The statue was announed at the launch event for Campbell-Brown’s 2018 VCB 5K Run/Walk Race scheduled to take place in Clarendon on January 21. The Troy Primary School in the parish of Trelawny will be renamed in honor of one of Jamaica’s greatest athletes, Veronica Campbell Brown.Sports Minister Olivia Grange made the announcement on Thursday as he spoke at the launch of the 2018 VCB 5K Run/Walk Race scheduled for Vere in Clarendon on January 21.“Plans are well advanced for Troy Primary, which occupies a building which is over 100 years old, to be renamed for Veronica. It is one of the Jamaica 55 Legacy Projects,” the minister said.Campbell Brown, an eight-time Olympic medalist, attended Troy Primary before going on to Vere Technical High School for her secondary education.VCB statue in the makingThe minister also announced that the contract had been signed for the erection of a statue of Campbell-Brown at the National Stadium. “The VCB Statue will be done and ready for unveiling by the end of this year.”Grange said that Campbell Brown, after enjoying an extraordinary career which had put her amongst those who are the world’s most successful track and field athletes, had decided to give back to Jamaica “in a big way” with the establishment of the VCB Foundation in 2011 and inauguration of the VCB 5K Run/Walk in 2016.
Jamaica moves up in FIFA rankings
Jamaica is among the significant movers on the latest release of the FIFA Coca-Cola world football rankings surging into the top 50.The Reggae Boyz who held World Cup qualifiers South Korea to a 1-all draw last month in Turkey has climbed five places to be ranked 50th in the world.The most significant mover this month however was World Cup qualifiers Iceland, climbing to an all-time high position of 18th after moving up two places.Also making significant moves and entering the top 50 are Venezuela up to 48th after climbing up 4 places, and Hungary who moves up 5 places to49th, entering the top 50 at the expense of Cameroon who are down 6 places to 1st, Ghana at 54th down 4 places and Burkina Faso 57th, down 13 places.The Reggae Boyz remains the number one ranked Caribbean team and 4th in CONCACAF behind Mexico who holds firm at 17, the USA moved up one place to 24th and Costa Rica who are up two places to 25th.The top 15 remains the same with world champions Germany still ranked number one ahead of Brazil and Portugal.
Sunrise Earth Day Festival set for Saturday, April 7
The City of Sunrise will host its tenth annual Earth Day Festival on Saturday, April 7, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Sawgrass Sanctuary Park (237 North New River Circle, Sunrise 33326). Admission is FREE, and the first 1,500 attendees will receive a reusable shopping tote and a BPA-free water bottle. The bottles can be refilled throughout the day at the City’s complimentary water station.The event will feature a Kids’ Korner with children’s activities, bounce houses, face painting, arts and crafts and more; handcrafted goods; a variety of food and beverage vendors; and non-profit exhibitors and educational displays.The Festival kicks off with an 11:15 a.m. Tree Planting Ceremony in observance of Arbor Day, followed by plenty of live music: 11:30 a.m. – The Crossthread Band – Rock, country, funk, and rhythm and blues. 1:30 p.m. – KooKooz – Rock from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90sThe Earth Day Festival is sponsored by the City of Sunrise Utilities Department, Republic Services, and Baptist Health Urgent Care-Sawgrass. No coolers, glass bottles, pets or bicycles will be allowed in the park during the Festival. (A bicycle parking area will be available.) \For more information, please call the City of Sunrise Leisure Services Department: (954) 747-4600.
