Breeders’ Cup And Qatar Racing Announce Title Partnership For Breeders’ Cup Sprint

Breeders’ Cup and Qatar Racing today announced a multi-year partnership that designates Qatar Racing as the official title partner of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), beginning at this year’s World Championships at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 5-6.

The partnership also designates the QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1) and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Sponsored by QIPCO) (G1) as “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) and the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), respectively. The two races will take place on British Champions Day on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Ascot Racecourse.

“The Breeders’ Cup is one of the most famous race meetings in the world, and to have the QIPCO Champion Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes as ‘Win and You’re In’ races on QIPCO British Champions Day will only help to evolve the prestige of the day,” said Chairman of Qatar Racing, Sheikh Fahad bin Abdullah Al Thani. “Qatar Racing is also delighted to be sponsoring the Breeders’ Cup Sprint as we continue to raise the profile of Qatar Racing as an international brand and off the back of our growing success in America with the likes of Shedaresthedevil winning the Oaks last year.”

“This exciting partnership reinforces our shared commitment with Qatar Racing to promote the best Thoroughbred racing in the world to new and growing audiences,” said Drew Fleming, Breeders’ Cup President and CEO. “Qatar Racing is guided by a deep passion for Thoroughbred racing, making them an excellent partner in our efforts to continuously elevate the prestigious status of the World Championships to audiences across the globe.”

The agreement will allow Qatar Racing to grow its brand in the U.S. and among key international audiences as best-in-class trainers, owners, breeders, and jockeys from all over the world meet in Southern California to compete at the highest-levels of Thoroughbred racing. Qatar Racing’s brand will be featured prominently in onsite signage at Del Mar and during the NBC Sports’ broadcast of the World Championships, and with international broadcast outlets 

As a corporate partner of Breeders’ Cup, Qatar Racing will also be featured in the event program, on the Breeders’ Cup website and owned social handles, and on the Breeders’ Cup World Championship Player’s Show hosted by TVG.

Tickets for the 2021 Breeders’ Cup World Championships are on sale now at BreedersCup.com/Tickets. The World Championships will be televised on NBC and NBCSN.

Bundesliga International And Sony Pictures Networks India Agree Two-Year Exclusive Media Rights Deal In India

Bundesliga International, a subsidiary of DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, has agreed to a two-year deal with Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) for exclusive media rights to broadcast the Bundesliga in India and the Indian Subcontinent. The agreement includes India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Pakistan.

The deal between Bundesliga International and Sony Pictures Networks, which has already commenced and runs until the end of the 2022-23 season, ensures that football fans throughout the region have access to their favourite German players such as Thomas Müller, Manual Neuer, Marco Reus and Mats Hummels, along with global stars Robert Lewandowski, Erling Halaand, Benjamin Pavard, Kingsley Coman, Dayot Upamecano and Jude Bellingham to name a few. Fans can catch the live action from Bundesliga on SPN’s linear sports channels and on-demand OTT platform, SonyLIV.

Bundesliga International CEO Robert Klein said, “With this new deal, we are able to guarantee Bundesliga fans a place to watch their team every single Matchday. We are looking forward to working with Sony Pictures Networks India throughout India and the Indian Subcontinent to deliver all the twists and turns of the next Bundesliga seasons.”

Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India said, “We are excited about announcing our successful acquisition of Bundesliga, which is a part of our ongoing strategy to be the premier destination for the best of International football. The Bundesliga is among the most popular club football leagues in the world and boasts of a strong fan following in India, making it a perfect addition to Sony Pictures Network’s portfolio of elite international events. We are looking forward to working with Bundesliga to serve our viewers in India and the Indian subcontinent with the best coverage of Germany’s leading football competition.”

The Bundesliga has a strong history of showcasing the best of the footballing talent from across Asia and, over the last ten years, has fielded more players from the Asian Football Confederation than any of the other top European leagues.

Alongside the top names stars, the Bundesliga is renowned for creating opportunities for young players to succeed. In the summer, Indian teenager Shubho Paul was selected for FC Bayern München’s World Squad, a group of 15 under-19 players chosen from around the world to train with the German champions and play matches against its current U19 team.

