Bold Ambush Marketing from Li Ning

In the new China, where entrepreneurship is a national sport, Li Ning is golden.

The man who lit the flame at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was previously unknown to most in the West. But in China, he is celebrated both for winning six Olympic golds in gymnastics at the Los Angeles Games in 1984 and because he founded Chinese sportswear giant Li Ning Co. Ltd., a US$6-billion enterprise by some estimates.

You could say Li Ning is like Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and Mohammad Ali rolled into one package, with a dash of publicity and business guru Sir Richard Branson thrown in for good measure.

Like those other sporting heroes, Li Ning's fame has long outlasted his athletic heyday and, like Jordan, whose fame launched several million Nike Air trainers, Li Ning has used his sporting prowess to great commercial gain.

Indeed, it is his business that may make Li Ning a global household name.

While Li Ning Co. currently generates less than 1% of its revenue outside of China, his gravity-defying lap at the opening ceremonies in Beijing -- he was raised by wires high above the crowd and circled the stadium with the flame until he reached the cauldron -- was witnessed by a global television audience of four billion people.

The stunt -- pulled off in the face of official Olympic sportswear sponsor Adidas -- was exactly the sort of publicity coup that Mr. Branson has used to further his Virgin brand. And like Branson, Li Ning has shown that he is not afraid of the global big boys. Nike's swoosh logo looks like a prototype for Li Ning's stylized "L" brand, and his "everything is possible" tag line echoes Adidas' "impossible is nothing" tag.

So far, the company has been content to battle those brands at home. But even before his massive Olympic exposure, which some are calling a master stroke of guerilla marketing, there were signs Li Ning goods were headed abroad.

In 2006, the company signed up NBA stars Shaquille O'Neal and Damon Jones to wear Li Ning shoes. And in the run-up to the Olympics, Li Ning announced it had signed merchandising deals with the Argentine and Spanish Olympic basketball teams. The company this week played down the controversy over photos of the Spanish team using their fingers to make their eyes look Chinese.

And earlier this month, the company announced it had signed an exclusive deal to distribute high-end Italian sportswear brand Lotto in China. Li Ning also owns the French outdoor brand Aigle, though it recently disposed of another Italian brand, Kappa, signed in 2002. As well, Li Ning's executives conducted a European investor roadshow earlier this year to generate interest from international investors.

Despite the overseas connections, it remains to be seen whether Canadian consumers -- or those in any other country outside China -- will pop down to the local mall any time soon and pick up a pair of Li Ning gym shorts.

Li Ning is focused on the domestic market, says Ken Ho, an analyst with HSBC in Hong Kong. The company has ambitious plans for 5,000 new stores in China by 2013, doubling the number of outlets it owns. As well, the company "would consider acquiring or co-operating with international brands rather than expansion overseas," Mr. Ho adds. China is reported to be the world's fastest-growing market for athletic wear, and the company is expected to more than triple its revenue in the next few years, according to HSBC's estimates.

But brands with international ties are considered by some Chinese consumers to be more valuable. In Hong Kong, Li Ning products are currently available only in lower-end malls, whereas Nike, Puma and Adidas reside in more upscale shopping locales. Even on the mainland, Li Ning still lags foreign competition with a 10% share of the domestic sportswear market, compared with 16% for Adidas and 17% for Nike.

Immediately after last week's Olympic opening ceremony, the Chinese company's stock leapt 3.5% on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to HK$18.24 on Monday, Aug. 11, from HK$17.24 at the end of the previous week. The rise put an end to a recent slide that had seen Li Ning's stock decline by about a third between May and early July. Although that early Olympic gain was not followed by a sustained rally, HSBC's Mr. Ho is "overweight" on the company's stock, with a HK$29 target price.

Source: National Post

Over 2,000 Doping Tests Carried Out

The I.O.C. predicted that 30 to 40 athletes would test positive, after 26 tested positive in Athens in 2004. But so far, the tests have caught only three.

From July 27 to Aug. 13, the I.O.C. conducted 2,203 tests for doping — 1,720 urine tests and 483 blood tests. It will continue testing until Aug. 24, catching up with athletes after they return home, if necessary. By that time, the committee expects to have conducted 4,500 drug tests. There were 3,600 tests in Athens.

