The organisers of the world’s largest multi-stage sportive, the Tour of Wessex have announced partnerships with two of the world’s leading cycling brands and a new British sports nutrition brand. 

The Tour of Wessex sponsored by Trek Bicycles will welcome thousands of riders from across the globe between the 24-26th May 2014, all in search of Somerset’s most famous climbs and cycling terrain. 

As part of the deal Trek’s partnership will involve Trek Project One demonstrations, a dedicated Trek & Bontrager retail outlet and rider support in the form of Trek neutral service bikes. Each evening the Race HQ will also come alive with Trek movie nights, ladies seminars and Trek Precision Fit demos. 

“The Tour of Wessex is an event that offers a unique format for riders, one that is unlike any other sportive. It’s an event that we’re delighted to be part of, as it provides an opportunity for us to contribute to a festive atmosphere that goes beyond a typical one day event” said Nigel Roberts, director of Trek UK. 

Another significant development for 2014 is the Tour’s partnership with Shimano. Not only will riders receive full Shimano mechanical support out on the course each day thanks to two neutral support vehicles carrying Trek bikes but they’ll also benefit from spare wheels and qualified bike technicians at each feed-station. The familiar Shimano:BMW neutral service motorbike will again be back for added on-road assistance. 

Kellie Parsons from Madison said: “Shimano is synonymous with the world’s leading cycling events so our partnership with the Tour of Wessex is an obvious one. Not only does the Tour give amateur cyclists an insight into the endeavours and hardships of stage racing, but with our Shimano neutral support service they can now enjoy the same back-up that professional riders expect, helping participants focus on crossing the finish line each day with a smile on their face.” 

Sports nutrition company OTE Sports have also partnered with the 2014 Tour to deliver specific products and advice that will help Tour entrants maximise their performance. 

“OTE Sports are delighted to announce their partnership with the Tour of Wessex 2014. As the official sports nutrition partner we look forward to helping all riders successfully fuel their way round each day. Correct fuelling and refuelling strategies using sports nutrition products have a vital role to play in multi stage challenges such as this so we’ll be right on hand to help riders achieve their PBs!” said co-founder Peter Slater. 

Using the Birmingham Cycle Show as a launch platform for the Trek partnership, Tour of Wessex organiser Nick Bourne tempted show visitors with even more innovations. 

“Enhancing the Tour of Wessex is always top priority so to partner with Trek UK is extremely exciting for us, helping underline just how unique the Tour of Wessex really is. We haven’t stopped there though, with 2014 seeing the introduction of our new official ‘Tour of Wessex Training Weekends’ and our ‘Tour of Wessex Training Camp Majorca’. Both concepts are designed to help riders develop fitness level and group riding skills before safely conquering the Tour of Wessex in style alongside thousands of others.”

Firestone will be the title sponsor of the 2014 IndyCar Series season-opening race on the scenic streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., event promoter Green Savoree St. Petersburg announced.

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be held March 28-30 on the 1.8-mile circuit next to Tampa Bay. The “World’s Fastest Spring Break Party” will celebrate its 10th anniversary of hosting the IndyCar Series. James Hinchcliffe of Andretti Autosport won this past season.

“Firestone has been a first-rate sponsor of our event for the past nine years, and we can only express gratitude for having a partner who understands the value of our event,” said event president Tim Ramsberger, who noted the entitlement sponsorship is for multiple years. “It speaks volumes about Firestone and what we have built with all of our partners in our wonderful community.”

Firestone, the Official Tire of the IndyCar Series since 2002, also is the title sponsor of the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway in June.

“Motorsports is an integral part of the Firestone brand marketing efforts and the entitlement sponsorship of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg aligns perfectly with our plans,” said Lisa Boggs, director of Bridgestone Americas Motorsports. “Our commitment to the race is a reflection of our longstanding relationship with Green Savoree and the terrific St. Petersburg community and fans. We are proud to have the Firestone name on this outstanding event.”

Panther Racing has announced it has reached a multi-year partnership agreement with Charter Media for the 2014 IndyCar Series season.

Charter Media will be visible on Panther’s entries at all IndyCar Series events, which will include at least one primary sponsorship placement during the season.

Charter Media specializes in cable television advertising, marketing, production and research.

The 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee (GUOC 2015) have appointed Suzy, known as the ‘national sweetheart’ of Korea, as a promotional ambassador.

The appointment ceremony was attended by Kang Un-tae, chairman of GUOC and mayor of Gwangju City; Kim Yoon-suk, Secretary General of GUOC, and other related officials and took place by presenting the appointment certificate, taking a commemorative photo, and writing a message of support for the Gwangju Universiade.

Suzy was chosen as a promotional ambassador for the Gwangju Universiade because her young, healthy, and vibrant image was in line with the vision of youth and enthusiasm that Gwangju Universiade seeks to achieve.

As a promotional ambassador, Suzy will be doing her part by participating in promotional videos, posters, photos, and other various events to promote the Gwangju Universiade.

Suzy is originally from Gwangju and debuted through the girl group ‘Miss A’ in 2010. She has been actively performing in the fields of movies, dramas, advertisements, and so on and she has gained much popularity through the film “Architecture 101”, where she was dubbed with the name ‘national sweetheart’. She has currently come back with her group’s new album ‘Hush’ and is actively working on promotions in Korea as well as abroad.

Meanwhile, GUOC has appointed sports stars such as Ki Bo-bae (archery), Son Yeon-jae (rhythmic gymnastics), Yang Hak-sun (artistic gymnastics), and Choi Eun-sook (fencing) as ambassadors, who have actively participated in various promotional activities.

Australian Football League (AFL) team, diagnosis Western Bulldogs have announced White King as its ball partner for the next two years.

