Betfair will Horseracing’s Newbury’s big National Hunt meeting in February, featuring Europe’s richest handicap hurdle with prize money upped to £152,500 ($238,426).

The race, formerly known as the Totesport Trophy, will be run as the Betfair Hurdle, as part of a minimum three-year deal.

The supporting card on Saturday, February 11 includes the Betfair Denman Chase. The Grade Two contest, formerly sponsored by Aon, has been renamed in honour of the recently retired 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup and dual Hennessy hero.

Aon are to switch their sponsorship to Newbury’s Classic trial, the Greenham Stakes.

Tennis Europe, viagra buy formerly known as the European Tennis Association, clinic has announced a renewal of its comprehensive partnership with leading tennis equipment manufacturer HEAD, therapy due to last until the end of 2013.

HEAD will continue to be recognized as the Official Racquet, Tennis Ball and Tennis Bag partner of the European Tennis Federation and will once again place a strong focus on junior activities. HEAD balls will continue to be promoted as the Recommended Ball of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, which consists of over 300 international events for players aged 12, 14 and 16 & Under in 46 countries.

HEAD will also retain its presence as an Official Partner of the Tour’s most prestigious competitions, the European Junior Championships and Tennis Europe Junior Masters, and extend its tenure as presenting sponsor of the sport’s largest indoor team competition, the Tennis Europe Winter Cups, which will expand to include a 12 & Under category for the first time in 2012.

First Command Financial Services have continued their sponsorship of Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl for the sixth consecutive year.

Kicking off at 11 a.m. CST on Dec. 30 at SMU’s Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas, the Armed Forces Bowl will feature Brigham Young University and University of Tulsa. The game will air on ESPN TV and ESPN Radio as well as the American Forces Network to U.S. servicemembers around the world.

The game and associated events will involve all five branches of the military, and will feature a showcase of military hardware and presentations by military personnel, a flyover and demonstration by an elite military skydiving team, the presentation of the “Great American Patriot Award” with on-field induction ceremonies at halftime, and more.

Through underwriting in part by First Command, all active-duty servicemembers are eligible for free admission, and a portion of local ticket sales will be donated to military charities.

This follows yesterdays announcement of a partnership between Teletouch and the Bowl.

Pizza Hut Park, anabolics home to MLS team FC Dallas will no longer be branded that title after Jan 1 after the fast food restaurant decided to drop its sponsorship of the stadium.

The complex, which includes the stadium and 17 adjacent soccer fields, will officially be re-branded FC Dallas Stadium after the Football Championship Subdivision title game Jan. 7. 

In this current economic climate it should come as no surprise that corporations (including Pizza Hut) are pulling back in the area of sponsorships, Cowboys Stadium has never landed a sponsor and Rangers Ballpark has gone through several, but this news may still gall FCD fans a little coming on the heels of the new stadium rights deal for the Houston Dynamo. 

FC Dallas will now seek a stadium sponsors along with its search for a shirt sponsor.

FC Dallas official statement read: “Pizza Hut, as the company has recently shown with some of its other venue agreements, has shifted its sports marketing philosophy and will no longer be our naming rights partner. We are actively searching for a new naming rights partner for the stadium and are in discussions with several interested companies. Meanwhile, after the FCS game on Jan. 7, we will be referred to as FC Dallas Stadium until a new deal is reached.”

After Pizza Hut remove their branding the venue will be known as the FC Dallas Stadium.

Pittsburgh Penguins phenomenom Sidney Crosby has been announced as the final ambassador for the 2012 Innsbruck Winter Youth Olympic Games, which gets underway next month.

Crosby joins South Korean figure skater Yuna Kim, Alpine skiers Lindsey Vonn and Benjamin Raich and Kevin Rolland, the French freestyle skier, as ambassadors for what will be the first ever Winter Youth Olympics.

Crosby clinched gold for Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and said that he was delighted to be a role model for youngsters.

“It’s important that young athletes have the proper guidance and support in their early years,” said the Canadian.

“I have always tried to lead by example and be a positive role model for people. I hope my involvement in the first Winter Youth Olympic Games can help inspire the athletes and motivate them to be the best they can be in everything they do, not only during competition.”

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said: “We are delighted that Sidney has joined our all-star line-up of Youth Olympic Games Ambassadors. He is one of the best hockey players of his generation, and his passion, dedication and determination are unmatched.

“He is also an athlete who understands the importance of living by proper values. Without question, the athletes at Innsbruck 2012 have a great role model in Sidney.”

More than 1,000 athletes from 65 countries will compete in Innsbruck between January 13 and 22 in the seven sports on the programme for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

THQ Inc. and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced today that Dutch heavyweight sensation Alistair Overeem will join the official roster for UFC Undisputed 3, bronchi the forthcoming installment in the critically acclaimed mixed martial arts (MMA) videogame franchise based on the UFC.

Considered one of the most devastating strikers in the heavyweight division, tadalafil Overeem – a famed world champion kickboxer and former undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight champion – is scheduled to make his UFC debut against former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, anesthetist live on pay-per-view December 30, 2011 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. The winner will become the number one contender to challenge current UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos for the title in 2012.

Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President, Core Games, THQ, said: “Social media is an invaluable tool for us to share information, generate interest and grow our thriving UFC Undisputed 3 community. Rewarding this key demographic with free access to a fighter like Alistair Overeem is an invaluable opportunity for everyone involved.”