In addition, the Bundesliga has brought a number of activations to India, with the goal of bringing German football to the local fans so that they have the opportunity to engage first hand. This includes the Oktoberfest Experience in 2019, where FC Bayern München Legend Klaus Augenthaler joined fan groups in Mumbai for a “Klassiker Fan Match”. The season before, Bundesliga Legend Lothar Matthäus travelled to Kochi and Mumbai, visiting a football school and a FC Bayern fan club to meet and interact with supporters.

Image: Thanks to DFL/Getty

The Opportunities, Challenges And Learnings Sports Organisations Have Experienced With Apps

After fan engagement was thrust even further into the spotlight during the Coronavirus pandemic it continues to be a leading focus for teams and organisations. At our recent iSportConnect Lausanne Summit we looked at how apps are becoming a key area to utilise in order to best enhance fan engagement. 

Sporting organisations are constantly looking to get closer to their fans, with the wide range of social media platforms available in today’s world making it more and more confusing and to where and how best to interact with your fans.

However, one area that is seeing a raft of positivity for some of these organisations is that of apps, which are becoming a greater focus for many.

“For us it was about giving a service to our community, that makes their life easier.”

“Late Q4 2020 there was both a heightened level of interest and more capability to execute, so six to nine months from the beginning of Covid we saw a lot of increase in the demand for high-quality apps,” says Kaius Meskanen, CEO of Choicely.

The reason for this is the greater accessibility for those who have an application on their phone, as they have immediate access to all of the content they are looking for within their favourite sport and those controlling the apps can send them push notifications to direct them to it at any time.

But the key for those who begin to use an app is to ensure that the content is regularly updated in order to keep fans engaged, otherwise they can quickly lose interest, so it is crucial to have a plan of action.

Find out more from the International Judo Federation, World Athletics and app-creating platform Choicely from our Lausanne Summit in this new video.

“Making the app was not about attracting a different community, we’re doing that through the marketing and the media content we’re preparing,” Vlad Marinescu, Director General of the IJF commented.

“For us it was about giving a service to our community, a service they were expecting, that makes their life easier, their access to the content, results and videos from events faster and more efficient.”

iSportConnect will be hosting a private virtual workshop alongside Choicely looking at ‘The Mobile App Opportunity’ on Wednesday, November 3rd at 2pm GMT. Contact emma@isportconnect.com if you would like to be part of this event.

UEFA Announces Bidding Process For Potential UEFA EURO 2028 Hosts

UEFA has announced that its member associations interested in hosting UEFA EURO 2028 have until March 2022 to declare their interest, with the appointment of the host(s) set to take place in September 2023

UEFA EURO 2028 is set to take place over 51 matches and feature 24 teams, as has been the case for the previous two tournaments. Joint bids are permitted, provided that the bidding countries are geographically compact.

Interested parties will need to provide 10 stadiums, with the following capacities:

  • Minimum of 1 stadium with at least 60,000 net seating capacity
  • Minimum of 1 stadium, preferably 2 stadiums, with at least 50,000 net seating capacity
  • Minimum of 4 stadiums with at least 40,000 net seating capacity
  • Minimum of 3 stadiums with at least 30,000 net seating capacity

The bidding timeline, which interested parties will need to follow, can be found here:

  • 23 March 2022 – Deadline for national associations to confirm their interest to bid
  • 30 March 2022 – Bid requirements are made available to the bidders
  • 5 April 2022 – Announcement of bidders by UEFA
  • 12 April 2023 – Final Bid dossier submission deadline
  • September 2023 – Appointment of host(s) of UEFA EURO 2028

In order to ensure compatibility with the competition’s sporting and commercial format, the automatic qualification of the host team(s) shall be guaranteed only for a single host or a maximum of two joint host associations, as always implemented in the past.

In case of more than two joint host associations, the automatic qualification of all the host teams cannot be guaranteed and shall be subject to a decision to be made in conjunction with decisions concerning the qualifying competition.

IMG Appoints Barney Francis Executive Vice President, Global Production

IMG has hired former Sky Sports Managing Director Barney Francis as Executive Vice President, Head of Global Production to lead IMG’s production business into a new era.

Francis, who will start in early November, is widely respected as a creative and innovative executive largely responsible for establishing Sky Sports as the leading UK sport broadcaster during his 20-year spell with the organization. As Managing Director, Francis grew the channel offering from 5 channels to 11, adding premium sports such as Formula 1, the Masters, The Open and NBA to the portfolio while also increasing the number of Premier League matches shown on Sky. He also oversaw continued technological innovation with developments in 3D, Ultra HD, virtual reality and the continued growth of Sky Sports’ digital, social and online presence.