Michael Phelps has been extensively tested, each time with both blood and urine tests. He had a test Aug. 2, when the United States swim team was in Singapore. The team arrived at the Olympic Village in Beijing on Aug. 4, and Phelps was tested again.

“We had been here an hour in the village when they went here and got him,” said Dr. Scott A. Rodeo, a team physician for USA Swimming who is an orthopedist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Since then, Phelps has been tested seven times, Rodeo said, including twice on Aug. 11.

Source cited: New York Times

Rogers Loses $5 Million on Bills Game

There were 48,434 fans inside the Rogers Centre for the NFL.

According to the Toronto Sun Rogers racked up $4 and $5-million in the deficit sheet. Their sources also said that ticket prices for this game were so high, they couldn't sell them and ended up handing out up to 17,000 tickets to the public to make sure the Rogers Centre appeared sold out.

"Handing them out like candy," was the comment several Rogers employees joked.

"They couldn't sell the tickets and tried to paper the room to not embarrass themselves and save face to the NFL," said a Rogers source. "They were handing out tickets to Rogers employees all day."

Source: Toronto Sun

Report: Maurice Edu of Toronto FC Moved to Glasgow Rangers

According to a report on the Toronto Star website, Edu will be moving to Glasgow Rangers of the Scottish Premier League as part of a $5 million transfer. The newspaper cites Major League Soccer sources via the website Soccer by Ives.

Edu, who just returned from Beijing after playing for the United States Olympic team, is still finalizing personal terms, but the deal is expected to be completed.

Edu, the 2007 MLS Rookie of the Year, scored four goals for TFC last season.

Another Spanish Photo Ignites Controversy at Olympics

This is a picture recently discovered on the website of the Spanish Tennis Federation which shows the nation's Federation Cup team making an eye-slant gesture, according to a report in London's Telegraph. The shot was apparently snapped in February, prior to Spain's Federation Cup match with China.

Canadian PM Optimistic about Canada Olympic Prospects

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he remains optimistic about Canada's medal prospects at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Harper, taking questions after a funding announcement in Newfoundland, said the Games are far from over.

"We're coming up on the back half of the Games," he said. "So we'll remain optimistic and of course we'll cheer for everybody who wears the Maple Leaf."

Canada has been shut out of the medals at the Games though Day 6, but there are 10 days of competition remaining and some of Canada's best athletes have yet to compete.

Still the likes of Togo, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have already made it to the medal podium.

Phelps Collects Gold and Earns Big Money for Sponsors

American swimmer Michael Phelps receives an estimated $5 million annually in endorsement deals, more than 10 times what most of the high-profile athletes in his sport make and he will likely earn a big raise after the Olympics.

According to Joyce Julius & Associates, Phelps’ air time on US network NBC has been worth $3.6 million for Speedo alone.

Stu Isaac, senior vice president for marketing and sales for Speedo, said: "Truly, we've been able to leverage his popularity with all of our accounts because he has transcended swimming. It's helping Speedo become cooler and addressing a younger market outside just that core competitive swimmer."

Speedo offered a $1 million bounty if Phelps, only 19 at the time, could equal Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals. Phelps just missed, but the offer still stands for Beijing, where Phelps is on course to win at least seven golds, if not eight.

Phelps other sponsors include Visa, AT&T, Kellogg's, Hilton and Omega watches.

B.C. Premier Makes Big Promises for 2010 Olympics

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell promises Canada's 2010 Olympic venues will be completed ahead of schedule, and B.C. will throw an opening ceremony to easily rival Beijing's.

Appearing on NBC's "Today Show" Wednesday morning, Campbell said he was "inspired" by Friday's lavish opening.

"It was a great show...I thought it was half the population of Canada," he mused.

"I thought this opening bid touched people in China. It touched people in the world and I was inspired by it and I'm just as excited about the opening we're going to see."

Campbell admits Canada cannot compete financially with the lavish US $300 million spent on Beijing's opening ceremonies.

"We're not going to come close to spending $300 million," he said. "Our whole Olympic budget is $1.2 billion. It's nothing like the $43 billion they invested here.

Speaking outside of the Beijing National Stadium, Campbell promised Vancouver's Olympic venues will be completed ahead of schedule.