UFC President Dana White added: “We are always looking for new ways to connect with our fans on Facebook and are excited to offer them Alistair Overeem in UFC Undisputed 3. Overeem is a huge addition to the UFC’s heavyweight division, and now he’s a huge addition to the videogame roster.”

“I’m very excited to be part of the new Undisputed videogame,” Alistair Overeem said. “I know a lot of my fans have wanted to play as me ever since the first game, and I’m as happy to be part of the new Undisputed as I am to finally be in the UFC to complete my quest to become UFC Heavyweight Champion.”

Under Armour, the leader in performance apparel, footwear and accessories, has announced a multi-year partnership with NBA’s up and comer DeAndre Jordan.

In his third season in the NBA, Jordan had his best statistical year and played a key role in the resurgence of the Los Angeles Clippers. Jordan joins fellow NBA players Brandon Jennings, Greivis Vasquez, Kemba Walker and Derrick Williams on Under Armour’s roster of NBA athletes.

Jordan’s partnership with the brand is the latest example of Under Armour’s commitment to growth in the sport. Under Armour and the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced a multiyear partnership earlier this month that will allow Under Armour to feature its NBA endorsers in official league uniforms to further promote its basketball footwear. Under Armour and the NBA will also work together to refurbish basketball courts in local communities to support the game at a grassroots level.

Matt Mirchin, Senior Vice President, Global Sports Marketing, Under Armour., said: “DeAndre has a great motor and plays hard on both ends of the court. Through a strong work ethic and desire to be great he has improved each year and at 23 will continue to grow as a player. We’re proud to add him to our team of talented young players as we continue to grow in the sport of basketball.”

Jordan will make his regular season debut in Under Armour basketball footwear when the Los Angeles Clippers take on the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day.

“Under Armour is building around an exciting group of players, and the brand has shown a commitment to helping basketball players train and perform better,” said Jordan. “I look forward to helping Under Armour reach young basketball players with the message that hard work is the key to success on the court, and I know their innovative footwear will help me improve my game.”

Denver Broncos stadium, stuff Sports Authority Field has secured a official beverage refrigeration and dispensing outfitter in the shape of Perlick Corporation, the leading manufacturer of innovative total refrigeration and beverage dispensing systems.

The newly completed luxury suite refrigeration upgrade was coordinated through Epicurean Culinary Group in Denver, CO. Representatives from Perlick worked with Greg Karl, president and COO of Epicurean Culinary Group, to outfit Sport Authority Field at Mile High’s 97 suites with Perlick’s Signature Series 48-inch Refrigerator and Beverage Centers. Karl’s decision to choose Perlick’s residential product line for the renovation was twofold: Sports Authority Field at Mile High already featured Perlick’s Century Beer System and various commercial products in its concessions areas, and Karl had a great experience with Perlick’s residential products through the Association of Luxury Suite Directors tradeshow.

“We knew we wanted to make significant upgrades to the refrigeration used in the luxury suites at Sports Authority Field at Mile High,” states Karl. “Perlick’s commercial presence in the stadium, the 48-inch units’ ability to meet our discerning refrigeration needs, and the fact that Perlick’s name means quality and great service were all factors in making the easy choice to incorporate Perlick into the suites.”

In addition to 12 cubic feet of storage space and the ability to cool beverages in two different temperature zones, including 16 bottles of wine and up to 162 cans of beer, each 48-inch Refrigerator and Beverage Center features Perlick’s exclusive, whisper-quiet Variable Speed Compressor, Perlick’s RAPIDcool^TM refrigeration technology, stainless steel interior, and full-extension shelving.

“When the units arrived, we were able to customize the refrigeration settings low enough to chill the Coors beer we stock to indicate the ‘Super Cold’ label reading,” states Karl. “Every product we used in the past would freeze the beer when we attempted this. Perlick’s proprietary compressor cooling method makes it possible to serve beer at the temperature our customers request while managing to increase profit margins because more beer is consumed and waste is reduced as a result of not having to discard frozen beer.”

Teletouch Communications, Inc., a leading U.S. wireless services, cellular, consumer electronics and public safety equipment provider will continue as the Official Cellular Sponsor of the 2011 ESPN Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, being played on Friday, December 30, 2011 at 11 a.m. (CST).

The post-season game between the Brigham Young University Cougars (7-3) and Conference USA rivals University of Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (8-4) will be televised on ESPN from SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

Teletouch-Hawk Electronics will once again host the free Global Calling and Photo Center for visiting troops attending the game. The center, having proved very popular with the troops each year, allows any men and women of the armed forces in attendance at the game to call and send professionally made photos to their friends and family across the globe, at no cost to them.

Brant Ringler, executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, said: “We are appreciative of what Teletouch-Hawk Electronics once again brings to our game. Enabling our attending warriors to communicate with their friends and loved ones anywhere in the world during the holiday season is just a small ‘thank you’ for their dedicated service to our country, and represents what the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is all about.”

T. A. “Kip” Hyde, Jr., Teletouch President and Chief Operating Officer, added: “We’re proud to once again be a part of the great team of ESPN partners honoring our men and women in uniform. With an estimated 5,000 troops expected to attend the bowl game this year, we are pleased to be able to provide our calling and photo center. What better way to ring in the New Year than by watching a great football game and honoring our great American heroes.”

As the official ESPN bowl game that honors all branches of the United States Armed Forces, the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl will air at 11 a.m. (CST) on ESPN and ESPN Radio. Thousands of service personnel attend the bowl game each year, and through the Teletouch-Hawk Electronics center are able to wish their friends, family and fellow soldiers around the globe a very happy New Year.