“Barney is a transformative hire for our media business,” said Adam Kelly, Co-President of Media & Events at IMG. “As a key member of my leadership team, he will play a catalytic role in our strategic growth and development plans as we evolve our model to better empower rights holders to develop and deliver innovative, multiplatform content that engages fans directly. His pedigree, drive and exceptional reputation are undeniable, and we are excited to welcome him to IMG.”

“I’m proud to be joining the team at IMG at such a pivotal moment in the sports industry,” said Francis. “As consumption habits continue to change, the offering we’ll debut will help teams, leagues and federations reach new and existing fans in creative and compelling ways. IMG is the industry standard for sport production, and I’m really excited to join such an exceptional team.”

Prior to his role as Managing Director, Francis was Sky Sports’ Executive Producer for Football and Cricket, producing a range of live coverage, support programming and sport news content. His production credits include the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, the ICC Cricket World Cup and Test cricket.

Francis will collaborate closely with Graham Fry, Chairman of IMG’s production business, who, as previously announced, will be retiring at the end of 2022. 

Simon Massie-Taylor Appointed New Chief Executive Of Premiership Rugby

PREMIERSHIP RUGBY is delighted to confirm the appointment of Simon Massie-Taylor as their new Chief Executive.

This is a key moment for Premiership Rugby as the business moves to accelerate development of the full potential of the league, for the benefit of the players, the clubs and our fans. The Gallagher Premiership Rugby plan is to continue to build live TV and stadium audiences whilst significantly increasing the league’s digital presence, with investment in quality and digital fan engagement. These are key steps on the path to grow commercial revenues, for reinvestment back into the sport, ensuring the longer-term success of our clubs and players in the Premiership, in Europe, and on the world stage.

Simon’s experience places him strongly to lead Premiership Rugby in this phase, joining from the RFU where he is Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer. At the RFU, he was responsible for the organisation’s revenue-generating and marketing activities including broadcast, brand partnerships, fan engagement and digital and data transformation projects. Prior to the RFU, he was Commercial Director at the British Olympic Association and Commercial Director at Tough Mudder in New York.

Simon Massie-Taylor said: “I’m very proud to be joining Premiership Rugby at such an exciting time for the Gallagher Premiership. Last season was an incredible one to watch as a fan, particularly the unforgettable final at Twickenham, and the current season has already provided some hugely entertaining rugby”.

“As we emerge out of the COVID period it’s an important time for our sport. I am looking forwards to investing behind our product, working together with the talented team at Premiership Rugby, our clubs, owners and investors.”

Andrew Higginson chairman of Premiership Rugby said: “It is a pleasure to welcome Simon Massie-Taylor as the new Chief Executive of Premiership Rugby.

“Simon’s deep knowledge of commercial matters, passion for and understanding of the sport makes him uniquely placed to support Premiership Rugby in becoming the most competitive and exciting rugby league in the world.”

Simon’s start date at Premiership Rugby will be confirmed in due course.

Commonwealth Games Revamps Strategy To Increase Benefits For Potential Host Cities

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has unveiled a new Strategic Roadmap at its 2021 General Assembly on the 11th of October, which provides potential future hosts and sports with the renewed flexibility to be innovative and creative in delivering the Commonwealth Games.

In a series of recommendations to increase hosting benefits and make the Games even more cost effective, whilst engaging new audiences, the Commonwealth Sport 2026-2030 Strategic Roadmap invites future hosts to explore innovative concepts, including co-hosting and mass participation event.

As part of an ongoing consultation with International Federations, there are ambitions for a revised Sport Programme to provide hosts with more flexibility to choose from a wider list of core sports. This will now include disciplines that have previously been listed as optional sports such as T20 Cricket, Beach Volleyball and 3×3 Basketball. This will allow hosts the ability to propose entirely new sports, relevant to their nation or culture, to enhance cultural showcasing and community engagement.

To provide a blueprint for flexibility and certainty, the recommendation from the CGF is for approximately 15 sports to feature at the Commonwealth Games. There will be flexibility with the maximum number of sports, with athletics and swimming proposed as the two compulsory sports. This is due to their historical place on the programme since 1930 and based on universality, participation, broadcasting, spectator interest, Para inclusion and gender balance.

