Sport news

The World’s Most Prestigious Equestrian and Lifestyle Magazine Launches in China on 8th August

Equestrio China, a bi-monthly high-end luxury title from Swiss Media Group, is the fifth in the Equestrio stable of titles that now expands to five magazines in five countries in five languages on three continents. Launched in Switzerland in 2003, Equestrio broke new ground in the previously predictable equestrian publishing genre with a mix of high quality international coverage supported by immaculate photography.

Luxury brands and private banks were quick to see the opportunity presented by a publication that is read, and collected by, an elite demographic. Launches in Dubai, France and Italy followed the parent magazine’s emergence on the market and China marks the title’s entrance into Asia.

As well as reports from the most exclusive racing and polo events, Equestrio features art, fine art photography, travel and luxury lifestyle. “It’s a luxury title combining class and substance with unique authority on the equestrian world”, says Publisher and Managing Director, Gerard Belicha.

Equestrio is noted for its impressive reach and its content reflects the magazine’s readership. HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, President of the FEI and Wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, chose Equestrio when she spoke to the media; HH Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, did likewise and so did Adolfo Cambiaso, the world’s best polo player.

“We place great emphasis on providing the quality of content that our readers, who are people accustomed to the best, expect”, Belicha explains. “We also ensure that our clients benefit from privileged exposure, by limiting and selecting the advertisements featured in Equestrio China. As one of my clients said, ‘It is nice to finally see a magazine you can actually read!’”

“Equestrio’s content has always been international in the extreme”, says Lucy Monro, Swiss Media Group’s Editor in Chief. “Our various editions already enjoy a readership in China and Hong Kong and, with the development of equestrian sport in the region and Hong Kong being the host venue for the equestrian events at Beijing 2008, there is no better time for us to enter the market here.”

Produced by an expert team immersed in the worlds upon which it reports, Equestrio speaks with an authority previously only found in a very few, less glossy, specific equestrian titles. Lucy Monro is an ex-three-day event rider and a British riding instructor with two decades of media experience; broadcast and print. Her team is made up of writers and photographers who are, almost without exception, professional horsemen and women as well as journalists.

“From the outset Equestrio found its own niche”, Lucy says. “It’s both informed and glamorous and I think that is key to our success. We have developed a reputation for getting to places and events that most titles do not reach! We’ve reported in full-colour from some of the most remote polo locations on the planet, such as the Baroghil Festival on the Pakistan/Afghan border where yak polo is the order of the day; the Shandur Pass in the Hindu Kush; the jungle airstrip that doubles as a polo field for the World Elephant Polo Championships in Nepal and ridden across the Maasai Mara with the annual wildebeest migration.”

With an established international readership it is not surprising that Equestrio China has provoked considerable interest in China. “Many of our existing international clients are supporting the new title”, says Gerard Belicha, “and we are enjoying a phenomenal response from this new market.”

Equestrio China will be published in Hong Kong in English and simplified Chinese and distributed throughout Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. It will be available on newsstands, by subscription and in selected exclusive clubs, hotels, airlines and lounges, private jet charters and at top-level equestrian events.

Founded by Swiss entrepreneurs Michael Lahyani and Leonard Cohen, Swiss Media Group’s portfolio includes an impressive list of luxury titles in Europe and the Middle East. Headquartered in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and Geneva, Switzerland, the group publishes high-end equestrian, lifestyle, horology and wedding titles as well as real estate web portals.

Source: Equestrio China

$1 Million to be Awarded to First-Ever FLW Fantasy Fishing Champion

• Bass Fishing Boat Convoy to circle Centennial Olympic Park

• 1,000 rods and reels, 1,000 t-shirts to be given away to local residents

WHAT: Fantasy Fishing? Yes, it’s America’s hottest new fantasy sport. It’s just like fantasy football, only with fish. But unlike any other fantasy game, it offers the highest payout of any fantasy sport ever — $7.3 million in cash and prizes. It’s fun, it’s easy to play and it’s free to play, for anyone 18 years or older, anywhere in the world.

An FLW Fantasy Fishing player will receive a cool $1 million for coming in first place in FLW Fantasy Fishing’s first season, launched in February 2008. FLW Fantasy Fishing mirrors the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, bass fishing’s premier professional tournament series. FLW Fantasy Fishing players pick 10 anglers before each Wal-Mart FLW Tour tournament and earn points based on the real- life performance of their bass pros. The person who accumulates the most points over seven tournaments wins $1 million.

WHO: The $1 Million FLW Fantasy Fishing champion will be announced in a suspense-filled unveiling ceremony. The winner of the Forrest Wood Cup, the Crown Jewel of pro bass fishing, will unveil the winner. The million-dollar moment will feature pyrotechnics and other fanfare for an exceptional video/photo opportunity.

