Popular Sport Websites

Where do sports fans get their fix online? In America at least, the big brands are still capturing the attention of fans.

Nielsen Online have released the results of the top sports sites during the month of May, with Yahoo coming out on top of all of the sites. Yahoo recieved 21.7 million unique visitors, an increase of 13.2% from April, and up nearly 55% from May of last year.

ESPN.com came in second with 17.2 million unique visitors, and FoxSports.Com was third at 13 million.

Running down the list - MLB.com (12 million); AOL Sports (9.9 million); eBay Sports (9 million); SI.com (7.9 million); CBSSports.com, CBS College Sports (7.7 million); Fantasy Sports Ventures Network (5.5 million); and NFL.com (5.1 million).

In terms of video - ESPN is leading the way.

Sailing Sponsorship to promote Tourism

Keeping in tradition with its revered maritime heritage, the Oman Sail Team has gained world recognition by finishing fourth place in the first iShares Cup Extreme 40 Series, ahead of the pre-race favourites.

Supported by the Sultanate of Oman as part of its long-term charter to promote the country as a world-class sailing destination and as a place for investment, business and leisure, the Oman Sail Team’s preselection was based on completing gruelling land and sea assessments and intensive sail training.

The iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series is showing how sailing can compete with other sports through its innovative sponsorship – including the Sultanate of Oman’s striking coat of arms (khanjar) on its sails and the excitement generated by the sleek Extreme 40 yachts for the iShares Cup. Adding further spice to the series was the recent purchase of the Extreme 40 yachts by America’s Cup syndicates, Alinghi and BMW Orade.

“Not only did the crew find themselves rubbing shoulders with some of the best professional sailors in the world, including a double Olympic gold medallist and the winning skipper of last year’s America Cup, Oman’s entry into world sailing included winning the second race on the first day of the three day regatta. The Oman Sail Team is now a team to be reckoned with,” said Mona Tannous, Oman Ministry of Tourism’s Australian Director.

“Oman has a proud maritime heritage so the profile and competition of the iShares Cup is an event of great interest to us. We know the iShares Cup attracts Olympic and America’s Cup competitors, and Oman is looking forward to entering its own team on the World’s sailing stage and competing with the best,” said Her Excellency, Dr Rajiha bint Abdul Amir bin Ali, the Sultanate of Oman’s Minister of Tourism

Line 7 to Sponsor Australian Match Racer

Line7, one of the leading Sailing Clothing brands has announced its sponsorship of Australian Match Racing sensation, Torvar Mirsky and his MRT. Torvar is the leading Australian Match Racer on the ISAF rankings, ahead of heavyweights James Spithill and Peter Gilmour.

MRT will be joining Adam Minoprio and his Blackmatch Racing in becoming the newest members of Team Line 7. The clothing brand is also one of the leading sponsors of the World Match Racing Tour for the 2008 season, which boasts an impressive line-up of several America’s Cup syndicate teams, along with the new young prospects such as Adam Minoprio and Torvar Mirsky.

Mirsky, who is based in England for the European season, sails with a core crew of Graeme Spence on bow, Tudur Owen on trim and Kinley Fowler on trim. The team have achieved great results both in Match Racing and Fleet Racing over the recent years. Together they are able to compliment one another’s strengths and produce great results both on and off the water. As a self funded, self run team, each member must take on organisational duties in addition to their sports role.

Torvar Mirsky commented that 'It’s a really good sign that all of our hard work is being recognised by a top brand such as Line 7' after the deal was confirmed last month. 'The sponsorship has given us a stronger affiliation with the World Match Racing Tour, and we are a team that prides ourselves on being presented as professionally as possible. Now that we have a leading clothing brand supporting us, this is going to be much easier to achieve. We are still finding our feet on the Tour, but this deal has boosted our status, and is going to help us gain a permanent spot on the Tour.'

Pat Langley from Line 7 commented, 'We have been keeping a close eye on Torvar and the team for sometime now and have been really impressed with the professional approach they are taking towards reaching their goal of becoming the best team on the WMRT.

Combined with our support of Adam Minoprio and Blackmatch racing team, these two teams are a great representation of what Line 7 is all about - Australians and Kiwi’s taking on the world to be the best.'

INTERVIEW with BrunoTrouble

INTERVIEW OF BRUNO TROUBLE

(Originally Posted on Scuttlebutt)

Bruno Troublé's name is intimately linked with the business of yacht racing. Founder of the Louis Vuitton Cup and organiser of the event for many years, Troublé tells us what he expects from the World Yacht Racing Forum and why people involved in the industry can’t miss the event.

Bruno, what are the main assets of sailing as a top level sport?

For me, sailing means freedom (no yellow lines), elegance, purity (by opposition to pollution), travels (that’s why Louis Vuitton is there), responsibility and team work. You need to understand that just five generations back, the only link between the continents – to deliver love letters or a declaration of war – was a sailing boat. We all have this somehow in our soul, whether we are sailors or not.

How do you consider the current state of our favorite sport?

Our sport suffers from its huge complexity and variety. There are as many world champions as participants! The public just can’t understand it, and the abundance of trophies increases year after year.

We need to bring some order back; otherwise the media will just get tired of sailing.

What should be done to help promote our sport?

