1.
Rugby sevens
–
Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves. Rugby sevens is administered by World Rugby, the responsible for Rugby Union worldwide. The game is popular at all levels, with amateur and club tournaments generally held in the summer months. Sevens is one of the most well distributed forms of rugby, and is popular in parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, Rugby sevens is commonly referred to by rugby union media and fans as simply sevens. Rugby sevens originated in Melrose, Scotland in the 1880s, the Melrose Sevens tournament is played annually. The main competition for rugby sevens is the World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby sevens is also played at some quadrennial events. The main quadrennial events are the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Summer Olympics, Rugby sevens is now recognised as an Olympic sport and made its debut in the 2016 Summer Olympics. This followed a vote by the International Olympic Committee in 2009 to include the sport, Rugby sevens is also played at regional events, such as the Commonwealth Games and the Pan American Games. Rugby sevens is sanctioned by World Rugby, and is played under similar laws, while a regular rugby union match lasts at least 80 minutes, a normal sevens match consists of two halves of seven minutes with a two-minute half-time break. The final of a competition can be played two halves of ten minutes each. Sevens scores are comparable to regular rugby scores, but scoring occurs much more frequently in sevens. The scoring system is the same as regular rugby union, namely five points for a try, the shorter match length allows rugby sevens tournaments to be completed in a day or a weekend. Many sevens tournaments have a competition for a cup, a plate, a bowl, Sevens tournaments are traditionally known for having more of a relaxed atmosphere than fifteen-a-side games, and are often known as festivals. Sevens tournaments gained their popularity as an end of season diversion from the dourer and sterner stuff that provides the bulk of a normal seasons watching, fans frequently attend in fancy dress, and entertainment is put on for them. Sevens is played on a rugby union playing field as defined in the World Rugby handbook. The field measures up to 100 metres long and 70 metres wide, on each goal line are H-shaped goal posts. Teams are composed of three forwards and four backs, scrums are composed of three players from each team. Because of the nature of the game, sevens players are often backs or loose forwards in fifteens rugby
Rugby sevens
–
Kenya scores a try against
Tonga during the
2006 Commonwealth Games
Rugby sevens
–
March Past of
Hong Kong Sevens 2008
Rugby sevens
–
A sevens
scrum
Rugby sevens
–
Nestling beneath the shadow of the
Eildon Hills, the Greenyards at Melrose in Scotland is the original home of rugby sevens
2.
NBC
–
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcast television network that is the flagship property of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The network is part of the Big Three television networks, founded in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America, NBC is the oldest major broadcast network in the United States. Following the acquisition by GE, Bob Wright served as executive officer of NBC, remaining in that position until his retirement in 2007. In 2003, French media company Vivendi merged its entertainment assets with GE, Comcast purchased a controlling interest in the company in 2011, and acquired General Electrics remaining stake in 2013. Following the Comcast merger, Zucker left NBC Universal and was replaced as CEO by Comcast executive Steve Burke, during a period of early broadcast business consolidation, radio manufacturer Radio Corporation of America acquired New York City radio station WEAF from American Telephone & Telegraph. Westinghouse, a shareholder in RCA, had an outlet in Newark, New Jersey pioneer station WJZ. This station was transferred from Westinghouse to RCA in 1923, WEAF acted as a laboratory for AT&Ts manufacturing and supply outlet Western Electric, whose products included transmitters and antennas. The Bell System, AT&Ts telephone utility, was developing technologies to transmit voice- and music-grade audio over short and long distances, the 1922 creation of WEAF offered a research-and-development center for those activities. WEAF maintained a schedule of radio programs, including some of the first commercially sponsored programs. In an early example of chain or networking broadcasting, the station linked with Outlet Company-owned WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, AT&T refused outside companies access to its high-quality phone lines. The early effort fared poorly, since the telegraph lines were susceptible to atmospheric. In 1925, AT&T decided that WEAF and its network were incompatible with the companys primary goal of providing a telephone service. AT&T offered to sell the station to RCA in a deal that included the right to lease AT&Ts phone lines for network transmission, the divisions ownership was split among RCA, its founding corporate parent General Electric and Westinghouse. NBC officially started broadcasting on November 15,1926, WEAF and WJZ, the flagships of the two earlier networks, were operated side-by-side for about a year as part of the new NBC. On April 5,1927, NBC expanded to the West Coast with the launch of the NBC Orange Network and this was followed by the debut of the NBC Gold Network, also known as the Pacific Gold Network, on October 18,1931. The Orange Network carried Red Network programming, and the Gold Network carried programming from the Blue Network, initially, the Orange Network recreated Eastern Red Network programming for West Coast stations at KPO in San Francisco. The Orange Network name was removed from use in 1936, at the same time, the Gold Network became part of the Blue Network. In the 1930s, NBC also developed a network for shortwave radio stations, in 1927, NBC moved its operations to 711 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, occupying the upper floors of a building designed by architect Floyd Brown
NBC
–
The
Comcast Building in
New York City (or the GE Building, originally the
RCA Building) serves as the headquarters of NBC.
NBC
–
National Broadcasting Company
NBC
–
Radio City West was located at
Sunset Boulevard and
Vine Street in Los Angeles until it was replaced by a bank in the mid-1960s.
NBC
–
Entrance at the GE Building.
3.
NBC Sports Network
–
NBCSN is an American digital cable and satellite television channel that is owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal. It originally launched on July 1,1995, as the Outdoor Life Network, which was dedicated to programming primarily involving fishing, hunting, outdoor adventure programs, Comcast, the original owner of Versus, acquired a majority stake in NBC Universal in 2011. As a result, Comcast merged the operations of its channels with those of NBC. In particular, it aligned the operation of its sports channels with NBCs sports division, on January 2,2012, Versus was rebranded as the NBC Sports Network to reflect these changes. As of September 15,2014, the entirety of NBC Sports operations, including NBCSN, is based out of facilities in Stamford, as of February 2015, NBCSN is available to approximately 81,578,000 pay television households in the United States. The channel originally launched as the Outdoor Life Network on July 1,1995 and its programming consisted of hunting, fishing, and outdoor adventure shows. In its early days, the channel reached one million homes and found most of its carriage via the then-infant platforms of direct broadcast satellite services. In 1999, OLN acquired the U. S. broadcast rights to the Tour de France for US$3 million, coverage of the Tour on OLN brought substantially greater viewership to the then fledgling channel, due in part to the then-growing popularity of American rider Lance Armstrong. Some critics had jokingly referred to OLN as the Only Lance Network due to its overemphasis on the American rider, following the 2005 Tour, OLN debuted a new lineup of programming – anchored by repeats of the popular reality television series Survivor. Around the same period, OLN also acquired the rights to the Dakar Rally, Americas Cup, the Boston Marathon, and the Iditarod. OLN planned to cover these events in a similar style to how it covered the Tour. Due in part to Lances absence from the Tour in 2006, Comcast had already been involved in NHL broadcasting, at the time, it owned majority control of the Philadelphia Flyers, and four Comcast SportsNet regional sports networks. In August 2005, ESPN declined to match Comcasts offer, the new deal would include 58 regular season games on Monday and Tuesday nights, coverage of the NHL All-Star Game, conference finals, and the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. With the help of its new NHL package, by June 2006, however, due in part to OLNs lesser carriage in comparison to ESPN, the NHLs ratings that season had suffered in comparison. In 2006, OLN broadcast selected games in the Arena Football Leagues 2006 season, the channel televised a weekly regular-season game for 11 weeks as well as a wild card playoff game. However, the agreement was not renewed and was picked up by ESPN. In April 2006, Comcast announced that it would be renaming Outdoor Life Network to Versus in the fall of 2006, as the network had shifted beyond simply outdoor programming, the name Versus was intended to represent the common element of competition within its lineup. OLNs re-launch as Versus occurred on September 25,2006, among the new programming acquired by Versus was a number of combat sports, beginning with a series of boxing programs promoted by Bob Arums Top Rank group
NBC Sports Network
–
OLN interview with
John Lieswyn after him winning the
Stillwater MN Criterion in 2005
NBC Sports Network
–
NBCSN
NBC Sports Network
–
NBCSN's lead hockey play-by-play announcer Mike "Doc" Emrick
4.