The 2017 Formula 1 Mid-Season Report Card (1): A Review of Major Events
Soliu Adeyemo is a renowned Formula 1 Expert. Follow him @SolihuF1 on Twitter and Instagram for more updates and analysis.RelatedThe 2017 Formula 1 British Grand Prix PreviewJuly 15, 2017In “Sports”Formula 1: 2017 Summer ReviewAugust 9, 2017In “Sports”The 2017 Formula 1 Pirelli Magyar Nagydij PreviewJuly 29, 2017In “Sports” The 2017 Formula One season featuring the 68th Formula One World Championship was one of the most anticipated seasons in the recent history of Formula One for more reasons than one. The emergence of new Formula One Management team other than Bernie Ecclestone’s management and tweaks in the technical regulations relating to bodywork design of Formula One cars with the objective of improving lap times by four to five seconds over the 2016 generation of cars dominated focus coming into this season.As the season reaches midway point after the 10th race of the 20-race season went down at Silverstone last weekend.The first part of this 2-series review focuses on major talking points of the season so far. From the misery at McLaren to the new found rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, the 2017 Formula One season has really lived up to expectations.A quick recap……Mercedes’ driver Lewis Hamilton trails Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel by a single point after ten of 20 races this season. Vettel’s massive 20-point advantage was reduced significantly at Silverstone after the Mercedes’ driver secured his fourth win of the season on a weekend Vettel suffered a rare but potentially costly blip.Hamilton has won four races, one more than Vettel’s three this season, and the Briton has six pole positions to Vettel’s one, but the German’s greater consistency is the difference. The Ferrari’s driver has the equal best average qualifying position with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas despite not having the fastest car over one lap – this consistency has been aided by the user-friendly character of the Ferrari SF70-H.While Hamilton has had four difficult weekends in ten – off-form in Russia and Monaco, a win lost to a loose head restraint in Azerbaijan and a five-place grid penalty for an unauthorised gearbox change in Austria, Vettel has had a relatively easy ride through the season until the unfortunate tyre incident at Silverstone.Hamilton and Vettel are in a close fightThe Liberty Media frenzyThe biggest news coming into this season was the $8billion acquisition of Formula One by media giant, John Malone’s Liberty Media from CVC Capital Partners.In September 2016, Liberty Media had purchased a minority stake in the sport from CVC Capital Partners, and completed the purchase ahead of the 2017 season, with the long-term goal of adopting a model similar to that used by the U.S. National Football League and Major League Baseball, with teams entitled to purchase a stake in the sport.However, on January 23rd 2017, Liberty Media Corporation and Delta Topco, the parent company of Formula One confirmed that Liberty Media had completed its previously announced acquisition of Formula One, the iconic global motorsports business, from a consortium of sellers.Liberty Media Group CEO John MaloneThe announcement which was viewed by many within Formula One paddock as a positive development for the cash-generating glamour sport heralded raft of changes to follow. The commercial operation of the sport underwent a restructuring with Bernie Ecclestone leaving his role as Chief Executive of Formula One Group after forty years in the role. Former team principal, Ross Brawn – who won World Championship with Ferrari and his own eponymous team, was appointed as Managing Director in Ecclestone’s stead.Also, Chase Carey the executive vice-chairman of 21st Century Fox was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Formula One, in addition to his existing role as Chairman, and Bernie Ecclestone as Chairman Emeritus.With the acquisition of the sport by Liberty Media, teams were given more control over creating and uploading content to social media. Under Bernie Ecclestone’s previous management, all footage filmed in the paddock was automatically controlled by Formula One Management with tight restrictions on the release of content. This is in addition to teams being given the opportunity to participate in the investment into the sport – the initiative which has gained the interest of some teams already.Already, many are beginning to count the gains of Formula One’s new owners – the sport is beginning to attain new heights, new audiences are being targeted with increased fan’s base and attendances at races so far this season.McLaren-Honda relationship at the brinkThe 2017 Formula One season represents an all round struggle for McLaren, the struggle is not just about scoring points, but about finishing races, no thanks to the faltering Honda’s power unit.Honda’s difficult start to its third season back in Formula One with McLaren has left the team further off the pace than expected this year, with Fernando Alonso’s ninth place in Baku the only points finish for the team so far as it sits at the bottom of the constructors’ standings. With unreliability plaguing the MCL32, Stoffel Vandoorne has already partly exceeded his penalty-free engine element usage for the whole season, while Fernando Alonso has only seen the chequered flag once.But team chief Eric Boullier insists the situation is not irretrievable for 2017 and that both team and engine provider are working as hard as they can to deliver heavily-improved performance.