Event Articles

Ben Ainslie was today named among the first group of British athletes to be selected for the London 2012 Olympics, giving him the opportunity to try to make history.

The 34-year-old from Lymington is among a group of 11 sailors chosen for the Games, including siblings Kate and Lucy Macgregor, the first sisters to be picked to represent Britain in sailing at the Olympics.

They are part of the team for the Elliott 6m women’s match racing team, which is making its debut in the Olympics having replaced yngling, and they are joined by Annie Lush.

For Ainslie, the target is a fourth gold medal to go with the silver he took at his first Olympics in Atlanta 15 years ago.

If he is victorious it will make him the most successful sailor in Olympic history, putting him ahead of Denmark’s Paul Elvstrøm, who won four gold medals between 1948 and 1960.

Ainslie will start as the firm favourite for the event at Weymouth and Portland having overcome the second best Finn sailor in the world, Giles Scott, in claiming the one British slot in the class.

Ainslie only returned to the Finn last autumn after his America’s Cup ambitions fell through.

He followed a hard programme to get himself back into contention and clinched victory in the crucial Sail for Gold Regatta at the Olympic venue at Weymouth in June, when Scott was second.

Ainslie also won the Olympic test event there last month.

London 2012 will be his final Olympics.

“It’s an honour to be selected to compete for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics,” said Ainslie, who won the Laser event at Sydney in 2000 and the Finn in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

“This qualification process was definitely the hardest compared to the previous four I’ve been through.

“The previous experience helped, but at the same time having the Olympics in the UK puts that added bit of pressure on, we all want to compete on home waters, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Ainslie is joined by other British Olympic gold medallists in Paul Goodison, given the opportunity to defend the Laser title he won in Beijing in 2008, and Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, the defending champions in the Star class.

Percy will be chasing his third Olympic gold medal in 2012 having won the Finn at Sydney.

“That’s the first hurdle over,” said the 35-year-old from Southampton.

“But really ever since Beijing we’ve been focussing on 29 July 2012 and all the hard work over the past few years has been to make sure we’re in the best possible shape come that day.

“I’m really proud to be representing Team GB at my fourth Olympics.

“It’s every athlete’s dream to win an Olympic medal at home – so we’ll be giving it our all to be up there on the podium again next year.”

Goodison, 33, welcomed the opportunity to begin preparing for the Olympics knowing his selection was secure.

“I know it’s still 10 months away but for it’s really important that selection’s out of the way so I can start to focus on what I need to do to put myself in the right position to deliver,” he said.

“This will be my third Olympic Games – it’s going to be very different from the last two but with a home Olympics I’m sure it’s going to be an advantage to be on home waters with a home crowd.

“We spent a lot of time training out there in Weymouth and hopefully this will pay dividends next year.”

Britain is the most successful Olympic sailing nation in the world, having won a total of 49 medals, including 24 golds, since the sport made its debut at Paris in 1900.

“This announcement is a key milestone and an exciting and important milestone for us – it represents the beginning of the creation of Team GB,” said Andy Hunt (pictured), the chief executive of the British Olympic Association (BOA) and Chef de Mission of Team GB.

“Having the first athletes confirmed for Team GB for the London 2012 Olympic Games is fantastic.

“There is certainly some fierce competition within sailing and there are no free passes to compete for Team GB in any sport in London 2012.

“In fact, in terms of overall depth and talent, we believe Team GB in London 2012 will be the most competitive British Olympic team in modern history.

“Our aspiration for Team GB in London 2012 is to win more medals across more sports than for over a century.”

The first wave of announcements is completed by Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark in the 470 women and windsurfers Nick Dempsey and Bryony Shaw, who won bronze medals at Athens in 2004 and Beijing 2008.

“All the sailors selected today have had a fantastic year of performances which has resulted in them gaining selection at an early opportunity, allowing them good time to focus their campaigns specifically on the challenges of Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour in preparation for the 2012 Games,” said Stephen Park, the Team GB sailing team leader.

“The mix of experience we have with the six Olympic medallists, one Olympian and four first-time Olympians provides an exciting balance that will hopefully deliver the required results in 2012.”

This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/sailing/14311-ainslie-leads-first-team-gb-selections-for-london-2012. Got your own event story – get in touch to http://eventsecrets.com/contact/ – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

The Rio de Janeiro 2016 Games may be set to stage the first Olympic golf tournament in 112 years, but this fact is now at risk of being overshadowed as the area of land designated for the Olympic golf course is at the centre of a legal dispute.

