Category: Sports

MUMBAI: The Force India Formula One Team’s chairman and team principal Dr Vijay Mallya confirmed at its Silverstone headquarters that Otmar Szafnauer has been appointed to the position of Force India COO.

Szafnauer will take over the role from Simon Roberts, who has now completed his one year secondment from McLaren Applied Technologies.

Otmar has a wealth of Formula One experience having held, amongst other senior motorsport management positions, director of strategy and business planning for Honda Racing F1 Team and operations director at British American Racing.

He will now take over Roberts’ direct responsibilities, including overseeing factory and trackside operations and will ensure maximum productivity from all Force India in-house departments.

Furthermore, he will liase with McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines to strengthen the existing relationship.

Roberts, meanwhile, will return to McLaren Applied Technologies to take up a senior management role and will continue his involvement with Force India from the other side of the partnership. Roberts will remain in his current position until 2 November.

Dr Mallya commented, “We are sad to see Simon go as he has been a crucial linchpin in the transition to the McLaren and Mercedes drivetrain and his dedication and professional stewardship has led the team to achieving its first-ever podium in F1. However, he was always on secondment and we knew we would have to let him return to the McLaren fold. We are confident that Otmar, with his wealth of F1 experience, will be a worthy successor and will continue the strong upward trend we have seen in the last half of the season.”

MUMBAI: India Jet Sports Academy and Jet Raid will present the first International Formula One Jet Ski Race in India on 24 and 25 October.

Approximately nine countries will compete against each other to win the Indian Jet Sports Academy Champions Cup 2009.

Jetraid CEO Bruno Casa said, “We are happy to be in Asia for the first time, and we believe it’s just a start in India for the relationship between Jet Raid and Indian Jet Sports Academy.”

Fox Sports is making a highlights package show of the same. This will air next month on Ten Sports on 12 November at 4 pm, with a repeat on 15 November at 1 pm and on 16 November at 7:30 am.

MUMBAI: Union Minister Praful Patel has been elected as the president of the All India Football Federation.

Priyan Ranjan Dasmunsi held this post for two decades.

Patel, the civil aviation minister in the UPA government at the centre, was elected to the top post unopposed at the Annual General Body meeting of the AIFF at its headquarters here.

Patel was working as acting president since Dasmunsi suffered a heart attack a year back.

Patel says, “I really thank everyone for the support that you have offered to me and I hope we all will work together for the upliftment and development of the game in the country”.

MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (earlier Sony Entertainment Television India) has started selling its IPL (Indian Premier League) property to advertisers, five months ahead of launch.

Samsung, Videocon and Hyundai have come as sponsors for the third edition of the IPL shelling out around Rs 400 million each, according to information available with Indiantelevision.com.

MSM is looking for a total of eight to nine sponsors. There will be another six to eight sponsors for the wrap around show, Extraa Innings.

Clients have been bullish on the IPL as it delivered an average TVR of 4.2 in the second season despite being held in South Africa.

“The IPL is now being seen as a high impact event for companies looking to create a marketing splash. So clients are willing to pay a premium. Sony has managed to get Rs 475,000 for a 10-second spot from the sponsors which was its target,” says a media buyer.

For the second edition of the IPL, MSM had managed to get Rs 400,000 for a 10-second spot.

When contacted, MSM president network sales, licensing, telephony Rohit Gupta declined to offer any details.

MUMBAI: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Locog) has continued the development of its ticketing strategy by announcing Thomas Cook as an official supporter in a Tier 2 sponsorship deal, providing UK short breaks and trips to the Games in 2012.

Thomas Cook will provide a range of short break packages that will include accommodation, transport and event tickets for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Thomas Cook’s appointment will ensure that sports fans and families across the UK have access to a wide range of ticket and accommodation packages.

Locog chairman Sebastian Coe says, “Our ticketing strategy is based on the principles of affordability and accessibility – we want to fill our stadiums in the summer of 2012 with sports fans and make it as easy as possible for families to travel to the Games.

“Our deal with Thomas Cook will do just that – offering ticket and accommodation packages. Thomas Cook is the perfect partner for us and will help us deliver our promise to make sure as many people as possible can see the action in 2012, no matter where they live“.

Tickets and packages for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will go on sale in 2011. It is estimated that more than a quarter of a million tickets will be sold by Thomas Cook with short break and accommodation packages within the UK.

Thomas Cook CEO Manny Fontenla-Novoa said, “More than a century after Thomas Cook escorted British travellers to the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, it is a privilege to once again have the chance to give British families and sports fans the opportunity to experience such a rare and special event in their own country.”

MUMBAI: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) haa announced an agreement with ELTA Technology (Elta) for the broadcast and exhibition rights within Chinese Taipei to the XXI Olympic Winter Games (2010) in Vancouver and the 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010.

Elta has acquired the broadcast and exhibition rights across all broadcast platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription television, radio, the internet and mobile phone.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said “We are delighted to be working with ELTA to bring extensive coverage of the Winter Games to Chinese Taipei for the first time, as well as coverage of the first ever Youth Olympic Games, which will be held in Singapore next summer”.

IOC Executive Board member Richard Carrión, who led the negotiations, said, “We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with ELTA in Chinese Taipei, which began with the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. They have shown an unprecedented commitment to promote the Olympic Winter Games and the Youth Olympic Games.”

MUMBAI: Nimbus has renewed its television deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for another four years.

The current deal which started back in 2006 concludes next year. The new deal is till 2014 and is said to be worth Rs 20 billion.

Nimbus will shell out Rs 310 million per match, compared with Rs 197 million per match for the existing deal. The broadcaster will have to furnish a bond by January 2010.

When contacted, a Nimbus spokesperson declined to comment on the issue.

Industry sources, however, said Nimbus‘ contract had a renewal clause that allowed them to renew their deal without a tender.

MUMBAI: The Indian Premier league (IPL) franchise Kings X1 Punjab has roped in Anil Srivatsa as their CEO.

Srivatsa replaces Neil Maxwell.

Srivatsa was earlier Radio Today Broadcasting, which operates its FM stations under the Meow FM brand, COO. He has also worked as executive vice president of ImaginAsian Entertainment, a US-based entertainment company.

NEW DELHI: An Integrated Secuity System is being set up by the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) at a cost of Rs 3.7 billion for various competition training and other Commonwealth Games venues and for the cost of bandwidth.

The Union Cabinet today gave its approval to the proposal by the ECIL in this regard. As the host city for the Games being held in October next year, all venues associated with the Games are to be provided with specified facilities including security.

ECIL, which has been asked to finish its work by 31 March, has been chosen ‘in the interests of uniformity, compatibility, and economies of scale and to ensure that a complete security system is provided’, according to a cabinet note.

This is for the first time in India that a project for installation of an Integrated Security System on such a large scale is being implemented.

The indigenous capacity creation and capacity validation to provide “State of the Art” security cover for large scale events will not only set new benchmarks but would be vital for a secure conduct of the Commonwealth Games – 2010.

MUMBAI: Tourism Malaysia and TransStadia, a stadium design and development specialist, have been appointed as the official partners for Asia Sports 2009.

Asia Sports 2009 chairman HRH Prince Tunku Imran says, “Our vision is to establish Asia Sports as the pre-eminent platform for all members of the Asia-Pacific sports business community to drive the business of sports forward in the region.”

Jeff Chue, who is one of the key figures behind the Asia Sports vision, says, “ Our ultimate goal is to create a permanent year-round ‘think-tank‘, using a variety of different platforms. By doing so, we will give ourselves the opportunity to harness Asia’s true potential for the benefit of Asia. Asia Sports 2009 is an important first step in the journey.”