McLaren Racing has today announced a new partnership with EasyPost, a technology leader that builds shipping solutions for ecommerce brands, fulfilment providers, and online marketplaces, that will see the company support the McLaren Formula 1 team from the US Grand Prix.
EasyPost helps thousands of companies, ranging in size from multinational Fortune 100 companies to small neighbourhood stores, ship billions of packages around the world. Like McLaren Racing, EasyPost prides themselves on being fast, flexible, reliable, and a true innovator in building smart solutions.
As part of the partnership, the EasyPost branding will be represented on the McLaren F1 team pit crew helmets and the rear wing of the McLaren MCL35M race cars. From the 2022 season, the branding will be displayed on the suspension arms of the McLaren race cars and the McLaren F1 team pit crew helmets.
Matt Dennington, Director of Partnerships, McLaren Racing said:
“We are delighted to have EasyPost join McLaren Racing as another valuable addition to our brilliant partner network. Easypost helps us discover innovative logistics solutions that keep our team assets travelling round the world successfully. We look forward to the start of our partnership at this weekend’s US Grand Prix.”
Jarrett Streebin, Founder and CEO, EasyPost said:
“As the leading logistics technology company, we’re proud to partner with McLaren Racing and its F1 team. It is our belief that McLaren’s design and R&D expertise will provide not only inspiration, but motivation toward technical excellence. We look forward to a fruitful partnership and the fastest racing season.”
Skateboard GB are happy to announce the launch of a twelve year strategy, which outlines the role they want to play to support the growth of skateboarding across all levels, from skateboarding in local communities up to the Olympics.
Skateboard GB’s purpose is to provide skateboarders the opportunity to “Skate More, Skate Better” ensuring they are skater-focused in everything that they do as they aim to lead, support, empower and facilitate. It’s the role of Skateboard GB to add value to the skateboarding community so that skateboarding continues to grow and thrive, with better and more spaces to skate, whilst providing best practice support so that skateboarding can take place in a fun and safe environment.
The Strategic Plan is based on four key pillars which focus on three distinct phases – Building, Refining and Transforming. The first phase (to 2025) will look at creating the appropriate system, programmes, people and culture in order to help transform skateboarding through grass roots to world class performance. In this period it will build purpose & capacity which adds value, supports growth & helps create community so that skateboarding continues to flourish.
James Hope-Gill, CEO of Skateboard GB said ‘It’s an amazing milestone for Skateboard GB to launch our first twelve year strategy and we are hugely excited about the potential growth of skateboarding in the UK. This strategic plan is really important as we look to attract investment into skateboarding to help us support the community to ensure that the sport flourishes, at both a local and national level.”.
Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England said “The publication of the strategic plan for Skateboard GB is an important step towards helping skateboarding grow and become more sustainable. The sport holds a distinct position with its emphasis on taking part, having fun and having recently made its debut in the Olympic Games. We look forward to continue working with Skateboard GB to realise their plans and use the power of skateboarding to help tackle inequalities across the country.”
Sally Munday, CEO at UK Sport, said: “It was fantastic to witness skateboarding enjoy such a successful Olympic debut in Tokyo this summer and we welcome the publication of Skateboard GB’s 12-year strategy as they look to support the growth of the sport at all levels. As a newer member of our high-performance community, skateboarding has made a significant impact and we look forward to working together with Skateboard GB to capitalise on their successes as we build towards Paris and beyond.”
Skateboard GB (SBGB) is the UK-wide governing body for skateboarding with responsibility for Olympic and the world class performance program (WCP), in addition to grassroots skateboarding and talent within England.
SBGB was formed by the Home Nation governing bodies at the end of 2017 and in December 2020 restructured to include Skateboard England within its constitution. Skateboard Scotland, Skateboard:NI and a soon to be set-up Skateboard Wales are responsible for grassroots skateboarding in the home countries.
