympic Sport Programme and Paralympic Test Event calendar.

In addition two venue tours took place, a city venue tour where the IPC representatives had the chance to discover the City of Sochi and an accommodation venue tour where the IPC observed the construction progress of the various accommodation sites.

Sochi 2014 furthermore presented their exciting plans for the 1,000 days to go celebrations set for 11 June with events being staged in Sochi as well as in Moscow.

At the Project Review the IPC discussed with Sochi City Administration the implementation of the Barrier Free Environment programme which will make the Sochi region a showcase model for the Russian Federation.

The IPC also met with Romanets Irina Vasilievna, the Sochi City Deputy Mayor who is the head of the social care department and three heads of Sochi districts (Central, Khosta, Adler), to review the progress and discuss further action.

Two days prior to the Project Review Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Kozak met with the Mayor of Sochi, Anatoly Pakhomov, representatives of the Russian Paralympic Committee and representatives of Sochi 2014 in Sochi to review the level of accessibility of the Sochi International Airport and the city of Sochi.

Thanos Kostopoulos, IPC Paralympic Games Senior Manager, said: "The IPC is inspired with the on-going progress made by the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee and we greatly appreciate their dedication and support to the Paralympic Games preparations.

sport culture: the rise and rise of the X Games

ESPN has announced it will stage six X Games events around the world from 2013 in a move that the broadcaster has claimed will transform the franchise into the largest action sports competition on the planet.

Two events will be staged in the United States and four events will be held elsewhere in the world, with ESPN conducting a formal bid process to determine the X Games host cities. In addition to the current US-based events in Los Angeles and Aspen and also Tignes in France, where ESPN is partnered with Canal+, ESPN will add three international events with cities selected in 2012 for a three-year agreement.

“We are incredibly excited to take the X Games to the next level,” said Scott Guglielmino, senior vice- president of programming and Global X Games at ESPN. “While we have produced events under the X Games banner outside the US for many years, these four new X Games events will be of the same size and stature as the Los Angeles and Aspen events.”

The first edition of the X Games took place in 1995, and since 1998 the series has organized a number of smaller events, qualifiers and demonstrations in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Philippines and Dubai.

A total of 130 hours of live TV coverage across the six X Games events on ESPN networks in the US and around the world will be supplemented by coverage on digital platforms, including a year-round action sports website. BMX, Skateboard, Moto X and Rally Car Racing are the sports covered in Summer X Games, while for Winter X Games, Skiing, Snowboard and Snowmobile events are staged.

For those cities looking for some 'cool' action and an enhances way of targetting the youth market..

THIS IS IT!  ______________________

starting blocks: betting on a different game - game set and match it will be "NO"

Following the recent hard-court Madrid Open - an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event and a tier below the four Grand Slams, Madrid Open General Managing Director, Gerard Tsobanian told a debate hosted by Eurosport in the shadow of the French Open in Paris that viewers were losing interest in the traditional match format.

“I think tennis matches are too long,” said Tsobanian. “People want to get to the drama more quickly. I would have shorter sets, and I think the 4-4 proposal is reasonable. There is a lot of competition in the market so it is important to keep the attention of the viewers. You can’t expect people to sit and watch a tennis match for eight hours.”

However, Tsobanian acknowledged his suggestions would be difficult to push through in a sport that appears to have a complicated hierarchy and convoluted decision-making processes. “Tennis has been less innovative than any sport in the world over the past century,” he added.

“We have been having this debate for 20 years, but there are too many different opinions and too many people involved in the decisions to make changes,” Tsobanian continued. “Someone needs to step up and take action, but who’s that going to be?”

Tsobanian’s suggestion was rejected by fellow panellist Michel Grach, director of media and sponsorship at the French Tennis Federation. “We have to be open to new ideas, but I believe the tennis structure is good, with five sets and two weeks for a Grand Slam,” said Grach.

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life after: winning

Once again stories of corruption are part and parcel of the process of hosting a major sporting event:  this time the alleged culprits are involved in the hosting of 2012 EURO - the European soccer tournament that slots in neatly between World Cups.

The combo countries of Poland and the Ukraine would always be considered a tough call; and as the European economy has suffered significantly since the announcement of the two countries successful bid, it is not surprising to find that the "C" word has entered into the conversation in regard to the cost and progress of this major European event.

shortsandsports will continue to cover developments in this story which has already exposed the challenging timelines ad the escalating costs.  UEFA, the organization which selects the host countries recognized from the outset some of the international infrastructure projects that would present some serious challenges; however, it is the escalating costs now estimated at more than US$10 billion that are really causing some very basic and obvious challenges to the two countries economies.

More to follow!______________________