São Paulo Set To Host First E-Prix In Brazil

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and the City of São Paulo, alongside SPTuris and GL Events, signed a contract at the Monaco E-Prix that will see the all-electric race series head to Brazil for the first time, subject to FIA approval.

The five-year agreement, with the option of renewal, means the city of São Paulo could play host to the world’s foremost electric motorsport championship from Season 9 – the beginning of Formula E’s new Gen3 era.

“We are delighted that the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will be heading to Brazil for the very first time pending approval at the FIA World Motor Sport Council in June,” says Formula E Co-Founder and Chief Championship Officer, Alberto Longo. “The country has a huge, long-standing passion for motorsport, it’s a big market as one of the largest countries in the world, and São Paulo itself is a historic race location.

“We can’t wait to welcome the Brazilian fans, they are like no other and there is sure to be a lively, unique atmosphere as the fans enjoy Formula E racing with the leap forward in technology and performance we are going to see with Gen3.”

Ricardo Nunes, mayor of São Paulo, welcomed the agreement: “Hosting an E-Prix is completely lined up with the city objectives: to attract events that promote São Paulo’s image to the whole world, to move the economy and create jobs with events tourism; furthermore, to foment sustainable development.”

Gustavo Pires, CEO of São Paulo Turismo, was in Monaco to sign the deal with Formula E. He said: “The creation of a strategic events calendar is essential to the strong reopening we want to São Paulo city in the post-pandemic and the E-Prix can contribute a lot in this movement.”

The news was welcomed by Brazilian driver in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Lucas di Grassi.

ROKiT Venturi Racing team driver di Grassi said: “The news of São Paulo hosting the next generation of Formula E is music to my ears. Not only does this milestone signify the return of the pinnacle of electric motorsport to South America but it’s an important step towards the electrification of the Brazilian automotive market. On a personal note, there is nothing like the pride and incredible energy of the Brazilian racing fans so it would be a dream come true for me to race in this game-changing championship in front of a home crowd.”

(At the desk, left to right: Alberto Longo, Co-Founder and Chief Championship Officer; Gustavo Pires, CEO, São Paulo Turismo; Pedro Pauli, Chief Legal Officer, São Paulo Turismo)

MotoGP Strengthens Exclusive Strategic Collaboration With Tata Communications

Tata Communications, a global digital ecosystem enabler, and Dorna Sports, the exclusive commercial and television rights holder of the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship, today renew and strengthen their exclusive multi-year strategic collaboration – bringing the spectacle of MotoGP™’s close racing and incredible competition to nearly half a billion homes worldwide.

With its world-leading, digital-first suite of media offerings, Tata Communications empowers the world’s premier motorcycle racing series to deliver an innovative and transformed viewing experience to its fans worldwide. Tata Communications media edge services will allow MotoGP™ to continue to ensure excellent video quality, coupled with tremendous speed, delivering the race live from the track to the viewers’ screens in just a few tenths of a second. 

Tata Communications and Dorna teams will also boost migration from an onsite traditional media production to a remote production that will culminate in a future cloud-based model, increasing the number of video signals from 60 to 110 – some in ultra-low latency – providing more content to the viewers, and enabling the innovation of remotely produced immersive sound.

These remote production capabilities, combined with the global video content delivery network, will also enable increased remote broadcasting of live track action, supporting the increased sustainability and long-term environmental objectives of MotoGP™ and Dorna Sports as both continue to work together on world-leading and world-changing technological solutions. 

Tata Communications and Dorna have also been working together to leverage Private LTE deployment at race tracks to manage wireless camera feeds in low latency and the highest quality possible, bringing even more incredible content to viewers around the world.

Dhaval Ponda, Global Head of Media & Entertainment Services, Tata Communications:

“MotoGP represents the best in global motorsports today. Fuelled by our deep broadcast experience, video engineering pedigree and passion for technological advancements, we’re proud to extend this relationship to further accelerate the fan experience. Together, we’ll continue to co-create and elevate the viewing experiences for the legions of passionate motorcycle racing fans globally.”

Manel Arroyo, Chief Commercial Officer, Dorna Sports:

“Tata Communications has been  pivotal in enabling us to bring immersive live race action to our millions of fans around the world. Together, we’ve pushed the boundaries of innovation in sports broadcasting, increasingly bringing our global fans closer to their favourite sport. With this renewed collaboration, we trust Tata Communications to help us take the fan experience even further, using cutting edge technology to deliver an incredible experience for fans at home, which is as enthralling as watching the races on tracks.”