"Our venues are way ahead of schedule so everyone is going to have at least two seasons to practice on them," he said.

"VANOC has just done a superb job. We set the goal of having the venues done early so we can practice," he said.

He also said although Canada has yet to win a medal in the Beijing games, things would be different come 2010.

"You're welcome to come and win your silvers but we're getting the gold's," he said.

Wednesday's lighthearted interview comes on the heels of some tough questions from international media. In a press conference Tuesday in Beijing, the B.C. Premier was asked some tough questions about transportation problems for 2010 and how the province would deal with protesters during the games.

Addressing a question about the recent closure of the Sea-to-Sky highway and whether he's afraid the protesters from the notorious Anti-Poverty Committee will attempt to block it during the Games, Campbell reiterated earlier statements about contingency plans being in place for the highway, which was shuttered for five days after a rock slide earlier this month.

Campbell's vowed Vancouver's games in 2010 would not be plagued by homelessness, addiction and poverty - and that people would be free to protest, legally, during the Games.

Source: CTV

Frank Lampard Signs New Contract

England midfielder Frank Lampard ended speculation over his future on Wednesday by signing a new five-year contract with Chelsea.

Lampard had just one year left on his previous agreement and British papers have been reporting for months that he was considering a move to Italy or Spain because he was unhappy with the offer Chelsea had made him.

Inter Milan, which is coached by former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, was rumoured to be his most likely destination, but Lampard has decided to extend his seven-year stay with the Blues.

"I've just turned 30 and I see it as my final big contract and I will play out my days at Chelsea," Lampard said.

Chelsea had reportedly offered Lampard a four-year contract, with the player holding out for a longer deal.

"It has taken a while to get the deal done and there has been a bit of compromise on both sides," Lampard said.

Lampard joined Chelsea from West Ham in 2001 for 11 million pounds (US$20.5 million), which was seen to be a huge fee for a player unproven at the highest level.

But he went on to establish himself as the key figure in an expensively assembled midfield, scoring 110 goals in 369 appearances for the Blues.

Lampard was also England's player of the year in 2004, with his form causing him to be linked to Juventus, FC Barcelona and Inter.

Chelsea turned down approaches from Inter over the past two months, with new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari keen to incorporate Lampard into his plans for the next few years.

"He is a key player for me and vital to Chelsea's future successes," Scolari said. "Frank is one of the best professionals I have worked with. Every day he tries to learn something and bring new elements to his game."

Source: Canadian Press

Sharapova Featured in Canon Ads

Canon is backing its pro tennis/football ad campaigns,for its EOS Rebel and PowerShot cameras with grassroots efforts, contests and sweepstakes dangling everything from a collection of diamond-encrusted Canon Elph cameras to a trip for four to the next Super Bowl.

The new TV spot for Canon PowerShot, featuring tennis star Maria Sharapova and her dog Dolce, shows fans with Elph cameras approaching the player and asking to take a picture. Unfortunately, the picture they want (to her growing chagrin) is of her dog.

The ad had been slated to launch this spring. However, a senior marketing manager at the Lake Success, N.Y. company said the TV launch was postponed to time with the U.S. Open and a New York City event, "Canon Center Court."

The TV spot will break on the first day of the Aug. 25-Sept. 7 tournament and run for its duration on USA Network and CBS. And the tennis star will unveil five diamond-encrusted Canon PowerShot Elph cameras during an invitation-only event at "Canon Center Court" on Aug. 20 at South Street Seaport.

Source: MediaPost Publications

Speedo Goggles Malfunction Almost a Disaster

Michael Phelps was swimming blind as he raced to Olympic history in the 200m butterfly at the Beijing Games on Wednesday.

The American superstar clinched victory in a new world record time of 1min 52.03sec, shaving six-hundredths of a second off his old mark.

However, he might have posted an even more dominant victory over Hungarian Laszlo Cseh and Japan's Takeshi Matsuda but for a glitch with his goggles.

"My goggles started filling up with water. I knew there was nothing I could do, I couldn't rip them off, I couldn't do anything," said the 23-year-old who claimed another gold on Wednesday in the 4x200m freestyle relay to take his Beijing tally to five and his career record to a staggering 11.

The inability to see was a potential disaster for Phelps, whose technical skill on turns is one of his great assets.

