GB figure skaters in team event at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics

Britain's figure skaters have earned a place in a new-look team event at the Sochi Winter Olympics in February. The team event, appearing at the Games for the first time, sees six skaters - ice dance and pairs couples, plus a man and a woman - compete with their points combined for an overall team score.

Likely names to be included in the squad are:  National champion Matthew Parris, Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland (ice dance), Stacey Kemp and David King (pairs) and Jenna McCorkell (pictured above) in the women's event.

See more photos from the 2013 British Figure Skating Championships at:
http://www.peverilphoto.com/section665568_540748.html

Tom Daley - one of the nicest people you will ever meet

Tom Daley is one of the most high-profile athletes in the UK, particularly since his bronze medal at London 2012. 

There was a lovely story recently that the French course at Edinburgh University had filled up in record time  with 18 year old girls this year as it was rumoured that he was going there to study French.  This, despite the fact that he was on a gap year and had taken Spanish, not French, at A level.  Obviously a good marketing ploy by someone at Edinburgh!

When I briefly met him at the 2012 UK Diving Championships, he was setting up some music on his phone to chill out to while waiting for his dive.  He took out his earphones, put his phone away and gave me his full attention as an individual.  He is one of the nicest (and talented) people you will ever meet.  He will be in the news today and I hope that he will be supported in his new relationship.  He has found a place where he is happy and I for one wish him all the best.
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Going to the Commonwealth Games!

A happy start to the week as I have been told that I have been accredited as a photographer at the Commonwealth Games next year in Glasgow!  The English Table Tennis Association were kind enough to support my application which means that I will be able to take my camera into the Scotstoun Sports Centre next July and cover some of the tabel tennis matches for them.

There is now a lot of paperwork to sift through and get checked and sent off - worst bit will be getting a mugshot done for the photo pass.....

BBC Sports Personality 2013 shortlist

Ten contenders have been shortlisted for next month's 60th BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

Athletes Mo Farah, Christine Ohuruogu and Hannah Cockroft are included along with tennis star Andy Murray and cyclist Chris Froome.

Golfer Justin Rose, sailor Sir Ben Ainslie, jockey AP McCoy, cricketer Ian Bell and rugby union player Leigh Halfpenny also make the list. 

In addition to the main prize, there will also be seven other awards:

• Team of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Overseas Sports Personality of the Year
• Young Sports Personality of the Year
• Sports Personality of the Year Diamond Award
• Helen Rollason Award
• Sports Unsung Hero

A victory for the little guys (man bites dog)

Photographers have won a landmark legal victory after a US federal jury awarded $1.2m to Haitian freelance photojournalist Daniel Morel. The US case is the first to define who owns photographs posted on Twitter.  A New York jury decisively backed Daniel Morel in a copyright case against photo agency Getty and news agency AFP, after the latter claimed a right to use Morel's photographs of the 2010 Haiti disaster.

The size of the compensation is impressive (it represents several decades of work for the average freelancer), but much more significant is the fact that the legal system has slapped down Getty/AFP for their grabbing practices. If the case had been one of the big boys against someone who had used their content without paying then they would have clamped down hard from the minute they found out (they even tried to sue the photographer for "commercial disparagement").
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This is a victory for the little guy, showing to the world that online content, despite the best endeavours of  corporations to strip metadata, is still copyright to the original owner.

I would expect Getty/AFP to appeal as otherwise the ruling makes a defence of a similar nature more difficult in the future.  Which is a shame as it will deprive Daniel Morel of much of his compensation (just how much of it will be swallowed up in legal fees) when they should be man enough to hold their hands up and admit their mistakes.

A very good reason to get out the party hats and raise a glass to Daniel Morel!

Innovative learning spaces from around the world – in pictures

Woo hoo!  The Guardian are running a feature on innovative learning spaces around the world and have chosen my picture of the new library at High Storrs to illustrate this:

While I await further fame and fortune, the full story can be found at: The Guardian

Hewlett Packard - kiss of death?

As the headline sponsor for a team often thought as one of the 'BIG SIX' in recent years, Hewlett Packard must have thought they were on to a good thing to have their logo splashed across the chests of a premiership football team.

Based on the performance at the Etihad Stadium yesterday, perhaps Hewlett Packard should be looking for more of an 'in-form' team.  Accrington Stanley anybody?  (Or is it that the mighty Spurs need someone with a lucky touch.....?)