Las Vegas Valley
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The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area located in the southern part of the U. S. state of Nevada. The largest urban agglomeration in the state, it is the heart of the Las Vegas–Paradise-Henderson, the Valley is largely defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a 600 sq mi basin area surrounded by mountains to the north, south, east and west of the metropolitan area. The Valley is home to the three largest incorporated cities in Nevada, Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas, six unincorporated towns governed by the Clark County government are part of the Las Vegas Township and constitute the largest community in the state of Nevada. Since the 1990s the Las Vegas Valley has seen exponential growth, in 2014, a record breaking 41 million visited the Las Vegas area, producing a gross metropolitan product of more than $100 billion. The first reported non-Native American visitor to the Las Vegas Valley was the Mexican scout Rafael Rivera in 1829. Las Vegas was named by Mexicans in the Antonio Armijo party, including Rivera, in the 19th century, areas of the valley contained artesian wells that supported extensive green areas, or meadows, hence the name Las Vegas. The area was settled by Mormon farmers in 1854 and later became the site of a United States Army fort in 1864. Since the 1930s, Las Vegas has generally been identified as a center as well as a resort destination. Nellis Air Force Base is located in the northeast corner of the valley, the ranges that the Nellis pilots use and various other land areas used by various federal agencies, limit growth of the valley in terms of geographic area. Businessman Howard Hughes arrived in the late 1960s and purchased many casino hotels, as well as television, legitimate corporations began to purchase casino hotels as well, and the mob was run out by the federal government over the next several years. The constant stream of tourist dollars from the hotels and casinos was augmented by a new source of money from the establishment of what is now Nellis Air Force Base. The influx of personnel and casino job-hunters helped start a land building boom which is now leveling off. The Las Vegas area remains one of the top entertainment destinations. The valley is contained in the Las Vegas Valley landform and this includes the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson, and the unincorporated towns of Paradise, Spring Valley, Sunrise Manor, Enterprise, Winchester, and Whitney. The valley is located within the larger metropolitan area, as the metropolitan area covers all of Clark County -including parts that do not fall within the valley. The government of Clark County has an Urban Planning Area of Las Vegas and this definition is a roughly rectangular area, about 20 mi from east to west and 30 miles from north to south. Notable exclusions from the Urban Planning Area include Red Rock, Blue Diamond, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is the largest police department in the valley and the state and exercises jurisdiction in the entire county. The department does not exercise jurisdiction in areas with separate police forces such as North Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, Nellis Air Force Base
Las Vegas Valley
–
In order from top, clockwise left to right: 1.The
Las Vegas Strip; 2.
World Market Center Las Vegas; 3.Homes in
The Ridges; 4.
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area; 5.
Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health; 6.
Las Vegas City Hall
Las Vegas Valley
–
Las Vegas Valley viewed in false color, from 438 mi (705 km) by
TERRA satellite. Grass-covered land, such as golf courses, appears in red. The picture bottom is just south of Sunset Road and the airport, the Spring Mountains on the west and Sunrise Mountain on the east.
Las Vegas Valley
–
Las Vegas at night in 2010.
Las Vegas Valley
–
Four-segment panorama of the Cosmopolitan, Bellagio, and Caesars Palace (left to right) from the Las Vegas Strip, across from the Bellagio fountains.
5.
Sam Boyd Stadium
–
Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium in Whitney, Nevada, United States, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas Valley. It honors Sam Boyd, a figure in the hotel. The stadium consists of an uncovered horseshoe-shaped single-decked bowl, with temporary seating occasionally erected in the north end zone. The field has a conventional north-south orientation and is at an elevation of 1,600 feet above sea level, the stadium is the home of the UNLV Rebels football team from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the annual Las Vegas Bowl in December. It is also used for high school championship games and at times regular-season high school games for Bishop Gorman High School. The final race of the Monster Energy Supercross series is located here every year, since 2010, it has hosted the USA Sevens leg of the annual World Rugby Sevens Series in the sevens version of rugby union. The stadium was completed 46 years ago on October 23,1971, originally known as Las Vegas Stadium, the name was changed to Las Vegas Silver Bowl in 1978, Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in 1984 and Sam Boyd Stadium in April 1993. The seating capacity was 15,000 from 1971 until 1977, raised to 32,000 in 1978, except from 1999 to 2002, the stadium has had an artificial turf surface. A $1.2 million renovation during the summer of 2015 replaced field turf that hadn’t been changed out in more than a decade and was worn from usage. Additionally, two rows totaling 860 seats were removed from the east and west sidelines to widen the field, with the Oakland Raiders move to Las Vegas a new stadium tentatively called Las Vegas Stadium will be built. The UNLV Rebels will join the Raiders at the new stadium in 2020, the exact future of the stadium remains up in the air, as UNLV officials are considering selling it or turning it into a Raiders practice facility. Since 1992, the stadium has been the site of the annual Las Vegas Bowl, in recent years, the game has been very well attended. In 2005, Brigham Young University made its first postseason appearance since 2001 and excited BYU fans over-filled the stadium, the following season, BYU returned to the Las Vegas Bowl as a nationally-ranked team. Additional seating was arranged at Sam Boyd Stadium for the 2006 game, in 2007, BYU made its third straight appearance and attendance was 40,712. BYU made its fourth straight appearance 2008, ranked #16 in the nation, Arizona won the contest, 31–21,40,047 attended the game which featured David Hasselhoff singing the national anthem. Sam Boyd Stadium was also the site of all three Western Athletic Conference title football games, following the 1976 season of the North American Soccer League, the San Diego Jaws decided to relocate and become the Las Vegas Quicksilvers. Despite a roster featuring international superstar Eusébio, the Quicksilvers could only manage an 11–15 record and they averaged an attendance of 7,092 per game. When the 1977 season ended, the franchise opted to back to San Diego after only one year
Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium
–
Sam Boyd Stadium
6.