“We have to be the best ourselves before we see the global picture,” McLaren’s racing director said.“Honda are doing the same and we try to work as hard as possible to make sure we will catch up.’’Speculation in recent weeks has suggested Honda have sought the help of external consultants, including Mercedes and renowned engine specialists Ilmor, in a bid to turn their Formula One fortunes around.Honda engine boss, Hasegawa (L) and McLaren racing director, Boullier (R) face huge dilemmaAlthough engine boss Yusuke Hasegawa said he would not disclose any such details, he promised that Honda “are trying everything” to catch up since the start of the year.“There are many programmes ongoing simultaneously so that we see some updates in a few races when we expect to catch up some level of performance,” said Hasegawa.Meanwhile, despite Honda’s problems, McLaren have dismissed speculation a return to Mercedes power is on the cards for 2018.This decision is quite understandable.If the British team were to part company with Honda, this would be less than straightforward – the team currently receives around $100 million, free power units and a significant sponsorship package. Honda also pays half of the drivers’ wages.When compared to the $18.2 million that Mercedes charges customer teams, it is very difficult to see how it would be possible to make the finances add up; the team has been without a title sponsor since Vodafone left at the end of 2013.McLaren and Honda enjoyed one of the largest periods of dominance in Formula One history when the two companies partnered up between 1988 and 1992, claiming four constructors’ and drivers’ championship doubles along the way, but the relationship that was rekindled in 2015 has been a stark contrast to the successes of the past.Now, after a continued faltering performance in 2017 thanks largely to issues within the Honda unit, it would appear as though patience with the Japanese manufacturer is wearing thin. Vettel swerves into Hamilton in the latest formula 1 road rageThe incident was reviewed by the FIA and decision was reached not to take any further action against the German.For so many years, Formula One fans had waited for this rivalry between two of Formula One great drivers. Baku incident was, fittingly, a heated moment itself that brought the bromance to an end. It brought to an end the mutual respect that had preceded it and set the tone for a truly championship fight in the modern Formula One era.With just one point separating the two drivers going into the last 10 races of the season, what had been a gripping tussle for the title now might just have the ingredients to match the heights of Senna v Prost and Piquet v Mansell.The future of British Grand Prix goes up in flamesThe future of one of Formula One’s oldest races was thrown into confusion after the decision of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, owners of Silverstone, to activate a break clause in their contract about three days before this year’s event. The decision which represents a warning signal that unless a new contract is signed, 2019 will be the final year the British Grand Prix takes place at Silverstone was perplexing as much as depressing for many Formula One fans across the globe.British GP: Silverstone, London or nowhere?BRDC had warned earlier this year of the potentially ruinous cost of hosting the race under the current contract with the Formula One Group. It is set to run until 2026 but includes a clause that raises the hosting fee each year. It is understood to have been £12m in 2010 and is set to rise to £27m by the contract’s conclusion.Liberty Media has said it wants to actively engage with circuits in order to help them generate more revenue but in Silverstone’s case they are already almost at capacity in terms of selling tickets. “We are pretty much a full house and we are charging pretty much a full price and we still can’t make the sums add up,” Stuart Pringle, sporting director at Silverstone, said in May.Silverstone is the only circuit in the UK with the classification to host Formula One and no other credible alternatives have been forthcoming. Should the British Grand Prix not be held it would be the first time since the world championship began in 1950 that it has not been on the calendar. At the Austrian Grand Prix, the McLaren chief executive, Zak Brown, suggested that Liberty should buy the Northamptonshire circuit and use it as an asset to promote the sport.While the chief executive of Formula One Group Chase Carey has described the decision of BRDC to activate a break clause in their contract as annoying and frustrating, Nigel Mansell British former formula one world champion is convinced the decision was taken in order to renegotiate better deal with Liberty Media. ‘’Hopefully they are taking this decision to announce that they need help and hopefully someone will come forward. F1 has a duty as well to reward the circuits who have been faithful to them over so many years and have made the sport as brilliant as it is.’’At whatever cost, Formula One fans expect the British Grand Prix to remain on the calendar and at Silverstone beyond 2019.
