POSTAGE STAMP TO  BE OWNED BY SWEDISH GIANT.

A personal postage stamp to be owned by Sweden Football Captian ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC.

It has been announced by the postal service of sweden that Zlatan will have his own stamp known as "Zlamp" which will be considered as a mark of best footballer of sweden.

The postage stamp - "Zlamp" will release on March 27,2014.   When  asked Zlatan about this....

He said: "I've got to be on a corner of the stamp and it will be fun to see the finished result.

"It's a great honour to be on a postage stamp, and I'm very proud to be selected.

"I get a lot of bills and there are rarely great stamps. Maybe that will change now!"

The  stamps will be of  5 different types and will come in a special booklet  of 10 different stamps.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   


  The 32-year-old is also nominated for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or award .
   

And has been named on the shortlist for the Puskas Award for his goal against England.
 

After qualifying for the Men's Hockey World Cup 2014, another Proud Moment for India.... Read on...

News Courtesy - http://www.fih.ch

England & India to host Hockey World Cups 2018

Women’s event heading to England, men’s tournament 

destined for India

We are delighted to announce that England and India will host the Hockey World Cups in 2018. England Hockey were successful in their bid to host the women’s showpiece, with Hockey India winning the race to host the men’s equivalent.

The announcements were made by FIH President Leandro Negre at a special ceremony at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland on Thursday evening.

“I wish to offer my sincere congratulations to England Hockey and Hockey India on their successful bids to host the Hockey World Cups 2018”, said Mr Negre. “The quality of both bids was truly extraordinary, and the FIH is greatly looking forward to bringing its top properties to England and India. I would also like to congratulate all of the National Associations that submitted bids for these events. The standard was exceptionally high, making the decision extremely hard for the FIH Executive Board.”

Alongside the Olympic Games, the Hockey World Cups are the most coveted, cherished prizes in Hockey. Held every four years, they bring together the world’s greatest teams and most skilful players for the toughest, most competitive international hockey event imaginable.

Both the Men's and Women's Hockey World Cups 2018 will feature an increased 16-nation field of participants, confirming the growing interest and development of the sport. Next year's hugely anticipated Rabobank Hockey World Cup, which takes place in The Hague, Netherlands during the first two weeks of June, will see twelve men's and twelve women's teams competing in a mammoth double event.

“The decision certainly was not an easy one to make”, said FIH Chief Executive Officer Kelly Fairweather, reflecting on the bidding process. “All of the bids that we received were exceptional, being completely in line with our strategy to deliver the most entertaining, exciting and inspiring hockey events in the world. The FIH Executive Board were hugely impressed by the bids from England Hockey and Hockey India, and are convinced that both National Associations will deliver absolutely magnificent tournaments.”

The FIH has been meticulous in its approach to choosing the hosts for the 2018 showpiece events. As part of the bidding process, the FIH requested that bid questionnaires were submitted before a deadline of 31 August.

The second phase of the process saw each bid evaluated in detail, as well as further discussions, clarifications, site visits and negotiations taking place with the respective National Associations.  The final decision was made by the FIH Executive Board in Lausanne, Switzerland on Thursday, bringing the process to an end by naming England and India as the host nations of hockey’s top properties.

The World Cup hosts’ announcement is part of FIH’s new event assignment process, which was launched and presented to the National Associations at the FIH Congress in November 2012. The re-structured bidding process was designed to ensure that the majority of the unallocated events for the 2015-2018 period would be assigned before the end of this year. The FIH will make an announcement about the host nations of these events in due course.

http://www.fih.ch/en/news-4817-england-india-to-host-hockey-world-cups-2018

IMG-RELIANCE SUPER LEAGUE DEFERRED TILL SEPTEMBER 2014

Amid resistance from I-League clubs and infrastructure availability problems, the much awaited Football Super League has been postponed till September-November 2014. AIFF, its commercial partner IMG-Reliance and STAR India after a joint meeting decided to defer the league which was scheduled to be inaugurated in Mumbai on 18 January 2014.

The organizing committee after evaluating the scheduling of Indian football calendar including the I-League and non availability of stadium in Goa due to delay in Lusofonia Games unanimously deferred the launch to September 2014.

IMG-Reliance had already signed internationally renowned players like Louis Saha, Dwight Yorke, Fredrik Ljungberg, Hernan Crespo and Robert Pires as marquee players. Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, France international Marcel Desailly and Liverpool marvel Kenny Dalglish have also been signed for the role of managers. In addition 39 domestic players and 20 players of AIFF developmental side Pailan Arrows have been roped in to play in the league.

Reportedly the much anticipated league has already created a buzz with interest shown from Shah Rukh Khan (Kolkata Knight Riders), Kalanidhi and Dayanidhi Maran (Hyderabad Sunrisers), GMR Group (Delhi Daredevils) and Emerging Media (Rajasthan Royals), Ranbir Kapoor, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan. Among corporates, Air Asia's Tony Fernandes, Yes Bank chairman Rana Kapoor, the Venugopal Dhoot-owned Videocon Group, Airtel's Sunil Mittal, Anand Mahindra, Hero Group were said to be shown interest in bidding for the eight city-based franchises.