Sevens World Series
–
Teams compete for the World Rugby Sevens Series title by accumulating points based on their finishing position in each tournament. New Zealand had originally dominated the Series, winning each of the first six titles from 1999–2000 to 2004–05, as of the 2015–16 season, the seasons circuit consists of 10 tournaments in 10 countries, and visits five of the six populated continents. Australia, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, two previous host countries, Singapore and France, returned to the circuit for the 2015–16 season to replace Japan and Scotland, and a completely new tour stop in Canada was also added. The first international Rugby sevens tournament was held at Scotland, which was celebrating a century of the Scottish Rugby Union, seven international teams took part in the first tournament, which had England taking the trophy. In 1976, the Hong Kong Sevens tournament began, the first season of the World Sevens Series began in 1999. Dubai hosted the first event which was won by New Zealand, New Zealand won the first six seasons and was the favourite for the 2005–06 season. But it wasnt to be, as they didnt make to any of the cup finals that year, the main two teams that were in contention for that year were Fiji and England. Fiji would clinch that season trophy on the last day of the season at London when they defeated Kenya in the finals of the cup tournament. New Zealand would finish fourth before regaining the trophy in 2006–07 season in the last tournament of the season, South Africa was the next team to win the series after taking home the 2008–09 title in London. The 2011–12 season was the last season to have 12 core teams with an expansion to a 15 teams that had core status being played out at Hong Kong and those teams that would join the 12 core teams for the next season would be Canada, Spain and Portugal. Only Spain hasnt made it back after being relegated in the 2014–15 season, the Japan event also made a return for the first time since 2001 but New Zealand kept the dominance by finishing on top. Argentina was originally planned to begin hosting an event in the 2012–13 season, giving the tour an event on each continent. 2012–13 was meant to have another round being added with Mar Del Plata being the venue, but when Argentina join the Rugby Championship the tournament was cancelled which meant that with the same schedule, New Zealand again would be the winners by 41 points over South Africa. They would take it again in 2013–14 with Spain being the first team to be relegated after finishing last during that season with Japan replacing them. Heading into the season, rugby sevens was approved as an Olympic sport with the top four teams qualifying to the 2016 Summer Olympics. Fiji, South Africa, New Zealand and Great Britain all qualifying through, Fiji would reclaim the title that they won the previous season in which,5 different winners including two new first time winners in Kenya and Scotland won a tournament. For a list of hosts, see World Rugby Sevens Series hosts The tour received 1,147 hours of air time in 2005–06,530 of which was live. By 2008–09, the hours of air time had increased to over 3,300, broadcast time increased further in 2009–10, with 3,561 hours of air time carried by 34 broadcasters in 141 countries and 16 languages
Sevens World Series
–
Crowd cheering at the 2009
Hong Kong Sevens.
Sevens World Series
–
World Rugby Sevens Series
7.
Rugby union at the Summer Olympics
–
Rugby union has been a mens medal sport at the modern Summer Olympic Games, being played at four of the first seven competitions. The sport debuted at the 1900 Paris games where the medal was won by the host nation. It was subsequently featured at the London games in 1908, the Antwerp games in 1920 and the Paris games in 1924. The United States is the most successful nation in Olympic rugby tournaments, shortly after the 1924 games, the International Olympic Committee dropped rugby union as an Olympic sport. Since then there have been attempts to bring the sport back to the Olympic programme. In October 2009 the IOC voted at its session in Copenhagen to include the version of the sport in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The event made its debut in an Olympic programme at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics, the sport was introduced by Pierre de Coubertin, who is famous for reviving the modern Olympics. He also helped to establish rugby in France, refereeing the first domestic French club championship in 1892 and Frances first international, on New Year’s Day,1906, Coubertin formed the IOC in 1894, but rugby union was not featured until the II Olympiad. Three National Olympic Committees, France, Germany and Great Britain, the German and British teams were not national teams in the current sense of the word, Moseley Wanderers RFC represented Great Britain and the Frankfurt Club represented Germany. Rules were also different from todays,3 points, not 5, were awarded for tries and 4, also,4 points were awarded for a goal from mark, which would be reduced to 3 points in 1905 and eliminated completely in 1977. Points for penalties and conversions,3 and 2 respectively, were the same as in the modern game, France won the gold, beating Great Britain 27 points to 8 and defeating Germany 27 points to 17. Other sources list the German team as second, because of the points difference,6,000 people watched the game between France and Great Britain, which was the largest crowd at the games. Constantin Henriquez, a player on the French team, is the first known coloured athlete to compete in the Olympic Games. Rugby union was not played at the 1904 games in St. Louis, nor at the 1906 Intercalated Games, but was included in 1908, the Rugby Football Union was involved in the organization of the sport at this edition of the Olympics. Like the 1900 games, three teams entered, Australasia, France, and hosts Great Britain, France pulled out prior to the commencement of the tournament, being unable to field a representative team. Australasia was represented by the Wallabies, who were already on tour in Britain, the choice of Cornwall was controversial, as only three of their players had ever represented England and the Wallabies had defeated them 18 points to five. As expected, Australasia defeated Great Britain, claiming the gold medal, the match at the White City Stadium was played under poor conditions, in fog and on a slippery field. Two of the Australian team members would win another Olympic gold medal
Rugby union at the Summer Olympics
–
A photograph of a rugby game between
France and
Germany at the
1900 Summer Olympics.
Rugby union at the Summer Olympics
–
Rugby union at the Summer Olympics
Rugby union at the Summer Olympics
–
1908 Olympic Gold Final Wallabies v Cornwall.
Rugby union at the Summer Olympics
–
1920 USA Rugby Team.
8.
NBC Sports
–
Other programming from outside producers – such as coverage of the Ironman Triathlon – is also presented on the network through NBC Sports. With Comcasts acquisition of NBCUniversal, its own sports networks were aligned with NBC Sports into a part of the division known as the NBC Sports Group. In 2000, NBC declined to renew its broadcast agreement with Major League Baseball, in 2002, it was additionally outbid by ESPN and ABC for the NBAs new broadcast contract, ending the leagues twelve-year run on NBC. During this era, NBC experimented with broadcasting emerging sports, in 2003, NBC obtained the broadcast rights and a minority interest in the Arena Football League. The network televised weekly games on a basis, as well as the entire playoffs. The deal lasted four years, after which the league and NBC parted ways, beginning with the 1999 Pennzoil 400, NBC began its foray into NASCAR. NBC, along with Fox, FX and TNT, obtained the broadcast rights of the top two series – the Winston Cup and Busch Series – in a deal, beginning in 2001. NBC televised the second half of the season and alternated coverage of the Daytona 500 with Fox, in December 2005, NBC announced that it would not renew its agreement with NASCAR. In 2001, NBC obtained the broadcast rights to horse racings Triple Crown in a five-year deal, in 2004, NBC reached a broadcast agreement with the National Hockey League. The revenue-sharing deal called for the two sides to split advertising revenue after the network recouped the expenses. NBC televised regular season games at first on Saturday afternoons before moving the telecast to Sundays, Saturday and Sunday afternoon playoff games, and up to five games of the Stanley Cup Final. Additionally in 2008, NBC broadcast the first Winter Classic, an outdoor NHL game played on New Years Day at Ralph Wilson Stadium, the following years Winter Classic would become the most-watched regular season game in 34 years. In addition to regular season success, Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final was watched by an average of 8 million viewers. In January 2011, Comcast finalized its acquisition of a majority share in NBC Universal, as a result of the merger, the operations of Comcasts existing sports networks, such as Golf Channel and Versus, were merged into an entity known as the NBC Sports Group. NBC Sports senior vice president Mike McCarley additionally became Golf Channels new head, on July 3,2011, ESPN obtained the exclusive broadcast rights to Wimbledon in a 12-year deal, ending NBCs television relationship with The Championships after 42 years. On August 10,2011, NBC Sports also announced a new three-year broadcasting contract with Major League Soccer to produce games for the 2012 season on NBC and the NBC Sports Network. S. On October 15,2012, NBC Sports announced that it had acquired broadcast rights to the Formula One World Championship in a deal with the series. The majority of its coverage would air on NBCSN, while NBC would air the Monaco Grand Prix, Canadian Grand Prix, all races will also be streamed online and through the NBC Sports Live Extra mobile app
NBC Sports
–
Bob Costas, NBC Sports' primary studio and Olympics host
NBC Sports
–
NBC Sports
NBC Sports
–
NBC Sunday Night Football play-by-play announcer
Al Michaels
NBC Sports
–
NHL on NBC lead play-by-play announcer
Mike "Doc" Emrick
9.