A report by CNN on the Riserva Uno location where a new course will be developed revealed that there is a legal dispute over the land.

“Right now the property is being presented by a group claiming to be the owner of this land,” said Luiz Ernesto Magalhães of Brazilian newspaper O Globo, speaking to the United States based news service.

“Official documents show the land belongs to this group, but there have been disputes, other parties are now claiming rights to this land.”

In 2009 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided that the sport could return to the Olympic programme after more than 100 years since it was last played at a Summer Games.

The  Royal & Ancient, golf’s governing body, announced in July that the Riserva Uno site would be the location for the sport’s Olympic comeback.

The new course could provide a huge boost to Brazilian gold, as Paulo Pacheco, vice President of the Brazilian Golf Confederation, told CNN: “In Brazil there are 25,000 players and we think after the Olympic Games we can increase this, more than doubling it in ten years.”

A number of notable golfing figures including Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman are in the running to design the course, and the multi-millionaires have agreed to waive the course design fees they would be owed in exchange for the prestigious honour.

Nick Faldo has also come up with an innovative plan for 18 major champions to design a hole each, but work needs to begin next year on the course for it to be ready in time for a scheduled test run in 2015.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/olympics/summer-olympics/2016/14313-legal-dispute-throws-rio-2016-olympic-golf-course-into-uncertainty. Got your own event story – get in touch to http://eventsecrets.com/contact/ – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Hambantota has welcomed a delegation of visitors from Europe who could be crucial in its bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The group representing Cyprus, England, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Malta, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales share 10 votes between them, which could be crucial at the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) General Assembly in St Kitts and Nevis on November 11 when Hambantota will face its only rival, the Gold Coast.

England are among the countries who still have to make up their minds about which way to vote.

Commonwealth Games England are due to hold a Board meeting next month when they will decide who they should back and this trip to the Sri Lankan city could prove crucial in helping them make up their minds.

“The delegation knows exactly what they are looking for,” said Ajith Nivard Cabraal (pictured), the Hambantota 2018 co-chairman and Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

“We will not only show them why the CGF Evaluation Commission concluded that we meet every single technical requirement.

“But also our vision for harnessing the power of sport to build a better tomorrow for our people.”

Earlier this month the CGF Evaluation Commission published its 144-page report on the two bidding cities and, while it admitted Hambantota presented a risk compared to the Gold Coast, it also concluded that the city “presents an exciting opportunity for the Commonwealth Games to assist in the development of the city and the country in a substantial and impactful way”.

Hambantota, who have become increasingly active as the vote has drawn closer, earlier this year published its legacy plan, outlining how Sri Lanka will harness the power of sport and the benefits of becoming the Commonwealth Games to help continue its rapid development. 

“For us there is much more at stake than simply tourism and revenue generation,” said Cabraal.

“As a unified nation Sri Lanka is on an exciting and progressive journey driven by its 10-year plan ‘Taking Sri Lanka to 2020′.

“Bidding for and hosting the Games in 2018 is an integral part of this journey and will act as a catalyst in helping to achieve these ambitions – together.”

This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/commonwealth-games/2018/14324-hambantota-2018-hoping-to-sway-european-countries-to-vote-for-bid. Got your own event story – get in touch to http://eventsecrets.com/contact/ – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Germany former world champion judoka Daniel Lascau has been appointed as the new performance director of the British Judo Association.

Lascau, who is orginally from Romania, claimed gold at the 1991 World Championships in Barcelona, beating Belgium’s Johan Laats to the prize, and competed for Germany in the Olympic Games, held in the same city, the following year.

Since retirement, the 42-year-old Lascau has worked with the German Judo Federation as its vice-president and held the same position for the European Judo Union.

His new role with British Judo will see him taking charge of its high performance programme.

British Judo’s chairman Densign White said: “Daniel is a world class judo technical expert and leader and we are delighted to secure his services in this critical period of preparation for the London Olympics.

“We have a number of athletes who can deliver Olympic medals with the right preparation – and I believe Daniel is the right person to take on that challenge.”

This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/judo/14314-lascau-named-as-new-british-judo-performance-director. Got your own event story – get in touch to http://eventsecrets.com/contact/ – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Britain’s young modern pentathletes are celebrating striking gold on the opening day of the European Junior Championships in Poland after moving up to places in the final run/shoot discipline.

