AS Monaco Signs Hankook Partnership

Ligue 1 side AS Monaco has signed a new partnership deal with tyre manufacturer Hankook.

The agreement, covering an initial period of two years, will give the South Korean company significant visibility at the French football club’s Louis II Stadium and in the team’s communication channels.

The collaboration strengthens Hankook’s presence in sports sponsorship, following deals with Spanish giants Real Madrid and the UEFA Europa League.

Jong Woo Kim, Hankook’s General Manager in France, said: “We are very proud to be involved with AS Monaco, with whom we share the culture of innovation, high-end standards and a vision of performance that links creativity and efficiency. Our ambition to become the most famous tyre brand in the world and that will include the conquest of the French and European market. This partnership is a great tool to reach that goal. ”

Vadim Vasilyev, AS Monaco Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, added: “We share with Hankook an ambition to be at the forefront of performance to offer our fans, and our customers, a unique experience. In addition, this association with a leading international company in its sector, highlights the growing attractiveness of the club and will allow each of our brands to strengthen its reputation and continue to grow.”

Surfing Towards The First Olympics In Tokyo

On August 3, 2016, a dream came true for Fernando Aguerre, when the International Olympic Committee voted to include the sport of surfing in the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

As President of the International Surfing Association since 1994, Aguerre, a native of Argentina, led a tireless campaign for the inclusion of the sport in the Olympic programme.

The competition site for the 2020 Games will be Shidashita Beach, located about 40 miles outside of Tokyo in Chiba.

With only 32 Member Nations in 1995, the ISA has now grown to 100 members, including non-traditional surfing markets such as Iran, Sierra Leone, and Russia, to name a few.

He spoke exclusively to iSportconnect about the plans for the Tokyo competition, including the challenge of ensuring good surfing conditions.

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Eurovision Testing Live Distribution of UHD Content

During the inaugural 2018 European Championships currently in progress, Eurovision Media Services is testing the very first live distribution of UHD content with both High Dynamic Range and High Frame Rate. EMS will not only act as Host Broadcaster of the Championships in Glasgow and Berlin, and distribute signals to rightsholders around the world, but will also carry some of the tests on its Eurovision Global Network. EBU Members BBC, ZDF, France Télévisions, RAI and the IRT (the joint research centre of the German, Austrian and Swiss public service broadcasters) are playing leading roles in the project.

While viewers have already been able to experience live sports events in higher resolution UHD at home, the addition of High Frame Rate (HFR) alongside High Dynamic Range (HDR) brings an unprecedented sharpness and sparkle to the images. When combined with Next Generation Audio, a truly immersive experience is created, putting the audience right at the heart of the action.

Starting yesterday in Berlin, four cameras will be used to capture selected track and field events at 100 frames per second, twice the frame rate of current state-of-the-art live broadcasts. The resolution will be 4K (2160p) and the HDR pictures will have a much wider, richer range of colours, with brighter whites and deeper darks. The events covered from August 7-9 will include three of the men’s decathlon disciplines, the men’s discus final, the quarter-final of the women’s long jump and several track events.

The footage will be encoded live in HEVC. Alongside the 4K signal, two HD signals will be derived, one at 100 frames per second and one at 50 frames per second, with all three carried to the test sites on the Eurovision Global Network. Visitors to the European Championships Broadcast Operation Centre in Glasgow can view the images live from Berlin, while further distribution tests will be carried out at the Aosta Valley in Italy.