Universal Sports
–
Universal Sports Network was an American sports-oriented digital cable and satellite television network. It was owned as a joint venture between InterMedia Partners and NBCUniversal, the channel was launched in 2006 as World Championship Sports Network, it was co-founded by Claude Ruibal and Tom Hipkins, with the help of Carlos Silva. One of the first events broadcast by WCSN was coverage of the United States Track, in 2007, InterMedia Partners gained a majority ownership interest in the network. By March 2008, WCSN began to be carried on broadcast television, by November 2008, all 10 of NBCs owned-and-operated stations had begun carrying the network on one of their digital subchannels. If a station failed to obtain cable carriage, the network had the right to move its affiliation to another station in that market that would be able to gain cable carriage, the network was being shopped to NBC-affiliated stations until December 1. The channel shut down at 6AM on that day, with the documentary 5 Peaks in a Day from Switzerland being the networks last program, on June 15,2011, DirecTV added Universal Sports as a national basic channel. On January 1,2012, Universal Sports was dropped by most cable providers as a result of a battle to get them to offer the service as a premium channel. The channel provided coverage of events that generally receive attention every few years. Through television carriage and internet streaming, viewers were provided a look at how Olympic athletes compete between the games. Universal Sports promoted itself as the network, and extended its coverage through blogs
Universal Sports
–
Universal Sports Network
10.
International Olympic Committee
–
The International Olympic Committee is the supreme authority of the worldwide Olympic movement. It is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Lausanne and its mission is enshrined in the Olympic Charter, to support the development of competitive sport by ethical and environmentally sustainable means. The IOC was created by Pierre de Coubertin, on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president, today its membership consists of 100 active members,32 honorary members, and 1 honour member. The IOC is the authority of the worldwide modern Olympic movement. The IOC organises the modern Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, held in summer and winter, the first Summer Olympics organised by the IOC was held in Athens, Greece, in 1896, the first Winter Olympics was in Chamonix, France, in 1924. Until 1992, both Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same year, the first Summer Youth Olympics were in Singapore in 2010 and the first Winter Youth Olympics were held in Innsbruck in 2012. In 2009, the UN General Assembly granted the IOC Permanent Observer status and this decision enables the IOC to be directly involved in the UN Agenda and to attend UN General Assembly meetings where it can take the floor. This has provided the possibility to promote sport at a new level, during each proclamation at the Olympics, announcers speak in different languages, French is always spoken first followed by an English translation and the dominant language of the host nation. The stated mission of the International Olympic Committee is to promote Olympic throughout the world and it is the IOC’s supreme organ and its decisions are final. Extraordinary Sessions may be convened by the President or upon the written request of at least one third of the members, among others, the powers of the Session are, To adopt or amend the Olympic Charter. To elect the members of the IOC, the Honorary President, to elect the President, the Vice-Presidents and all other members of the IOC Executive Board. To elect the host city of the Olympic Games, the Olympic Laurel is awarded to individuals for promoting education, culture, development, and peace through sport. For most of its existence, the IOC was controlled by members who were selected by other members, countries that had hosted the Games were allowed two members. When named, they did not become the representatives of their countries to the IOC. The membership of IOC members ceases in the circumstances, Resignation. Non re-election, any IOC member ceases to be a member without further formality if they are not re-elected, age limit, any IOC member ceases to be a member at the end of the calendar year during which they reach the age of 80. Failure to attend Sessions or take part in IOC work for two consecutive years. Transfer of domicile or of main center of interests to an other than the country which was theirs at the time of their election
International Olympic Committee
–
The headquarters of the International Olympic Committee in
Lausanne,
Switzerland.
International Olympic Committee
–
The first IOC, at the
1896 Athens Games
International Olympic Committee
–
1985
German Democratic Republic stamp
11.
HSBC
–
HSBC Holdings PLC is a British multinational banking and financial services holding company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth largest bank by total assets and the largest in Europe with total assets of US$2.374 trillion. It was established in its present form in London in 1991 by The Hongkong, the origins of the bank lie mainly in Hong Kong and to a lesser extent in Shanghai, where branches were first opened in 1865. The HSBC name is derived from the initials of the Hongkong, the company was first formally incorporated in 1866. The company continues to see both the United Kingdom and Hong Kong as its home markets, HSBC has around 4,000 offices in 70 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe, North America and South America, and around 37 million customers. As of 2014, it was the worlds sixth-largest public company, HSBC is organised within four business groups, Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, and Global Private Banking. HSBC has a primary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the Hang Seng Index. As of 6 July 2012 it had a capitalisation of £102.7 billion. It has secondary listings on the New York Stock Exchange, Euronext Paris, in February 2015 the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released information about the business conduct of HSBC under the title Swiss Leaks. The ICIJ alleges that the bank profited from doing business with tax evaders, in 2016, HSBC was sued by Mexican families involved in deaths by organised-crime gangs for processing funds for the Sinaloa Cartel. It was formally incorporated as The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation by an Ordinance of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on 14 August 1866, in 1980, HSBC acquired a 51% shareholding in US-based Marine Midland Bank, which it extended to full ownership in 1987. HSBC Holdings acquisition of Midland Bank was completed in 1992 and gave HSBC a substantial presence in the United Kingdom. As part of the conditions for the acquisition, HSBC Holdings plc was required to relocate its world headquarters from Hong Kong to London in 1993. In May 1999, HSBC expanded its presence in the United States with the purchase of Republic National Bank of New York for $10. 3bn. Expansion into Continental Europe took place in April 2000 with the acquisition of Crédit Commercial de France, in July 2001 HSBC bought Demirbank, an insolvent Turkish bank. In July 2002, Arthur Andersen announced that HSBC USA, Inc. through a new subsidiary, Wealth, the new HSBC Private Client Services Group would serve the wealth and tax advisory needs of high-net-worth individuals. Then in August 2002 HSBC acquired Grupo Financiero Bital, SA de CV, in November 2002, HSBC expanded further in the United States. Under the chairmanship of Sir John Bond, it spent £9 billion to acquire Household Finance Corporation, in a 2003 cover story, The Banker noted when banking historians look back, they may conclude that was the deal of the first decade of the 21st century
HSBC
–
The
HSBC Main Building in 1901 in Hong Kong, the headquarters of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation from 1886 to 1933 for its Hong Kong operation.
HSBC
HSBC
–
The
HSBC Building in 2005 in Shanghai, the headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation from 1923 to 1955 for its Shanghai operation.
HSBC
–
The
HSBC Main Building in Hong Kong, which was designed by
Norman Foster and completed in 1985
12.