Fernando Alonso on the edgeTwo-time Formula One world champion, Fernando Alonso has endured a humiliating 2017 season. The Spaniard ninth place finish in Baku represents his best performance so far.The problems have been attributed to the Honda power unit in the car which Alonso himself claims has left him up to 20mph down on rivals in a straight line.In a move believed to be intended at boosting the morale of Alonso, in April, McLaren’s executive director Zak Brown announced that Alonso would miss the Monaco Grand Prix in order to race in the Indianapolis 500. Alonso was replaced by the retired 2009 Formula One world champion, Jenson Button who is contracted to McLaren as an ambassador.Fernando Alonso is open to anything in 2018However, Alonso returned from Indy 500 more livid with McLaren situation that the 32-year old Spaniard issued a carefully worded September ultimatum to the team to improve its performance.“We have to win,” Alonso said. “If we are winning, before September or something like that, I will make a decision and I will stay. I joined this project because I want to be world champion, and we are not in that position. If you don’t see things changing and you are not competitive, then maybe you change projects.”However, with 10 races down and the Spaniard yet to make decision, it appears as though as the next 10 races shall decide the future of the beleaguered Formula One jewel.Finally, Ron Dennis loses boardroom battlesThe biggest, but surely not the most shocking news of the season came towards the end of June. Ron Dennis formally ended his role at McLaren, the company he made into one of the most successful Formula One teams of all time.Dennis, ousted as chief executive officer in November 2016 in a boardroom coup, reportedly sold his 25% shareholding.As Andrew Benson of the BBC succinctly put it: ‘’At its heart is the story of a broken friendship – between Dennis and fellow shareholder Mansour Ojjeh, who were close allies for three decades before they fell out a few years ago.’’Ron Dennis (L) and Mansour Ojjeh (R) end relationshipDeparture was always on the card for Ron Dennis and what happened had been on the table for at least three years.As long ago as early 2013, there had been claims of a fall-out at McLaren, of Ojjeh wanting Dennis out, of the chairman in turn wanting to take majority control of the company and trying to raise the money to do so.Those stories would not go away.The deal that would have seen Dennis increase his shareholding from 25% by buying stock from Ojjeh (25%) and Bahrain’s Mumtalakat investment fund (50%) never happened.In early 2014, Dennis forced out team principal and chief executive Martin Whitmarsh, a close friend of Ojjeh, who was in a hospital bed recovering from a double lung transplant.Certainly Ojjeh continued to make his life difficult. When, at the end of the season, Dennis wanted to keep Kevin Magnussen to partner Fernando Alonso in 2015, it was Ojjeh who stepped in and undermined him, forcing him to take Jenson Button instead.It hardly helped that Dennis failed to secure a new title sponsor following the departure of Vodafone in 2013, which many blamed on his refusal to lower McLaren’s rate card despite a changed commercial landscape and the team’s drop in competitiveness.Formula One and McLaren will struggle to replace an astute but gauche 70-year old Ron Dennis.The gloves are off in Sebastian Vettel – Lewis Hamilton rivalry‘’Gloves are off!’’ – that was the catch phrase used by Mercedes’ executive director Toto Wolff while reacting to the incendiary collision between Vettel and Hamilton during this season’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Vettel hit the back of Hamilton’s Mercedes ahead of a safety car restart on lap 19 at Baku before pulling alongside and swerving into the British star. Vettel got an instant 10-second stop-go penalty from the race stewards which enabled the championship leader to finish fifth in the race.Lewis Hamilton labelled Vettel ‘a disgrace’. ‘’He disgraced himself. If he wants to prove he’s a man we should do it out of the car, face to face.’’
