Smack Sportswear, ampoule the leading brand of custom-designed volleyball apparel, today announced that it has partnered with some of the top athletes in the sport.

Smack Sportswear has long invested in the sport of volleyball and its athletes, both as a way to build awareness for the brand, as well as to give back to the sport it’s been a part of for almost 20 years. The newest athletes to represent the company now include starting setter for the USA Men’s National Team (in the 2012 London Olympic Games), Donald Suxho, as well as former star of the Brazilian National Team, Rodrigo Gil.

Suxho, who was also the NCAA Player of the Year while at USC, said: “Smack has stayed loyal to volleyball and its athletes since 1994. I greatly respect how they have grown from a small office in Manhattan Beach, CA, to a worldwide volleyball community. Playing all over the world will allow me to help expand the brand.” Suxho is now playing professionally in Argentina, after years of playing in Europe.

Gil, who played for the Brazilian National Team and professionally in top leagues worldwide for over 17 years, commented, “I truly believe in Smack Sportswear. Smack is one of the best known brands in the sport, but I feel the clothing has a much larger appeal than just in volleyball.”

These athletes join Jenny Kropp and Brooke Sweat, who were the #1 and #3 ranked players on the Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Tour this past summer, as Smack athletes. It is also of note that Suxho and Gil have now invested in Smack Sportswear as well.

The United States Olympic Committee and The Topps Company today announced the continuation of their exclusive partnership in the trading card category for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. 

To celebrate and share the incredible stories of Team USA athletes, Topps released its first Team USA collectible card product prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games. Every hobby box – 24 packs per box and 10 cards per pack – included two autograph cards, one relic and one commemorative relic, such as medals, pins, coins and patches. Also, various inserts featured the Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, venues and heritage of the Games, showcasing a true celebration of the Olympic and Paralympic spirit.

The 2012 edition featured 100 U.S. athletes, including 40 who had special autograph versions, and were sold at TeamUSAShop.com, Topps.com and retail outlets nationwide. In recognition of Visa’s support of the Olympic Games, the USOC is proud to accept only Visa at TeamUSAShop.com.

Details of the new product line for Sochi 2014 have not yet been determined, but as with the summer collection, the winter edition will include Team USA’s top Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls. It will also feature authentic autographed cards from top athletes, a highly sought-out feature for collectors and sports fans.

Additionally, Topps will continue to direct a portion of each purchase to supporting the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams. The Sochi 2014 Team USA cards will be available for purchase starting in 2013 at the same locations as the London 2012 product line.

TMS International, marketing partner of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), has announced that Guangzhou Double Fish Sports Group Co., Ltd. has renewed their sponsorship agreement for the 2013 – 2016 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals and signed a new agreement for the 2013 ITTF-North American Championships and Cup.

“TMS is very happy to have Double Fish on board for these events and we look forward serving Double Fish as an important partner for TMS and the ITTF”, remarked Anders Thunström, Managing Director of TMS International. “This is the forth time we extend the agreement for the World Tour Grand Finals, I take that as a vote of confidence from Double Fish. I am also very pleased that we could agree on an agreement for the ITTF North American Title events for 2013, hopefully we can extend that partnership beyond 2013 as well with Double Fish.”

Double Fish became the official equipment supplier and sponsor for the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in 2003 and has continued this relationship with ITTF and TMS since then. At the recent GAC Group 2012 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals held in Hangzhou, China, on 6-9 December, Double Fish’s newly-developed table “VOLANT KING” made its grand debut in front of all the on-site spectators and TV audience.

“We are very happy with our cooperation and will continue to renew our contract on this event for a period of 2013-2016”, said Mr Hou Yuanang, General Manager of Guangzhou Double Fish Sports Group Co., Ltd. “I do believe that Double Fish has gained a good market value through this prestigious international event.”

“We are even more pleased to see the effort of ITTF and TMS in promoting North American table tennis tournaments in 2013, and it is our great honor to serve as the official equipment supplier for the North American tournaments”, added Mr Hou, with regards to the 2013 ITTF-North American Championships and Cup. “We are looking forward to a greater success in our cooperation with ITTF and TMS in the future. May table tennis sport has an even brighter future and Double Fish is glad to make its own contributions to the development of the sport.”

