Virgin Money London Marathon using Restrata technology to help keep elite athletes COVID-Safe
Legendary NFL Insider Josina Anderson Returns to National Airwaves with ‘THE CREW’
ThriveFantasy Partners with NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers for 2021 Season to be Daily Fantasy Sports Partner
Velocity Global named the presenting sponsor of PGA TOUR University
UTE Mountain Casino Hotel Announces its First-Ever Sportsbook, Set to open August 24
Phil Steele Releases 2021 College Football Preview - The Most Accurate College Football Magazine For 23 Years
GENESIS Becomes Title Sponsor of the SCOTTISH OPEN
InsideTexas Joins the On3 College Sports Network
INEOS Grenadier makes dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed – with some two-wheeled company
Cancellation of Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis 2021
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Qatar World Cup Tickets Go On Sale in January 2022
FIFA has announced that the FIFA Qatar World Cup tickets will go on sale in January 2022. The association has also added that only vaccinated fans will be allowed inside the stadium. “Tickets for the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Qatar in the United Arab Emirates will be up for sale in January 2022,” says the spokesperson for FIFA Qatar World Cup. “Those planning to buy the tickets to the most-awaited sporting event in the world must note that they must get vaccinated for COVID-19 before they give shape to their travel plans. Only those fans who have been fully vaccinated will be allowed inside the stadium.” This FIFA World Cup is unique in many ways. Unlike previous World Cups when fans had to fly around the host country to catch their favorite teams and matches, this time around that won’t be necessary. Qatar has built eight stadiums for the FIFA 2022 World Cup tournament and they are all within close proximity of the capital Doha. This is a major step taken by the Qatar administration to address the risk concerns as the pandemic is still around and it is very important to plan every step carefully. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani has announced that Qatar is trying to secure one million doses of vaccines to offer the to those fans who want to watch the 2022 World Cup but are unable to get vaccinated in their country. “FIFA takes note of the plan announced by Qatar’s prime minister and is grateful for the host country’s continued efforts to provide the best possible conditions for fans attending the FIFA World Cup in 2022, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” FIFA said in a statement. At the end of 2019, when the coronavirus first emerged and extended its stay into the start of 2020, and beyond, few could have imagined that the health crisis would stretch into 2021. Midway through 2021, the world is still battling the pandemic and finding ways to restore normalcy in every area of life. The public health measures introduced across the world to control the pandemic has affected sports the most. Football tournaments came to a grinding halt across the world. Mid-2021, things are looking a bit better and some countries are running trials by allowing a limited number of fans into stadiums to watch games. With vaccines being rolled out by nearly every country rapidly, there is hope that the situation might become near-normal – just in time for FIFA 2022. The FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar is still some time away and the FIFA President is confident that venues will be packed for the FIFA matches. Nasser Al-Khater, Qatar World Cup chief said, “With two years to go until the FIFA World Cup in 2022, we do hope that the world goes back to normal and that people can enjoy their lives as they previously did.” For more information, visit www.fifa.com
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The world’s elite coming to the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
The 44th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix features one of the strongest main draw fields in its history. Headed by Ashleigh Barty, the world No. 1, a total of seven Top 10 players will be appearing in the Porsche Arena from 17 to 25 April. They are joined by eight grand slam winners on the entry list published by the WTA for the long-standing Stuttgart tournament. This year’s main prize for the winner is a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo. For Ashleigh Barty, it is her first participation at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. “I’ve heard lots of positive things about the tournament and I’m really looking forward to taking part for the first time,” said the Australian. As the winner of Porsche Race to Shenzhen, she won the prestigious WTA Finals in addition to the French Open in 2019. The other Top 10 stars are Simona Halep (Romania/3), Sofia Kenin (USA/4), Elina Svitolina (Ukraine/5), Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic/6), the Stuttgart winner in 2018, Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus/8) as well as the title-holder Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic/10). Other top players on the list are Iga Swiatek (Poland), the winner of the 2020 French Open, the Australian Open runner-up, Jennifer Brady (USA), Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) as well as the former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka (Belarus). Wildcards for Laura Siegemund and Andrea Petkovic The depth of the quality is also underlined by the fact that 14 Top 20 players will also be in the line-up at the tournament. Three Germans are also in the main draw. In addition to the Porsche Brand Ambassador Angelique Kerber, who won in Stuttgart in 2015 and 2016, Laura Siegemund (2017 winner) and Andrea Petkovic will take part. They have both received wildcards. The eight grand slam winners in the Porsche Arena are Ashleigh Barty (Paris 2019), Simona Halep (Paris 2018, Wimbledon 2019), Sofia Kenin (Melbourne 2020), Petra Kvitova (Wimbledon 2011, 2014), Iga Swiatek (Paris 2020), Victoria Azarenka (Melbourne 2013), Jelena Ostapenko (Paris 2017) as well as Angelique Kerber (Melbourne, New York 2016, Wimbledon 