Tata Communications enables some of the world’s foremost sports and entertainment federations. The company’s media, cloud and connectivity services are underpinned by the world’s largest subsea fibre network of its kind, creating a fully-converged, end-to-end solution for fast-paced sports like MotoGP™. Since 2017, Tata Communications has played a key role of enabling MotoGP to continually push boundaries and create world-leading broadcasts of the world’s fastest motorcycle racing Championship. This successful relationship has been built on Tata Communications end-to-end managed service capabilities and advanced proof of concepts (POCs) by deploying bonded cellular private LTE services, ultimately enhancing the viewer experience.

SailGP Announces Debut Event In Asia With Singapore Sail Grand Prix

SailGP’s rapid global expansion continues with the addition of Singapore to its Season 3 calendar, as the iconic city-state plays host to Asia’s first Sail Grand Prix on January 14-15, 2023.  The event, which is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), will see the league’s 10 hydrofoiling F50 catamarans hit the waters in Singapore for the first time. 

In the first event of a three-year deal, the ten teams competing in Season 3 – including new franchises Canada and Switzerland and returning nations Australia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United States – will race at Parkland Green in the picturesque East Coast Park in the eighth event on the calendar. 

The Singapore event will join the nine countries that have already been announced for Season 3, with the championship kicking-off this month at the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess on May 14-15. From there, the ten-nation fleet – comprising the sport’s best athletes – will head to Chicago, Plymouth, Copenhagen, Saint-Tropez, Cádiz and Dubai, ahead of Singapore, making it the biggest SailGP season to date.

After Singapore, the league – the first climate positive sports and entertainment property – will head to Christchurch, New Zealand and will conclude with the Season 3 Grand Final taking place at San Francisco Bay in May 2023. One further event is expected to be announced to complete SailGP Season 3.

Teams will race for two podiums in Singapore, as the world-first Impact League returns for Season 3, tracking the positive actions teams make in terms of sustainability and inclusivity. As part of SailGP’s Better Sport Strategy, the Singapore Sail Grand Prix will also include female athletes as part of the league’s Women’s Pathway Program plus introduce the sport to young people from diverse backgrounds through SailGP’s youth and community outreach program – SailGP Inspire.

SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts said: “From our inception, we have made it clear that our ambition is to be a truly global championship, with some of the world’s most iconic waterfront cities as our backdrop. With the confirmation of our first Asian Grand Prix, the addition of Singapore to the line-up and Season 3 now spanning four continents, our vision is becoming a reality. 

“We have also found in the Singapore Tourism Board a like-minded partner who shares our commitment to a future powered by nature and recognizes the elite standard of sporting excellence demonstrated by the championship. We are excited to work together over the next three years and showcase SailGP and highlight Singapore as an iconic destination.” 

Mr Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board said: “We are excited to welcome the participants and fans of the first Sail Grand Prix in Asia. The event strengthens our calendar of sporting events and reinforces our position as a leading leisure and business destination. We support SailGP’s comprehensive strategy to reduce its overall carbon footprint, which furthers our ambition to become a top innovative sustainable urban destination.” 

Robbie Henchman, Executive Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at IMG, said: “With the inaugural staging of the Singapore Sail Grand Prix next January, we are delighted to be extending our long standing and valued partnership with STB, bringing SailGP’s world class, purpose driven entertainment product to Singapore. The amazing spectacle of the F50 catamarans racing at the East Coast Park will offer Singaporeans and visitors alike a thrilling live event experience.” 

The Singapore Sail Grand Prix will be broadcast live in over 186 territories through SailGP’s broadcast partnerships as well as across SailGP digital platforms including the award winning SailGP App.

SailGP is also continuing its bid process for its Season 4 host venues that share a commitment to a cleaner future and are actively taking action to move towards more sustainable practices and activities within their city.

International Canoe Federation Extends Chinese Broadcasting Deal

The International Canoe Federation has extended its partnership with China’s number one streaming platform, guaranteeing the sport a presence in the region until after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The deal with Huya will run until December 2024, extending an arrangement which has already taken canoe sports into millions of Chinese households.

The ICF will extend its four-year partnership with Lausanne-based H&A Media, who will continue to manage the platform’s broadcast of major international slalom and flatwater canoeing events, with the support of the Chinese Canoe Association.

