In line with the IOC’s policy to ensure maximum broadcast coverage and exposure for the Olympic Games, The International Olympic Committee has awarded the Olympic broadcast rights in Korea to SBS, the privately-owned terrestrial commercial broadcaster in South Korea. The agreement ensures that 250 hours of the Olympic Games and 150 hours of the Olympic Winter Games are broadcast on Korean free-to-air channels, along with an “Olympic Games’ Daily Highlights” programme, which will be shown in prime time. SBS will also have all rights on any audiovisual medium in the territory.
As South Korea joins the short-list of the three countries still in the race to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, this agreement is valued at US$ 33 million for Vancouver 2010 and London 2012, and US$ 39.5 million for the 2014 and 2016 Games and includes for the first time Olympic coverage in both the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Speaking on the agreement, IOC President Jacques Rogge said “This significant agreement is an excellent outcome for the IOC and for the people of Korea, who are avid Olympic Games fans. This deal ensures a broader reach and greater coverage with a dedicated and enthusiastic new broadcast partner”.
As the IOC continue to expand their audience for the Games it is worth noting that the contract with SBS takes advantage of one of the world’s most advanced media markets in terms of broadband penetration and early adoption of new technologies; and at the same time extends the coverage of Olympic Games into North Korea.

Space Adventures, Ltd., (perhaps the first 'space experiences company') continues its development of space travel by announcing that orbital spaceflight clients can now participate in a spacewalk during their stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Also known as an extra-vehicular activity (EVA), those clients interested in the spacewalk option have the availability to spend up to 1.5 hours outside of the space station. To get 'accredited', spacewalk candidates are required to participate in around a month of EVA simulations and other specialized training sessions, in addition to meeting the medical and physical requirements, familiarizing themselves with the Russian Soyuz TMA spacecraft and learning how to live aboard the ISS. The current duration of a Space Adventures' orbital spaceflight mission is 10 days. Past orbital clients have paid US$20 million for their spaceflight which includes six months of cosmonaut training. The addition of a spacewalk would lengthen the mission approximately six to eight days and the price for this option is US$15 million. Space walkers will join an elite few!
Following the first walk made by Russian cosmonaut, Alexei Leonov who made history in 1965 when he took the first steps in space, since then less than 200 others have experienced the thrill of walking in space. Not for the feint-hearted or the less than fabulously rich, Space Adventures has previously sent three private explorers to space: American Dennis Tito in 2001; the 'First African in Space', Mark Shuttleworth in 2002, and most recently, American Greg Olsen in October 2005. Japanese entrepreneur, Daisuke Enomoto, is now in training for his spaceflight currently scheduled for September 2006 and he is closely observed by the Space Adventures advisory board, which includes the likes of Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, Shuttle astronauts Sam Durrance, Robert Gibson, Tom Jones, Byron Lichtenberg, Norm Thagard, Kathy Thornton, Pierre Thuot, Charles Walker, Skylab astronaut Owen Garriott and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Usachev.

Waiting on the sidelines to take over as the dominant player in the horseracing industry is the Japanese Shadai Race Horse Company Ltd. with ambitions to match the success of the likes of Sheik Mohammed's racing operation.
This is no fly-by-night operation.  Based on the island of Hokkaido, and founded in 1955, Shadai dominates breeding and racing in Japan with over 2000 stakes race winners and a 'stable' of around 240 horses. 
And there's more to consider as part of the equation of the Asian invasion.
Two dedicated racing channels in Japan underline the considerable investment in the sport, which is only matched by the company's ambitions to dominate one of the most international of sports. 

At a recent press conference in London, journalists re-lived part of the 2012 winning bid video.  Once again the image of a young African child became symbolic of the aspirations of a 'Team GB' that can pull off a record number of medals when London hosts the Summer Olympic Games.  While athletes in Great Britain are searching for the same inspiration that led to Kelly Holmes claiming gold in two of the most respected events in sport, the task of finding and training-up talent is one of the key objectives of the Sports Federations. 
And these problems are not unique to just one country.
Back in Africa, the young video star, Siphie Mbatha - whose determination to win an Olympic Gold in 2012 captured the imagination of the voting members of the IOC - is struggling to find a place to train. 
Despite the fact that he has already won a number of races, his running club near Johannesburg in South Africa has shut down; and like many other athletes around the world, without tangible and regular 'competition', it is always more difficult to make the grade.

For some athletes after retirement they turn to a career in media; for others their dream is to manage the new talent; and for some it is ownership of a sports team that takes their fancy.  And then there is the world of the sports agent - who spends most time and energy extracting for themselves and their clients as much money as possible from the teams owners.
Back in 2004, Jeff Moorad - one of the US Baseball's most powerful player agents joined the 'away team' to become part owner and an executive of the Arizona Diamondbacks.   He is soon to take on the role of Chief Executive Officer.
Although Moorad was not the first agent to switch sides, he is the only one to have a stake in his franchise, when in 2004 he invested around US$ 20 million to become one of the five general partners who own around 65 percent of the team.   His role these days is to keep a tight lid on costs and he rarely takes a front seat in negotiations with his former colleagues; however, he has successfully demonstrated that the skills of the sports agent do have an application elsewhere in the industry.   Perhaps more sports agent should follow his lead!

If you can't join in, your only choice is to claim a piece of the action.   And that is exactly what happened when thousands of Arsenal fans bid for a slice of Highbury.  Around 600 lots were on sale in this one-off memorabilia event for the die-hard fan  And with several million dollars going back into the Arsenal coffers, only a handful were located for charity with the proceeds going to The David Rocastle Trust.  (See Emirates v Wembley quiz to the right of the web page.)  In contrast, author David Matthews paid to play in the world of greyhound racing as he vividly describes in his book, 'Man Buys Dog' (which has just come out in paperback). 
This fact-action 'faction' vividly describes - in more than one sense of the word - the many 'pitfalls' of Matthews' investigative 'journey'. 
Despite the heavily stylised writing which spins around from street language to the greyhound lingo and back to the more erudite descriptions of the process of owning a greyhound and trying to make money out of it, the book draws you into a world which is filled with characters and adventures, anecdotes and humor - the combination of which exposes the somewhat seedy life of the sport.  *Man Buys Dog provides a very entertaining insight into what might be the poor-mans' equivalent of 'the horses'.   And best of all is the inevitable conclusion that unless you have a little bit of the 'maverick' in you and a sure winner, your best bet is to treat the sport and any 'investment' in it, as just a 'good old Friday night out' - and hopefully a lucky one!
(*The book was first published in hardback in 2005 by Headline Book Publishing.)