Sports Organizations
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Mary Wittenberg has left her role as president and CEO of New York Road Runners to become global CEO of Virgin Sport, a newly formed company focused on participatory fitness events and programs. Michael Capiraso, who had been NYRR’s chief operating officer, and Peter Ciaccia, who had been chief production officer, will take over the leadership of New York Road Runners, which organizes the TCS New York Marathon and other events. Capiraso will serve as president and CEO, and Ciaccia will serve as president of events, replacing Wittenberg as the marathon’s race director.

Lynn Berling- Manuel has been named CEO of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and will be the first woman to lead the NSCAA in its 75-year history. Berling-Manuel will succeed Joe Cummings, who is leaving the position after six years. Prior to her appointment, Berling-Manuel served for nearly eight years as chief marketing officer of the American Youth Soccer Organization in Torrance, California. She has been a longtime member of the NSCAA and an appointed at-large member of the NSCAA board of directors since 2006.

Chris Park has been appointed senior vice-president of growth and strategy at MLB International, where he will oversee events including the World Baseball Classic. Park previously served as vice-president of labor economics and deputy general counsel for Major League Baseball.

Steve Pagliuca, the co-owner and managing partner of the Boston Celtics and the managing director of Bain Capital, has been named chairman of Boston 2024 in the city’s effort to land the 2024 Olympic Summer Games. Pagliuca, who had been vice-chair of the organization since February, replaces John Fish, who will remain on the board in a vice-chair role. Boston 2024 also announced several other senior leadership changes. Peter Roby, the director of athletics and recreation at Northeastern University, will become vice-chair of the bid and a director of the board. Named as senior advisors are Jack Connors, founding partner of Boston-based advertising agency Hill Holliday, and Larry Lucchino, president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox.

The United States Luge Association is developing a request for proposal that will be provided to cities interested in securing the headquarters of the organization on a long-term basis. USA Luge is currently headquartered in Lake Placid, New York. The North American Soccer League has announced that it will add a 13th club, Puerto Rico FC, which will begin play in 2016. The club will be owned by NBA player Carmelo Anthony and will join Miami FC as the league’s newest team. Puerto Rico FC will play its home matches at the recently renovated Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, which currently serves as home base for the Puerto Rico national team.

Professional Bull Riders Inc. has been acquired by WME/IMG, a global sports and entertainment company. The two organizations have worked together for the last several years.

Hosts & Suppliers

John Oros has been named president of the Greater Birmingham (Alabama) Convention & Visitors Bureau. He will succeed Jim Smither, who has announced his retirement. Oros currently is executive vice-president of the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau and will begin his new role on August 1.

The Buffalo Niagara (New York) Sports Commission has selected TSE Consulting to assist with its sports tourism initiatives. The firm provides advice to cities seeking to use sporting events to enhance economic development.

Vinicius Lummertz has been named president of the Brazilian Tourism Board (Embratur). He has served as secretary of tourism for the city of Florianopolis and, more recently, as national secretary of tourism policies in the Ministry of Tourism.

Virginia’s Western Highlands (including the city of Covington and the counties of Alleghany, Bath, Craig and Highland), Virginia’s Blue Ridge (including the counties of Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke and the cities of Roanoke and Salem) and Bedford County have announced the formation of the new Virginia Mountains tourism marketing region.

Sites & Venues

IndyCar has announced that it will race in the South Boston waterfront on Labor Day weekend during the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season. The Grand Prix of Boston will feature an 11-turn, 2.25-mile temporary street course that will surround the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The event marks the first time IndyCar has raced in the Boston area.

The Los Angeles Football Club intends to build a 22,000-seat stadium in South Los Angeles, at the site of the Los Angeles Sports Arena, next to Memorial Coliseum. The stadium is expected to be ready for the 2018 MLS season.

In 2017, the first International Triathlon Union Multisport World Championships Festival will be held in Penticton, Canada. The event will consist of duathlon, long-distance triathlon, aquathlon and cross triathlon championship races. The 2018 edition of the event will be held in Odense, Denmark.

The inaugural Pac-12 China basketball game featuring the Washington Huskies and Texas Longhorns will be played at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai on November 14. With this game, the Pac-12 will become the first U.S. sports league—collegiate or professional— to host a regular-season contest in China.

The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has named the four venues that will host the 2015 Olympic Qualifying Championship, October 1–13: StubHub Center in Carson, California; Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah; Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado; and Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

The San Francisco Bay Area has been awarded the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, which will be staged at AT&T Park in San Francisco and Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California. In addition, USA Rugby has announced that the USA Rugby Eagles will return to Chicago’s Soldier Field on September 5 to face the Australian national team.

The Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina, and Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon, have been selected as host sites for the 2019 and 2020 U.S. Amateur Championships, respectively. Scheduled for August 12–18, the 2019 U.S. Amateur will be the 10th USGA championship and third U.S. Amateur Championship hosted by Pinehurst. The 2020 U.S. Amateur, to be held August 10–16, will mark the sixth USGA championship staged at Bandon Dunes since 2006.

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have announced that the NBA’s first game in Africa will be held at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 1. The game will feature a Team Africa vs. Team World format and will air live in Africa on SuperSport.

Sponsors & Licensing

Jeep and the World Surf League have announced a partnership. Jeep will serve as the official automotive partner of the WSL and the naming rights partner for the WSL Jeep Leaders Tour Rankings for men and women.

The PGA Tour has announced that Wyndham Worldwide has signed a 10-year extension as title sponsor of the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, through 2026. The agreement will commence when the current four-year deal concludes with the 2016 tournament.

Clif Bar has committed to a two-year extension of its title sponsorship of the Clif Bar CrossVegas, a role it has played for the past five years. The renewal will extend Clif Bar’s sponsorship of the cyclocross race through 2017.

Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of the FIM MotoGP World Championship, has partnered with GoPro for a five-year agreement that will make GoPro the official wearable camera of MotoGP and the title sponsor of the GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix of Deutschland. As part of the collaboration, GoPro cameras will be capturing content of the race circuits to be shared via social media and on MotoGP’s website.

And Finally…

Chris Waddell, the most decorated skier in Paralympic history, has released his first book, “Things I Want to Remember Not to Forget.” Based on Waddell’s 2011 Middlebury College commencement address, the book provides insight and inspiration as Waddell shares with readers memorable experiences like the start of a ski race, the bright lights of an openmic night at a comedy club and trying something new like learning to draw. In addition to being a motivational speaker and network sports commentator, Waddell is the founder of One Revolution, which seeks to change the perception of disability by demonstrating the common experience of challenge. For more information, visit one-revolution.org.

This current issue of SportsTravel can be viewed in digital format online by clicking here.

SportsTravel, the sports world’s event magazine, is published by Los Angeles-based Schneider Publishing Company, which also publishes Association News. Founded in 1997, SportsTravel was the first magazine to identify and serve the sports-related travel and event industry. Schneider Publishing organizes the TEAMS Conference & Expo, the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers, which will be held November 9–12 in Las Vegas. TEAMS ’16 will be held September 26–29, 2016, in Atlantic City. In addition, Schneider Publishing organizes the Meetings Quest trade-show series for corporate and association meeting planners. The travel markets served by Schneider Publishing generate 106 million hotel room nights annually. For more information, visit SchneiderPublishing.com or call toll-free 877-577-3700 or 310-577-3700 if dialing from outside the United States.
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Media Contact:
Timothy Schneider
310-577-3700
Schneider Publishing Company, Inc.