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Doping is the most serious threat to
next year’s London 2012 Olympic
Games – according to the minister
of Sport and the Olympics, Hugh
Robertson.
Robertson said: ‘Remember that 80
percent of unsecured income that
the London organising committee
needs to raise is secured against
ticketing’.
‘If people buying these tickets cease
to believe that what they are paying
quite large sums of money for is
anything other than a fair contest
then the integrity of the Games
will be lost. It’s as simple and
complicated as
that’.
DOPING MOST SERIOUS THREAT FOR OLYMPICS
This comes just days after World Anti-
Doping Association director general
David Howman reportedly stated that
the criminal underworld controlled
a substantial part of world sport,
and that the trafficking of prohibited
performance-enhancing drugs was
more lucrative than heroin.
According to media reports, 5,000
dope tests will be conducted,
compared to the 4,500 at the 2008
Beijing Games and the number of
tests would reach a daily peak of
400.
A confidential 24-hour hotline has
also been introduced, that will allow
athletes to pass on any information
they may have about
doping in sport.
touchline
6
QUICK NEWS TO KEEP YOU IN THE FAST LANE
IC NE S T KE Y IN T E F ST L E
EMERGING MARKETS
DRIVE GLOBAL RUGBY
Global participation in rugby has risen by
19% since the 2007 Rugby World Cup,
thanks largely because of strong growth
from emerging markets – according to
research commissioned by MasterCard
Worldwide.
MasterCard’s study, the Economic Impact
Report on Global Rugby: Strategic and
Emerging Markets, found that rugby is
now the sport of choice for more than 5m
men, women and children
in over 117 countries.
Compared
to
2007
figures, emerging nations
are beginning to catch up
on more traditional rugby
territories such as Europe
and Oceania, in terms of
participants.
Growth in registered
players of the sport has
grown by 18% in Asia
over the last three years,
as well as 33% and
22% in Africa and South
America respectively.
At the micro level, the
study shows that while the
top ten playing nations in
terms of participation in
2008 were the traditional
Six Nations and Tri Nations sides plus
Argentina, this picture is changing, with
Japan, Sri Lanka and the US all featuring
in the top ten for 2010.
The 33% rise in Africa is largely driven
by a surge of young recruits, with more
than 80% of the continent’s players under
20 years old – with the report attributing
the growth to the high profile of Sevens
Rugby, and new development initiatives
funded through the IRB’s Strategic
Investment Programme.
Professor Simon Chadwick, director of
the Centre for the International Business
of Sport (CIBS) at Coventry University
said: ‘Rugby is in a healthy state with
participation now spreading through new
territories and across demographics in
emerging markets’.
‘While traditionally Rugby has been
concentrated in relatively small pockets, it
is widely accepted that the future strength
and development of the sport is dependent
on achieving a higher level of competitive
balance between the developed and
emerging rugby nations’.
Manchester City Council and the National
Basketball Association (NBA) and USA
Basketball have announced a multi-year
partnership that will see the city host the
first WNBA game in Europe, 2012 USA
Basketball friendlies and the first NBA
pre-season game in the UK outside of
London.
Basketball fans in and around the city
of Manchester will have the opportunity
to watch premier basketball games from
the NBA, Women’s National Basketball
Association (WNBA) and USA Basketball
men’s and women’s national team.
The partnership’s scheduled events will
beginwith ‘WNBALive –Manchester 2011’
– featuring the Atlanta Dream - on 29th
May, at the 18,000-seater Manchester
MANCHESTER AND NBA STRIKE MULTI-YEAR DEAL
Evening News Arena (MEN),
The Olympic gold medal winning USA
Basketball men’s and women’s national
teams will play a Global Community Cup
tour game in July 2012 ahead of the
Olympics.
Finally, the first ever NBA game in the UK
outside of London will take place towards
the end of 2013.
NBA Europe senior vice president
Sophie Goldschmidt said,hvvv “We are
delighted to bring NBA, WNBA, and USA
Basketball games to the internationally
renowned sports city of Manchester.
This comprehensive schedule of premier
basketball events will help grow the sport
for years to come.”
Formula One’s global television audience increased to 527 million people over the
course of the 2010 season.
The figures were boosted due to the additional coverage of live free practice, additional
qualifying and race programming that were added to television schedules around the
world.
Over 16,000 hours of coverage was broadcast to 187 countries as figures were also
boosted by an exciting season on the track.
GLOBAL VIEWING NUMBERS INCREASE FOR F1