IMG Reliance is a joint venture between IMG Worldwide and Reliance Industries. In 2010, it acquired all the commercial rights of football in India, in a 15 years Rs. 700 crores deal with AIFF.

IMG-Reliance had announced IPL style football league to be held in India. The tournament is to be contested amongst eight city-based franchises with venues at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Bangalore, Kochi, Goa and Pune. The league will feature marquee players from across the world along with India's national stars and club and domestic talents. The league will feature 22 players in each team, with 10 foreign players, including a marquee player. Each franchise will also include eight domestic players and four local players in the under-23 category.

आलोक पर्व की शुभकामनाएँ

Turf 2013, 5th Global Sports Summit

New Delhi,Turf 2013, 5^th Global Sports Summit, India’s largest convention on business of Sports was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers and Commerce Industry on 23-24 October, 2013 at FICCI Federation House, New Delhi.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) launched the ‘India Sports 2014’ at the 5th Global Sports Summit, in the presence of Dr. G S G Ayyangar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

India Sports 2014 would be organized at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium and Federation House, FICCI. This event will not only provide a platform for the Indian Sports Industry to showcase their strength to the Indian and International Sports fraternity but also act as a catalyst in promoting sports among the youth.

At the sports summit Dr. GSG. Ayyangar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports discussed the details of the ‘Scheme for Identifying and Nurturing Sports Talent in the Country’. Under the scheme, which has been taken up on a pilot basis talents to be scouted and selected from the present Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan annual competitions; these sportspersons will be called Young Talent (YT) and they will be specially trained by Physical Education Teachers attached to every District Level Sports Centre.

A District Sports School (DLSS) will be set up in every District in the Country in the next ten years. These schools will be setup as public private partnership except in remote and disturb areas. In such districts, the existing Navodaya Schools are proposed to be upgraded. Where this in not possible new institutions will be setup. He said that the Ministry of Sports will supervise the training in sports and provide the sports scholarships and the recurring expenses. The young talent (YT) will be assigned specific disciplines through a scientific process of determination, through a rigorous training programme and participation YT will be identified for centre of excellence and YT who excel will be treated as high performers and given admission to a centre of excellence .There will be approximately 25 centres for excellence. Twelve existing SAI centres will be upgraded. Thirteen new centres will be developed and funded by SAI. However land for such centres will be provided by the State Government free of cost. These centres will be run by SAI.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed and exchanged between FICCI and Southern Institute of Technology (SIT), New Zealand, to launch the Level 3 course in India under the SIT-John Wright Scholarship programme, which is recognized by NZQA to help athletes not only to harness their existing capability but also to provide an opportunity in getting higher qualification courses and good opportunity in New Zealand.

At the successful completion of this programme, students will have the required competencies to function successfully and effectively at operational levels within the sports training sector. A graduating student could be expected to undertake employment in areas such as coaching/retail sectors, or continue on to further study in Diploma in Sport and Recreation, Diploma in Sport and Exercise (Level 5), Diploma in Sport and Exercise (Level 6) or Bachelor of Sport and Exercise in New Zealand.

H.E. Jan Henderson, High Commissioner, New Zealand High Commission, said that the certificate obtained under the John Wright - SIT Scholarship programme will help students to gain the skills and knowledge for working or further training in the sports training sector. The content gives athletes and coaches the knowledge to allow themselves and others to achieve their potential. The programme has a strong focus on sport psychology, nutrition and exercise prescription and finding out how the body becomes stronger, fitter and faster when stressed by exercise. New Zealand is passionate about sports and was happy to partner with India in the field of sports. Sports were a key pillar for strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. She added that early next year New Zealand will host the Indian Cricket Team and will co-host the Cricket World Cup in 2015, she said.

According to Naina Lal Kidwai, President of FICCI, after the chamber represented to the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) on the need to grant industry status to sports, a committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Director General, Sports Authority of India (SAI) for which FICCI prepared a report on ‘Granting infrastructure Status to Sports Sector’. She said, “It is a proud moment for FICCI to note that under new Companies Act 2013, sports infrastructure is part of ‘infrastructure facilities’ and ‘infrastructure projects’. Besides, there is a specific mention of sports related businesses to be registered as a type of ‘limited company’. FICCI is also closely coordinating with National Skills Development Corporation for setting up Sector Skills Council in Sports, Physical Education, and Fitness and Leisure sector. According to our latest study, this sector will require more than 43 lakhs support personnel in various roles in sports by 2022.