StubHub Center
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The StubHub Center, formerly the Home Depot Center, is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. It is located approximately 10 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles and its title sponsor is online ticket marketplace StubHub, replacing hardware retailer The Home Depot. The $150 million complex was developed and is operated by the Anschutz Entertainment Group, with a set capacity of 27,000, it is the second-largest soccer-specific stadium in Major League Soccer. Its primary tenant is the LA Galaxy, for a decade from its opening the complex was called the Home Depot Center. It was renamed StubHub Center on June 1,2013, the 27,000 seat main stadium was the second American sports arena designed specifically for soccer in the MLS era. When the venue opened in June 2003 as the new home of LA Galaxy, pelé was in attendance at the opening match along with many dignitaries from the soccer world and other celebrities. Soccer stadium building costs within the $150 million complex were around $87 million. Aside from being home to the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer, the stadium hosted the 2003 MLS All-Star Game and the MLS Cup in 2003,2004,2008,2011,2012 and 2014. StubHub Center was also the site of the 2003 FIFA Womens World Cup final, both the United States womens and mens national soccer teams often use the facility for training camps and select home matches. It also hosted the 2004 NCAA Mens College Cup, with Duke, Indiana, Maryland, the track and field stadium on the site is also home to the LA Galaxy II of the United Soccer League, farm club to the parent Galaxy. On July 30,2016, it hosted a 2016 International Champions Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Leicester City, Paris Saint-Germain won the match 4–0 to complete a perfect record in the ICC. The stadium hosted the first three editions of the USA Sevens, an international rugby competition that is part of the IRB Sevens World Series. The stadium has hosted all United States national team matches for the Pacific Nations Cup since 2013. It also was the location for the State Championship Bowl Games for high school football in the state of California from 2006 to 2014, the Semper Fidelis All America game was held there on January 5,2014, featuring an East vs West high school matchup. The first college game was held at the stadium on January 21,2012 as the AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. The track played host to the 2005 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and it is also the home of the Adidas Running Club, a member of the USA Elite Running Circuit, and the Adidas Track Classic. StubHub Center is also home to Athletes Performance which trains athletes in a variety of sports, the Los Angeles Riptide of Major League Lacrosse played their home games at the track and field stadium. The soccer and tennis stadiums of the Center have also served as the venues for ESPNs Summer X Games
StubHub Center
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StubHub Center
StubHub Center
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A
fireworks display at The StubHub Center.
StubHub Center
StubHub Center
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Panoramic view of the then-Home Depot Center during the
MLS Cup 2008
13.
Carson, California
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Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a population of 91,714, located 13 miles south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20,1968, Carson is the youngest municipality in the South Bay region of Metropolitan Los Angeles, according to the United States Census Bureau, Carson has an area of 19.0 square miles. 18.7 square miles of it is land and 0.2 square miles of it is water. Carson is bordered by West Compton on the north, Compton on the northeast, Long Beach on the east, Wilmington on the south, and West Carson and Harbor Gateway on the west. Carson experiences a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, similar to that of the Los Angeles Basin with noticeably cooler temperatures during the due to the nearby Pacific Ocean. Rainfall is scarce during the summer in Carson but receives enough rainfall throughout the year to avoid Köppens BSh, Carson, like many of the Southern California coastal areas, is subject to a late spring/early summer weather phenomenon called June Gloom. This involves overcast or foggy skies in the morning which yield to sun by early afternoon, the 2010 United States Census reported that Carson had a population of 91,714. The population density was 4,835.2 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Carson was 21,864 White,21,856 African American,518 Native American,23,522 Asian,2,386 Pacific Islander,17,151 from other races, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35,417 persons. The Census reported that 90,411 people lived in households,1,170 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters,3,776 households were made up of individuals and 1,790 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.56, there were 20,726 families, the average family size was 3.90. The median age was 37.6 years, for every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. There were 26,226 housing units at a density of 1,382.6 per square mile, of which 19,529 were owner-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1. 3%, the vacancy rate was 3. 7%. 68,924 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 21,487 people lived in housing units. As of the census of 2000, there were 89,730 people,24,648 households, the population density was 4,762.2 inhabitants per square mile
Carson, California
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Carson CA
Carson, California
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Current Carson Circuit Bus
Carson, California
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Birds perched on a tree in Carson, California
Carson, California
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California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) campus
14.
USA Rugby
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USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. USA Rugby states its role as the governing body charged with achieving and maintaining high levels of quality in all aspects of rugby. USA Rugby is responsible for the promotion and development of the sport in the U. S. USA Rugby is a member of World Rugby and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. USA Rugby has over 115,000 members, the largest segment being college rugby with over 32,000 members, USA Rugby oversees 1,200 high school teams,900 college teams,700 senior club teams, and 400 youth teams. USA Rugby administers all United States national teams, senior mens and womens teams, the organization also sponsors college rugby for both sexes, although since the 2010–11 academic year the NCAA has designated womens rugby an emerging varsity sport. The headquarters for USA Rugby is located in Boulder, Colorado, Rugby International Marketing, a subsidiary of USA Rugby, operates TheRugbyChannel. TV, an over-the-top streaming service. In the 2009–10 Sevens World Series, the sevens team finished the season ranked 10th in the world. In 2010, USA Rugby became an Olympic Sport member of the United States Olympic Committee. In 2011, the International Rugby Board, now known as World Rugby, in 2014, the U. S. vs New Zealand match sold out Soldier Field in Chicago, drawing over 60,000 fans and setting a U. S. attendance record. In 2015, USA Rugby won the bid to host the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA Rugby is governed by its Board of Directors and its Congress. The Board is composed of 9 members,6 independent directors,2 international athletes, Nigel Melville, former England captain, has been CEO and President of Operations of USA Rugby since October 11,2006. John Mitchell has been the Head Coach of the national team since January 2016. Mike Friday is the coach of the mens national sevens team. Peter Steinberg is the Womens Eagles Head Coach, and Ric Suggit is the coach of the Womens Sevens team. USA Rugby became a member of the International Rugby Football Board in 1987, the worldwide body would become the International Rugby Board in 1998 and World Rugby in 2014. USA Rugby does not hold a vote on WRs 28 member Executive Council—the majority of votes are held by the 8 founding nations—although NACRA members collectively hold one vote on the Executive Council. In December 2011, for the first time, USA Rugby placed a representative on the 10-man Executive Committee, Bob Latham, in his role as chair of Rugby Americas North, represents RAN on the Executive Committee. USA Rugby is a member of RAN, one of the six regional unions that comprise World Rugby, with over 80,000 registered rugby players, USA Rugby is the largest rugby member in RAN
USA Rugby
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USA Rugby
15.
Petco Park
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Petco Park is a baseball park located in the downtown area of San Diego, California, United States, that is home to the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. The park opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium, which the Padres shared with the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League, Petco Park is named after the San Diego-based pet supplies retailer Petco, which paid for the naming rights until 2026. In addition to baseball, the park is used as venue for concerts, soccer, golf. The ballpark is located between 7th and 10th Avenues, south of J Street, the southern side of the stadium is bounded by San Diego Trolley light rail tracks along the north side of Harbor Drive. The portion of K Street between 7th and 10th is now closed to automobiles and serves as a promenade along the back of the left. Two of the stadiums outfield entrance areas are located at K Streets intersections with 7th and 10th Avenues, the main entrance, behind home plate, is at the south end of Park Boulevard and faces the San Diego Trolley station 12th & Imperial Transit Center. The ballpark was constructed by San Diego Ballpark Builders, a partnership with Clark Construction, Nielsen Dillingham and Douglas E. Barnhart, the construction cost of over $450 million was partially funded by the Center City Development Corporation and the San Diego Redevelopment Agency. The stadium was intended to be part of a plan to revitalize San Diegos aging downtown. The very first ball park home plate was placed by a boy at the time, Marlon Cook who volunteered through his Boys. The ballpark was scheduled to open for the 2002 season, however. One portion of this was a decision which nullified a ballot proposition which had already been passed. Another delay resulted from the Western Metal Supply Co. building having been declared a landmark in 1978. The resulting delays required the Padres to play the 2002 and 2003 seasons at Jack Murphy/Qualcomm Stadium, the first baseball game ever played at Petco Park, on March 11,2004, was the first game of a four-team NCAA invitational tournament hosted by San Diego State University. The San Diego State Aztecs baseball team, of which retired Padres player Tony Gwynn was the head coach and it was the largest attendance for a game in college baseball history. Lance Zawadzki recorded the first hit, when he hit a double, on April 8,2004, there was lighthearted pushing and shoving before the gates opened around 4 p. m. as numerous Padres faithful tried to be the first to enter Petco Park. But Brent Walker,17, had a distinction all to himself, im very proud to be the first fan to come in, said Walker, who was wearing a San Francisco Giants jersey. The San Diego Padres played their first regular game and defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-3 in 10 innings. On April 15,2004 Mark Loretta hit the first Padre home run off of Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers and it was caught by Mike Hill, a bartender at the Kansas City Barbecue
Petco Park
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Petco Park
Petco Park
Petco Park
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Petco Park under construction in 2001.
