May 2007 Edition

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A bronze statue of Bobby Moore - England's best loved football hero - welcomed spectators and the great and good to the Official Opening of the new Wembley Stadium.  The ceremony on May 19, 2007 preceded the match between Chelsea and Manchester United.  The teams competed in the first FA Cup Final held at the new Wembley Stadium and Chelsea FC claimed first prize - much to the delight of their manager and owner! The IOC has announced that potential bidders to host the 2016 Olympics must submit their application no later than September 13, 2007. After this step, the applicant cities must complete a questionnaire before January 14, 2008.  Cities making 'the cut' then begin the Phase II part of the process by kicking off with a nonrefundable US$500,000 candidate fee which must be paid by February 12, 2009, alongside a detailed description of their Olympic plans. Floyd Landis has claimed that the USA Anti-Doping Agency offered him a short sentence in exchange for information incriminating Lance Armstrong (seven-times winner of the Tour de France).  Landis is currently fighting to retain his 2007 Tour de France title. Team GB calls up three GB passport holders for the provisional summer basketball schedule: Luol Deng from the Chicago Bulls; Dallas Maverick's Pops Mensah-Bonsu and the Golden States Kelenna Azubuike.  Roger Clemens announced his return to the Yankees during the seventh innings of a Yankees-Mariners game when he appeared in the owners box and on the center field screen.  Clemens' initial contract is a minor league one.  Once in the big leagues he will earn a pro-rated portion of US$28 million for the season, Muslim and Christian clerics in Norway cancelled their soccer game when the Muslim players refused to play against female priests.  With no competition from the rest of S. America, Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup.  And David Beckham has been called up to play for England after an absence following the performance of the team in the 2006 World Cup. After a splash of beer fell on a woman, she was then squashed by a male spectator who fell from a higher tier.  After landing on the woman, the man ran off.  The woman is suing the New York Mets, the beer concession and the union that represents the security guards on duty at the ballpark. She spent two weeks in hospital after the incident and is claiming an unspecified amount.  

spotlight on: Chicago at the get-go

A consortium of Chicago-area colleges and universities has agreed to pay for 120 years worth of scholarships to athletes who compete in a 2016 Chicago Olympics.  The fund will help athletes whose education has been interrupted by dedication to sport. The number symbolizes the 2016 event marking the 120th anniversary of the modern Olympics.
In a field that will likely include Madrid, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Rome and Tokyo, every city will have to make its case as innovative and creative, with a positive legacy including no white elephants, environmentally friendly carbon footprints, a supportive resident community, sound finances and much more.  The Chicago team is the first US candidature to present itself as more than just private enterprise. The choice of Chicago as the US nomination to bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic may have come as a surprise to some as Chicago is hardly recognized as a center of excellence for Olympic Sports.   This is combined with the legacy of Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley's past comments when he once dismissed bidding for the Olympics as a 'con game'.  However, the city's win against strong competition from two-time Olympic host Los Angeles may have been unexpected but is certainly not without merit.  Daley announced a year ago he was forming a committee to explore the idea of having Chicago bid for the Olympics. A US$500 million private guarantee has been promised by an undisclosed top-rated insurance company covering any operational shortfalls but not shortfalls related to venue construction; and Gov. Rod Blagojevich has pledged continued support in his efforts to put up US$150 million in state funding.  And the familiar name of Democratic Party Candidate, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) issued a statement congratulating Daley and the city's Olympic committee. "I look forward to continuing to work with them on behalf of our bid," Obama said. "I believe that a Chicago Olympics can help restore our nation's standing as a source of hope and opportunity around the globe while bringing lasting benefits to the residents of our region."   Chicago 2016 has projected a US$525 million operating surplus.
After New York's failed attempt in 2005 when they cam in fourth in a five city race which was eventually won by London 2012, the US needed a fresh approach to a bid; and rookie Chicago seems an ideal choice.  However, listening to the powers that be (the voting members of the IOC) is key to a successful bid in today's very competitive marketplace; and translating all the demands of the IOC into a cohesive simple message has proved a challenge that few can live up to from initial solicitation to the endgame.  Let the 'fun and games' begin!

hot spot: payback time



While Wembley Stadium has received many accolades from the pundits and the long overdue official opening is no longer an 'if', but a 'done-deal', all should bode well for the national stadium.  But with a legacy and burden of debt, the news is not all positive - at least from the perspective of some of the fans.
The FA Cup Final - the climax of the football year - took place at new Wembley in 2007, but the fans are still talking about the high price of tickets - particularly in the context of a very dull game!

hot shot: tennis turmoil



Is this the year when we see the beginning of a new line-up of tennis players on the international tour?
First up, Belgian, Kim Clijsters is walking away from the game having earned US$14.8 million in prize money alone.  Only 23 years-old, she is hanging up her tennis racquet preferring to get married and settle down.  She follows a short line of past 'premature retirees' including Martina Hingis who stepped off the pedestal aged 22 years-old, only to return to the game last year; and Bjorn Borg who never really successfully returned after retiring aged 25 years-old.
And Roger Federer had his worst loss in a number of years when he was beaten by wildcard, Filippo Volandri in Rome; but took his revenge on the tennis world's gossip columnists who claimed he might have lost his edge, by ending Rafael Nadal's unbeaten record - winning the most number of matched in a row on the same surface - by beat Nadal at his own 'clay' game.  Federer has now racked up winnings of around US$30 million.
Similarily, Wimbledon title holder, Amelie Mauresmo lost to the 53rd world ranked player Ukranian, Julia Vakulenko in Berlin as she planned, her staged build up to the French Open at Roland Garros.  Meanwhile, team GB's Scottish hero, Andrew Murray appears to be out of the French Open due to a wrist injury.
Will Murray recover in time for Wimbedon? And will the Brits ever reclaim the Wimbledon crown from a position of advantage: Henman Hill or Murray Mound?  Only time will tell!

