LONDON: Newcastle United have appointed Canadian David Hopkinson as chief executive officer to replace Darren Eales, the Premier League club announced on Thursday.
Eales stepped down for health reasons after announcing last September that he had been diagnosed with a chronic form of blood cancer.
“This club represents something truly special,” Hopkinson said. “It has extraordinary history and heritage, incredibly passionate supporters, and ownership, players and staff who are committed to excellence.
“Having worked with iconic teams across different countries, I understand what it takes to build sustainable success at the highest levels of global sport.
“I greatly admire what has been achieved by the club so far, and I am excited and motivated by what is ahead as we strive to position Newcastle United among the world’s elite clubs.”
Hopkinson has joined Newcastle after serving as President and Chief Operating Officer at Madison Square Garden Sports, where he led the business operations of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers.
Both teams, who play out of Madison Square Garden in New York City, are among the most valuable franchises in the NBA and NHL respectively.
Hopkinson was previously Global Head of Partnerships at Real Madrid, who cemented their place as one of the world’s most valuable football clubs during his tenure.
He also spent over two decades at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. as Chief Commercial Officer, overseeing commercial activities for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and NBA’s Toronto Raptors.
Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan called Hopkinson an “outstanding executive” with a top track record.
“His experience and strategic capabilities will be invaluable as we continue to build on the club’s presence locally and grow it globally on and off the pitch,” he said.
“David’s leadership will be critical as we build upon what we have already achieved since the acquisition toward an exciting future and sustainable success.”
In 2021, a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund became majority owners of Newcastle.
Last season, the club ended a 56-year trophy drought when they beat Liverpool 2-1 in the
League Cup final.
Canadian Hopkinson replaces Eales as Newcastle CEO
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Canadian Hopkinson replaces Eales as Newcastle CEO
- “This club represents something truly special,” Hopkinson said
- Hopkinson has joined Newcastle after serving as President and Chief Operating Officer at Madison Square Garden Sports
Olympic favorite Malinin pulls off stunning GP Final win
- Short program winner Yuma Kagiyama finished second overall on 302.41
- Malinin becomes the first skater to land seven quads in competition and will head to the Milan-Cortina Games in February as clear favorite in his Olympic debut
NAGOYA: Ilia Malinin showed why he is red-hot favorite for Olympic gold by winning the Grand Prix Final with a world-record free skate score after landing an incredible seven quads.
The American “Quad God” lived up to his nickname, coming from third place after a disappointing short program to claim the title in Nagoya with an emphatic 332.29 points.
Short program winner Yuma Kagiyama finished second overall on 302.41, followed by Japanese countryman Shun Sato on 292.08.
Malinin becomes the first skater to land seven quads in competition and will head to the Milan-Cortina Games in February as clear favorite in his Olympic debut.
“It gives me a lot of confidence that I’m able to go out there and get this done,” said the 21-year-old.
“I know that right now I wasn’t at 100 percent, so being able to do this at what energy and what percent I am now gives me a lot of confidence for the future.
“I will take the next few months leading up to the Olympics trying to perfect everything,” he added.
Malinin botched his signature quad axel in his short program when he unleashed it for the first time this season on Thursday.
He nailed the ultra-risky move in style in his free skate and kept the fireworks going for the rest of his routine.
His free skate score of 238.24 was almost 10 points more than his old world record, set in his previous competition at Skate Canada last month.
Malinin said he was “thinking of trying to water it down to play it safe but then I remembered why I came to the Grand Prix Final.”
“I decided that I wanted to go full out and give myself a foundation of what it would look like,” he said.
“I’m really satisfied with my performance and I know that I’m able to get these jumps under pressure.”
Kagiyama, the 2022 Beijing Olympics silver medallist, had a job on his hands to beat Malinin even with his short program lead.
He made mistakes toward the end of his routine and placed fourth in the free skate.
- Chock, Bates win ice dance -
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States won the ice dance title.
The husband-and-wife team claimed the Grand Prix Final title for the third straight year, racking up 220.42 points to finish ahead of France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron on 214.25.
Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson were third on 208.81.
“It feels like a sprint to get to the Grand Prix Final and then all of a sudden you have a month or two before we’ll meet again in Milan,” said Bates.
“It really is the first half of the season and then there’s a lot of progress that can be made in the next few months, which is something that we’re looking forward to.”