Engagement will continue with Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) and International Federations over the coming months in line with the vision, intent and direction of the Roadmap.

The CGF will continue to work with future hosts to agree the minimum and maximum cap on athlete numbers, helping ensure that the size, scale and cost of the multi-sport event is continually optimised and carefully managed.

This will allow the host to generate maximum value, impact and legacy from staging the event, with this work supported by the Commonwealth Games Value Framework. Coupled with a strong proposition for prospective hosts, the roadmap will allow a more sustainable long-term agenda, with increased awareness of how sport and culture can positively impact communities. Amongst other approved recommendations, the Strategic Roadmap has outlined that:

  • An integrated Para sport programme must remain a key, focal part of the Games
  • Future potential hosts would be encouraged to consider alternative Athlete Village solutions, rather than being required to accommodate athletes in a new build environment or on a single site
  • International Federations would be encouraged to propose new innovations and sports/disciplines to drive growth and youth engagement
  • The Federation will continue to prioritise sustainability, social purpose and legacy planning as part of discussions with potential hosts
  • Hosts would be encouraged to consider mass participation events as part of their health and well-being programmes

The Strategic Roadmap was approved today by the Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) at the 2021 CGF General Assembly, which was held virtually.

CGF President Dame Louise Martin said: “We are delighted to unveil our direction of travel with this new Strategic Roadmap, which I believe marks the start of an exciting new era for the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Sport.

Our Games need to adapt, evolve and modernise to ensure we continue to maintain our relevance and prestige across the Commonwealth.

After a long period of hard work and consultation, incorporating the views and opinions of our membership and experts across the world, we are excited to move forwards with this Roadmap. I would like to thank all our 72 Commonwealth Games Associations for their support.

Our next step is to work closely with our International Federation partners to ensure they can contribute to the vision and direction of the Roadmap in order to underpin the future of the Games.”

SIS Takes Significant Investment In Australia’s RACELAB GLOBAL

SIS (Sports Information Services), the leading multi-channel supplier of 24/7 live betting services, has announced a significant investment in RACELAB GLOBAL, the racing data science company.

The respected Australian supplier’s unique proprietary technologies enhance international wagering businesses by delivering innovative wagering products, including live PRO FORM™ informatics alongside its ODDS ENGINE™ technology suite that generates real-time, accurate fixed odds pricing.

At its heart, RACELAB has developed a quantitative modelling platform that accurately measures runner performance using a globally standardised format for all racing codes which is then applied with all relevant upcoming race statistics to generate market leading betting prices.

Richard Ames, SIS CEO and new Chair of RACELAB, said: “Our investment in RACELAB gives us instant access to a complementary suite of fantastic next generation technology products and services which will benefit all our current customers and will appeal to a good many more.

“SIS’ international and digital presence has been growing steadily in the last few years and this partnership will allow us to kick on further and faster, adding a range of market leading products across our full portfolio of international horse and greyhound racing. The customer relationships built up by the RACELAB team complement many of the relationships that have been worked on by SIS over the last few years.”

Newly appointed RACELAB CEO, Dr Eliot Forbes, said: “We are excited to be working with Richard and the SIS team, particularly in the many international markets where there are great opportunities for the racing industry’s key stakeholders. RACELAB’s technologies are transformative, enabling scale, accuracy and genuine innovation and partnering with SIS will allow RACELAB to expand quickly and gain wide distribution for our services.”

Shane Clarke, RACELAB founder and executive director, said: “RACELAB has successfully introduced a range of products and services, principally to the Australasian market. I am delighted that this partnership with SIS extends the reach of our company to a genuinely global basis, and I am sure the relationship will prove to be extremely productive in a very short timescale.”

Fulham FC Welcomes CRX Compression As Official Partner

Fulham Football Club is pleased to announce an exciting new two-year partnership with CRX Compression.  

CRX Compression specialise in providing athletes with premium, high-quality compression garments focused on improving recovery, preventing injury, and maximising performance.

Their medical grade compression garments will be worn by the Men’s, Women’s and Academy Team players throughout the term of the partnership.

Jon Don-Carolis, Sales Director said:

“We’re thrilled to be working with CRX Compression for the next two-seasons in a partnership that will positively impact the recovery and performance of our Men’s, Women’s and Academy teams.”