Calls for companies to provide gambling support backed
Swansea City drops gambling sponsor August 21, 2020 StumbleUpon Share Related Articles Asian sports betting and online casino company LeTou, the gaming shirt sponsor of Premier League side Swansea City, has backed calls for professional sportsman to receive problem gambling education and support.The Professional Players Federation (PPF) and GambleAware has called for added guidance to be provided, with the PPF urging bookmakers to ensure any sponsorship agreements include a provision for mandatory education to participants regarding problem gambling.Paul Fox, LeTou CEO, commented: “LeTou is committed to responsible gaming and works tirelessly to ensure we safeguard all who enjoy a flutter. It is imperative that all sports people are supported and educated to avoid the pitfalls that a minority encounter. “All operators have a responsibility to support initiatives such as Responsible Gambling Week and the ‘When the Fun Stops, Stop’ campaign. “There have also been incidences where sportspeople have breached betting regulations and it is important that they are aware of the rules. “As well as supporting awareness campaigns, it is important that gaming companies proactively find other ways to help those in need. “At LeTou, we have donated our Swansea City corporate hospitality and season tickets to Shelter Cymru and Disability Sport Wales.”Adding: “It is our job to ensure that the integrity of sport is not compromised in any way. By continuing to work together with sports organisations, clubs, federations, and gambling awareness groups, we can ensure that all sports people are provided with robust support.”Regarding the issue, LeTou has also been in discussion with Swansea City Football Club to make sure that both parties are in agreement. A Swansea City spokesperson said: “As a club we work closely with our players, in particular our Academy groups from the Under-23s down, to educate them on sensible gambling – a subject we take very seriously.“This includes annual presentations from the Premier League and weekly seminars from our local Police representative.“Working in conjunction with the Professional Footballers Association, we also have a very extensive life skills programme to cover a wide range of topics including online safety, drugs, gambling, mental health, bullying etc.’’ GambleAware: Engage those with lived experience of gambling harms August 28, 2020 YGAM focuses on BAME community engagement with CVR link-up August 21, 2020 Share Submit
Black Type partners with Degree 53 to offer enhanced user experience
StumbleUpon Will Whitehead, mkodo: Achieving sportsbook and casino differentiation through UX April 29, 2020 Related Articles Share GG.BET embraces improved partnership with Start2Pay January 31, 2020 Submit Share Software development specialists, Degree 53, have teamed up with Black Type to develop and enhance user experience (UX) and front end design for their sportsbook. As part of the new partnership, Degree 52 will integrate new features with the product for enhanced betting services, with the aim of maximising betting opportunities and easier accessibility.Keith Oliver, CEO of Black Type, commented on the new partnership: “We were very impressed with the work of Degree 53. They delivered a Discovery workshop to help us better understand our product requirements and what we would need to take it to the next level. “The designers also produced wireframes based their ideas for our improved UX. We need to place a stronger emphasis on offering customers a great betting experience and usability is a big part of this. We want our target audience to come to us not only because of our competitive prices, but because they love our product and the experience it offers. “I believe, together with Degree 53, we will be able to achieve that. I’m very excited to bring our concepts to life and look forward to launching them later this year.”Black Type products will display its services, while Degree 53 designers will also implement personalisation features to help the operator increase engagement and offer tailored betting services to their customers. Andrew Daniels, managing director at Degree 53 says: “I am excited about working with Black Type and help them create a modern and slick product. We’ve been strong advocates of updating the UX across all industries, but it’s very relevant to sports betting. “Operators can really add value and offer an engaging betting service by making improvements to the frontend of their products. It’s much easier to enhance the UX without going into further redevelopment, and it increases conversion and retention much quicker. “Similar projects we have worked on, have demonstrated fantastic results. I’m delighted that Black Type chose to partner with us and look forward to seeing the finished designs.” Degree 53 expands technical and product development teams July 22, 2020
Digitain signs new white label agreement with BetShah
StumbleUpon Soft2Bet continues new market drive with Irokobet launch August 26, 2020 Submit Share Why reliability of service is an integral part of TVBET’s strategy August 6, 2020 Share Related Articles Kansspelautoriteit enters into MoU with Malta Gaming Authority August 28, 2020 Digitain will expand its global portfolio by providing the white label sportsbook and casino platform for BetShah.The new agreement means that Digitain will ensure the support and development of the BetShah strategy, both for online sportsbook and casino, to a global market. A white label option provides the operator with the key platform products, accounting, management and technology support, as well as the licences to operate. Digitain is currently licensed in Romania and with the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).Taking advantage of Digitain’s coverage of 65 sports and 7,500 leagues, the white label operator will be able to offer a sportsbook complete with odds for 35,000 live events each month. Meanwhile, the BetShah casino lobby will host a portfolio of more than 1,000 games from leading casino suppliers such as Novomatic, Microgaming, NetEnt and Playson.Surek Khachatryan, CCO at Digitain, said: “We are delighted to partner with BetShah to offer our full package of market-leading white label solutions.“As one of the industry’s favourite platform providers, we’re looking forward to using our extensive expertise to support BetShah in its ambitious plans for the global market.”