Portsmouth firm Affinion International has stepped up its sponsorship of English League One club Portsmouth.

Golf Queensland today announced the Queensland Open would return in 2013 with Isuzu as its naming rights sponsor.

Isuzu’s three-year commitment has ensured the tournament’s return as a state-based championship to be played from 22 to 25 August 2013 at the Brookwater Golf and Country Club.

Forming part of the PGA Tour of Australasia, the tournament will carry Official World Golf Ranking points.

Golf Queensland chair Peter Castrisos said it was pleasing to have this premium event back on the calendar after last being played in 2007 when it was won by Queenslander Ryan Haller.

“Without sponsors such as Isuzu, events of this calibre which are open to professionals and amateurs would not be possible,” Mr Castrisos said.

“The Isuzu Queensland Open will give a fantastic opportunity for our top amateur golfers to qualify and then compete against the PGA professionals in a 72 hole championship event.”

Ranked number one in the State following the release of Golf Australia magazine’s best 50 courses, Brookwater Golf and Country Club will ensure the golfers are set a challenge in vying for the $110,000 prizemoney on offer.

The host venue is also one of the key supporters of the event through their Partner Sponsorship commitment.

Mr Castrisos said since 1925 the Queensland Open has been a key tournament for many top-ranked professional players.

“Golfers including Norman Von Nida, Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch, Peter Senior and Stewart Appleby, who was an amateur when he won in 1991, have their names etched on the TB Hunter Cup,” he said.

Brian Thorburn CEO of the PGA of Australia added: “Throughout the years the sunshine state has produced some of our country’s best international golfers, all of whom started out playing in events such as the Queensland Open.”

“The Queensland Open will be the third PGA Tour of Australasia tournament contested in Queensland, and we look forward to working alongside Golf Queensland in the coming months and years.”

ANZ, one of the largest banks in Fiji, have agreed a deal with the Fiji Sports Council for the naming rights to the countries National Stadium.

The Global banking group’s three year deal, reported to be worth F$879,000 over the duration, will see the 10,000-seater stadium renamed the ANZ Stadium and includes an additional investment of F$200,000 from the company in stadium branding.

ANZ chief executive of Pacific and Fiji, Vishnu Mohan said: “The sponsorship is a sign of our commitment both to Fiji and to all levels of sport in the South Pacific region.”

The stadium is currently undergoing major renovation work funded by ANZ, the financial partner of the facility upgrade, and is due to be completed in March 2013.

Council chief executive Litiana Loabuka said: “The ANZ Stadium when completed will be on par with international standards. It’ll meet the requirements for hosting international rugby union matches sanctioned by IRB, soccer by FIFA and rugby league.”

Baltimore-based STX, LLC, a global sporting goods leader, announced today that LXM Tour Pro Star Kyle Harrison renewed his contract with STX through 2016.

Harrison’s role will include working with the STX Research and Development team to evaluate and improve products, managing other STX athletes and wearing and using STX gear on the field in LXM Pro games.

As part of his continued role with STX, Harrison plans to launch a new K18 collection for the 2014 season. “I had a very active role in the design and development for my new line,” said Harrison. “I have played lacrosse at the elite level and worked with players of all ages and skill sets for a vast number of years. Drawing from my experiences has really helped shape the line to make the game better for a broader segment of players.”

Harrison’s new K18 collection was developed for the intermediate player in middle and high school. The K18 handle will be released in May 2013 and the other pieces of the line including shoulder pads, arm pads, arm guards and gloves will follow throughout the rest of year.

Harrison started his lacrosse career at Friends School in Baltimore and continued with an impressive collegiate career at Johns Hopkins University, where he was three-time All-American, twice earning first-team accolades. Harrison earned the McLaughlin Award as the nation’s top collegiate midfielder in 2004 and 2005 and received the Tewaaraton Award after leading JHU to the 2005 NCAA Championship.

After graduating, Harrison was the 1st pick in the 2005 Major League Lacrosse draft and went on to be a four-time MLL All Star. In 2009, he co-founded the LXM Pro where he now plays for Team STX. Harrison, who is extremely active in the community, is also a coach for Playmaker Lacrosse Camp and hosts clinics to bring lacrosse to children all over the nation, most recently in Harlem, NY.