The trio of Kate French, Freyja Prentice and Lydia Rosling (pictured) won gold in the women’s team relay in Drzonków, beating a strong Hungarian team into second place by nine seconds to retain the title they won in Portugal last year.

The Britons finished on 5,316 points, with the Hungarian trio of Zsofia Foldhazi, Sarolta Kovacs and Adrienn Toth earning silver with 5,280 and Poland securing bronze as Joanna Gomolinska, Natalia Kozuchowska and Oktawia Nowacka totalled 5,144 points.

Team GB had gone into the final discipline, the run/shoot, in third place 23 seconds behind Russia and 19 seconds off Hungary.

But French shot solidly and just overtook the Russians at the end of her running leg, and Rosling closed the gap on the Hungarians in second spot, while then world junior number four Prentice overtook Toth on the final run leg to secure gold.

The British trio’s run/shoot time of 23min 48.26sec was only bettered by just over a second by the Polish team, who climbed from fifth to third.

Rosling, originally from near Taunton in Somerset, but now training at the Pentathlon GB High Performance Centre at the University of Bath, said: “There were only five teams competing in the relay, but they were all really strong, so we knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

“Freyja has been on fire this year.

“She closed the gap on the first lap of her run and then overtook the leader on the second.

“We were hoping for a medal finish, but we were over the moon with gold.”

Rosling was a member of the GB relay team that struck gold at last year’s event in Portugal, when she was partnered by Katy Burke and Samantha Murray.

The GB team made a strong start to the relay, finishing second to the Russians in the fencing, but dropped down to third after the swim, with Russia leading from Hungary.

A good performance in the riding arena saw Great Britain stay in the medal zone in third place, with Russia and Hungary still in first and second places.

The British trio had just one fence down in the ride, equalling the Hungarians’ performances before that dramatic finish in the run/shoot.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/modern-pentathlon/14312-british-pentathletes-win-first-gold-of-european-junior-champs. Got your own event story – get in touch to http://eventsecrets.com/contact/ – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) wants to move its leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series from Edinburgh to Glasgow next year, it has been revealed.

It is hoped that by moving it for from Murrayfield to Scotstoun, recently redeveloped at a cost of £18 million (£28 million/€21 million), it will give a boost to the sport in the run-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the city, as well as providing a £3 million ($5 million€3.5 million) boost to the economy. 

The event at Murrayfield has been losing up to a £1 million ($1.6 million/€1.1 million) each year since it was first staged in 2007 and earlier this year it needed the intervention of Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond to persuade the International Rugby Board (IRB) not to move the tournament from Scotland.

This year’s event, won by New Zealand, attracted a crowd of only 10,000.

Scotstoun can currently hold a crowd of 5,000 but if the Sevens World Series was held there temporary seating would be brought in to raise that to 15,000. 

Archie Graham, Glasgow City Council’s Commonwealth Games spokesman, said: “Rugby sevens is a Commonwealth sport and it is vital that we build excitement ahead of Glasgow 2014.

“We want as many people as possible to watch sevens in the run up to and including the Games.

“World-class events such as the HSBC Sevens World Series would enable us to do that.”

Currently Murrayfield is scheduled to host the event on May 5 and 6 next year but plan to switch the event to Glasgow is supported by Ian McLauchlan, the President of the SRU.

“I think it’s the best news we’ve had in Glasgow for a long time; they [the Council's officials] are so keen,” he told the Herald.

McLauchlan believes that if the event is a success in the build-up to Glasgow 2014 then it could even host the event at the Commonwealth Games.

At the moment Ibrox Park, the home ground of Scottish champions Glasgow Rangers, is scheduled to host the sport during the Games.

“If they can get Glasgow up and running there in May and it’s a success then you take the Commonwealth Games to Scotstoun instead of Ibrox,” McLauchlan said.

“We think it’s two different audiences for the international sevens and the Commonwealth Games, but they’re six weeks apart and I think you can get the same atmosphere for both.

“Ibrox may be too big for it anyway, plus, if Rangers have to qualify for Europe, they are not going to want you playing rugby on their pitch.”