2018). The originally entered Naomi Osaka (Japan) will now begin the European clay court season a little later in May. “Huge proof of the confidence the players have in us” “It’s a unique field for a tournament in our category. I know of no other comparable event on the WTA Tour with so many top stars,” says Tournament Director Markus Günthardt. “The fact that these players are also coming here in these difficult times is huge proof of the confidence they have in us and speaks for the popularity of our tournament. It shows they trust us to provide safe conditions and to also ensure a certain feelgood factor despite all the restrictions. The efforts we’ve made together with Porsche and all the partners to hold the tournament even in these difficult times have all definitely been worthwhile.” Talents from the German Tennis Association’s junior teams have also been given the opportunity to get a taste of the big WTA atmosphere in the Porsche Arena. The Porsche Talent Team’s Nastasja Schunk and Alexandra Vecic have received a qualifying wildcard as has the reigning German champion Noma Noha Akugue, who is supported in the Porsche Junior Team. Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo as the winner’s trophy The winner of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix traditionally receives a Porsche sports car as the main prize. “The nicest winner’s trophy on the WTA Tour” as Angelique Kerber once put will have a purely electric drivetrain for the first time. With the recently premiered Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo as the main prize, the stars can look forward to a quite special winner’s car. The first derivative of the all-electric Taycan is a real all-rounder among electric sports cars. As visitors are not allowed into the Porsche Arena due to the uncertain development of the pandemic after consulting with the local authorities and the WTA, the range of multi-media services for tennis fans will be significantly expanded. This means for the first time, all the singles matches will be streamed live – with professional commentators – on www.porsche-tennis.com. The long-time TV partners SWR, Eurosport and DAZN have also extended their live coverage of the most important matches in the Porsche Arena. A daily highlights show can be viewed on the n-tv news channel. Internationally, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix will be televised in over 100 countries. Tennis fans can also experience the tournament emotionally and interactively on Internet and in doing so see the 2011 winner in a new role. The Porsche Brand Ambassador Julia Görges will provide an interesting insight in the players’ world on the tournament’s social media channels. Porsche in tennis Porsche has been sponsoring the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix ever since 1978 and has also been the organiser since 2002. The tournament in Stuttgart’s Porsche Arena was voted by the players as their favourite event in its category once again in 2019. Within the scope of its global partnership with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Porsche is also the title partner of the “Porsche Race to Shenzhen”, the official qualifying ranking for the Shiseido WTA Finals. The Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer is also the exclusive automotive partner of the WTA as well as the WTA Finals, and this year the WTA tournaments in Lyon and St. Petersburg. As a premium partner of the “Deutsche Tennis Bund” (DTB – German Tennis Association), the company supports Porsche Team Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly the Fed Cup) and fosters up-and-coming players in the Porsche Talent Team and the Porsche Junior Team. Angelique Kerber, Julia Görges and Maria Sharapova give Porsche a face in tennis as Brand Ambassadors.
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LIQUI MOLY enters the French handball league
From the 2021-2022 season, LIQUI MOLY will be the main and name sponsor of Starligue, the highest handball league in France. The motor oil and additive specialist concluded a five-year contract with the LNH national handball league. “This will help us to become even more well-known in France in order to expand our distribution and significantly increase our sales,” says Ernst Prost, Managing Director of LIQUI MOLY. Starting next summer, the Starligue will be called “LIQUI MOLY Starligue”. The logo of the oil and additive specialist will be visible on the shirts as well as on the pitch. “Handball is one of the most popular sports in France,” says Ernst Prost. “We are proud to be represented with our brand there.” David Tebib, President of the LNH: “In the current situation, in which many brands hesitate to invest in sport, LIQUI MOLY is placing its trust in us and in the fact that we can help the company achieve its goals in France. We feel honored by this approach.” The decision to opt for the Starligue is part of LIQUI MOLY’s long-term strategy in France. In most countries, the company works with independent importers who then independently take care of sales. In France, on the other hand, LIQUI MOLY founded a subsidiary in 2019 with LM France, in order to be able to address the market directly. “This shows how important France is in our plans and what potential we see here,” explains Ernst Prost. This is why the company invests in its own subsidiary, in its own personnel, in advertising and also in sponsorship. “Our goal is to generate 50 million euro in sales in France in five years,” Ernst Prost declares. LIQUI MOLY is currently only skipping over this threshold in its domestic market of Germany – France would thus be the most important export market. “Our involvement with LNH is an important component of this success,” says Ernst Prost. The contract with Starligue is LIQUI MOLY’s largest sponsorship commitment to date in France. Even though LIQUI MOLY is primarily known from Formula 1 and MotoGP, handball is not an unknown sport for the company. It was already the sponsor of the past European and world handball championships and is also the title sponsor of the highest handball league, the LIQUI MOLY Handball Bundesliga, in its home market of Germany.