There should only be one world championship per discipline:

• Men’s dinghies / keelboats
• Women’s dinghies / keelboats
• Multihull
• Cruise-racers
• Offshore

And perhaps a yearly Nations Cup with one boat per country in each discipline. And an America’s Cup every 3-4 years.

Do you think the actors of the yacht racing industry need a platform to meet and discuss their key issues?

I think that the concept of a yearly meeting between all the actors of the yacht racing scene is a great idea, as long as all the world leaders of the industry are there, together with the participants, the organizers and the media.

Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes is back

LaserPerformance (Europe) Ltd and Volkswagen are delighted to announce that 2008 will see the return of the Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes at Skandia Cowes Week. With the question being, who will be crowned King this yer?

On Friday 1st August the class winners from Skandia Cowes Week 2007 will race in identical Laser SB3s off Cowes in a one-day, three race regatta. Following on from the hard-fought inaugural event held last year, some 32 leading national and international helms will have the opportunity to pitch their skills on the water against each other, to compete for the coveted 'Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes' title. Competition is expected to again be fierce, with prizes of a Volkswagen Touareg, Laser XD and Laser BUG up for grabs. Plus a fantastic holiday to Mark Warner for the owner of the winning boat.

Three races are scheduled with no discard ensuring that the teams are given the most rigorous test. For 2008 the course format is revised slightly to include a Skandia Cowes Week style "round the cans" course in addition to the "windward leeward" format which was used exclusively at the inaugural event. The "round the cans" format gives a greater test of navigational skills and was introduced in response to the competitor's request for a competition that offered the broadest possible test of skills.

Dubarry Sponsor Women's Open Keelboats.

The Women’s Open Keelboat Championship 2008, which takes place on 7/8 June at Royal Southern Yacht Club, will be sponsored by Dubarry of Ireland, manufacturers of world-class footwear.

Dubarry will be supporting the Women’s Open Keelboat Championship by providing the prizes for the first race from their range of sporting and casual products.

“We are delighted to be involved as race partner in the first ever Women’s Open Keelboat Championship of 2008, which we believe will offer women sailors the opportunity to showcase their strengths and capabilities at this exciting new regatta. We at Dubarry look forward to using this opportunity to present our latest collection of marine clothing and luggage to what we are sure will be a memorable and exhilarating event” said Michael Walsh, Marketing Director at Dubarry of Ireland

Emma Beagley says “We are so pleased to have Dubarry of Ireland involved as a partner for the event. Dubarry are best known for their boots -I live in mine because having tried many other brands, Dubarry are still the best for the racing I do, as well as looking good ashore - but they produce so many more great ranges. I’m looking forward seeing the new technical range and to watch the competitors taking part in our event knowing that several teams will be lucky enough to win some of the latest top-notch Dubarry kit“.

Jody Slater added “we were promoting the Women’s Open Keelboat Championship 2008 during the Red Funnel Regatta and had a great time meeting so many women sailors, including some teams who have already entered the event. We are excited that next week we will be able to announce a championship sponsor, but Dubarry of Ireland have really led the way in stepping up to support WOKC 2008 and we are really looking forward to an ongoing relationship”

More information at www.wokc.co.uk

Sponsor Line Up for Bell Lawrie Scottish Series.

The Bell Lawrie Scottish Series has announced its sponsor line-up for 2008. This year will see a number of new as well as returning sponsors offering their support at various levels. Their commitment will assist a range of different elements of the event from provision of logistical and medical support on and off the water to race course sponsorship and supporting hospitality shore side.

The impressive list of sponsors for 2008 includes Talisker Whisky, Tunnocks, Terberg DTS Vehicle Support, Luddon Construction, Graham Technology, Highland Spring, GSS Plant Marine Construction, Yachting Life magazine, Argyll & Islands Enterprise, Argyll & Bute Council, Ocean World, Glasgow Council and Crown Estates.

Commenting on the number of sponsors Fraser Gardiner, director at Bell Lawrie said: “As title sponsor we are very pleased that so many companies have committed to sponsoring this year’s event. The Scottish Series provides valuable revenue to the local community in Tarbert year on year and the generous support of sponsors genuinely helps the event thrive. Sponsors play a key role in facilitating the event every year and we would like to thank them for their support.”

Returning sponsor and a regular competitor in the Scottish Series, Boyd Tunnock said: “We are delighted to sponsor the world renowned Bell Lawrie Scottish Series, and also sailing in Scotland as a whole. The Scottish Series is a great event and I am thrilled to be part of it, both personally and professionally.“

The Scottish Series, which is organised by the Clyde Cruising Club, will take place from Friday 23 May to Monday 26 May 2008 in the picturesque West Coast village of Tarbert on Loch Fyne. The event attracts spectators and participants from across the globe. The event, which generates around £1 million each year for the local economy, has been running for over 30 years and attracts over 1,200 competitors to the picturesque West Coast village of Tarbert, over the May holiday weekend. The Bell Lawrie Scottish Series is a popular event in the Scottish business community, with regular participants including Iain Graham and Keith Miller.

Howard Morrison, commodore of Clyde Cruising Club, added, “The Scottish Series is a key event in the sailing calendar and we are delighted that these sponsors have come on board this year. Their support will not only help develop the event for both competitors and spectators alike, but also benefit sailing across Scotland.”