The 2011-2012 HSBC World Sevens Series is due to begin on the Gold Coast in Australia on November 25 and 26.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/rugby-sevens/14321-sevens-world-series-event-set-for-move-from-edinburgh-to-glasgow. Got your own event story – get in touch to http://eventsecrets.com/contact/ – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

The World Squash Federation (WSF) today launched a new adaptable logo, intended, officials claim, to achieve a clear, consistent visual identity that not only emphasises the position and role of the federation, but also has the flexibility to be used in a variety of ways in respect of the organisation’s programmes and initiatives.

The new branding uses the lines of the front wall of a squash court to give a visual cue towards squash and features strong lines and colours as part of a full rebranding that will ensure instant recognition of WSF.

“We are a bold organisation and want to reflect that in how we look,” WSF’s President N Ramachandran said.

“In simple terms, WSF is a brand and we have to present this effectively to our stakeholders and all to whom we relate.”

Andrew Shelley, chief executive at the WSF, added: “The flexibility of design and colour is important, so that we can give separate identities to all our schemes.

“We are heartened by positive reaction from those who have seen the designs so far and we hope that the entire world of squash will be similarly upbeat now that it is released.”

The WSF is currently pursuing a bid to get the sport onto the Olympic programme for 2020.

As well as the introduction of the new branding, the federation recently announced that it is opening an office in the Maison Du Sport International in Lausanne to be close to the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and has appointed Mike Lee’s company Vero Communications to help raise the profile of the bid.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/latest/14316-world-squash-unveils-new-identity. Got your own event story – get in touch to http://eventsecrets.com/contact/ – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Athletes face an increased volume of blood-tests in the run-up to London 2012 following a new directive by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Meeting at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, the WADA Executive Committee accepted a recommendation that all anti-doping organisations ensure that not less than 10 per cent of samples collected are blood specimens.

Only four percent of all doping control samples collected in 2010 were for blood, mostly for passport programmes.

WADA said this had been a “key concern”, since “an anti-doping organisation ought to collect blood as it cannot purport to have an effective programme in place if there is a loophole in its testing programme leaving for possible abuse of substances and methods that cannot be detected in urine analysis such as human growth hormone and blood transfusions”.

It said the new 10 per cent directive would have a “significant deterrence benefit, regardless of the particular risks associated with the anti-doping organisations’ sports”.

Blood samples were collected from every accredited athlete at the recent World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, in an exercise hailed as a “fantastic milestone” by Lamine Diack, the International Association of Athletics Federations President.

The samples are to be used to help build Athlete Biological Passports, allowing experts to register and chart physiological markers over time.

WADA also approved the list of prohibited substances and methods for the Summer Olympic year of 2012.

One of the most significant changes was said to be the removal of asthma drug formoterol from ‘Section 3 Beta-2 Agonists’ of the list when taken by inhalation at therapeutic doses.

Inhaled formoterol at therapeutic doses is no longer prohibited.

The list prohibits the administration of all beta-2 agonists except salbutamol (maximum 1600 micrograms over 24 hours), salmeterol when taken by inhalation, and now formoterol (maximum 36 micrograms taken over 24 hours).

The new list will be made official and published by October 1 and will take effect on January 1, 2012.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/olympics/summer-olympics/2012/14299-blood-testing-to-be-doubled-in-run-up-to-london-2012-. Got your own event story – get in touch to http://eventsecrets.com/contact/ – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton has admitted that he has not yet given much thought to his career beyond the Olympics and Paralympics because there is still so much work to do before the Games begin.

Prior to becoming the London 2012 chief executive, the 55-year-old was the European chief operating officer for Goldman Sachs and a member of its European Management Committee but was named as the man to head up the London Organising Committee in December 2005 shortly after it won the right to stage the Games.

Deighton has been widely praised for his role – which predominantly involves raising the £2 billion ($3.15 billion/€2.29 billion) budget from the private sector for the Games – but while speculation grows about where he will go following the conclusion of London 2012, he says he has little time to give the subject thought with the Olympic Games set to begin on July 27 next year.

“I’m looking forward to my vacation in 2013 but that is as far as my thoughts have extended,” Deighton told insidethegames.

“But in all seriousness we’ve still got so much to do in the next year before the Olympics begin that I don’t really allow my focus to drift very far from that.

“It’s quite hard to concentrate on anything else actually which is probably a good thing.

“Everything has gone very well up to now but we must continue to keep working hard and not get complacent because that would be very dangerous.”

Perhaps the most impressive fact about Deighton’s tenure is that he has remained as London 2012 chief executive for almost six years.