Irish bookmakers to reopen on 29 June
Share Irish bookmakers demand clarity on reopening orders June 17, 2020 Submit StumbleUpon Paddy Power to reopen English & Irish betting shops in Royal Ascot week June 10, 2020 Mark Brosnan ends Matchbook CEO tenure May 19, 2020 Share Related Articles Irish bookmakers will reopen their doors on 29 June, as the country enters phase three of the Government’s strategy to ease COVID-19 measures.The confirmation follows a meeting of Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA) members, which revealed that an agreement has been reached to reopen 755 of the nation’s 814 betting shops.Ireland closed its betting shops in mid-March, for a period which was expected to last two weeks. The timing of the recent decision follows on from the confirmation that racing could resume early next month.While smaller retail outlets were permitted to open in phase two of the Government’s strategy, the IBA confirmed that it would be postponing betting’s reopening until the next phase.Before shops will be allowed to open, they must ensure that measures relating to social distancing and sanitation are implemented.Sharon Byrne, chief executive of the IBA, said: “The top priority for our members is the health of their colleagues and customers. Our members are working to ensure robust safety protocols and procedures are in place to adequately protect staff and customers. Over the next number of weeks, we expect the public will have adjusted to the phased reopening of retail outlets in general.“All our members will adhere to the detailed guidelines given to them by the IBA and by the Government. We are developing comprehensive procedures to guide our members in preparing their shops for reopening. We will also have an online training portal for retail staff, which is guided by the Government’s Return to Work Safely protocol.”Betting shops will operate with limited numbers of staff, with customers encouraged to only place bets rather than staying to watch races on in-store televisions.
Digitain nets industry first with table football feed
Digitain and LSports double up for simulated tennis roll out June 30, 2020 Share Submit SBC Webinars and Digitain present Finding Value in Untapped Markets July 14, 2020 Related Articles Share Why reliability of service is an integral part of TVBET’s strategy August 6, 2020 StumbleUpon Sportsbook and casino platform provider Digitain has scored an industry first by launching its live streamed table football feed.The API feed will be made available to any operator in the gambling industry, and not just those on the Digitain platform. It features professional players, supported by pre-play and in-play AI-generated odds and player statistics.The feed will offer coverage from over 400 games per week, with over 50 markets available per match. It is hoped that the new in-house development will support operators in driving acquisition and retention strategies, revenue growth and diversified product offerings.Martin Clarke, Director of Product Management at Digitain, commented: “Sports fans everywhere around are missing competitive sports and this new live odds feed will enable operators to differentiate their offering and to be more competitive at this challenging time.. We have exciting plans to further develop this innovation – and look forward to delivering further value to our partners”“Following in the footsteps of our recent new product launches; RocketOn, Crash and Penalty- our Live Table Football service marks the latest addition to our acclaimed in-house catalogue, as Digitain continues to help operators – old and new – to respond to fixture schedule disruption with action-packed alternatives.”Earlier this month, Digitain launched its in-house betting product, Penalty. The product allows players to try to predict the randomly generated outcome of the penalty shoot-out.
Chris Hughton sacked by Brighton
Brighton have sacked manager Chris Hughton after the Seagulls finished 17th in the Premier League.They won just three of their last 23 league games and none of their final nine.Chairman Tony Bloom said that run “put our status at significant risk”.Hughton, who joined Albion in December 2014, led the club to the Premier League for the first time in 2017, and they finished 15th in their first season back in the top flight.Swansea boss Graham Potter, 43, who joined the club from Swedish side Ostersunds in 2018, is the favourite with the bookmakers to replace Hughton.Hughton, 60, who was contracted until 2021, also took the club to the FA Cup semi-final this season, where they lost 1-0 to Manchester City. Source: BBC