MUMBAI: FIFA president Sepp Blatter is set to make his second visit to India next month as the world body looks to develop the largely untapped market which has been realising its potential off late.

Blatter, who had last visted India in 2007, will touchdown on India on 9 March.

"Blatter?s visit shows how much importance FIFA is giving to India," All-India Football Federation (AIFF) vice-president Subrata Dutta said in a statement. "The world body?s support in building the right kind of infrastructure in the country has been beyond our expectations."

Four football academies supported by FIFA are being built in Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi, Dutta said.

According to Dutta, the AIFF?s plans to bid for U-17 World Cup in 2017 will be a real changer if all goes through as per plans.

"If India becomes the host nation, we will get a direct entry into the tournament," said Dutta. "It will encourage more kids to play football and take it up as a career option. It will also enable us to develop a quality structure for the sport."

MUMBAI: Sporting properties beyond cricket are starting to gain recognition in India. Leagues like the Premier Soccer League (PLS) are coming up, an encouraging sign in terms of viewership of other sports. Even participatory sports like the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon and Cyclothon are attracting corporate money.

These were some points that came out at a session during Fusion 2012, organised by IMC. The topic under debate was whether sports viewership could go beyond just cricket.

Former hockey player Negi noted that hockey touched the sentiments of the people. If it went down, then it was the fault of the administrators. However, the World Series Hockey league is going to change things.

Procam International MD Anil Singh noted that a top down approach is needed for sports to grow. Sports management companies and sports persons should act as promoters after they identify a sport that they feel has scope. The sport has to be packaged well and taken to corporates.

Sport18 CEO Satish Menon PLS said it is important that sports economy be running parallel to the sport. He noted that golf while being niche, has a good following in terms of numbers.

The experts felt that the advent of new media would lead to narrowcasting, allowing different sports to reach its audience.

MUMBAI: World Series Hockey has signed a host of internationals from Canada and South Africa.

The signed players are Clive Terwin, Geowynne Kyle Gamiet, Lungile Tsolekile & Shanyl Balwanth from South Africa; Adam Froese, Antoni Kindler, Iain Smythe, Mark Pearson, Ken Pereira, Richard Hildred & Sukhwinder Singh Gabbar from Canada.

The line up from the African and North American regions includes a current international captain and a set of players who have played close to 800 international matches amongst them.

Ken Pereira, captain of the Canadian hockey team and one of the 7 Canadian players on the WSH roster, said, "World Series Hockey is a huge platform to raise the profile of our sport globally. With the diverse mix of international players in the fray, this is a tournament that is truly global. India is a great place to play, the fans are really passionate about the sport. I have some good memories from playing in the WC and CWG in 2010."

Lungile Tsolekile, a forward and one of the 4 South Africans players in WSH, said, ?It?s a great opportunity to be able to play in a tournament of the stature of WSH. For all of my South African counterparts, it is going to be a fantastic learning experience playing with a host of international stars on the same team. World Series Hockey will see a face-off between the best players from around the world and I am proud to be a part of this esteemed event".

Nimbus Sport deputy general manager Karl Da Costa said, "With the signing of international players from the African and North American regions, World Series Hockey continues to build a pool of diverse global talent. The league will definitely engage fans with different styles of hockey merging to provide spectacular entertainment.?

The WSH will be held from 29 February to 2 April and will involve 200 leading players -- Indian and international -- who will showcase their talent in 59 matches. The 8 venues for the inaugural edition of the league are Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Jalandhar, Mumbai and Pune.

NEW DELHI: Both maestro Bhupen Hazarika and renowned cartoonist Mario de Miranda have been awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously, even as film personalities Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi, and Mira Nair have been honoured with the Padma Bhushan in the Republic Day Honours.

Music director Vanraj Bhatia, filmmaker Priyadarshan, and noted spiritual singer Anup Jalota have been named for Padma Shri in the announcement by the President on the eve of the country?s 63rd Republic Day.

In the field of music, those who have got the Padma Bhushan include Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta for sarod, Dr T V Gopalkrishnan for classical vocal and instrumental music, and M S Gopalakrishnan for violin.

Vijay Dutt Shridhar of Madhya Pradesh has been awarded the Padma Shri for journalism. Professor Ravi Chaturvedi of Delhi has been given the Padma Shri for sports commentary.

The Padma Shri awardees for music include the Gundecha Brothers Ramakant and Umakant for classical vocal singing, Zia Fariduddin Dagar for Dhrupad vocal music, Nameirakpam Ibemni Devi of Manipur for Khongjom Parba music, Shahid Pervez Khan for the sitar, Sakar Khan Manganiar for Rajasthani folk music, and Yamunabai Waikar for the Lavani folk music.

In the field of theatre, those recognised for Padma Shri are Ramchandra Subraya Hegde Chitta of Karnataka for the Yakshgana dance drama, Moti Lal Khemu of Jammu and Kashmir (Playwright), Joy Michael of Delhi, Natesan Muthuswamy of Tamil Nadu, R Nagarathnamma of Karnataka, and playwright Satish Alekar from Mumbai. Cameraperson Sunil Janah of Assam has also been awarded a Padma Shri.