Petco Park
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Photo taken at the 22-inning game.
16.
San Diego
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San Diego is a major city in California, United States. It is in San Diego County, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, approximately 120 miles south of Los Angeles and immediately adjacent to the border with Mexico. With an estimated population of 1,394,928 as of July 1,2015, San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest in California. It is part of the San Diego–Tijuana conurbation, the second-largest transborder agglomeration between the US and a country after Detroit–Windsor, with a population of 4,922,723 people. San Diego has been called the birthplace of California, historically home to the Kumeyaay people, San Diego was the first site visited by Europeans on what is now the West Coast of the United States. Upon landing in San Diego Bay in 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed the area for Spain, the Presidio and Mission San Diego de Alcalá, founded in 1769, formed the first European settlement in what is now California. In 1821, San Diego became part of the newly independent Mexico, in 1850, California became part of the United States following the Mexican–American War and the admission of California to the union. The city is the seat of San Diego County and is the center of the region as well as the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. San Diegos main economic engines are military and defense-related activities, tourism, international trade, the presence of the University of California, San Diego, with the affiliated UCSD Medical Center, has helped make the area a center of research in biotechnology. The original inhabitants of the region are now known as the San Dieguito, the area of San Diego has been inhabited by the Kumeyaay people. The first European to visit the region was Portuguese-born explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailing under the flag of Castile, sailing his flagship San Salvador from Navidad, New Spain, Cabrillo claimed the bay for the Spanish Empire in 1542, and named the site San Miguel. In November 1602, Sebastián Vizcaíno was sent to map the California coast, in May 1769, Gaspar de Portolà established the Fort Presidio of San Diego on a hill near the San Diego River. It was the first settlement by Europeans in what is now the state of California, in July of the same year, Mission San Diego de Alcalá was founded by Franciscan friars under Junípero Serra. By 1797, the mission boasted the largest native population in Alta California, with over 1,400 neophytes living in, Mission San Diego was the southern anchor in California of the historic mission trail El Camino Real. Both the Presidio and the Mission are National Historic Landmarks, in 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain, and San Diego became part of the Mexican territory of Alta California. In 1822, Mexico began attempting to extend its authority over the territory of Alta California. The fort on Presidio Hill was gradually abandoned, while the town of San Diego grew up on the land below Presidio Hill. The Mission was secularized by the Mexican government in 1833, the 432 residents of the town petitioned the governor to form a pueblo, and Juan María Osuna was elected the first alcalde, defeating Pío Pico in the vote
San Diego
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Images from top, left to right: San Diego Skyline,
Coronado Bridge, museum in
Balboa Park, Serra Museum in
Presidio Park and the
Old Point Loma lighthouse
San Diego
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Kumeyaay people lived in San Diego before Europeans settled there.
San Diego
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Namesake of the city,
Didacus of Alcalá: Saint Didacus in Ecstasy Before the Cross by Murillo (Musée des Augustins)
San Diego
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Mission San Diego de Alcalá
17.
Los Angeles metropolitan area
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It is entirely located in the southern portion of the U. S. State of California. Its land area is 4,850 sq. mi, the combined Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to 18.2 million people, making it the most populous metropolitan area in the western United States and the largest in area in the United States. The metro area has at its core the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim corridor and this includes the three additional counties of Ventura, Riverside, and San Bernardino. The total land area of the statistical area is 33,955 sq. mi. The counties and county groupings comprising the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area are listed below with 2012 U. S. Bureau of the Census estimates of their populations, the combined statistical area is a multicore metropolitan region containing several urban areas. The following is a list of cities with populations over 50,000 in the Los Angeles metropolitan area with 2011 United States Census Bureau estimates of their population, korean Airs US passenger and cargo operations headquarters are located in two separate offices in Los Angeles. Entertainment and media giant The Walt Disney Company is headquartered in nearby Burbank, the Southland CSA is third largest economic center in the world, after the Greater Tokyo Area and the New York-Newark-Bridgeport CSA. The Port of Los Angeles occupies 7,500 acres of land, the Port is the busiest port in the United States by container volume, the 8th busiest container port in the world. The top trading partners in 2004 were, China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and it adjoins the separate Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a gateway for U. S. -Asian trade. The seaport boasts approximately $100 billion in trade and provides more than 316,000 jobs in Southern California, the Port of Long Beach import and export more than $100 billion worth of goods every year. The seaport provides the country with jobs, generates tax revenue, Long Beach-Los Angeles- Anaheim The Long Beach Los Angeles Anaheim metropolitan statistical area is located in the southern part of California. In 2014, the metro area’s population reached 13,262,220, in 2014, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim had a per capita personal income of $50,751 and ranked 29th in the country. In 2014, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim placed 3rd among the largest exporters in the United States, the metro accounted for 40.8 percent of California’s merchandise exports, mainly exporting computer and electronic products, transportation equipment and chemicals. Overall, in 2014 the average wages and salaries reached $57,519, meanwhile, the median household income in 2014 was $56,935, a 1.4 percent increase from 2013. Top three sectors include information, art, entertainment, and recreation, and real estate and rental, data obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data measures Location Quotient for sectors in the MSA area, per capita items in dollars, other dollar items in thousands of dollars. Southern Orange County is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, there are three natural gas providers in the metropolitan area
Los Angeles metropolitan area
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Los Angeles metropolitan area
Los Angeles metropolitan area
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Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
Los Angeles metropolitan area
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Metropolitan Los Angeles as viewed from the
Getty Center. Skyline of
Downtown Los Angeles in the background,
Century City and
Westwood in the foreground.
Los Angeles metropolitan area
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View of downtown Long Beach.
18.