Beijing’s Kuntai Group has been named as the title sponsor of the World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2021 being hosted in the National Aquatic Centre from 23–30 October. The National Aquatic Centre will also be the curling venue for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and is known as the Ice Cube.
Established in 1992, the Kuntai Group is a state owned real estate and property management enterprise committed to urban space development and operation in the Chaoyang District of Beijing.
The Kuntai Group has been an active supporter of sport in the region, with the Group’s Kuntai Jiahua Hotel and Kuntai Hotel providing services for many international sporting events including the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, while the Kuntai Jiahe Hotel will serve the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The Kuntai Group is committed to its development in the cultural and sports sectors to better serve and give back to society, while it’s Wenyu River Park is known for the construction of ecological civilisation and being the largest “green lung” in Beijing.
World Curling Federation President, Kate Caithness, said, “We are delighted to welcome the Kuntai Group to be a title sponsor of our World Wheelchair Championship. This event is our only test event ahead of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and as it is also the last championship where Paralympic Qualification points can be earned, it is a vitally important event in our 2021–2022 calendar.
“The Kuntai Group have a long history of involvement in sporting events and we are excited to welcome them into the curling family to help us showcase our wonderful wheelchair curling athletes on their journey qualify for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.
Kuntai Group Chairman, Wei Ping, said, “It is a great honour to be named as the title sponsor of the World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2021, which is one of the most important international events before the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.
“Twelve teams of excellent athletes will participate in this event. As a state-owned enterprise in Chaoyang District, the Kuntai group has always been committed to making positive contributions to the high-quality development of regional economy and society. Now the company is striving to transform into the culture and sports industry to better serve and give back to society.
“We hope that the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games can be held successfully and we are willing to make more contributions to promote international sports exchanges and national sports development. We wish the KUNTAI World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2021 achieves full success and all the athletes achieve excellent performance.”
The KUNTAI World Wheelchair Championship 2021 is the final event where Paralympic Qualification points can be earned for Beijing 2022 and will see 12 teams compete for their place in the Games and the 2021 world title.
ANOCA, the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, and the global sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE have signed a long-term commercial cooperation. As exclusive media and marketing rights partner, SPORTFIVE will be responsible for the exclusive distribution of all global media rights (excl. domestic FTA) and marketing rights (incl. domestic) of the African Games in 2023 and 2027. This partnership has been approved by the Executive Committee of the ANOCA at its 56th ordinary session held on 29-30 September 2021 in Abuja.
Joint target of the partnership is to drive the commercial and sporting value of the African Olympic movement. SPORTFIVE will act as a holistic partner providing ANOCA with its vast service portfolio alongside distribution, production and commercialization. In addition, SPORTFIVE will support the technical delivery of the African Games by providing strategic guidance, event planning, production services and operational expertise.
The African Games are a continental multi-sport event held every four years and sees more than 7,000 athletes and coaches from 50 nations competing in more than 20 sports. The sports programme includes main sports such as athletics, cycling, gymnastics and swimming as well as boat sports (i.e. rowing and sailing), team sports (i.e. basketball, football, handball), combat sports (i.e. boxing, fencing, karate), racquet sports such as tennis and squash and other sports (triathlon, equestrian).
Idriss Akki, Managing Director at SPORTFIVE Middle East & Africa, explains: “SPORTFIVE has long-term experience and proven track record in marketing African sports events. We are more than proud to work closely together with ANOCA and help take the African Olympic movement to the next level; and we are convinced that we will justify this shown trust in us by taking the African Olympic movement to the next level.”
Robert Müller von Vultejus, Chief Growth Officer at SPORTFIVE, adds: “We have helped to stage some of the world’s largest, most successful sporting events and have been involved in just about every Games cycle since Sydney 2000. We know from our own experience that every major sport event brings unique challenges and opportunities and are more than happy to support the African Olympic Movement with the technical implementation.”
