Former French women’s national basketball team captain YANNICK SOUVRÉ has been “named the general director of the French National Volleyball League (LNV).” After her basketball career, which included winning the 2001 European Championships, Souvré “worked for FIBA Europe.” Souvré succeeds ISABELLE COLETTE, who is “now the adjunct general director of the National Basketball League (LNB)” (L’ÉQUIPE, 9/2). ... Discovery Communications appoined RALPH RIVERA to the new position of managing director, Eurosport Digital. He will begin the role on Sept. 26, based in London, and will report to Discovery Communications Int'l Development & Digital Exec VP MICHAEL LANG. Rivera will work closely with Eurosport CEO PETER HUTTON (Discovery Communications). ... Communications exec CHRIS BELLITTI has left Fox Sports to head up WWE’s global PR and strategic communications planning. Bellitti started on Tuesday as WWE SVP of communications and will be based in Stamford, Conn. Bellitti's final day with Fox was last week. He becomes the fifth senior Fox Sports exec to leave the communications department since April. LOU D'ERMILIO, DAN BELL and ILEANA PENA took voluntary company-offered buyouts in May, while EMILY PARKER left for a job with the NFL Cincinnati Bengals in April (John Ourand, SportsBusiness Journal).
COACHES/MANAGERS: Belgian First Division A side Standard Liège replaced head coach YANNICK FERRARA with ALEKSANDAR JANKOVIC. Jankovic started his coaching career in '00 as assistant coach at Red Star Belgrade, Levski Sofia, Metalurg Donetsk, KSC Lokeren and Lokomotiv Moscow (Standard Liège). ... New Zealand men's rugby sevens coach GORDON TIETJENS has "stepped down after 22 years in charge in the wake" of the team's quarterfinal exit at the Rio Olympics. By far the "most successful sevens coach in history," Tietjens took over the program in '94 and guided teams in over 100 int'l tournaments, yielding 12 world series titles and four Commonwealth Games gold medals. Tietjens "bows out with regret over the ill-fated campaign at Rio where his team suffered a number of injuries and were bundled out in the last eight by eventual champions Fiji" (REUTERS, 9/5). ... ROBERTO DE ZERBI has "officially been confirmed" as Serie A side Palermo's new coach, following DAVIDE BALLARDINI’s resignation. The club has played two games this season, "with the most recent being a draw with Inter at San Siro." Ballardini walked away "due to disagreements with the club." No "fewer than six men sat on the Palermo bench last season" (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 9/6). ... Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club appointed PETER MOORES as its new head coach. The former England coach, "who has worked as a consultant at Trent Bridge" since July '15, will take on the newly-created position on a three-year deal from Oct. 1. Moores was the ECB National Academy director for two years "after taking charge of England over two separate spells." He will take over the day-to-day responsibilities for the first-team affairs at Trent Bridge from Cricket Dir MICK NEWELL "in the autumn but the pair will continue to work together" (PA, 9/6).
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