This is something of a rarity as in the past Olympic Organising Committee chief executives have had a particularly short lifespan.

“We have a terrific team at LOCOG and the work is getting done so well because of the quality of the individuals we have across our organisation,” he said.

“There are also outstanding people involved in other organisations like the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) who have done a wonderful job in building the venues on time and on budget.

“People also seldom give the Government credit but they have been fantastic and they have been consistent in their support of the project as they have provided money and operational support throughout.

“So the fact that I have survived so far is a testimony more to the broad success of the project and I’ve been lucky enough to be part of that.

“But I’m not counting my chickens just yet.

“We have got a whole year to go yet and there is lots of tough stuff to get through so we won’t be singing our own praises until we get to this time next year.”

Deighton received the maximum bonus on his basic pay that has enabled him to earn a total of £700,000 ($1.1 million/€802,672) for the 2010 – 2011 period after he met all of the tough criteria for the award, which involves building a world class organisation, working effectively with stakeholders, balancing the budget and delivering a great Games.

The bonus component of his pay totals £220,125 ($347,621/€252,411) but Deighton is donating it to charity.

Another £500,000 ($789,600/€573,337) bonus is due to Deighton upon the successful completion of the London 2012 Games and is being held in escrow but he said that this bonus would also be donated to charity.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/olympics/summer-olympics/2012/14267-exclusive-i-dont-allow-my-focus-to-drift-beyond-london-2012-as-there-is-still-so-much-to-do-admits-deighton. Got your own event story – get in touch to http://eventsecrets.com/contact/ – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.

Sochi faces significant challenges recruiting personnel to ensure the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are run as effectively as possible, with Organising Committee President and chief executive Dmitri Chernyshenko claiming just 20 per cent of the staff required can be recruited from within the city.

Chernyshenko was speaking after Sochi 2014 signed further transport and personnel agreements, as the International Business Forum in the city comes to a conclusion.

“Sochi is experiencing a shortage of skilled workers for the Games, only 20 per cent of potential employees [in Sochi] are qualified enough,” he said.

“This is not a unique situation in Russia – we are facing unprecedented challenges.”

Sochi signed deals with Kelly Services from the the United States, Adecco from Switzerland and Russian company Exect Business Training to handle recruitment and staffing during the Winter Olympic Games.

Kelly will take charge of finding permanent staff, Adecco will deal with temporary recruitment and Exect is responsible for training services.

Despite his sombre analysis, Chernyshenko was upbeat and, with the new deals signed, he sees a very bright future for Sochi.

“Adecco has done Olympic Games from Sydney to London and knows better than we do the difficulties of skills shortages,” he said.

“Thousands of people must be moved here and convinced to settle.

“If we do this, it will make Sochi the most popular place in Russia, with all kinds of people speaking all kinds of languages.”

Adecco Group Russia’s director general Natalia Dolzhenkova said: “I am sure Adecco’s great experience and expertise in hiring and providing temporary staff will make it possible for bright and talented people to find a job in the Sochi Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2014 – and make it truly unforgettable.”

“We are proud of our status as a supplier,” added Natalia Matusova, vice-president of Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting.

“Our knowledge and experience will prove to be of significant value in the quest to achieve the goals facing the Sochi 2014 Games.”

Exect Business Training will train approximately 25,000 volunteers and 5,000 other personnel in the build up to the Games, with around 187,500 staff needed to ensure Sochi is able to organise a successful Olympics and Paralympics.

Just an hour before these deals were agreed, Sochi 2014 signed further transport and personnel agreements.

Chernyshenko put pen to paper on an agreement with Sweden’s Scania and GAZ Group, a company that is a joint cooperation between Ford and Russia, for the provision of buses during the 2014 Games.

GAZ Group’s Nikolay Odintsov said: “The first Games experience that GAZ had was during Moscow 1980.

“Being a supplier for the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee is so important for us because the agreement symbolises the continuity of traditions and confidence in our company.”

His views were echoed by Scania’s managing director Hans Tardell, who said it was “a great honour” to be selected as a supplier to Sochi 2014.

This event news story was originally published at http://www.insidethegames.biz/olympics/winter-olympics/2014/14293-deals-signed-with-international-companies-to-ease-sochi-2014-labour-shortage. Got your own event story – get in touch to http://eventsecrets.com/contact/ – bringing you the latest event management news stories from around the world.