“We are very excited that Kyle will continue his career with STX,” said Ed Saunders, Director of Marketing at STX. “He has played a huge role in the emergence of lacrosse in new markets and has been an ambassador of the sport for fans who otherwise wouldn’t know about lacrosse.”

In addition to Harrison’s contract extension, STX also an signed agreement this month with the NCAA to become the official lacrosse equipment supplier of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Championships.

NewDay USA, nurse LLC, buy one of the nation’s leading VA, generic reverse and government lenders, has announced that for the second consecutive year the company is a corporate sponsor of the 2012 Military Bowl on Dec. 27.

NewDay USA will host a halftime presentation, during which company executives and spokesperson, baseball legend Cal Ripken, Jr., will present a $1 million check to its philanthropy partner, Renovating Hope. The ceremony will also honor wounded veteran Mark Trepanier and his family, who will receive keys to their home that was recently refurbished by Renovating Hope and NewDay USA.

“The Military Bowl represents a great opportunity for NewDay USA and its employees to be a part of an event that honors and supports the men and women who serve our country,” said Rear Admiral Tom Lynch (USN – ret.), chairman of NewDay USA. “It’s a wonderful chance for us to show our support for organizations like Renovating Hope that work every day to help make a difference in the lives of wounded veterans and their families.”

NewDay USA executives who will join Ripken on the field during halftime include CEO Rob Posner, chairman Rear Admiral Tom Lynch and director Lieutenant General Benjamin Freakley. Renovating Hope founder Paul S. Hoffecker will accept the $1 million check and take part in the ceremony honoring wounded veteran Mark Trepanier.

“We are proud to work with Renovating Hope as a major philanthropic partner,” Posner said. “No cause is more important to the NewDay USA family than contributing our resources and volunteer efforts to help both past and current members of the armed services who are in need. It’s my hope that our pledge to Renovating Hope creates additional support of this organization and similar initiatives from other groups across the country.”

FLW, pills the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization and no-contract cell phone leader Straight Talk Wireless, buy announced today that Straight Talk Wireless will return as a sponsor for the 2013 season.

The Straight Talk Wireless brand will receive exposure across all of FLW’s platforms, denture including its tournaments and Expos, multiple websites, FLW Bass Fishing magazine and the “FLW” television show on NBC Sports Network. “FLW” is broadcast Sundays in high-definition (HD) to more than 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. The sponsorship will give Straight Talk Wireless the chance to speak to fans on a grassroots level.

A Straight Talk Wireless spokesperson said: “We understand the power of FLW and know that our no-contract $45 a month unlimited everything service on the nation’s four leading wireless networks resonates with its huge fan base. We look forward to another exciting season.”

Straight Talk Wireless will again be represented on the Walmart FLW Tour by two of the most consistent anglers in the sport of professional bass fishing — Scott Canterbury of Springville, Ala., and J.T. Kenney of Palm Bay, Fla.

Global payments and technology company MasterCard have renewed their marketing partnership with the PGA TOUR through 2016.

The continued relationship will focus on further providing MasterCard cardholders unique golf experiences, denture privileged access to top PGA TOUR tournaments and properties, as well as golf-related savings and offers.

MasterCard has been a sponsor of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour since 1995 and presenting sponsor of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard since 2004.

“Golf is a passion point for many of our cardholders,” said Chris McWilton, President, U.S. Markets, MasterCard. “The TOUR has helped us to provide our cardholders with golf experiences and access that bring them closer to the game in a truly unique manner. By aligning our brand with the things that matter most to our cardholders, we’re able to deliver on our brand promise and ultimately further cardholder loyalty.”

With the relationship renewal, MasterCard will expand TOUR-related cardholder benefits at key PGA TOUR tournaments and courses, as well as introduce new programs at select tournaments.

“We are excited about the programs that MasterCard is implementing for its cardholders who enjoy watching and playing golf,” said Tom Wade, Chief Marketing Officer of the PGA TOUR. “MasterCard continues to be very creative in developing marketing programs centered on its relationship with the PGA TOUR. MasterCard also has been a vital part of the success of the PGA TOUR and we are pleased to announce this four-year extension. We look forward to working with MasterCard to bring these cardholder programs to life.”