sidelines:ladies soccer

fashion icon...... the four-legged kind

There's nothing like betting on sport; and one of the most traditional of sports that has long benefited from gambling is of course, horse-tracing.
The Kentucky Derby - which each year kicks off The Triple Crown - is one of the most popular and attracts even the most modest of gamblers. 
But the big money doesn't start on the racetrack.  Long before hoof has touched the racetrack, millions are spent at auction purchasing the very expensive colts that might one-day claim a very 'sexy' crown.
For those who aspire to 'race' with the elite, a whole - or even small percentage of a horse - is a fashionable asset.  And why not, as such high-stake races such as the Derby, Preakness and Belmont are of a calibre that everyone wants a piece of the action. 
For example: a yearling by the name of Curlin sold for US$57,000 only to be sold after winning just one race for a reported (staggering) US$3.5 million.  And in 2006, the record was set by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, ruler of Dubai, when he acquired a juvenile colt (now named The Green Monkey) for US$16 million.  The horse is yet to race. 
So for those of you who want to run with the fast crowd, why not invest in a four legged friend in the hope that your investment turns into gold and that it also provides access to the sport's very, very wealthy social circuit


home and away: the best place to stay 

The qualifying draw for the 2010 (Soccer) World Cup takes place in Durban, South Africa on November 24, 2007.  With security a major consideration for all international sporting events alongside the 'threat' of the WAGs (wives and girlfriends) disturbing the team players concentration, neighbouring Botswana is pressing to change FIFA rules and allow national teams to base themselves outside the host nation.
Determined to give the event a regional, 'Southern Africa' profile.  N, neighboring countries including Swaziland, Namibia and Mozambique can provide the  exclusive retreats which mayb prove ideal locations for some of the national teams in their attempt to claim the crown of the greatest 'shows on earth'. 
And who can blame the neighboring countries in their attempts to cash-in on such high media visibility and establish themselves as safe and secure havens, in a not-so-safe world?

sport culture: an insight into another world

The first year of the ESPN Sports Film Festival (as part of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York) was a roaring success; or perhps a better way to describe it is in terms of the number of packets of Kleenex used as audiences sobbed their way through the many inspirational documentary movies that often gave hope to the underdog.
Producers and directors submitted movies to the main festival and a selection were handpicked to feature in the Sports Festival - the majority of which were in the documentary format.
The concept cleverly blended the arts with the very broadest definition of sport.   The organizers came up with a series of winners by providing audiences with a first hand insight into the likes of competition in main-stream sports such as tennis, baseball (of course) and horse-reaching; more obscure sports such as jump-roping and extreme skiing; and more unlikely comepetition formats such as high school jazz bands and arcade gaming.
What made the sports festival so much fun was the way in which a sports documentary film such as "The First Saturday in May" coincided with the event itself - in this case the 2007 Kentucky Derby live action juxtaposed with the film-makers doc on the previous year's race.
Planet B-Boy - a documentary about the World Cup of hip-hop dance will be the likely 'winner' of this new brand of film festivals; but tears were shed in the buckets for the likes of "Chops" as the high school band from Florida claimed first prize.

starting blocks the first of a generation

On November 20, 2004, Peruvian Sofia Mulanovich, 21, made professional surfing history by becoming the first South American, man or woman, to claim the Association of Surfing Professionals (A.S.P.) World Championship Tour (W.C.T.) crown.  Mulanovich needed to place third or better in the Roxy Pro to put the 2004 world title result beyond the reach of her W.C.T. rivals.  She achieved her goal and in doing so reminded the surfing world that it was the Beach Boys who first gave the waves their international recognition, when in 1962 they harmonized about 'the shore of Peru' in their hit song 'Surfing USA'.
Just one hour away from Peru's capital, 10 ft high waves hit the 1,500 mile coast line 12 months a year and make it one of the best destinations for elite and amateur surfers.
While the wealthy pay a US$ 5,000 initiation fee to join the elite Wakiki Club on the Costa Verde, the local talent can now also afford to buy second-hand boards and aspire to emulate the success of their hero, Sofia Mulanovich as they enjoy the all year round 'perfect waves' and a surfers paradise in their own backyard.

life after..... fast cars

After 16 years - much of which was spent on the podium - retired former World Champion Formula One driver, Michael Schumacher returned to the circuit for his first engagement in the role of technical adviser to his client, Ferrari.
In his capacity as technical adviser, Schumacher will focus on the function of 'observation' by looking at team structure and road car development.
Six months away from the game Schumacher seemed happy to 'get his hands dirty' and mix with a Formula One team that enjoys kicking around a football and just 'hanging out' as one of the  essential ingredients of the day job.

And while Formula One has had its fair share of casualties and fatalities since its inception, it is the Gumball 3000 rally that has caused the most recent debate about high-spec cars and fast driving. 
The trend for the amateur to participate in high risk sports reulted in a team of British Gumball drivers' particiation in a fatal accident involving two Macedonian occupants of a car hit by the Gumballer's Porche.  Without any details of the collision, we can only speculate whether a rally which takes the drivers through the many varied road conditions within and between towns and cities is just a recipe for another accident waiting to happen.