On ANOCA’s side, Mr. Kamal Lahlou, ANOCA Vice-President and Chairman of the ANOCA Marketing Commission signed the contract with SPORTFIVE.
ANOCA President, Mustapha Berraf said he was deeply satisfied with this partnership agreement with SPORTFIVE which has been approved by the Executive Committee of the ANOCA at its 56th ordinary session held on 29-30 September 2021 in Abuja and opens up new horizons for the development of African sport and for our athletes.
World Rowing, the international governing body for the sport of rowing, is pleased to announce the appointment of Vincent Gaillard (SUI) as its new Executive Director effective January 2022, replacing Matt Smith. Smith announced last year that he wished to step down by the end of 2021 after more than 25 years in the role, prompting the launch of an international recruitment process which has now been completed.
Matt Smith joined FISA as Development Director in 1992, before taking up his current position in 1995. During his tenure, under the successive presidencies of Denis Oswald and Jean-Christophe Rolland, he has overseen an unprecedented development of the sport of rowing, as well as the development of World Rowing which now counts 156 member countries worldwide.
Matt Smith (left), World Rowing’s Executive Director, will step down from his position at the end of 2021 and will be replaced by Vincent Gaillard (right).
With international experience that includes the NBA, Coca-Cola’s Olympic and FIFA projects, and successively as CEO of GAISF and EPCR, Vincent will work alongside World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland and Council to develop the organisation’s current and future strategic plans, and will lead the staff from the headquarters in the Olympic capital of Lausanne. His priorities will notably include the global development of all rowing disciplines (including coastal and indoor rowing), the commercial promotion of rowing around the world and the acceleration of the organisation’s ongoing governance and sustainability efforts.
On Matt’s departure and Vincent’s appointment, Jean-Christophe said: “On behalf of all of us at World Rowing, I would like to warmly thank Matt for his immense contribution and dedication over almost three decades, which has not only allowed our sport to grow but also our organisation to become more professional. The arrival of Vincent starts a new chapter for World Rowing and his experience, including the development of commercial and sustainability strategies, is particularly well suited to the challenges that our organisation now faces.”
Gaillard added: “I am particularly honoured by the confidence placed in me by World Rowing and looking forward to contributing to the development of rowing around the world in the years to come, building on the outstanding work done by Matt. I am optimistic about the potential for growth in the various rowing disciplines, as well as with the organisation itself and I look forward to working with the entire World Rowing team to achieve it.”
Dobromir Karamarinov has been elected unopposed as European Athletics President at the 27th European Athletics Congress, a Special Election Congress, which was held at the Hotel Royal Savoy in Lausanne, Switzerland on Thursday morning.
Karamarinov becomes the sixth European Athletics President after Adriaan Paulen (1970-1976), Arthur Gold (1976-1987), Carl-Olaf Homen (1987-1999), Hansjorg Wirz (1999-2015) and Svein Arne Hansen (2015-2020). Karamarinov has served as Interim President since March 2020 after Hansen, who died in June 2020, was unable to fulfil his duties following a stroke.
“Thank you, once again, for your support and for putting your trust in me. Though I was unopposed in today’s election, I do not take that support and trust for granted. To me, it is a huge honour to be elected as President, and to continue to serve European Athletics. I aim to do my very best to repay your support and trust,” said Karamarinov in his acceptance speech.
Born in Bulgaria in 1958, Karamarinov was first elected to the European Athletics Council in 2007. After serving two terms as a Council Member he was elected as First Vice President in 2015 before serving as Interim President from March 2020.
Karamarinov was formerly an athletics coach and has a postgraduate degree in sports management. He is also the President of the Bulgarian Athletic Federation as well as the Association of the Balkan Athletic Federations.
In addition to Karamarinov’s election as European Athletics President, Jean Gracia (FRA) was elected Vice President ahead of Erich Teigamagi (EST) with 30 votes to 19 votes. He will serve alongside Cherry Alexander (GBR) and Libor Varhanik (CZE), both of whom were elected to serve full four year terms at the 2019 European Athletics Congress in Prague.
