2009 Sudirman Cup

The 2009 Sudirman Cup will be held in the Guangzhou, China starting 10 May 2009. The tournament will consist of 34 teams divided into 4 divisions. The final of the tournament will be played on 17th May 2009.

Quick links:
Group I: Fixtures and Results (Denmark, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, China, England, Japan, Indonesia)

Group II: Fixtures and Results (Chinese Taipei, France, Germany, Thailand, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Singapore)

Group III: Fixtures and Results (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Sweden, USA, Australia, India, Scotland, Ukraine)

Group IV: Fixtures and Results (Luxembourg, Philippines, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, Iceland, Lithuania, Mongolia, Portugal, Sri Lanka)

2009 Asia Cup Hockey

The 8th Hockey Asia Cup will start today Kuantan, Malaysia. The tournament will consist of 7 teams. Group A will be contested between Bangladesh, Japan, Korea and Malaysia. While Group B will be contested between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka with the semifinals and finals contested on the 14th and 16th May respectively.

Quick links: Fixtures and Results

Earth Hour Fail

Bus stops in Canberra, Australia have failed to follow the Earth Hour initiative even after advertising for the event. This is an illuminated ad on a stop in Belconnen. The photo was taken during the Earth Hour hour.

Virgin to sponsor Brawn GP

Sir Richard Branson has arrived in Australian this morning after signing a deal with Brawn GP to become their sponsor

Source: Ten/One HD

IOC awards 2010 & 2012 broadcast rights in China

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced today announced an agreement with China Central Television (CCTV) for the broadcast rights within China for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games.

CCTV, the state broadcaster in China, acquired the rights across all broadcast platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription television, internet and mobile phone.

The IOC selected CCTV on its capacity to reach the broadest possible audience, and its commitment to promoting the Olympic Games and the values of the Olympic Movement.

Commenting on the agreement, IOC President Jacques Rogge said: “I am delighted to announce our agreement to continue our partnership with CCTV. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games were a landmark moment in Olympic history, and both CCTV and CCTV.com did a first-class job of bringing Olympic action into the homes of the Chinese people. We look forward to working closely with CCTV to make this possible for both the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games.”

IOC Executive Board member Richard Carrión, who led the negotiations, said: “In 2008, CCTV proved once again to be an excellent partner for the Olympic Movement in China, enjoying record audience figures across television and digital broadcast platforms. This is the first time we have worked directly with CCTV to reach an agreement for the television broadcast rights, and I am very appreciative of their commitment to the Olympic Movement. We believe we have set the foundations for an exciting partnership over the next four years.”

ZHAO Huayong, President of CCTV, said: "CCTV has always been a great partner of the IOC and has been promoting the Olympic movement for thirty years. This agreement signifies a partnership between CCTV and the IOC with the common goal of making the Games accessible to 1.3 billion people."

CCTV Vice President SUN Yusheng said: "This is a milestone in CCTV's coverage of the Olympic Games as it is the first time that CCTV signs the agreement directly with the IOC as a separate right-holding broadcaster. I believe it is a win-win agreement, which on our part illustrates our commitment and endeavour to enhance the Olympic Games in the coming years".

2009 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships

The 2009 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships features 46 teams: 16 teams in the main group, 12 teams in Division I, 12 teams in Division II and 6 teams in Division III.

The main group features 16 teams. In the Preliminary round the 16 teams are split into 4 groups (Groups A through D) and the teams play each other in a round robin format, and the top 3 teams in each division advance into the Qualifying round. The Qualifying round is another round of group play with 2 groups of 6; the top three teams from group A and group D are placed together and the top three teams from group B and group C are placed together. In the Qualifying round teams maintain their results from the Preliminary round against other teams who have also advanced, and only play against teams which they have not previously played against. The top four teams in each Qualifying round group advance into the knockout playoff stage. The winners advance to the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals advance to the Gold medal game, and the losers advance to the Bronze medal game.

The bottom teams in the Preliminary round play in another group as well; this group will determine relegation. After a round-robin format, the bottom two teams are relegated to Division I.

Below the World Championship group are two 6-team Division I round robin groups, the winner of which is promoted to the World Championship group, while each last place team is demoted to Division II. Division II works similarly to Division I, with two 6-team groups where each last place team is relegated to a Division III group. There is no relegation from Division III.

Quick Links

IIHF World Championship

IIHF World Championship Division I
IIHF World Championship Division II
IIHF World Championship Division III
IIHF Women's World Championship
IIHF Women's World Championship Division I
IIHF Women's World Championship Division II

2009 FIE Fencing World Cup

The 2009 FIE Fencing World Cup will comprise 56 events in 32 countries on 6 continents in 6 months. The categories to be competed are Men's and Women's Epee, Sabre and Foil.

Full Coverage, including calendar of events: RubaiSport