beIN SPORTS Agrees Rights To The Vitality Women’s FA Cup In MENA

beIN SPORTS (“beIN”) will show the Vitality Women’s FA Cup for the remainder of the 2021/22 season in 24 countries across the Middle East & North Africa (MENA). The agreement with The FA will cover all remaining matches this season including live coverage of selected Quarter Final’s, both Semi Finals and the showpiece final at Wembley Stadium on 15 May.

beIN SPORTS coverage of the competition will start with this weekend’s clash between Liverpool and Arsenal, which kicks off at noon local time / 3pm Doha on Sunday 27 February. beIN SPORTS will broadcast the competition in Arabic and English further showing its commitment to boost viewership of women’s sport, through the beINSPIRED initiative.

The beINSPIRED project’s objective is to elevate the profile of under-represented sports globally and recognise the value that all sports, and women’s sport in particular, play in the international sports eco-system.

Commenting on the announcement, Richard Verow, Chief Sports Officer of beIN MEDIA GROUP said: “We are delighted to showcase the Vitality Women’s FA Cup on our channels in the MENA region, in line with our commitment to give maximum exposure to female athletes and talent – both on and off screen – and inspiring the next generation of athletes and fans.”

beIN now holds one of the largest portfolios of women’s sports rights in global broadcasting. In 2021, beIN SPORTS was the official broadcaster of the UEFA Women’s Champions League; CAF Women’s Champions League; the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Paris 2024 Summer Olympics; every women’s tennis Grand Slam (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon & the US Open) all across the MENA region; the WTA Tour, Billie Jean King Cup 2021 – the World Cup of Women’s Tennis – in Australia, France and MENA; the W Series in the US, Canada and MENA, a range of Paris Saint-Germain Féminine games in various markets; as well as key women’s events from handball, basketball, swimming and much, much more.

beIN SPORTS is also gearing up to broadcast the knockout stages of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in the coming months as the road to the Juventus Stadium on May 22 draws ever closer. beIN viewers will also enjoy the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, displaying the best of European club and international football to beIN SPORTS viewers in MENA this summer.

Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix Announces Founding Partnership With Red Bull

South Florida Motorsports (SFM), have today announced a multi-year Founding Partnership with Red Bull for the Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix. The partnership will extend Red Bull’s presence at the event, which will be held for the first time on May 6-8, 2022.

The Founding Partnership between the two entities speaks to their shared commitment to Formula 1® and growing fandom both locally in the South Florida area and nationally in the U.S. Red Bull aspires to create unique experiences that will bring fans closer than ever to Oracle Red Bull Racing, Scuderia AlphaTauri and the sport in general. This will include numerous activations and hospitality opportunities around the Miami International Autodrome campus, allowing for new fans to learn about and engage with the sport.

“Red Bull’s commitment to Formula 1 is absolute, in the form of its championship-winning Oracle Red Bull Racing team and sister Scuderia AlphaTauri team. It has also created a staircase of young talent to the top of the sport for drivers including champions like Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel. We’re proud Red Bull has decided to commit to partnering with our event as a key element of its US and global brand activity.” said Jeremy Walls, Senior Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer of Hard Rock Stadium & Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix.

As part of the partnership, The Red Bull Energy Station – a custom, Miami-themed hospitality environment -will be constructed at Turn 11 of the unique 5.41km Miami International Autodrome, which is being built entirely within the Hard Rock Stadium campus. It will provide a unique and exciting experience of the world’s biggest annual sporting series via a trackside viewing platform.

The Austrian energy drink brand is synonymous with world class motorsport. Its team, Oracle Red Bull Racing, recently claimed the 2021 Formula 1® Drivers’ World Championship with Max Verstappen, who won 10 races during the 22-race season. In total, Oracle Red Bull Racing has achieved four constructors’ championship titles and five drivers’ crowns since it was formed in 2006.

British Sailing Team Renews Contract With Musto

Performance clothing brand Musto today announced the renewal of their long-standing commitment to the British Sailing Team as Official Clothing Supplier. Governed by the Royal Yachting Association, the British Sailing Team supports nearly 60 elite sailors on their performance pathway to compete at the very highest level of the sport.

Musto’s Olympic heritage can be traced all the way back to the 1964 Olympic Games when founder Keith Musto won the silver medal in the Flying Dutchman class. Ever since, the brand has continued to deliver race-winning performance and weather protection apparel.