“China is a very important market for the ICF, and we were thrilled to have record-breaking audience figures in the China market for coverage of canoe and kayak events at Tokyo 2020,” said ICF Digital and Marketing Manager, Adam Collins. 

“It is essential we have continued strong media visibility to build on this momentum as we embark on the next Olympic cycle.

“In 2019, half of ICF’s main televised events took place in China, and a good showing of strong Chinese paddlers helped us achieve 30.1 million viewers across six events broadcast on Huya. In 2021, despite no events taking place in China and virtually no Chinese paddlers, we still attracted 11.52 million viewers on the platform.   

In 2021 931,369 Chinese viewers turned to Huya to watch sprint paddler Zhang Dong qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“The data and audience feedback over the past three years gives us confidence that Huya as a youth-orientated digital platform, will help drive audiences for our sport,” Collins said.

“Live-streaming offers immediate and accurate audience feedback on the popularity of international sports properties into the China market,” H&A Media Managing Director Guy Horne said.

“Between our Lausanne and Beijing teams, Huya TV and ICF event organisers, we have created a model which is generating long-term growth for canoeing.”

FIFA Announces Partnership With Blockchain Innovator Algorand

FIFA has teamed up with blockchain technology company Algorand to agree a sponsorship and technical partnership deal.

The agreement means Algorand will become the official blockchain platform of FIFA and provide the official blockchain-supported wallet solution. As per the sponsorship agreement, Algorand will be a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Regional Supporter in North America and Europe, and a FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™ Official Sponsor.

Blockchains allow non-editable data to be permanently recorded and distributed on digital networks, while also facilitating innovations and ensuring safe, untampered exchange of value and assets such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and through blockchain-enabled wallets holding digital assets.

As part of the agreement, Algorand will also assist FIFA in further developing its digital assets strategy, while FIFA will provide sponsorship assets including advertising, media exposure and promotional opportunities.

On the occasion of the announcement, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “We are delighted to announce this partnership with Algorand. The collaboration is a clear indication of FIFA’s commitment to continually seeking innovative channels for sustainable revenue growth for further reinvestment back into football ensuring transparency to our stakeholders and world-wide football fans – a key element of our Vision to make football truly global. I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Algorand.”

FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai added: “This announcement is an exciting moment for FIFA, as it officially enters into the world of blockchain and the opportunities this presents across various applications. At FIFA, we must constantly strive to identify and explore the most cutting-edge, sustainable and transparent means of increasing revenues to continue to support global football development. Algorand is clearly a forward looking, innovative partner that can help us achieve these goals.”

Founded by Turing Award-winning cryptographer Silvio Micali, the Algorand blockchain is the technology of choice for over 2000 global organisations, governments and digital-native defi applications. In particular, Algorand helps organisations in finance, gaming, music, art and the sports world that seek to adopt Web3 digital capabilities as a path to accelerate growth, inclusiveness, transparency and innovation in an environmentally responsible way.

From the beginning, Algorand has focused on building technology that promotes inclusivity, opportunity and transparency for all,” said Silvio Micali, founder of Algorand.“This partnership with FIFA, the most globally recognised and distinguished organisation in sports, will showcase the potential that the Algorand blockchain has to transform the way we all experience the world’s game.”

Basketball Champions League And Moovit Partner To Enhance Fans’ Mobility Experience During Final Four

The Basketball Champions League today announced Moovit, an Intel company, a leading Mobility as a Service (MaaS) solutions provider and creator of the #1 urban mobility app, as its Official Mobility Application Partner for the 2022 Basketball Champions League Final Four games. This partnership will help fans of the four finalist teams arrive at the Bilbao Arena. By using the free Moovit app, supporters will receive detailed information on how to reach the arena, and be guided to the dedicated entrances, as well as the Fan Zone in the heart of the city, via public and shared transport. The mobility tools made by Moovit are available in 45 languages.

By downloading Moovit’s free iOS or Android app, or using Moovit’s Web App, users can find accurate information about all mobility options available in Bilbao, including bus, train, metro, light rail, ferry, trams, and bike sharing. The collaboration will alleviate any worries about arriving or leaving a game, and allow fans to travel around Bilbao with greater ease and convenience using Moovit’s accurate and reliable transit information.

BCL fans using Moovit will have several features available to them to ensure they have the most direct route and never miss the tip-off, including: real-time arrival information for buses and trains, a Live Directions feature with Get Off Alerts for step-by-step guidance, and Service Alerts to avoid disruptions on lines and plan accordingly.

