Monday’s Coronavirus Update: FIH, ITU, World Curling, FFA, IMMAF, World Archery, UIPM

FIH

Following the latest information and recommendations from the World Health Organization and the decisions taken by a number of governments and local authorities around the world regarding the current COVID-19 outbreak, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and all participating National Associations (NAs) have decided to put all FIH Hockey Pro League matches currently scheduled until 15 April on hold, with immediate effect.

ITU

In the light of the rapid spread worldwide of COVD-19, the Executive Board of the International Triathlon Union has decided to suspend all activities until the 30th April. The measure includes the suspension of all the competitions in the World Triathlon calendar

World Curling

The organisers of the World Curling Federation’s LGT World Men’s Curling Championship 2020 in Glasgow confirmed that the event has been cancelled, following the latest Scottish Government advice with regard to the hosting of major sports events during the Covid-19 pandemic, and based on the need to protect the resilience of the emergency and public health services.

The World Mixed Doubles and World Senior Curling Championships 2020 have been cancelled in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, due to the ongoing spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

FFA

The Professional Footballers Australia’s A-League Delegates met on Monday afternoon to discuss a range of issues relating to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on professional footballers.

This meeting followed Football Federation Australia’s (FFA) confirmation this morning that the remainder of the A-League 2019/20 regular season, and the W-League 2020 Grand Final scheduled for this weekend, will proceed.

FFA confirmed the matches would proceed; with all matches to be played behind closed doors and with no fans permitted to attend.

IMMAF

At IMMAF the health and wellbeing our members matters to us, and we are mindful of current global measures and concerns regarding the coronavirus (Covid-19).

Therefore, we are sadly postponing our two upcoming tournaments in April and May until further notice: The 2020 IMMAF Africa Open Championships and the 2020 IMMAF Pan American Championships. Participants should contact their National Federation regarding refund of participation fees and for further advice.

World Archery 

World Archery’s executive committee has suspended all international competition and development activities until the end of April due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

UIPM

UIPM 2020 Pentathlon World Cup Season Postponed Until May Due To Coronavirus Pandemic

IMG ARENA Scores Long Term Partnership With European Volleyball Confederation

IMG ARENA, a leading sports betting service and content hub, has secured a long-term, worldwide live betting streaming and betting data rights partnership with the European Volleyball Confederation (Confédération Européenne de Volleyball, CEV).

The deal covers volleyball, beach volleyball and snow volleyball – the new form of the sport launched by CEV and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) in 2016 – allowing sportsbetting operators access to content across all events organised by the CEV.

This includes the CEV’s blue riband volleyball events, the biennial EuroVolley, which is contested by 24 national teams, and Champions League, the top competition for the contintent’s leading club sides each year. A total of 56 national federations are represented by CEV.

The deal was brokered by the international rights agency AMI on behalf of CEV, with AMI retaining all betting category sponsorship rights for all CEV events.

Freddie Longe, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of IMG ARENA, said: “We are privileged and excited to announce our partnership with CEV. Volleyball is a globally-popular sport, with the CEV administering some of the most exciting competitions it has to offer.

“Operator feedback tells us volleyball is a property that has much untapped potential and one which the industry feels will benefit from an improved sports betting solution. Our move into the sport will allow us to significantly enhance the betting interface and boost engagement with its community of passionate fans.”

Aleksandar Boričić, CEV President, said: “Partnering with IMG ARENA to distribute our sports betting live streaming and betting data rights is an important strategic development for CEV. IMG ARENA has a strong track record of working with federations and international sports organisations to both protect and grow sports via their innovative products and solutions.

“We understand the benefits of a long-term relationship, and in IMG ARENA we have found a partner to future proof our sport for the next generation of fans.”

Headquartered in London, IMG ARENA works with more than 460 leading sportsbook operators worldwide, providing always-on services including 24/7 live betting streaming and on-demand virtual sports betting products designed to evolve and inspire engagement by placing fans at the heart of the action. In 2019, more than 175 million hours of IMG ARENA content was watched by 56 million unique viewers around the globe. IMG ARENA’s clients include the ATP, UFC, the European and PGA Golf Tours, the FA Cup and Serie A.

Friday’s Coronavirus Update: UEFA, Premier League, EFL, Formula 1, FEI, World Surf League, ITTF

UEFA

All matches in UEFA competitions, including the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, will not take place next week.

In the light of developments due to the spread of COVID-19 in Europe and related decisions made by different governments, all UEFA club competitions matches scheduled next week are postponed.

This includes the remaining UEFA Champions League, Round of 16 second leg matches scheduled on 17 and 18 March 2020; all UEFA Europa League, Round of 16 second leg matches scheduled on 19 March 2020; all UEFA Youth League, quarter-final matches scheduled on 17 and 18 March 2020.

Further decisions on when these matches take place will be communicated in due course.

As a consequence of the postponements, the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League quarter-final draws scheduled for 20 March have also been postponed.

Premier League and EFL

Following a meeting of Shareholders today, it was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the intention of returning on 4 April, subject to medical advice and conditions at the time.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “Above all, we wish Mikel Arteta and Callum Hudson-Odoi speedy recoveries, and everyone else affected by COVID-19.

“In this unprecedented situation, we are working closely with our clubs, Government, The FA and EFL and can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority.”

Despite the challenges, it is the Premier League’s aim to reschedule the displaced fixtures, including those played by Academy sides, when it is safe to do so.

In this fast-moving environment, further updates will be provided when appropriate.