Nick Houchin, Musto’s Head of Marketing commented: “We are proud to continue our relationship with the British Sailing Team. The four year partnership enables us to build upon our close relationship with the team, working directly with the sailors in the development of our high-performance dinghy sailing gear. We are engaging with the global sailing community from grassroots to Olympic level through our partnership with the international federation, World Sailing, and Musto’s support of the British Sailing Team is our commitment to inspiring current and future Olympic hopefuls on a national level.”

Musto first partnered with the British Sailing Team in 2009 and has been the team’s clothing supplier of choice for over a decade. Since renewing the partnership in 2017, Musto and the British Sailing Team have continued to combine their knowledge and expertise to ensure athletes are kitted out in the highest level of performance dinghy gear including the Sunblock Dynamic and Flexlite Vapour range.

“It’s really important to have the right kit in order to perform at our best, day in and day out,” commented Anna Burnet, Nacra 17, who raced alongside her partner, John Gimson, to secure Silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. “Musto worked with us to fully understand our requirements and have produced durable, flexible clothing that provides us with a level of protection like no other. The brand helps the British Sailing Team achieve those marginal gains so vital in securing a podium spot in each race.”

The British Sailing Team was instrumental in developing Musto’s new Spring Summer 2022 dinghy collection, offering feedback to Musto’s designers over a three year period, culminating in an updated Flexlite Alumin product family.

Ian Walker MBE, RYA Director of Racing, a double Silver Olympic medallist and Volvo Ocean Race winner, knows all too well the importance of quality clothing when pushing the limits of performance.

“Musto is the ‘go to’ brand globally across all types of sailing, from high performance to recreational, dinghy to offshore,” Walker commented. “The British Sailing Team aims to be the world’s best both on and off the water. Musto’s peerless knowledge and expertise will be invaluable as the British Sailing Team seek to further their dominance in Olympic class sailing. As the British Sailing Team continues to lead and inspire future generations of athletes, we work with Musto to help our sailors gain the inside edge over their rivals through innovative development from the world’s most trusted sailing brand.”

Musto also announced a ‘Lifestyle Ambassador’ partnership with leading British pro kiteboarder, Tom Court. Aged 30, Tom learnt to windsurf at an early age before turning his attention to kitesurfing in 1999. Ever since, he has been an enthusiastic kiter and quickly made his mark on the PKRA Kiteboarding world tour after winning the UK under 18s championship in his first year of competition. Tom is an International rider for Boards & More (Duotone) and is well known for his powerful riding style. Tom will be wearing Musto’s Marina and Evolution collections and showcasing the kit in action as he competes around the world.

SportAccord Cancels Russian Summit As Events Look Elsewhere

The SportAccord Executive Committee met today and unanimously decided to cancel the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit, 15-20 May 2022 in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Many other federations and events are also looking at taking their events away from Russia, with the IOC even urging federations to move events away from the country.

The International Canoe Federation will hold talks with all stakeholders with a view to relocating canoe events planned for Russia this year, and to follow the IOC recommendations in terms of using flags and anthem.

ICF President Thomas Konietzko pledged the support of the international paddling community to the Ukrainian canoeing family during a telephone conversation with Ukraine Canoe Federation President, Igor Slivinsky, on Friday morning.

IFSC SUSPENDS WORLD CUP IN MOSCOW

Following a series of consultative meetings with different stakeholders today, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) decided to suspend the IFSC Boulder and Speed World Cup scheduled for 1 to 3 April 2022 in Moscow.

World Curling Federation remove European Curling Championships 2022 from Russia

Perth, Scotland – After an emergency convening of the World Curling Federation Board, a decision was made to remove the hosting of the European Curling Championships 2022 from the Russian city of Perm.

Caesars Sportsbook Teams Up with the Cleveland Cavaliers Ahead of Sports Betting’s Launch in Ohio

Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: CZR) today announced a multi-year partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers to make Caesars Sportsbook an “Official Sports Betting Partner” and Caesars Entertainment the “Official Casino Partner” of the team. This partnership includes plans to open a best-in-class retail sportsbook on the street level inside the northwest atrium area of the team’s home venue, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

“We’re ready to welcome Ohio sports fans into the Caesars Sportsbook Empire, while also making history with our second sportsbook at an NBA arena,” said Chris Holdren, Co-President of Caesars Digital. “Building upon our already established roots with Scioto Downs in Columbus, we’re excited to announce our partnership with the Cavaliers at an exciting time in their franchise’s history. As we prepare to launch sports betting in Ohio later this year, this wide-ranging partnership enables us to connect with the Cavs passionate and highly engaged fanbase. Caesars Sportsbook at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will be a first-class venue providing an exciting atmosphere for sports betting and more.”