"At the end, I really couldn't see," he said. "I was looking for the 'T' on the bottom of the pool. It got to the point where I was counting strokes and hoping I would hit the wall just about right. It was a malfunction, there was nothing I could do."

Puma Continues Sponsorship with Vodafone Warriors

Sportswear manufacturer, Puma, has agreed to a three-year sponsorship deal with New Zealand based rugby league club, the Vodafone Warriors.

Under the deal, Puma will outfit the Vodafone Warriors and the Vodafone Junior Warriors in boots and casual footwear.

Vodafone Warriors chief executive, Wayne Scurrah, said: "Puma has done a fantastic job for the Vodafone Warriors for nine years and we're delighted to extend our relationship into a 10th season and beyond.

The deal extends Puma's nine-year association with the club.

Spanish Basketball in Hot Water Over Ad

Players for the Spanish men’s and women’s basketball teams posed for a pre-Olympic newspaper advertisement in popular Spanish daily Marca, in which they are pictured pulling back the skin on either side of their eyes to narrow them.

Britain’s The Guardian newspaper says the men’s and women’s teams are pictured making the gesture in separate ads taken out by a courier company that sponsors the Spanish Basketball Federation.

The ads, which feature the players in full uniform on a basketball court decorated with a picture of a dragon, are part of a campaign aimed at supporting the Spanish basketball teams at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Among those making the pose in the men’s ad are Toronto Raptors point guard Jose Calderon, Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, as well as Portland Trail Blazers rookie Rudy Fernandez.

The Spanish men’s team defeated Greece 81-66 in its opener on Sunday, while the women’s team earned an 85-62 win over New Zealand on Monday.

Bryant Jersey Top Seller in China

For the second consecutive season, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers had the top selling NBA jersey in China. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, members of the 2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics, moved into the top five on this year’s list.

Garnett, who had the most popular jersey in the U.S. this season, moved up to second this year in China. The Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady ranked third for the second consecutive season. Pierce, The Finals MVP, whose jersey was not in the top 10 last season moved up to fourth. The Denver Nuggets’ Allen Iverson dropped from second on last year’s list to fifth to round out the top five. China’s Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets, ranked 10th on the list, down from six last year.

The rankings are based on sales from retail stores throughout China for the 2007-08 season.

Source: NBA.com

Opening Ceremony Scandal: Singing Was Dubbed and Fireworks Enhanced

The girl in the red dress with the pigtails, called Lin Miaoke, 9, and from a Beijing primary school, has become a national sensation since Friday night, giving interviews to all the most popular newspapers.

But the show's musical designer felt forced to set the record straight. He gave an interview to Beijing radio saying the real singer was a seven-year-old girl who had won a gruelling competition to perform the anthem, a patriotic song called "Hymn to the Motherland".

At the last moment a member of the Chinese politburo who was watching a rehearsal pronounced that the winner, a girl called Yang Peiyi, might have a perfect voice but was unsuited to the lead role because of her buck teeth.

So, on the night, while a pre-recording of Yang Peiyi singing was played, Lin Miaoke, who has already featured in television advertisements, was seen but not heard.

"This was a last-minute question, a choice we had to make," the ceremony's musical designer, Chen Qigang, said. "Our rehearsals had already been vetted several times - they were all very strict. When we had the dress rehearsals, there were spectators from various divisions, including above all a member of the politburo who gave us his verdict: we had to make the swap."

Officials have already admitted that the pictures of giant firework footprints which marched across Beijing towards the stadium on Friday night were prerecorded, digitally enhanced and inserted into footage beamed across the world.

Source: Associated Press

Canadian Football Activists Plan Demonstration Against NFL and Bills

On Thursday, a small group of Canadian football activists plans to march on Rogers Centre as a demonstration against the National Football League and the Buffalo Bills, who open their unprecedented eight-game series in Toronto that night.

Rogers Communications Inc. will pay the Bills $78-million over the next five seasons for the chance to create that experience in Toronto, and it has been suggested the deal could become the first step down the path to permanent relocation. That suggestion has worried a number of CFL insiders.

Fewer than 2,500 tickets remain for Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Adrian Montgomery, general manager of the Bills in Toronto series. Tickets ranging in price from $134 to $184 were still being listed on Tourism Toronto's Web site late yesterday afternoon.

