IOC President THOMAS BACH named Canada IOC member DICK POUND as chairman of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), which “serves as the host broadcaster for all Olympics.” Pound, who replaces HEIN VERBRUGGEN, has “a strong background in television,” heading the IOC’s TV rights negotiations from ’83-01. OBS Managing Dir & CEO MANOLO ROMERO was elevated to Vice Chair and JUAN ANTONIO SAMARANCH JR. was added to the OBS BOD (AP, 4/4). ... The German Ski Federation (DSV) has appointed Austrian MATHIAS BERTHOLD "as its new men's Alpine team head coach." The 48-year-old will succeed KARLHEINZ WAIBEL, who "held the position for the past five years" (SID, 4/7). ... Spanish Basketball League (ACB) side Manresa released coach BORJA COMENGE following Manresa's loss on Sunday against Tuenti Estudiantes. The team is currently in 17th place in the 18-team ACB. The club said in a statement that it is "now searching for his replacement" (EFE, 4/7). ... La Liga side Real Valladolid announced that BRAULIO VÁZQUEZ will be the club's sporting director next season. Vázquez previously served in the same position with La Liga Valencia, where "he was relieved from the same position five months ago." Vázquez will replace ALBERTO MARCOS, who has been Valladolid's sporting director the past three seasons (AS, 4/7).
NEW BOSS AT BT: DELIA BUSHELL "will join BT as managing director of BT TV and Sport" after a short stint as Sky Italia CCO. Prior to that the 41-year-old was at Sky for more than a decade. Her last job was director of broadband and voice, "leading the company’s attack on the telecoms market from 2006 to 2011 and setting the scene for today’s fierce rivalry with BT" (London TELEGRAPH, 4/7). ... German pay-TV channel Sky Deutschland has appointed DANIEL HERLET "as manager of its sports marketing department." Herlet joined Sky in Jan. ’13. He will report directly to Team Leader JAN REIF (DWDL, 4/7). ... EPL side Newcastle have announced the appointment of LEE CHARNLEY as the club's new managing director. Owner MIKE ASHLEY "will formally join the board of directors." Charnley, the current football secretary at St. James' Park, takes up the role which was vacated last summer by DEREK LLAMBIAS. Ashley joins Charnley, who is expected to have a key role in player recruitment, and Finance Dir JOHN IRVING "on the board of directors" (SKY SPORTS, 4/7). ... Premiership Rugby announced the appointment of PAUL SHERRELL as head of partnerships. Sherrell is the former commercial director at Saracens and director at sponsorship & events agency RT Marketing. Premiership Rugby Commercial Dir DOMINIC HAYES said, "He will primarily be overseeing the management of current partners and the acquisition of new partners not just for Aviva Premiership but for the Premiership Rugby 7s and the World Club 7s" (Premiership Rugby). ... Int'l Canoeing Federation JOSÉ PERURENA has been voted president of the Int'l World Games Association "following a vote at the general annual meeting." Perurena was voted to IWGA president ahead of Int'l Lifesaving Federation Secretary General HARALD VERVAECKE, from Belgium (INSIDE THE GAMES, 4/7). ... 2014 Sochi Olympics President DMITRY CHERNYSHENKO said Monday that "he had landed a job as an advisor" for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. Chernyshenko will advise the IOC's coordinating commission for the Games, but he said that "he had no plans to work in sports long-term" (R-SPORT, 4/7). ... Serie A side Cagliari has confirmed that former coach IVO PULGA "has returned to lead the side until the end of the season." Pulga coached Cagliari during the '12-13 season before he and assistant DIEGO LOPEZ "swapped roles last July" (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 4/7).
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