Caesars Sportsbook at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will have betting windows for cash wagering and combine custom VIP and hospitality experiences for Caesars Rewards members, along with on-site activations throughout the year. The approximately 10,355 square foot venue will feature a full-service bar and VIP lounge, an extensive menu, and wall-to-wall TV’s. The costs of these improvements will be paid for entirely by the Cavaliers and Caesars.

With construction starting soon, Caesars Sportsbook will be located on the street level inside the northwest atrium of the venue near the intersection of Huron Road and Ontario Street. The Sportsbook will be open year-round on both event and non-event days for both eligible fans with tickets to events and those without tickets who want to place wagers. Caesars Sportsbook at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is expected to be open by the end of 2022, subject to regulatory and other necessary approvals and further details and renderings will be announced at a later time.

In addition, Caesars Sportsbook gains access to the use of official Cleveland Cavaliers logos and marks, broadcast and digital content across Cavs properties, as well as TV-visible in-game signage.

Caesars Sportsbook made sports history with the first-ever sportsbook at a professional sports venue in May of 2021 at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. and will soon be opening its doors to another Caesars Sportsbook at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona through a partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

When mobile sports betting goes live in Ohio, sports fans will be able to download the Caesars Sportsbook app to make a bet anywhere in the Buckeye State. Caesars Sportsbook will have mobile market access via the Caesars Entertainment-owned Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs Casino in Columbus. Caesars Sportsbook players can also earn Tier Credits and Reward Credits through the industry-leading customer loyalty program, Caesars Rewards, to unlock emperor-worthy experiences within the Caesars portfolio of properties and partnerships, including access to a wide range of hospitality assets and VIP experiences with the Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Floki Spearheads Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN’s Crypto Charge

Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN is welcoming crypto meme coin Flokias a partner for the 2022 Formula One season. The deal, which will see Floki’s distinctive branding feature on the rear wing endplates of the C42 cars of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, will also see Floki partner Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN Esports.

The new partnership will expand Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN’s presence in the world of decentralised finance, one of the fastest growing markets worldwide, while also continuing Floki’spromotional efforts that have seen the brand advertised in mainstream media, international transport networks, and some of the world’s top football clubs.

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal of Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN:

“Crypto and decentralised finance are some of the latest markets that have garnered attention in recent years, and they represent a huge potential area to grow business. We are proud to partner with Floki, one of the most innovative and engaging companies within this sector, for the 2022 season. Like Floki, we are innovators and we believe there can be a lot of overlap between our companies when it comes to principles and best practices, something we are very keen to explore.”

A spokesman for Floki commented:

“Alfa Romeo and Sauber Motorsport are iconic names in world of motorsport. With Guanyu Zhou making his Formula 1 debut in 2022 as the first ever Chinese driver in Formula One, alongside Valtteri Bottas, it is going to be an amazing season and Floki is proud to be a part of this historic moment. Both Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN and Flokiare committed to the pursuit of excellence that leads us to proudly partner with the team during the 2022 Formula 1 season.”

NHL, NHLPA, TikTok Announce Partnership

Today, the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and TikTok announced a new partnership to deliver original content and unique experiences to TikTok’s global community. The partnership will come to life in several ways, including in-ice branding and the introduction of the TikTok Tailgate Stage at two upcoming marquee outdoor NHL events – the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™ on Feb. 26 in Nashville, Tenn. and the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic™ on March 13 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada – featuring performances by some of the TikTok community’s favorite artists.

The NHL and TikTok will work together to deliver exclusive content, including player fashion interviews, “Who Wore It Best” and “Get Dressed with the Best” segments, and other programming designed to showcase player personalities and personal styles.

“TikTok is an extremely influential entertainment platform with a growing audience of Gen Z users,” said Heidi Browning, NHL Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer. “While highlights are among our most engaging content, through this partnership, we hope to reach the broader TikTok community with exclusive content that captures the amazing fan experience at NHL games and tentpole events, player lifestyle videos, and concerts and global livestreams.”