Jack Wright, Sales and Marketing Director at CRX Compression said, “We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with a club like Fulham. Our aim is to provide both men’s and women’s teams with the tools they need to enhance their recovery, injury prevention and performance.  

Fulham will provide us with a great platform to build awareness of CRX Compression whilst providing an educational platform for sportsmen and women participating in sporting activities at all levels on the benefits of using CRX compression garments daily as part of their general training and recovery protocols” 

Extreme E’s Season 1 Finale To Take Place In The UK

Extreme E, the sport for purpose electric off-road racing series, has today confirmed that its Season 1 finale, ‘the Jurassic X Prix’ will take place in Bovington, in the UK’s South Coast county of Dorset, on 18-19 December 2021.

Alejandro Agag, Extreme E Founder and CEO, said: “I’m very excited by this race location – our first event on UK soil. This move is a poignant shift in our mission to race in remote, far-away places to highlight the effects of climate change, as more increasingly, the issues we talk about are literally happening in our backyards so it felt like the right time to bring the spotlight home, and help the army reduce its own carbon footprint.

“The world needs to move forward when it comes to the combustion engine and many other practices, and what better way to symbolise that than with a Jurassic themed X Prix. Unless we push forward with climate and sustainability action, certain species risk becoming extinct, and that is something we simply cannot ignore any longer.”

Bovington is a well-known British Army military base and sits just off the Jurassic Coastline. Extreme E is working closely with the British Ministry of Defence and Army which has recently revealed its climate change and sustainability strategy. The strategy combines the mitigation of environmental impact whilst maintaining military output. It aims to do this by reducing emissions and scaling up the transition to renewables, thus contributing to the UK’s aim to be net zero by 2050. Efforts have started already with the Army piloting electric armoured vehicles and carbon efficient accommodation.

Major General Simon Hutchings OBE said: “The British Army prides itself on its ability to conduct operations in all environments, adapting and developing its skills as required.  The opportunity to work alongside Extreme E who are world leaders in electrification of vehicles and sustainable energy production is very exciting.  It will enable us to share innovative ideas which will allow the Army to continue to gain technology advantage globally, whilst also contributing to our climate and sustainability targets.” 

The racing will be as exciting as ever with a course designed to include natural obstacles putting the all-electric ODYSSEY 21 through its paces to crown the eventual winning combination of car, team and driver. Each team fields both a male and female driver who will complete a lap each with a Driver Switch built into the format. With points up for grabs throughout the race weekend, some of the best drivers in the world plus the instant speed of all-electric mobility, the concluding X Prix is set to be a showstopper.

Jenson Button, JBXE Team Principal said: “It is brilliant news that Extreme E’s Season finale will be held in the UK. I’ve been lucky enough to race on UK soil a number of times throughout my career and those memories will always be incredibly special to me.

“Heading off-road at Bovington will be a totally different experience but equally as special as I’ll be the one watching and supporting Kevin and Mikaela and the rest of the JBXE team as we push for a strong finish to the season. After back-to-back podiums, if we can carry that form into Sardinia and put ourselves in the mix for the final race then we could be in store for an amazing finish!”

Extreme E is a partner to the UN’s Race to Zero campaign as well as Count Us In, which challenges its fans to take steps which reduce their own carbon footprints. These collaborations are all focussed on tackling the global climate crisis and with road transport currently accounting for 75 per cent of the global emissions associated with transportation, accelerating the move to clean mobility by 2030, in line with government goals, is key to success. 

Nigel Topping, UK High Level Champion for Climate Action at COP26, who also leads Race to Zero, said: “Extreme E provides an incredible platform for accelerating  the clean mobility transition and driving awareness for the climate solutions we can, and must all adopt. 

“The Jurassic X Prix follows COP26 and provides further opportunity for the UK to keep crucial momentum, which is imperative if we are to succeed in our goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C. The shift to zero emission vehicles will hugely help reach that goal and Extreme E demonstrates the capabilities of electric vehicles, but also their associated technologies. It also uses the powerful platform of sport to engage its fanbase to take steps to reduce their own carbon footprint.”    

Extreme E will continue with its Legacy Programme format which aims to leave long-lasting positive impact in each country in which it races, with exact details to be revealed in the weeks leading up to the end of year event. Not only that, the thought leadership workshops are set to continue, and will be available to view online after the event.