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Latvian men’s and women’s national hockey teams take part in tournaments in Korea
From 6 to 8 February, the Latvian men’s national hockey team took part in a special tournament in South Korea’s Olympic city Gangneung held to celebrate the first anniversary of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and played against South Korea, Japan and Kazakhstan. The Latvian team, consisting mainly of players from Latvian hockey clubs, with two wins and a loss to Kazakhstan in overtime, placed second, representing our country excellently. From 9 to 12 February, the women’s national team, taking part in a tournament of a similar format and competing with South Korean and Hungarian teams, won one point and placed third. Our girls fought hard but fortune was on their adversaries’ side this time. The Latvian-South Korean match, broadcast live on television, was watched by several hundreds of thousands of viewers. In the context of bilateral relations between Latvia and South Korea, the tournaments were a unique opportunity to raise Latvia’s profile in South Korea and demonstrate the high level of Latvian hockey in the Gangneung Hockey Centre, where regrettably the Latvian national team did not have a chance to play during the 2018 Olympics tournaments. This is part of public diplomacy, in which our athletes hold an important place by both popularising ice hockey and making the name of our country heard in South Korea. The Embassy offers special thanks to the Latvian Hockey Federation and its Vice President Viesturs Koziols, and the Korea Ice Hockey Association for organising the Legacy Cup tournament with participation of the Latvian teams. The Korean national ice hockey team might visit Latvia at the end of the year and play in a tournament hosted by Latvia.
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Reds fans to score at the Kop in world-first VR experience
Liverpool Football Club is giving Reds fans the chance to score a goal in front of the famous Kop, thanks to a world-first Virtual Reality (VR) stadium experience. Available exclusively to LFC stadium tour visitors, the unique ‘Score at the Kop’ experience replicates the sights and sounds of matchdays at the home of Liverpool FC and allows supporters to immerse themselves in the incredible atmosphere from a player’s perspective. Every detail of Anfield has been meticulously reproduced and, using the world’s only full-body VR technology MiHiepa, fans will be transported onto the penalty spot in front of a sell-out Kop Stand, which will celebrate every goal in full-voice. Liverpool FC are the first club in the world to adapt the elite training tool for use by its supporters, with the platform typically implemented by professional teams to measure and develop players’ performance, cognitive responses and decision-making capabilities. The technology was debuted during the Club's recent LFC World roadshows in Mumbai and Jakarta, and will be available as part of stadium tours at Anfield from Saturday (28th July). Paul Cuttill, General Manager for Conference and Events, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to bring this experience home to Anfield for our visitors to enjoy. “Scoring a goal in front of the Kop is usually something only players can experience, but now our fans can enjoy that euphoric feeling too. The level of immersion is above and beyond anything else in the world, so fans can truly get a taste of what it feels like to be a Liverpool legend out on the pitch at Anfield.” The ‘Score at the Kop’ experience will be included free of charge with any stadium tour purchase between 28th July and 26th September 2018. For more information visit https://stadiumtours.liverpoolfc.com
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LFC News Video Flash Briefing Now Available on Amazon Echo Show
LFC fans will be the first in the Premier League to be able to request a video flash briefing of club news on Amazon’s new Echo Show. With a simple voice command Amazon’s new Echo Show will respond with a video Flash Briefing of Liverpool FC’s daily news headlines presented by familiar LFC TV voices. Like Amazon Echo and Echo Dot, Echo Show is powered by the Alexa voice service. Just by asking Alexa, you can play music, get the news and weather, make calls, send messages, control your smart home, set alarms and timers, get traffic and sports scores, manage to-do and shopping lists, and more. With the launch of Echo Show, Alexa can now show you things, and Liverpool FC fans will be the first to get video briefings from the club – simply by asking. Billy Hogan, Managing Director and Chief Commercial Officer, Liverpool Football Club said: “For Liverpool FC to be the first Premier League club with a video Flash Briefing on the Amazon Echo Show is a great coup. I’m delighted that we’re at the forefront of innovation when it comes to bringing LFC news to our fans.” “We’re excited to provide Liverpool fans with an easy and natural way to get the latest news from Anfield and Melwood,” said Fabrice Rousseau, Director, Alexa Skills Kit EU. “Reds fans can now get the same high quality briefings they are used to with the LFC News skill, but now with images to match—just by asking Alexa” Reds fans using Echo Show will be able to request news immediately by enabling the LFC News skill via the Alexa app. Reds fans with the Amazon Echo, Echo Plus or Echo Dot devices will continue to get also get the same high quality, informative audio briefings they do today.
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