With 12.2 billion global views, it’s undeniable that TikTok loves #Hockey. The @NHL on TikTok has steadily grown its account to 1.7 million followers, and team accounts on the platform have amassed more than 546 million views around the world. Content like trick shots, behind the scenes and off-the-rink activities, and anything to do with sports and pets are favorites of the community.

“As the digital media landscape has continued to grow and evolve, it’s clear that TikTok has established itself as a premiere platform to connect with fans around the world,” said Mathieu Schneider, NHLPA Special Assistant to the Executive Director. “We are excited to help showcase the style, interests and engaging personalities of our Players to a large and diverse audience through this exciting partnership.”

Music and entertainment are key components to the partnership, with the NHL and TikTok collaborating on musical artists for tentpole NHL events, including the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, NHL Stadium Series™ and the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic™.

Some of the TikTok community’s favorite artists will perform at the TikTok Tailgate Stage, which will become a signature feature of the partnership. Country music star Walker Hayes, who made noise on TikTok last year with his smash hit “Fancy Like,” will kick off the music collaboration with a pre-game show at the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series on Feb. 26. Propelled by the TikTok community, Hayes’ “Fancy Like” became the biggest country song of 2021 after making a TikTok with his daughter. The original video has now racked up over 32 million views, with “Fancy Like” topping multiple sales and streaming charts, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and garnering Walker Hayes his first-ever GRAMMY Award nomination as an artist for Best Country Song. His performance will be exclusively livestreamed on the @NHL’s TikTok account on Feb. 26 at 5:30pm ET/2:30pm PT for music and hockey fans globally.

“Sports content is evolving; fans on TikTok want to see an authentic and multi-dimensional side of the athletes, leagues, teams, and games they love,” said Daniel Habashi, GM, TikTok Canada “We’re lucky to work with partners like the NHL and NHLPA who recognize this and want to bring music and fashion into the fold – two verticals that are both integral to TikTok and extremely popular with our global community.”

The Nashville Predators will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning outdoors in the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series™ at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast live on TNT, SN360, and TVA Sports.

The 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic™ outdoor game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont., on Sunday, March 13, at 4 p.m. ET will be broadcast live on TNT, Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

UEFA And World Tourism Organization Partner Around Shared Values Of Sport And Tourism

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) today announced their partnership around shared values and a common vision for the future.

The leaders of both organisations met today at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, to agree to jointly promote the benefits of sport and sports tourism for development and opportunity for all, including young people. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili and UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin recognised the values shared by tourism and football, both people-led sectors with the capacity to promote understanding, friendship and solidarity and drive social and economic change.

Looking ahead, both UEFA and the UNWTO will work to deliver a lasting legacy across Europe. UEFA will join the UNWTO Global Youth Tourism Summit, designed to give young people a say in the future of the sector and to give them the skills and knowledge needed to lead tourism forward.

Shared objectives

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: “Sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in tourism. And tourism and football, as the world’s most popular sport, uniquely complement each other. Sporting events, such as the UEFA EURO and the UEFA Women’s EURO, are making an exceptional contribution to tourism in the host countries.

“Even more important is that football offers teams and supporters a chance to travel across the continent, discover new destinations and learn more about different cultures. I cannot think of a better way to learn more about each other, grow together rather than drift apart.”

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili added: “Tourism and football are natural partners. They bring joy to many millions, but their benefits go far beyond vacations or single matches. Working with UEFA, UNWTO will build on their potential to celebrate our shared humanity, foster friendship across borders and create experiences and opportunities for people everywhere.”

Jobs and education

Under the new partnership, UEFA and the UNWTO will work together to grow sports tourism across Europe, including through facilitating travel and mobility and through promoting the opportunities for jobs and education this can bring. The two organisations will also jointly champion sustainability within sports and tourism, in line with the wider United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development and UEFA Sustainability Strategy 2030.

The cooperation agreement emphasises the far-reaching impact of both tourism and sport, with both touching on almost every part of economies and societies, in Europe and globally. The two sectors are leading employers and champions of youth empowerment and gender equality. Furthermore, under the guidance of UEFA and the UNWTO, both sectors are working hard to meet their climate action responsibilities.

