Valiant Entertainment, one of the leading comic character-based entertainment companies, have agreed a deal to design USA Luge’s race suits until 2014.

The suits will arrive on time for the team to compete at Sochi, Russia in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Each suit will be designed to resemble the look of the character X-O Manowar, a time-displaced warrior bonded to a suit of extraterrestrial armor.

The U.S. National and Junior National Team athletes will unveil their new X-O Manowar-inspired speed suits at the World Cup opener in Innsbruck, Austria later this month.

The FEI Nations Cup Jumping will have a new look and a new name from 2013 onwards, try following finalisation of a 16 million Euro four-year sponsorship package from the Saudi Equestrian Fund. The series will now be called the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup.

The sponsorship deal, worth four million Euro per annum and running through to the end of 2016, was announced at the FEI Bureau’s first meeting at the Federation’s General Assembly in Istanbul (TUR). The Bureau has given its unanimous approval for new rules for the series, completing the remodelling process initiated in April of this year.

“This is a truly historic occasion”, FEI President HRH Princess Haya said in making the announcement. “We have transformed a historic series and modernised it, without losing the fabulous tradition that dates back over 100 years. Now we have a series that will really catch the imagination of sports fans and the attention of the world’s media. We’re ready to take on the top sports.

“It is really wonderful news for equestrian sport and for the future of the FEI Nations Cup, now the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup. The Arabic word Furusiyya encompasses horsemanship, equestrian skills and knowledge, as well as chivalry. It perfectly captures the key elements of our wonderful sport and our unique relationship with the horse. I am confident that we now have the right format to put the FEI Nations Cup series right back where it belongs, at the heart of the international calendar.”

“Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup will herald a new dawn in the 100-year old history of this series,” HH Prince Faissal Bin Abdullah Bin Muhammad Al Saud, a former FEI Bureau member and Chairman of the Saudi Equestrian Fund board of trustees, said. “With its new format the series will allow us to spread the values of Al Furusiyya across the globe, underpinning our Arab heritage and commitment towards the growth of this noble sport worldwide.”

Acknowledging the work that has gone into restructuring the series, Princess Haya said: “I want to thank everyone who has been involved in the remodelling of the series, which has entailed a huge amount of input from the National Federations and stakeholders and it has taken a lot of work to incorporate all this into the series format.

“But most of all I want to thank the Saudi Equestrian Fund for their vision and for their belief in this flagship series. The restructuring process to give the series a truly global reach would not have been possible without their financial support. In-keeping with the way all our sponsors operate, they stood back to allow the FEI Jumping Committee and the staff at FEI headquarters to commit to an intensive consultation process with the National Federations and to draw up the rules unhindered.

“The Nations Cup competition has been in existence for more than 100 years, and it has been running as a series since 1965, so rather than scrap everything, we’ve kept what was good and remodelled the rest to make the series universal and modern. Now that we have everything in place, including a wonderful new sponsor, we can look forward to really top sport in this flagship series.”

Jeep Chrysler UK has agreed a sponsorship extension with the NFL International Series to become Official Car Supplier in the UK for 2013.

The announcement to back the NFL’s activity in the UK for another season was made ahead of the International Series Game (ISG) between the St. Louis Rams and the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium, London last weekend (28 October).

Jeep Chrysler was present at a number of events in the run up to the ISG including the Fan Rally, a family event in Trafalgar Square on the day before the game, which attracted more than 43,000 visitors. A capacity crowd of 84,000 watched the big game on Sunday and the NFL has announced that it will increase to playing two games at Wembley Stadium in 2013.

As Jeep Chrysler is Official Car Supplier to the NFL, the brand’s UK owners and fans will have access to a host of incentives during the season, leading up to the Super Bowl 2013 highlight event.

“This partnership once again sees two iconic US names coming together,” says Nigel Land, brand director, Jeep Chrysler UK. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase our range ofcars in the UK, from the Chrysler Ypsilon city car to the Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV, while enjoying some great sport. We look forward to developing the relationship even further.”

“We are thrilled to have Chrysler return to the NFL UK family for another season,” says Marc Reeves, International Commercial Director of the NFL. “We are both very proud American exports with a storied history in the UK, and an even brighter future here. Chrysler’s integrated activation platform is best-in-class, and we are proud of the success that we were able to jointly achieve last year. We look forward to continuing that trend through a wide array of standout programs designed to delight both NFL fans and Chrysler drivers across the United Kingdom.”

Giro d’Italia organisers have announced a new sponsor for the race leader’s pink jersey, with biscuit maker Balocco taking over from long-term sponsor Estathe’ for 2013 and 2014.

Balocco has been the away strip sponsor of Juventus for the last two years but opted to invest in cycling after CEO Alberto Balocco spent a day on the race.

The maglia rosa was introduced in 1931 with the legendary Learco Guerra the first rider to ever wear the iconic jersey after winning the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia.