California
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California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. Located on the western coast of the U. S, California is bordered by the other U. S. states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California. Los Angeles is Californias most populous city, and the second largest after New York City. The Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nations second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, California also has the nations most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The Central Valley, an agricultural area, dominates the states center. What is now California was first settled by various Native American tribes before being explored by a number of European expeditions during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish Empire then claimed it as part of Alta California in their New Spain colony. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821 following its war for independence. The western portion of Alta California then was organized as the State of California, the California Gold Rush starting in 1848 led to dramatic social and demographic changes, with large-scale emigration from the east and abroad with an accompanying economic boom. If it were a country, California would be the 6th largest economy in the world, fifty-eight percent of the states economy is centered on finance, government, real estate services, technology, and professional, scientific and technical business services. Although it accounts for only 1.5 percent of the states economy, the story of Calafia is recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián, written as a sequel to Amadis de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Calafia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts. This conventional wisdom that California was an island, with maps drawn to reflect this belief, shortened forms of the states name include CA, Cal. Calif. and US-CA. Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, various estimates of the native population range from 100,000 to 300,000. The Indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct groups of Native Americans, ranging from large, settled populations living on the coast to groups in the interior. California groups also were diverse in their organization with bands, tribes, villages. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups, the first European effort to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River was a Spanish sailing expedition, led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in 1542. Some 37 years later English explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed a portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila galleons on their trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565
California
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A forest of redwood trees in
Redwood National Park
California
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Flag
California
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Mount Shasta
California
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Aerial view of the
California Central Valley
19.
Nevada
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Nevada is a state in the Western, Mountain West, and Southwestern regions of the United States of America. Nevada is the 7th most extensive, the 34th most populous, nearly three-quarters of Nevadas people live in Clark County, which contains the Las Vegas–Paradise metropolitan area where three of the states four largest incorporated cities are located. Nevada is officially known as the Silver State because of the importance of silver to its history and economy. It is also known as the Battle Born State, because it achieved statehood during the Civil War, as the Sage-brush State, for the plant of the same name. Nevada borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, Nevada is largely desert and semi-arid, much of it located within the Great Basin. Areas south of the Great Basin are located within the Mojave Desert, while Lake Tahoe, about 86% of the states land is managed by various jurisdictions of the U. S. federal government, both civilian and military. Before European contact, Native Americans of the Paiute, Shoshone, the first Europeans to explore the region were Spanish. They called the region Nevada because of the snow covered the mountains in winter. The area formed part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, the United States annexed the area in 1848 after its victory in the Mexican–American War, and it was incorporated as part of Utah Territory in 1850. The discovery of silver at the Comstock Lode in 1859 led to a boom that became an impetus to the creation of Nevada Territory out of western Utah Territory in 1861. Nevada became the 36th state on October 31,1864, as the second of two added to the Union during the Civil War. Nevada has a reputation for its libertarian laws, in 1940, with a population of just over 110,000 people, Nevada was by far the least-populated state, with less than half the population of the next least-populated state. However, legalized gambling and lenient marriage and divorce laws transformed Nevada into a major tourist destination in the 20th century, Nevada is the only U. S. state where prostitution is legal, though it is illegal in Clark County, Washoe County and Carson City. The tourism industry remains Nevadas largest employer, with mining continuing as a sector of the economy. The name Nevada comes from the Spanish nevada, meaning snow-covered, most Nevadans pronounce the second syllable of their state name using the vowel of trap. Many from outside the Western United States pronounce it with the vowel of father, although the latter pronunciation is closer to the Spanish pronunciation, it is not the pronunciation preferred by most Nevadans. State Assemblyman Harry Mortenson proposed a bill to recognize the alternate pronunciation of Nevada, though the bill was not supported by most legislators, the Nevadan pronunciation is the de facto official one, since it is the one used by the state legislature. Nevada is almost entirely within the Basin and Range Province, and is broken up by many mountain ranges
Nevada
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The quartzite of the Prospect Mountain Formation on top of Jeff Davis Peak in
Great Basin National Park
Nevada
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Flag
Nevada
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Mountains west of Las Vegas in the
Mojave Desert
Nevada
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Vegetation at Timber Creek in the
Schell Creek Range
20.
David Strettle
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David Strettle, is an English rugby union player who plays on the wing for Clermont and England. Strettle grew up in Thelwall, Cheshire, attending Lymm High School, Strettle then went on to study at Sheffield Hallam University. In the summer of 2006, Strettle joined the Harlequins from Rotherham, as a teenager, he was a talented footballer, appearing on the books of Liverpool FC, Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra. He was also a rugby league fan. Strettle scored a hat trick on his Rotherham debut against Rugby Lions and he was Rotherhams top try-scorer in National One in the 2004–05 season scoring 18 tries in 22 appearances. Strettle is known as Ducks at Harlequins after David Duckham, a player to whom Strettle has drawn comparison, and was touted as a future England winger. He recently scored a hat trick in the game against Newcastle Falcons and was included in the England Saxons squad for the games against Italy and Ireland. Strettle was also a regular in the England sevens squad throughout the 2005/06 IRB World Seven Series and he also started in the win over France and the defeat to Wales. On 2 May 2007, Strettle was named as the Professional Rugby Players Association Young Player of the Season and he was also named in the Sky Sports Dream Team for the Guinness Premiership season 2006–07, along with fellow Harlequin and England hopeful Mike Brown. Also in May 2007, Strettle was named in the England Rugby squad to tour South Africa, unfortunately, he came down with food poisoning along with other members of the squad, which prevented him from starting in Englands 58–10 record defeat to South Africa. On 16 August 2007, an article appeared on Harlequins official site. It seems to suggest that Strettle had crossed codes and signed for Harlequins RL, the basis of the story was that he is also a registered Harlequins Rugby League club player, as many players in Harlequins Rugby Union side are. He returned to play for Harlequins after recovering from the injury put him out of the 2007 Rugby World Cup and was called up to the England squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship. He started the game against Wales but was early on following a metatarsal break. It was announced on 25 March 2010 that he will be playing rugby for Saracens from the start of 2010-11 season. Strettle stayed with Saracens for a four seasons, until it was announced he would be playing for the French side Clermont Auvergne. In June 2008, while on tour to New Zealand, Strettle was said to have involved in a rampant night of passion with part-time model Sophie Lewis. Strettle is an aficionado of Football Manager, and sees himself as having the knack for picking up players on the cheap and turning them into the new Rooney or Henry
David Strettle
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David Strettle
21.
Ben Gollings
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Ben Gollings is a rugby union footballer who is currently unattached, having formerly played for England Sevens, and most recently Rugby Lions. Gollings was educated at Castle Court School and Canford School and in 1997 led Canford to success at The National Schools 7s, in 2000, he was selected for England in the Students Rugby World Cup, whilst at Brunel University. Gollings has previously played for Bournemouth, Gloucester, Bath Development U19 side, Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons, Worcester, Doncaster Knights, whilst at Newcastle he was a replacement as they won the 2004 Anglo-Welsh Cup final. Three years earlier in 2001 he was on the side in the same competition when Newcastle beat his old club Harlequins. In 2006, he signed to play in the New Zealand National Provincial Championship for Tasman, from June 2007 Gollings joined Toyota Shokki Rugby and continued to remain a regular part of the England Sevens set-up. On 21 June 2011, it was announced that Gollings contract with the RFU would not be renewed and his accomplishments include several records in the IRB Sevens World Series. Gollings became the first rugby player to score over 2000 points in his career during 2009. Gollings finished his career with over 2,300 points, Gollings joined semi-professional club Rugby Lions as a player and backs coach. Gollings won every game with the Lions in his first season and he was quoted in the Rugby Advertiser as saying Its been a special season and I dont think it has fully sunk in with people how phenomenal it is to win every league game. Most of us wont experience that again, however, due to the financial crisis that hit the club in the summer of 2012, Gollings left the Lions in July, taking up a Sevens coaching role in Sri Lanka. He has since relocated to Seattle to take up a role with Serevi Rugby
Ben Gollings
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Ben Gollings
22.