Benjamin Gauthier, Basketball Champions League Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Moovit for our 2022 Final Four in Bilbao, the pinnacle event of our season. Our fans are at the centre of our attention, and we are glad to collaborate with Moovit to allow them to easily reach us. Their global and leading experience in mobility will allow all our fans, media and guests to conveniently reach the Bilbao Arena, our new and centrally located Fan Zone, and all the main locations of our event.”

Yovav Meydad, Moovit’s Chief Growth and Marketing Officer said: “Finally, people around the globe can come together again to enjoy FIBA’s Champions League Final Four championship games. The International Basketball Federation knows that the fan experience is complex — it starts from the moment supporters begin making their way to the stadium and ends when they safely arrive at home. We’re excited that the Federation has selected Moovit and its global experience to make travel in Bilbao convenient and more sustainable for fans.”

PGA TOUR And Quintar Expand Augmented Reality Relationship

The PGA TOUR and Quintar, Inc., announced today a three-year agreement to expand the TOUR’s augmented reality (AR) experience on mobile devices for fans attending events. As part of the agreement, the TOUR will also receive minority equity rights in Quintar, which is now the Official Mobile Augmented Reality Developer of the PGA TOUR.

The TOUR launched its PGA TOUR AR app in 2018 with Quintar coming on as the platform developer in 2020 to create a fresh interactive experience for fans attending the FedExCup Playoffs. With the new agreement, the AR experience will expand to 10 events in 2022 and more events in 2023 and 2024.

“The PGA TOUR is excited to expand our relationship with Quintar with a goal of creating a more immersive and engaging tournament experience for fans,” said Scott Gutterman, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Digital Operations. “We have seen positive interaction and growth with our previous Quintar AR engagements and look forward to building on the momentum.”

The PGA TOUR AR app is available for free exclusively in the App Store. On select holes users will be instructed to turn their phones sideways once they open the app, which will take the device into AR mode and link it to the course. Whether they are sitting in the stands or standing greenside, fans simply point their iPhone toward the tee box or green to interact with the action.

The TOUR AR experience will be available on select holes at the following events in 2022: Wells Fargo Championship, AT&T Byron Nelson, the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, Travelers Championship, FedEx St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship, TOUR Championship and Presidents Cup. As part of the rollout, the PGA TOUR and Quintar have aligned with DraftKings, the TOUR’s preferred sports betting innovation operator, who will be a sponsor of the AR experience.

“The PGA TOUR has been an incredible partner that is focused on delivering the most immersive and engaging experiences for their fans,” Quintar President and Co-Founder Jeff Jonas said. “Together we are leveraging the powerful Quintar platform and bringing the digital world to life, but we are just scratching the surface. We are thrilled to expand our relationship and look forward to creating new experiences and changing how fans engage with the PGA TOUR.”

Powered by Quintar’s (www.quintar.ai) Q.reality live sports and entertainment AR platform, the PGA TOUR AR app for iPhone is made exclusively for fans attending select PGA TOUR events. The AR app is designed to expand the live tournament experience using data provided by ShotLink powered by CDW over signature holes at each tournament. ShotLink, the TOUR’s longstanding state-of-the-art scoring system, captures and reports real-time vital information on every shot, by every player, during tournament competition.

The app’s fan-controlled interactive group and player replay experience will feature AR tee-shot trails with apex indicator ball speed, ball and player indicator cards and distance to pin measurements. Fans can capture the AR blended action and share with their friends on social media.

McLaren Racing Announces OKX As A Primary Partner Of McLaren Formula 1 Team

McLaren Racing today announced a major multi-year partnership with OKX, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume, as a Primary Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 Team and McLaren Shadow esports Team from 2022.

The relationship with OKX will support the team’s global fan experience, providing fans with exciting opportunities and product innovations to bring fans closer to the action.

The partnership unites two global brands who value innovation and accessibility, with McLaren’s fan engagement programme always evolving to bring people closer to the team.

From the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, OKX branding will be carried on the McLaren MCL36 F1 cars, on the helmets of McLaren F1 drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and on the McLaren F1 Team kit and McLaren Shadow Team kit.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said:

“We are thrilled to announce this primary partnership with OKX ahead of the Miami GP. In a rapidly evolving field, OKX is a long-established crypto brand that brings innovation, analytics and accuracy to accomplish great things.