Mr.Sanjiv Paul, Chairman, FICCI Sports Committee and Managing Director, Tata Metaliks, stated that the sports sector is marching ahead as one of the fastest growing sector of the economy. The size of the sports industry is increasing, employment avenues are opening and money is coming in from all quarters. The exchange of ideas TURF 2013 should lead to the flourishing of sports business in India. He said that this year an SME-Academia-Investors Forum in Sports (SAI-FIS) is planned during TURF 2013 a collaborative effort amongst between FICCI, Indian Venture Capitalists Association (IVCA) and All India Council of Physical Education (AICPE). The objective is to stimulate SME-Academia-Investor partnership as it is critical for growth of sports sector in general and the stakeholders in particular.

Mr. Abhijit Sarkar, Co-chairman, FICCI Sports Committee and Head-Corporate Communications, Sahara India Pariwar, said that the start-ups have added significant value in creating a sports culture across the country. They are the next generation of big corporations, who are supporting the growth of the sports industry in their own unique way. They are not only creating a brilliant ecosystem for budding talent to hone their talent and showcase their skills but are also creating employment opportunities for many others who want to develop career in sports.

Mr. Arbind Prasad, Director General, FICCI, said, “FICCI welcomes The Prevention of Sporting Fraud Bill, 2013 to combat frauds in relation to domestic national and international sporting event developed after extensive consultation between Sports and Law Ministry. To aid the Ministry’s efforts in this direction, FICCI had organized a conference on ‘Regulating Sports Betting and Sports Law’. In this conference, experts suggested that the government should set up an Independent Regulatory Commission to study the various aspects of betting in-depth and come out with solutions to eliminate bookies and make sports betting fair.

SESSION-I: - Corporatization of Indian Sports: Performance and Balance Sheet

Mr. Paul Sidhu, MD, FSMC Associates (Sports Consulting & Legacy Planning), UK stated that we require an innovative bureaucracy in the sports ministry giving an example of lottery funding in UK which involves partly bureaucracy but mainly funding.

Mr. Boria Majumdar, Sports Expert and Adjunct Professor, Monash University stated that our legal framework does not support the sports sector properly all that we require is an expert sports regulator and a qualified body of instructors.

Mr. Malav Shroff, Olympian and President, Asian Sailing Federation stated that there is a need to innovate in terms of law because as soon as we start using current law system in elite sports, that sport goes backwards.

SESSION-II: - Investment for Long Term Growth

Dr. GSG Ayyangar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports discussed the details of the ‘Scheme for Identifying and Nurturing Sports Talent in the Country’. Under the scheme, which has been taken up on a pilot basis talents to be scouted and selected from the present Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan annual competitions; these sportspersons will be called Young Talent (YT) and they will be specially trained by Physical Education Teachers attached to every District Level Sports Centre.

Mr. Pawan Duggal, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, discussed about protection of Intellectual Property in Sports

SME-Academia-Investors Forum in Sports

Mr. Sujit Panigrahi, CEO, Fitness 365 & Former Additional Director General (Head- Technology), CWG discussed about the objectives to stimulate SME-Academia-Investor partnership as it is critical for growth of sports sector in general and the stakeholders in particular.

·        AIM – Assessment Intervention Monitoring

·        Phases of monitoring

·        Taking it forward

·        Customer/prospects

·        Evaluate all opportunities

·        Association- Imagination

·        Building a team

·        Making it grow

·        Skill Building

TURF 2013, FICCI

Hockey India Felicitation Ceremony

Hockey India Felicitation Ceremony took place at Hotel Lalit, Delhi to present the awards to Junior Men Hockey Team who recently won the 3^rd Sultan of Johar Cup 2013. The Minister of State for Youth Affairs and sports and the Minister of State for Defence  , Jitender Singh inaugurated the event and shared some motivational words on Indian Hockey. Sunil Bharti, the Cairn India Managing Director who is the sponsor of India Hockey was also present on the event and shared the stage with minister of state for youth affairs to felicitate Team India and give them the awards.

18 players and National Coach Gregg Clark of the Junior Men Team awarded Cheque of Rupees One Lakh each for winning the 3^rd Sultan of Johar Cup 2013 and supported staff was awarded cheque of Rupees 50,000 each.

At the ceremony some individuals awards was also given. Midfielder Harjeet Singh was awarded for most promising player of the tournament in 3^rd Sultan of Johar Cup, Ramachandra was awarded for Most Outstanding Player of the tournament of 9^th Men’s Asia Cup 2013 with Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh  who got for goalkeeper of the tournament and forward Ramandeep Singh too awarded for scoring a goal in debut match for the same event. Our female champions Savita was awarded for the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament for 8^th Women’s Asia Cup 2013 and Rani for completing the 100^th International Match caps. Each Individuals was awarded additional cheque of Rs 1 Lakh. At the event, Junior Men Team who won the silver medal in the 2^nd Johar Cup 2012 was also felicitated with Ipads.

At the last Harinder Singh, the former Olympian medalist and Rajeev Mehta, associate vice-president Hockey India congratulated Team India and motivated them to bring more awards for the country.