• The top 15 FLW Fantasy Fishing finalists will be flown in from all parts of the United States. Each finalist will walk away with a prize, ranging from a new Ranger bass boat or a Chevy Silverado truck to a $25,000 Wal-Mart gift card or a $20,000 BP gas card.

WHEN: Thursday, August 21. The event will start at 11:25 a.m. and go through 12:10 p.m. The $1 Million FLW Fantasy Fishing winner will be unveiled at about 12 noon.

WHERE: Centennial Olympic Park, Southern Company Amphitheater, near the intersection of Marietta Street and Centennial Olympic Park Drive, 265 Park Avenue West, N.W., downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

INTERVIEWS: Interviews with the $1 Million FLW Fantasy Fishing winner, the Forrest Wood Cup champion, and Irwin Jacobs will be available immediately following the $1 million unveiling.

PRE-EVENT INTERVIEWS WITH THE $1 MILLION FORREST WOOD CUP PRO BASS CHAMP OR IRWIN JACOBS, THE CREATOR OF FLW FANTASY FISHING AND THE WAL-MART FLW TOUR BASS TOURNAMENT, ARE AVAILABLE ON SITE BEFORE THE EVENT, FROM 6:30 A.M. - 8:30 A.M.

Other Visuals:

• A convoy of 15 bass boats decorated with sponsor logos will carry each of the finalists to the event and will circle Centennial Park. This will occur begin about 11 a.m.

• 1,000 Berkley bass fishing rod/reel combos and 1,000 t-shirts will be handed out to those attending the event.

• B-roll footage of FLW Tour bass pros catching bass and close-ups of the fantasyfishing.com Web site are available in beta format at the event or prior to the event upon request.

• B-roll footage of the announcement of the crowning of 2008 Forrest Wood Cup champion, which occurs on Aug. 17, is available in hard copy beta format and via satellite.

INTERESTING HOOKS (no pun intended):

• FLW Fantasy Fishing offers the highest payout of any fantasy sports game in the world. $7.3 million in cash and prizes were offered during its first season. More than 4,000 players, from all over the world, won prizes this season, including the first million dollar prize in fantasy sports history.

• Major companies such as Wal-Mart, BP, Kellogg’s, Chevy Trucks, Folgers and others sponsor FLW Fantasy Fishing and the Wal-Mart FLW Tour.

• FLW Outdoors will be filming the event for broadcast in September. FLW Outdoors is broadcast both in the United States and internationally to more than 500 million households.

Source: FLW Outdoors

MapMyRide.com (http://www.mapmyride.com/), the premier source for interactive mapping, community-based forums, and online tools and content for cyclists, is proud to announce its partnership with USA Cycling, a 65,000-member organization governing competitive cycling in the United States. MapMyRide.com is confident that USA Cycling members, clubs, and event promoters will benefit from its tools and services.

The main benefit of the partnership to USA Cycling members is that it can offer MapMyRide.com’s new premium membership services at the discounted rate of 10% off the standard membership price. “We feel that access to the premium membership tools from MapMyRide.com will be valuable to USA Cycling members’ training programs,” said Mercedes Hickey, Affinity and Sponsor Programs Manager at USA Cycling. “We plan to use the web, race packet handouts, and our newsletters to make sure that our members are aware of this great opportunity.”

MapMyRide.com premium memberships will include unlimited personal-use map printing, exportable training data, magazine subscriptions, premium member designation, gear discounts, free basic training plans, advanced training reports, MapMyPoints participation, and official MapMyRide.com gear discounts.

MapMyRide.com will offer value to USA Cycling in the partnership by allowing USA Cycling race directors the ability to utilize advanced features such as Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/) course flyovers for their event websites, advanced map printing, and race promotion on MapMyRide.com. USA Cycling affiliates will also be able to directly integrate MapMyRide.com mapping technologies into their own websites for visitors to use. Finally, MapMyRide.com will feature all USA Cycling events mapped at MapMyRide.com in its list of cycling events. This promotes the events to more than 1.7 million monthly site visitors and 500,000 registered members in the MapMyRide.com community.

“We are excited that USA Cycling has embraced the ideas behind our technology and are eager to take advantage of its benefits to help promote and raise awareness for cycling in the United States,” said Doug Ziewacz, VP of Business Development at MapMyRide.com. “USA Cycling’s endorsement is a great statement for the MapMyRide.com community and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship.”

USA Cycling members interested in taking advantage of the 10% off discount on a MapMyRide.com premium membership should visit: http://www.mapmyride.com/cycling_expert?pc=usac

Source: MapMyRide.com