The flagship product of parent company Pental, adiposity White King is Australia’s iconic household cleaning brand, recipe   and has grown to over 40 products ranging across household cleaners, toilet cleaners and laundry products, since originating in the 1950s.

Western Bulldogs Chief Executive Simon Garlick commented on the new deal: “Western Bulldogs members and fans should very excited about the Club forming a strong and ongoing partnership with a like-minded values driven organisation such as Pental.

“We look forward to working with Pental to create valuable brand awareness and sales opportunities at both a national level, and also in line with the unique opportunity we can provide as the team of Melbourne’s west.”

Pental General Manager Charlie McLeish said the strong synergies between the Bulldogs and the consumer brand made the newly formed partnership a natural fit.

“Both the Bulldogs and White King have a long, proud history in common and both share an equally exciting future, as well as similar values,” McLeish said.

“We are delighted to have come on board as the ball partner of the Western Bulldogs.”

Pental owns several of Australia’s iconic brands such as White King, Softly and Martha’s Wool Mix, as well as being the largest manufacturer of soap and firelighters in Australia.

Big Bash League (BBL) Twenty20 team Sydney Sixers have announced iNet as their first ever principal partner. 

As well as throwing their support behind the magenta men the Sixers will work with iiNet on a number of member and fan engagement activities to be activated throughout the upcoming summer.

“We’ve worked really hard this off season to offer brands a compelling reason to partner with our Big Bash clubs and iiNet fits the bill perfectly,” said Cricket NSW CEO Andrew Jones.

“We know the Sixers have the ability to work with brands to achieve a range of outcomes and this partnership we hope will be a fruitful one.”

Sydney Sixers General Manager Dominic Remond was equally happy with the new partnership.

“iiNet are a great fit for the Sixers from a brand perspective,” said Remond.

“Like the Sixers their goal is to be a market leader in their field while their irreverent nature is similar to how we approach our business, a bit bold and cheeky.”

Maryna Fewster, iiNet Chief Customer Officer said the partnership was a natural fit for the business.

“iiNet prides itself on its innovative approach, and we are pleased to be aligned with a sport actively challenging traditions and reinvigorating cricket for a new generation,” she said.

“Sydneysiders are some of the biggest fans of the Big Bash League, and we’re proud to put our name behind one of the most successful teams in the league – the Sydney Sixers.”

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats have announced Yorkshire law firm Blacks Solicitors LLP as their Official Legal Advisors.

A long standing commercial partner, price 2014 will be the first time the Blacks Solicitors LLP logo has appeared on the shirts taking their place at the top of the back of the jersey.

Wildcats Chairman, drugs Michael Carter commented: “The Blacks Sports Team has an envied reputation within sport and we’re delighted that they’ve not only extended their partnership with us, allergist but increased it to become a shirt sponsor for the first time.”

“With the extensive industry knowledge they bring to the table it allows us to deal with the complex issues such as intellectual property, player contracts, RFL and Super League regulations, trademarks and licensing, franchises and property. Their support is invaluable.”

Blacks Managing Partner Chris Allen said: “We are delighted that we have been appointed as the club’s ‘Official Legal Advisors’ and will feature on the playing shirts for the upcoming season. We are a proud Yorkshire firm and have enjoyed working closely with a club that is such a cornerstone of the local community.”

The 2013 Winter Universiade in Trentino, has announced a partnership with Oracle to boost their communications and social media activity on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube through Oracle’s cloud appliacations. 

As part of the deal, Oracle will be a technical sponsor of the 2013 Winter Universiade in Trentino. The 26th edition will take place from 11 to 21 December in some of the most beautiful locations in Trentino. In order to help handle all the communication activities on social media and on the Web in general, Oracle, the technical partner of the event, will support the organising committee with Oracle Social Cloud.

More than 3,600 young athletes and technicians from 61 nations are expected to participate in the 2013 Universiade in Trento, contending for 78 gold medals before a vast audience of sport enthusiasts. Given the wide array of young athletes and spectators using social media as their chosen source of information and method of communication, the organising committee of the 26th Winter Universiade has decided to focus on new methods of social communication. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels will serve as the main points of interaction for the event’s athletes and audience.

“Social media is profoundly modifying the way people live and the way each of us participates in live events, whether it’s for sport, for show, or even for business. The organising committee of the 2013 Winter Universiade in Trentino is well aware of this phenomenon, which is why it has positioned social media at the centre of its communication system,” said Giovanni Ravasio, Applications Country Leader of Oracle Italia.

“We at Oracle are glad to support such an important sporting event with our cloud applications for social media management. Effective social media management will undoubtedly enrich the entire event and make it a more engaging experience for athletes and enthusiasts alike.”

British Ski and Snowboard (BSS) have announced a partnership deal with UK based company SPORTTAPE who will supply their kinesiology tape to the GB Freestyle Snowboard and GB Freeski teams over the coming year.

The partnership was made official in October with SPORTTAPE being the tape of choice for the upcoming year.

Aimee Fuller, GB Freestyle Snowboarder, commented on the deal: “I have used it on my thumb, my shoulder, my ankles and to release the load on my shin splints. It’s exactly what I need from a tape as it is durable and supportive when I am performing. This stuff does really stick, I had my shoulder taped up for a week even when I was in and out of the swimming pool.”

“As a small British business we’re delighted & honoured to be working with the teams. It’s unbelievable to think how far they have come in such a short space of time and a testament to the athletes that they’re genuine medal contenders. To celebrate our support we’ve launched a Union Jack (UJ) tape that we help can play a small part in their journey onto the podium,” said Carl Austin, Director – SPORTTAPE.