DemandScience Becomes Official Marketing Partner Of The PGA TOUR

The PGA TOUR and DemandScience, a global B2B data company that partners with customers to upgrade their sales pipelines, today announced a multi-year partnership naming DemandScience the “Official B2B Sales Pipeline Generation Sponsor of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions” through 2026.

DemandScience branding will be integrated across key broadcast segments during NBC Sports coverage of The Honda Classic, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Valspar Championship, WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play, Valero Texas Open, BMW Championship and TOUR Championship. DemandScience will activate this new relationship by having a presence in programming throughout PGA TOUR media properties, aligning with PGA TOUR players and hosting customers at PGA TOUR events.

“We’re excited to welcome DemandScience and its global B2B expertise to the PGA TOUR,” said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President Marketing & Corporate Partnerships. “We’re thrilled with DemandScience’s commitment to First Tee and growing the sport of golf.”

DemandScience Chair and CEO Peter Cannone said, “Joining the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions as an Official Marketing Partner brings the DemandScience brand in front of the most valuable audience in sports. The PGA TOUR audience of B2B sales and marketing professionals and C-suite decision-makers are a perfect match with our customer base.”

“This is a natural partnership for us. Every golfer knows the importance of having the right data at the right time in order to succeed – and that’s what we do for our customers every day,” Cannone concluded.

Demand Science will also be a Trustee of First Tee, a youth development organization supported by the TOUR. With programs in all 50 states and select international locations, First Tee has empowered millions of kids and teen to build their strength of character through golf.

RealFevr Launch New NFT Collector ‘Dropbook’

Many of us will have spent much of our childhood collecting sticker albums from our favourite football tournaments and leagues, but as we move to more of a digital existence, what will be the future of this?

RealFevr, the first fully licensed football video NFT marketplace, have launched an innovative way of collecting: The NFT Collector’s Dropbook, which can be better described as an NFT digital “sticker” album. With this new feature, owners of the NFTs can complete collections from each drop and earn rewards by doing it.

RealFevr have taken a big step towards creating a fully gamified ecosystem, delivering something that no other project has yet delivered in the NFT industry: The Collector Dropbook. By launching the First Edition, they are providing a completely new way of collecting NFTs and strengthening a position as industry innovators.

So what will be part of this dropbook?

There will be one specific Dropbook for each NFT pack drop and every Dropbook must be filled with NFTs from its respective collection. For the time being, you can already complete the First Edition Dropbook:

Dropbook Moments

To fully complete a Dropbook collection, you will have to continuously add your owned moments to the corresponding slots. There will be three different states to represent the availability of your moments:

– Not Available
– Available to Add
– Added and Locked

Not Available

If you don’t own a specific NFT in your collection, the moment slot will appear as not available in the Dropbook. In this case, you will be able to click on the “BUY ON MARKETPLACE” button in case you wish to purchase it right away.

Available to Add

If you already own the NFT in your collection but you have not added it yet to the Dropbook, you will be able to do so by clicking on the “ADD TO DROPBOOK” button.

If you decide to add an NFT to a Dropbook, you will be locking it until the mentioned date. Although the NFT might be locked to a Dropbook, you will still be able to use it in the FEVR Battle Arena P2E game and it will be accounted for staking pools NFT requirements.

Added and Locked

If you have already added and locked your NFT to the corresponding Dropbook, you are set and ready to continue your journey as a collector!

Dropbook Progress

Once you open one of your Dropbooks, you will be able to check your total collection progress, as well as the progress you have made in each rarity tier.

Dropbook Rewards

There would be no gamification without a rewards system and this is the final touch RealFevr are currently adding to this.

By making progress in the completion of each rarity tier of your Dropbooks, you will unlock multiple milestones that will grant you amazing rewards. The higher the rarity tier, the more valuable these rewards will be and they are composed of:

Experience Points (XP)
FEVR Tokens
Allowlist System

Experience Points

These experience points will contribute towards your profile level increasing. In other words, you need to accumulate XP in order to keep leveling up and improve your collector status. The full XP leaderboard system is under development and will be coming soon to RealFevr.

FEVR Tokens

The amount of $FEVR you will receive will vary according to the tier section of the Dropbook.

Allowlist System

When you complete one of the tiers, your wallet will be able awarded as Allowlisted and it will grant you priority access to upcoming initiatives.

While it is important to discuss how promising the future looks like, this vision depends on the ongoing work of the present to become a reality. Being aware of this small, but vital detail is the bridge that unites the reality with our vision.