Source: National Post

Report: Springsteen to Play Super Bowl Halftime Show

Bruce Springsteen will reportedly play the halftime show at Super Bowl XLIII.

The New York Post cited a source as saying Springsteen, the creator of such hits as "Born in the USA" and "Born to Run," will take the field at halftime of the February 1 contest in Tampa.

Springsteen would become the fifth straight veteran rock and roll act to play the Super Bowl halftime show following Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Paul McCartney was the first to follow Jackson. The Rolling Stones were next, followed by Prince and Tom Petty.

Canada Plays Key Role in Breaking of Swimming Records

Top swimmers in Beijing are using the Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit. In developing the suit, Speedo turned to ANSYS Inc., an American-based company whose office is in Waterloo, Ontario.

ANYS Inc. helped come up with the engineering software used by the swimsuit giant to develop its suit.

The synthetic suit was introduced in February, 2008 and since then close to 60 world records have been set by athletes wearing it.

Phelps and his three American teammates wore the LZR Racer suits during their dramatic victory over France in the 4x100-metre relay Monday. The American men broke the world record with their winning time of three minutes 8.24 seconds.

The software simulated the flow of water over the suit and the swimmer’s body. It helped Speedo figure out how water was going to flow around a swimmer’s body and where it was going to create areas of high or low water resistance. Then they could modify their swimsuit design based on that information.

Formula One auto racing and America’s Cup yacht racing as well as some Olympic rowing, sailing and cycling teams are using the software to help improve their athletes’ or team’s performances, he said.

NASA researchers and developers, the Australian Institute of Sport and fashion designer Comme des garcons were also involved in the development of the suit, which took several years and costs about $500.

Source: Canadian Press

Kenya Considers Olympic Bid

Kenya is considering bidding for the 2028 Olympic Games, according to the country’s vice president, Kalonzo Musyoka.

According to Games Bids, Musyoka said that a bid would be in line Vision 2030 – time fame in which the country is expected to have attained the status of a developed nation.

The vice president said that he regretted that no African country had so-far hosted the Games, despite being active members of the Olympic family.

Source: Kenya Broadcasting Corporation

Toronto Argos Survey Ticket Holders on Swapping Stadiums

The Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League are asking their fans what they think of potentially moving from the Rogers Centre to BMO Field.

"It's an exploration to see if our fans and our future fans want us in that stadium," Argos co-owner David Cynamon said. "It needs to grow [BMO Field has only 20,000 seats], so that's a project in itself. But first things first, let's make sure our fans want to move before we even talk about moving."

The Argos believe they could increase their season-ticket base by at least 3,000 (from about 13,500) by moving to BMO field. And their interest has been piqued of late by buzz that the city, which owns the stadium, and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which operates it, have discussed adding 10,000 additional seats to accommodate demand for Toronto FC.

Source: Globe and Mail

Manchester United Youth Footballer Wins Case over Career Ending Tackle

A former member of Manchester United's youth squad was awarded a large compensation package by a court on Monday over a tackle that ended his career.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had told an earlier hearing that Ben Collett had an "outstanding chance" of succeeding in football, but he was never able to return from a 2003 tackle by Middlesbrough's Gary Smith which broke his right leg in two places during a reserve match.

Middlesbrough and Smith admitted liability for the "negligent" tackle and Collett, who is now 23, was awarded C$8.7 million in damages by London's High Court. The amount will be paid by the Premier League club's insurers.

Source: Canadian Press

JumpTV Reports $11.5m Q2 Loss

Internet-based television provider JumpTV reported Monday a second-quarter loss of $11.5 million or 23 cents per share, widened from its year-ago loss of $6.5 million or 13 cents per share as revenues more than doubled.

The Toronto-based company, which in June rejected overtures from MySpace founder Brad Greenspan to instead complete a planned merger with U.S. online TV service NeuLion Inc, said its revenue moved up to US$3.6 million from a year-ago $1.2 million.

JumpTV’s subscribers increased 128 per cent to 68,500 at June 30 from 30,000 in the second quarter a year ago.

“In our sports business, we broadened our client base by adding new teams and leagues as partners and, at the same time, we increased the depth of many of our existing relationships by adding incremental functionality and other technology solutions to their online offerings,” chairman Scott Paterson said in a statement.