The two vacant positions on the European Athletics Council were filled by Juergen Kessing (GER) and Henryk Olszewski (POL) who received 42 and 28 votes respectively ahead of Frank Carreras (GIB) and Luis Figueiredo (POR) with 18 and 10 votes respectively.
There was a moment of silence at the start of the European Athletics Congress to remember some of the influential figures in the sport who have died since the European Athletics family last met in 2019, including former European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen (NOR).
Hansen was posthumously named Honorary President along with Adriaan Paulen (NED), the inaugural European Athletics President.
One of the seats on the Council was vacated by Frank Hensel (GER) who died in December 2020. Hensel, who served three-and-a-half terms on the European Athletics Council between 2007 and 2020, was given Honorary Membership of the Council.
Plaques of Merits were awarded to Ants Nurmekivi (EST), Vincenzo Parrinello (ITA), Liam Hennessy (IRL) and Hans Mueller (SUI) and Golden Pins were awarded to Roland Gusenbauer (AUT), Olavi Sikka (EST), Annie Laurent (FRA), Roberto Fabbricini (ITA) and Karen Torneklint (SWE).
More information on European Athletics Honours can be found here.
The Golden Tracks award ceremony which takes place at the SwissTech Convention Center will be streamed live on European Athletics’ YouTube channel from 8.30pm CET.
The 2022 European Athletics Convention will be held in Estonia, Tallinn on 20-22 October and it was also decided today the 2023 European Athletics Congress will be held in Belgrade, Serbia on 21-23 April.
College CoD (CCL) has now been formally acquired by eFuse. As a result of the acquisition, eFuse intends to dedicate resources to help grow the league and reciprocate the same passion put forth by its original leadership team over the past few years.
Three members of the initial management team will continue to spearhead the growth of the league under eFuse in the following season, focusing full time on the grassroots built project.
Marco or Jacob “Smgl” Marcovecchio – CCL Marketing
The College CoD community is a passionate group we are excited to provide more opportunities for. A community who is both dedicated and excited at the growth of their space across collegiate esports and the greater competitive Call of Duty community. The CCL started as a simple post online, grew to become a pillar in college, and is set to once again level up under the eFuse umbrella.
“What you can expect about this acquisition is more, more, more. We’re going to get more prize pools, we’re going to have more competitions, we’re going to have greater viewership. It’s going to be a ton of fun and we’re really grateful and excited to bring the College CoD community into the eFuse umbrella, so look forward to a lot more.” – Matthew Benson, CEO of eFuse.
With this acquisition comes increased opportunities in preseason tournaments, unique content, full-time dedication from key members toward improving the league, and perhaps one of the most major wins for the community – a guaranteed $25,000 prize pool for next year. However the pluses don’t end there. These are just some of the many ideas and initiatives the College CoD team has communicated. The eFuse team intends to continue working hand in hand with the three individuals brought on board to nurture the growth of the entirety of the CCL community: varsity directors, alumni, players, and media included. Perhaps even new kinds of events are on the horizon.
“eFuse gives College CoD the opportunity to continue to grow and impact the college esports community. This is going to allow us to throw quality events online all year long and work toward those coveted offline events. This is just the beginning of what we want to accomplish at College CoD and eFuse helps us get there. I couldn’t ask for a more supportive group to have in our corner.” – Jaden Shaw, Director of College CoD.
For eFuse, the College CoD acquisition is a key piece of eFuse’s expansion into the collegiate esports space. Projects like Collegiate Media Day, the Pipeline, and coaches’ polls continue to provide the collegiate esports community the love that it deserves alongside what College CoD already does.