“The first-ever Miami Grand Prix is the perfect occasion for us to launch this significant partnership, through which we will collaborate with OKX to take our fan experience to all new levels.”

Haider Rafique, Chief Marketing Officer, OKX, said:

“The McLaren brand stands for everything that is great about F1. Speed, reliability, and performance are at the core of any top-class crypto trading platform. We innovate on our platform every day, ensuring the highest trade execution speed to our users, requiring ‘pit-like’ team collaboration and instincts.”

Hero Named Title Sponsor Of FIH Hockey5s Lausanne

Hero (Hero MotoCorp), the world’s largest manufacturer of two wheelers and a long-time partner of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and hockey in general, has been named title sponsor of the first-ever senior World Hockey5s event organised by FIH, which will take place on 4 and 5 June 2022, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

‘Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022’ will combine a thrilling competition involving some of the powerhouses of international hockey (Women: Switzerland, India, Poland, South Africa and Uruguay; Men: Switzerland, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Poland) with an initiation to hockey offered to the public and a musical entertainment throughout both days.

Bharatendu Kabi, Head – Corporate Communication & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Hero MotoCorp, said:

“Hero MotoCorp has been one of the largest corporate promoters of sports across the world. In keeping with this commitment, we are glad to support Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) in staging the inaugural Hockey 5s, a brand-new format added to the sport of Hockey. As the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, Hero has always been at the forefront of sustainable technology and innovation. We congratulate FIH for introducing a new format with a fast-paced game that involves high levels of skill and aimed at further increasing the reach and popularity of the sport. With 5s, fans around the world will get to watch a great exhibition of hockey in action over the course of two days in Lausanne in the summer.”

FIH CEO Thierry Weil said:

“We’re delighted to have Hero as title sponsor of our inaugural Hockey5s international tournament in Lausanne. This demonstrates once more the deep commitment of Hero to be a leader in the development of hockey worldwide. FIH is determined to grow hockey globally and we’re convinced that Hockey5s has a great potential to contribute significantly to the fulfillment of this objective. It is therefore particularly encouraging to be supported in our vision by such a strong and faithful hockey partner. On behalf of FIH, I would like to extend our sincerest thanks and appreciation to Hero.”

In 2019, in order to further boost the development of hockey globally through Hockey5s, the FIH Executive Board decided to create an FIH Hockey5s World Cup – with the inaugural edition planned in 2024 in Oman – and, in the near future, a Hockey5s World Tour, which will consist of events similar to Lausanne’s.

beIN Sports Becomes New Home Of Speedway GP In The US And Nine Countries In South East Asia

Speedway fans in the United States and South East Asia are set for a huge season of racing as beIN SPORTS delivers live FIM Speedway Grand Prix coverage throughout 2022.

Despite their nation giving the world Speedway GP legends like Greg Hancock and Billy Hamill, American fans have long found it difficult to follow the fortunes of the sport’s top riders.

But that all changes from 2022 as beIN SPORTS partners with global FIM Speedway promoter Discovery Sports Events to bring Speedway GP action to fans across the USA and also viewers in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

Discovery Sports Events’ agreement with beIN SPORTS is the first step in their vision to bring a Speedway GP round to the United States.

François Ribeiro, Head of Discovery Sports Events, commented:

“I know there is a great legacy of speedway in the USA, so we are delighted to bring a season of Speedway GP to our fans in partnership with beIN Sports.

“I know that it has not always been easy for them to find coverage in the past, so it’s an absolute pleasure to work with beIN Sports to showcase our incredible racing to viewers in America and South East Asia.

“Bringing a Speedway GP round to the US is certainly part of our vision for FIM Speedway, and I hope bringing American viewers a fantastic season of racing will be the next step in making this dream a reality.

“I also look forward to offering sports fans in South East Asia the chance to experience Speedway GP, some possibly for the first time.”

Antonio Briceno, Managing Director, beIN SPORTS USA said:

“We are delighted to be broadcasting Speedway GP to 10 countries across the USA and South East Asia. This is fantastic news for fans of world-class motorsport and, thanks to our agreement with Discovery Sports Events, our viewers will see every race of the 2022 season with us on beIN SPORTS.”

The 2022 FIM Speedway season, the first of ten seasons under new global promoter Discovery Sports Events, begins on April 30 with the FIM Speedway GP of Croatia – Donji Kraljevec.