“The Giro is without a doubt one of the most iconic events in our country, and thanks to its international coverage, shows wonderful images of our Italy around the world. Our sponsorship of the maglia rosa is therefore a fantastic way of reaffirming our Italian pride and increasing our global profile.” Alberto Balocco told Gazzetta della Sport.

The Balocco logo will appear on the chest, sides and back of the pink jersey produced by Santini. Balocco has decided to invest in professional cycling despite the recent doping scandals and fear in Italy about the outcome of the Padua police investigation.

“There’s always a risk in anything you do but were convinced that we’ve made the right choice. I’ve seen that the testing is severe and gives little chance to anyone who thinks of cheating,” Alberto Balocco told Gazzetta della Sport.

“We’ve signed a two-year contract, with an option for a third year. We’re not interested in a short-term sponsorship, we want people to remember our name.”

The 2013 Giro d’Italia starts from Naples on May 4 and finishes in Brescia on May 26. 

Dollar General has signified it’s commitment to Nascar’s Joe Gibbs Racing by oncreasing it’s sponsorship to 17 Sprint Cup races and a full-time ride in Nationwide, according USA Today Sports.

As many companies are trending away from full-season sponsorships in the Sprint Cup Series, Dollar General is moving toward a 36-race commitment. 

CEO Rick Dreiling said the discount retailer will increase its spending on NASCAR for the sixth consecutive year, backing Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota driven by Matt Kenseth for 17 races starting with next year’s Daytona 500. That’s up from 12 races this season.

“Our goal is to grow into a full-time Cup ride,” Dreiling told USA Today Sports. “But it’s a little soon to commit if that’s going to be next year or two to four years from now. That’s all down the road.”

The University of Canberra Brumbies have welcomed a new corporate partner on board this week with the announcement the Capital Training Institute will be the club’s Official Training Partner for the next three years. 

Capital Training Institute is one of Australia’s fastest emerging Registered Training Organisations specialising in a wide range of vocational education and training. Established in Canberra in 2007, viagra the Capital Training Institute now has training centres in Canberra, troche Sydney and Brisbane. 

Chief Executive Matt Sutherland commented on the deal: “This is a very good opportunity for our business to engage the corporate supporters and members of the Brumbies. We acknowledge that there is a significant level of support for the team both here in the ACT and interstate and we look for to meeting these stakeholders over the next three years and beyond.”

“We aim to use our partnership of the Brumbies to further strengthen relationships with their Naming Rights Sponsor, the University of Canberra and provide a clear pathway for our students on to university study.”

“Similarly to the Brumbies, we too are an emerging brand which has recently gone through some significant changes. In the last 12 months we have changed our name, expanded the business into two new markets, and have worked hard on creating a new culture.”

“We are proud of our achievements here in Canberra, but now it’s time to produce positive outcomes on the national stage.  Ultimately we see the Brumbies as a good fit for our brand as we to look to expand the organisation into each capital city as part of our national expansion.” 

“It’s nice to be able to reward the Brumbies for their hard work over the last 12 months and from the entire team here at Capital Training Institute we are looking forward to developing our relationship over the next three years.”

Phoenix International Raceway has named Arizona-based Vektor Vodka as it’s Official Partner.

Vektor Vodka will kick off their partnership as PIR’s Official Vodka during the November 11 AdvoCare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend with the opening of the Bar Vektor Vodka Lounge in the fan midway and the presenting sponsorship of PIR: After Dark.

”We’re delighted to welcome Vektor Vodka as a sponsor at Phoenix International Raceway,” said President Bryan R. Sperber. “Having a high-quality product that is also a hometown brand is particularly exciting to us and something we know our fans will enjoy.”

Vektor Vodka will be introducing a signature drink available to fans throughout the midway called The Redline, as well as having their logo proudly displayed on the hood of Bobby Labonte’s #47 JTG-Daugherty Toyota Camry.

Helping to keep PIR’s party alive after the checkered flag, PIR: After Dark will feature guest bartender Brad Daugherty and guest appearances by Bobby Labonte.

“Teaming up with a powerhouse venue like Phoenix International Raceway is a natural progression for us,” said Native Spirits CEO Dr. Mark S. Williams. “This is our hometown, and having Vektor Vodka on the hood of the JTG-Daugherty Racing #47 Toyota with an icon like Bobby Labonte on the wheel at PIR is incredible. This is our first year in what we hope will be a long term relationship with NASCAR, PIR, and the most loyal fans in sports.”

Vektor Vodka is distilled and bottled in Samara, Russia’s oldest and most distinguished distillery. It is distilled 7 times from Russian winter wheat, using only Lux class spirit, and Birchwood filtration – giving Vektor a refined taste, and a luxuriously smooth finish. Dr. Williams has been developing the brand for over 4 years, and plans to expand the portfolio to other ultra-premium spirit brands from, as their namesake implies, their “native” countries.