The CCL 2022 season is set to be bigger than ever before as the team prepares for 250+ teams. College CoD registration has traditionally occurred between the November/December months with the closing dates being in late December/early January. Additionally, the league tends to begin sometime in the January to early February months. Expect these timelines to be closely mimicked as details of registration information, league format, signups, and more begin to be announced.
“College esports are growing at an unprecedented rate, probably the fastest that had ever been seen in intercollegiate athletics. It was 35 years between the first college football game and the first governing body to efficiently regulate it. To see how fast College CoD has grown in only 4 years is incredibly exciting and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.” – Jaden Shaw, Director of College CoD.
Finally, eFuse and College CoD would like to acknowledge that the CCL is where it is today thanks to its community and the hardworking volunteers who have done nothing but put forth love and unbridled passion into the entirety of the collegiate space. In addition, this is not a goodbye to many of these faces but likely a “see you soon” in some form. We recognize that for some, CCL is just a league to compete in. But for many, it’s clear College CoD has fostered longer lasting friendships, been an avenue for jobs and opportunities, and a catalyst for support of esports in families and at universities. These ideals remain at the forefront of this acquisition.
Be on the lookout for more preseason announcements from both eFuse and the CCL as the beginnings of CCL 2022 officially inch closer.
The partnership will amplify UNICEF’s global campaign #OnYourMind which calls for commitment, communication and action to promote good mental health for every child.
The ICC and UNICEF are aiming to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing amongst children and adolescents and encourage greater conversation and understanding of it throughout the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 beginning on Sunday.
The event – the biggest ever in the UAE and Oman – begins on 17October and comprises 45 matches across four venues and features cricket’s biggest names and best teams. As the pinnacle of the shortest format of cricket, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 attracts a global audience reaching billions of young fans and families.
The partnership will highlight the need for more conversations around mental health and wellbeing. Mental health is defined as a state of wellbeing in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to their community.
According to the latest available estimates, more than 1 in 7 adolescents aged 10–19 is estimated to live with a diagnosed mental disorder globally (source: UNICEF- SOWC 2021).
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the issue. School closures and physical distancing measures due to COVID 19 have reduced children and young people’s regular coping mechanisms and contributed to increased isolation and mental health risks.
Lockdowns and other pandemic containment measures, in addition to the direct impact of COVID-19, have resulted in mental stress of parents’ and care givers. This has in turn affected their ability to provide a protective and nurturing environment for their children.
#OnYourMind campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will urge for greater commitment, connection and conversation around mental health and physical wellbeing.
Through this initiative ICC will use its global platforms, including its broadcast and digital channels to support UNICEF’s work and drive the message around: what affects children’s mental health, how to break the silence and talk about mental health wellbeing, destigmatise mental health issues, how to reach out and seek support and what can parents and adults do to improve the mental wellbeing of children.
This partnership comes at the back of ICC’s commitment to ensure the mental and physical wellbeing of over 2,000 individuals that are involved in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, many of whom including players, coaches and support staff, will be in a “managed event environment” throughout.
Geoff Allardice, Acting CEO ICC said: “Cricket has the incredible power and reach to raise awareness and effect change and we’re proud to partner with UNICEF to help break the stigma around mental health. #OnYourMind encourages us all to talk more openly about this with our children to promote and protect their mental health.
UNICEF India Representative Dr. Yasmin Ali Haque, said: “We anticipate that that the COVID-19 pandemic related stresses that have affected the mental health of children and young people in India is likely to have a lasting impact if we do not act now! We must work with them to bust the stigma around mental health that prevents many from sharing and seeking support. Lets together break the silence and end stigma on mental health issues. We value UNICEF’s partnership with ICC to break the silence. Together, through this platform we hope to reach millions with the message, its okay to speak up about what’s #OnMyMind.”
Cricket fans are urged to visit the ICC online and digital channels to find out more about how they can get involved in the campaign.
Sokin, a global payments provider, is delighted to announce a new multi-year partnership with the Miami Dolphins. The three-year deal is Sokin’s first substantial sponsorship agreement in North America and its first with an NFL team.