“In our international business, we took steps with respect to people and other resources to position our strongest areas of content aggregation — Arabic, South Asian, Hispanic and Caribbean — to be re-energized in the context of our new business plan which will unfold as a result of our planned merger with NeuLion.”

The merger is on track to close on Oct. 1, the company said.

JumpTV is focused on soccer, cycling and U.S. college sports, while NeuLion has rights to National Hockey League games and the International Fight League.

NeuLion is headed by billionaire software developer Charles Wang, who co-founded Computer Associates Inc. in the 1970s and owns various New York sports franchises.

Source: Canadian Press

Budweiser and Reebok Sponsoring Bills in Toronto

Budweiser has been named the title sponsor of the pre-game tailgate parties for the eight-game Bills Toronto Series this month, outside the Rogers Centre at the corner of Blue Jays Way and Front Street. And Canton, MA-based Reebok has become the official apparel and headwear supplier for the Bills Toronto Series.

The free pre-game tailgate parties will provide food and beverages, live music, interactive fan zones, merchandise kiosks and a contest to win one of hundreds of free tickets to that day's game for participants over 19.

As part of its deal, Reebok will produce an exclusive line of NFL-licensed gear - featuring the Bills Toronto Series logo - that will be sold in various Sport Chek locations across the GTA.

The series' first game will see the Bills take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in a pre-season contest at Toronto's Rogers Centre. Broadcasting nationally in Canada on Citytv and Rogers Sportsnet, the first regular season NFL game in Canada kicks off when the Bills play host to the Miami Dolphins on December 7 at 4 pm.

Toronto-based Insight Sports is the official sponsorship agency of the Bills Toronto Series.

Source: Media in Canada

NHL 2008-09 Pre-Season Schedule Released

The National Hockey League has released the 2008-09 pre-season schedule, which runs from Saturday, September 20 through Monday, October 6. The 110-game pre-season slate features the four NHL clubs that will open the regular season in Europe -- the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning -- playing five games in four European cities.


On September 28, the Lightning play German league champion Eisbaren Berlin in the German capital at the new 02 World Arena.


The Rangers face Russian club Metallurg Magnitogorsk in Bern, Switzerland on October 1 in competition for the Victoria Cup, a trophy slated to be awarded each year to the winner of a match between an NHL team and the winner of Europe's IIHF-sanctioned Champions Hockey League. The night before the Victoria Cup, the Rangers will face 11-time Swiss league champion SC Bern.

Uniform Change for Brazil

Brazil will not wear its regular official Nike uniform for the remainder of the Beijing Games because of concerns it could affect Rio de Janeiro's bid for the 2016 Olympics, the country's soccer confederation said yesterday.

International Olympic Committee rules say that nations should not wear confederations' emblems on uniforms during the Games, and Brazil's Nike jersey has the soccer confederation emblem on it.

Brazil's emblem is made up of five stars, which reflect the country's five world titles in men's soccer. Neither the Brazilian men's nor women's teams have won Olympic gold.

UFC Targets Canada

The UFC plans to turn its attention on opening up mixed martial arts throughout Canada after it sorts out the sanctioning in Massachusetts and New York, UFC president Dana White said yesterday.

MMA shows take place in parts of Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, B.C., and some other pockets.

But Ontario resists the sport.

"Believe me, when we get things straightened out in Toronto, we'll be there as soon as we do," White told a question-and-answer session with fans at the Target Center in advance of UFC 87.

White said convincing the authorities that MMA was safe and desirable was an "education process that takes time. You've just got to get in there and get it done and we will."

Once Massachusetts and New York approve the sport, "then we're focusing 100% on Canada. Canada is very important to us," White said to wild cheers from a crowd filled with Canadians who made the trip to see Montreal's Georges St. Pierre defend his welterweight title against Jon Fitch.

"Crazy-ass Canadians. Everywhere we go, it doesn't matter. There's always Canadians," White said admiringly.

"I don't care if I'm in the U.K., Northern Ireland, Vegas. You guys are awesome, man. We care about Canada. We're coming."

The UFC says 12 more U.S. states approved MMA in 2007.

Sources: Canadian Press