William Ryder (rugby)
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William Ryder is a Fijian rugby union footballer. Ryder is well known within the rugby community, as he has produced some of the best performances for the Fiji national sevens side. He is well known for his try scoring capability and has one of the top try scorers of the World Sevens Series. He has scored 752 points to-date of which he has scored 82 tries and he was a part of the team that won the bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia for the Rugby Sevens event. He played club rugby in Japan with Toyota Verblitz but he left, on 17 May 2011 it was announced that he had signed for Stade Montois. IRB World 7s Series 2005-06 Fiji kings of the world Ryders Points Fiji team list UR7s. com – for everything 7s
William Ryder (rugby)
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William James Ryder
23.
Chris Wyles
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Chris Wyles is an American-British rugby union player. Until his retirement from rugby in January 2016, Wyles had represented the USA Eagles in three World Cups. He was the USA Eagles Captain in the 2015 World Cup, in the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 season, he was Captain of the USA National Sevens team, a core team in the World Rugby Sevens series. In 2015, he was selected for the USA Olympic team to compete in the Sevens rugby event at the Rio Olympic Games, in 2008, he joined Saracens in the English Premiership. In over 200 appearances, he has helped his club to win 3 Aviva Premiership Champion titles, Wyles is the most-capped fullback of all time for the U. S. national team. Wyles was born in Stamford, Connecticut but lived mostly in Allentown and he then attended Haileybury and Imperial Service College in Hertford and went on to study Politics at the University of Nottingham. Wyles’ first professional club was the Championship team, Nottingham RFC and he then played for Northampton Saints, in the 2006/2007 season. It was during this period that he caught the eye of the USA Eagles coaching team and this resulted in his involvement in the IRB Sevens World Series. Wyles joined Saracens in summer of 2008, after performances in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Eddie Jones, who was on the Springboks coaching team, saw Wyles potential, Wyles debuted for Saracens on 24 August 2008 against the Sale Sharks. In the 2009/2010 season he was a starter on the wing, playing in the Saracens team that took on Leicester in the final of the English Premiership. For his performances during the 2009/10 Season, Wyles was nominated for Player of the Season by Brendan Venter, following on from that Season, Wyles became a key figure in the successful 2010/11 Premiership winning side, beating Leicester 22-18 in the Final. In the 2014/15 Season, Wyles scored 12 tries, tying for second highest scorer in the English Premiership. These scores helped Saracens to a second Premiership title by defeating Bath 28-16. The 2015/2016 Season was a major achievement year for Saracens, winning the Premiership Title for a time, overcoming Exeter 28-20 and taking the European Champions Cup. Wyles has now contributed 58 tries for his Club,19 of those scored in European Competition, Wyles first represented the USA National Rugby Sevens team at the 2007 Hong Kong Sevens. From there, he went on to captain the USA team in the IRB Sevens World Series, during his time with the USA National Sevens team, he scored an impressive 54 tries in 13 tournaments. Wyles earned his first XV’s cap at the Churchill Cup in 2007 against England Saxons before going on to play Fullback for the Eagles in the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. His performances in the World Cup led him to be named the American Rugby News ‘Player of the Year’ He continued to be a starter at Fullback for the USA National team after the 2007 World Cup
Chris Wyles
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Chris Wyles
Chris Wyles
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Chris Wyles with the
USA Eagles during the
2010 Churchill Cup vs
Russia
Chris Wyles
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Wyles playing for the Eagles during the 2015 World Cup
24.
Victor Vito (rugby player)
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Victor Vasefanua Junior Vito is a New Zealand rugby player and former All Black who currently plays blindside flanker for French-Based team La Rochelle. He was a star of New Zealand Sevens, and captained the 2006 New Zealand Under 19 Rugby team, also in 2006 Vito was nominated for the IRB Under 19 Player of the Year Award. He is a key member of 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup winning teams, Vito attended the Wellington private school, Scots College, where he played for the 1st XV and was a boarder, as well as part of Uttley House. Vito plays club rugby for the Marist St Pats Club in Wellington, in 2010 he started for the Hurricanes Super 14 team and was named in the All Blacks extended squad for the first tests of the year. During an interview with the ZM FM Morning Crew, Vito described his new position in the All Blacks as a really awesome promotion. Vito was a commentator for Sky Network Television at the 2010 Wellington Sevens. During the tournament he revealed he was a fan of NFL side Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in 2010, he was bestowed the matai title of Leaupepetele in the village of Fasitoouta. It is one of Samoas highest honours, and was bestowed by Leaupepe Tele to the eldest sons of his children, Vito. My grandfather holds the highest title in Fasitoo Uta and hes getting on now and he needed to pass it on to keep the name in the family, Vito explained. His last appearance for the All Blacks was the game against Australia at Twickenham on October 31,2015, Vito announced his move to La Rochelle in France after the final, meaning his 2016 Super Rugby campaign would be his last. In the final of the 2016 Super Rugby final Vito played in his 100th, the Hurricanes won the title, beating the Lions from South Africa
Victor Vito (rugby player)
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Victor Vito
25.
Cecil Afrika
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Cecil Afrika is a South African rugby union player. He attended Hentie Cilliers High School in Virginia and he is currently part of the South African sevens team where he plays at Flyhalf. He was a member of the South African Sevens team that won a medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Afrika represented the South African Schoolboys in 2006 and he was part of the South African under-20 squad in the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship that reached the third place playoffs. Afrika made his debut for the South African sevens team during the Dubai leg of the 2009–10 IRB Sevens World Series. During the Las Vegas leg of the 2009–10 IRB Sevens World Series he was carried off the field on a stretcher after he was injured during the Plate Final match against Fiji, South Africa won 12-7. He was part of the team that took Bronze at the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi. Afrika missed out on the 2011 Wellington Sevens because of a broken jaw he suffered during the South African leg of the IRB Sevens Series. He was the top try and point-scorer for the 2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series, in 2011 he won the IRB International Sevens Player of the Year award. In 2013, he was included in the squad for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens, Afrika was included in a 12-man squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He was named in the starting line-up for their first match in Pool B of the competition against Spain and he started their second match against France, converting three of South Africas tries in a 26–0 victory, and dropped to the bench for their final match against Australia. Despite a 5–12 defeat in this match, South Africa still finished top of Pool B to set up a final rematch against Australia. Afrika was restored to the lineup for this match and converted one of South Africas tries in a 22–5 victory. He started South Africas semi-final match against Great Britain but could not prevent them losing 5–7 to be eliminated from medal contention. He also started their third-place play-off, scoring two tries and kicking five conversions in his sides 54–14 victory over Japan to help South Africa secure a medal in the competition. SA Rugby Player Profile – Cecil Afrika
Cecil Afrika
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Cecil Afrika
26.
Tomasi Cama
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Tomasi Camaneisenirosi is a former Fijian rugby union player. He played for Nabua Rugby Club in Fiji and won 14 caps playing for Fiji making his test debut 10 August 1985 against Australia at Ballymore and he played four tests in the 1987 Rugby World Cup. His final match came against Western Samoa 23 Jun,1990 and he is better known as a rugby sevens player, representing Fiji for over ten years and was part of the sides that went unbeaten 1990-1992 in the Hong Kong Sevens. Sporting a beard, he scored a try in the 1990 final against New Zealand. He is the father of former New Zealand sevens player Junior Tomasi Cama
Tomasi Cama
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Tomasi Cama
2017 USA Sevens
South Africa
Fiji
New Zealand
Samoa
Argentina
England
Australia
United States
Kenya
Canada
France