During the season, Sokin will invest in activations that inspire fans to achieve their MoneyGoals – whether its saving for new merchandise or supporting local community projects – through the benefits of Sokin’s global payments and international transfers.
“Not only does this partnership symbolize Sokin’s intent to revolutionize the global remittance landscape, but it also furthers our portfolio of working with forward-thinking organizations who understand the importance of using tech innovation to help improve the lives of those around us,” added Vroon Modgill, CEO of Sokin. “The US’ diverse migrant culture is a very important market for Sokin, and we wanted to create a payments solution which genuinely supports this demographic, and their payments needs. As a result, we’ve ensured our Global Currency Account has a tremendous footprint on an unprecedented scale compared to other providers in the market. This means we can truly help those people looking to for a better way to manage their money.
“We are thrilled to join forces with the Miami Dolphins as we continue to grow throughout the Americas to help millions of sporting fans and followers around the world have greater access to global payments saving them time and money.”
“The Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium are global brands, and we are excited to join forces with Sokin, a progressive and dynamic organization on their first NFL partnership,” said Jeremy Walls, Senior Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer of Miami Dolphins. “Miami’s culture, demographics and innovative ethos fits perfectly into Sokin’s comprehensive strategy to helps fans and companies achieve their financial objectives.”
Over recent months, Sokin has been confirmed as the Official FX Global Payments Provider for well-known football clubs Arsenal, Everton, Fulham FC and AS Monaco.
Sokin launched its Global Currency Account in August 2021 to give consumers and businesses access to a fairer and more transparent payments system by removing barriers that have historically hindered access and financial inclusion.
Sokin is the first subscription-based global payments solution with unlimited international transfers and cost-effective currency exchange in 38 currencies to over 200 countries and territories* for one fixed monthly fee, without hidden charges.
Leading UK football agency Unique Sports Management (USM) is delighted to announce that it has joined forces with German football agency International Sports Management (ISMG) and will be known as Unique Sports Group with immediate effect.
The new brand is the joint vision of two of the largest independent football management agencies across Europe’s two most dominant football markets, the Premier League and Bundesliga.
Operating from five offices: London, Munich, Manchester, Karlsruhe and Curitiba, Unique Sports Group will represent an exclusive roster of more than 300 players, including Premier League, Bundesliga and European stars Reece James (Chelsea), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United), Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Monchengladbach,) Ryan Sessegnon (Tottenham Hotspur), Callum Wilson (Newcastle United) and Kevin Volland (AS Monaco) among a host of leading names.
Unique Sports Group is now one of the top five global football agencies, with a combined client market value of over £670m.
Awareness Campaign
As part of its CSR commitments, Unique Sports Group will use the hashtag #BeUnique to launch a social media campaign to empower and motivate the next generation of sporting talent.
A series of short stories titled “Ever been told you can’t?” will feature several Unique Sports Group clients telling their own personal journey through times of doubt and struggle.
The videos will be launched across social media and encourage viewers to block out the noise of negative influences.
Will Salthouse, joint CEO Unique Sports Group, said:
“We are delighted to welcome ISMG to the Unique family and believe this joint vision will allow us to maximise our European network at a time when interest in UK based players from across the continent continues to grow.
“This alliance allows us to cement our place as the leading agency across the UK and German market. The Bundesliga is such a strong league and has the youngest average player age of any other top-flight division.
“We have already seen UK-based talent making the move to Germany to further their first team careers and we see this continuing to be a trend in the years ahead.”
Gordon Stipic-Wipfler, joint CEO Unique Sports Group, said:
“We are thrilled to expand our exclusive network and management services with Unique Sports Group. With this partnership we are establishing our leading role in professional football.
“The Premier League and Bundesliga are two of the best football leagues in the world and the dream of every professional football player. We are looking forward to taking our clients to the next level.”