The Masters

Statement from Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club:

On Wednesday, March 4, we issued a memo stating that our plans to host the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals had not changed. Unfortunately, the ever-increasing risks associated with the widespread Coronavirus COVID-19 have led us to a decision that undoubtedly will be disappointing to many, although I am confident is appropriate under these unique circumstances.

Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals.

Ultimately, the health and well-being of everyone associated with these events and the citizens of the Augusta community led us to this decision. We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date.

We will continue to work with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office of the Governor, the Georgia Department of Public Health, the City of Augusta and all other local authorities. We are grateful to all of these entities for their exceptional efforts and guidance.

We recognize this decision will affect many people, including our loyal patrons. Your patience as we make every effort to communicate effectively and efficiently is appreciated, and we will share any additional information as soon as it becomes available. Updates also will be posted to our website, Masters.com.

As COVID-19 continues to impact the lives of people everywhere, we seek your understanding of this decision and know you share our concern given these trying times. Thank you for your faithful support.

Formula 1

Following the cancellation of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and the postponement of the races in China, Bahrain and Vietnam, Formula 1 and governing body the FIA have said they now ‘expect’ the 2020 season to begin at the end of May – though this will be regularly reviewed.

“Following the announcement of the Australian Grand Prix’s cancellation this week and the ongoing and fluid nature of the COVID-19 situation globally, Formula 1, the FIA and the promoters have taken these decisions in order to ensure the health and safety of the travelling staff, championship participants and fans, which remains our primary concern.”

All parties said they were hopeful the races could be staged at a later date, and in light of the impact the virus is having, the statement added that it is expected the F1 season can begin at the end of May.

“Formula 1 and the FIA continue to work closely with the race promoters in Bahrain and Vietnam and the local health authorities to monitor the situation and take the appropriate amount of time to study the viability of potential alternative dates for each Grand Prix later in the year should the situation improve.

“As a result, Formula 1 and the FIA expect to begin the Championship in Europe at the end of May but given the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Europe in recent days, this will be regularly reviewed.”

FIFA

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, met yesterday with the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss how football can help the WHO respond to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and what measures should sports governing bodies and administrators take in specific situations.

“Sports governing bodies and decision makers should always keep in mind that health comes first,” Mr Infantino and Dr Tedros said in a joint statement. “All sports bodies must be ready to follow national guidance, based on thorough risk assessments, to stage safe events or take other required actions that protect the health of fans, players, coaches and the broader communities.”

WHO and FIFA, working in conjunction with other leading figures in world football, will launch a joint awareness raising campaign and engage in various initiatives to ensure all people receive needed advice to protect and promote their health and that of their communities.

In 2019, WHO and FIFA, football’s world governing body, agreed a four-year collaboration to promote healthy lifestyles through football globally.

World Surf League

Due to the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of athletes, fans, and staff, the World Surf League (WSL) has made the decision to cancel all events yet to commence at all tour levels, worldwide for the remainder of March, including the opening event of the 2020 Championship Tour (CT) on the Gold Coast in Australia. Additionally, the WSL has canceled the Papara Pro Open Tahiti.

This decision is based on guidance from the World Health Organization, who has declared that COVID-19 is now a global pandemic, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, governments and local public health authorities where events are being held.

“Coronavirus is having massive consequences for sporting events and gatherings of all kinds around the world, and we are no different,” said WSL CEO Erik Logan. “We did not take this decision lightly as we are aware that it has a significant impact on the surfing community. However, the health and safety of our athletes, fans, and staff are paramount. From the standpoint of social responsibility, we also take very seriously the role our events might play in accelerating the spread of the virus. We’ve been in close contact with our athletes and we feel strongly that this is the right thing to do right now.”

“The fluid nature of this situation is forcing us to evaluate things day-by-day, and even hour-by-hour,” Logan said. “As this continues to evolve, we’ll continue to adapt, endeavoring to make the next right decision each day.”

FEI

The International Equestrian Federation (FEI), United States Equestrian (USEF) and Las Vegas Events have announced the force majeure cancellation of the FEI World Cup™ Finals 2020 in Las Vegas. The annual equestrian competition, featuring the Olympic disciplines of Jumping and Dressage, was scheduled for 15-19 April at the Thomas & Mack Center.

“It is very regrettable that next month’s FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas have had to be cancelled, but the decision was out of our hands”, FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“Since the FEI World Cup series began in 1978 for Jumping and in 1985 for Dressage, the Finals have never had to be cancelled before, but the global concerns about the spread of the virus and the travel restrictions imposed by the US Government have meant that the Finals are one of many major sporting events impacted by this outbreak.

“Like everyone in our community, we are disappointed, not only for the athletes who have qualified for the Finals, but also for Las Vegas Events and US Equestrian, and of course our top partner Longines, but the health, well-being and safety of our athletes, officials and our fans has to be our top priority. We hope we can alleviate that disappointment by returning to Las Vegas for a wonderful FEI World Cup Finals in the future.”

All ticket buyers and exhibitors will be issued full refunds. The Las Vegas Events ticket office will contact all ticket holders on the process starting the week of 16 March.

ITTF

In light of the rapid spread of COVID-19 around the world, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has decided to suspend all activities provisionally until the end of April 2020.

Following the declaration by the World Health Organization of COVID-19 as a pandemic and the increased number of international travel restrictions, the ITTF has decided to suspend all activities provisionally, with the health and safety of athletes, coaches, officials and fans as the top priority.

The suspension comes into effect from Monday 16th March 2020 and relates to all ITTF sanctioned events, High Performance and Development activities and ITTF Foundation activities that had been due to start between the above date and the end of April 2020.

The ITTF Executive Committee will hold an emergency meeting on Monday 16th March to discuss the situation further and an announcement will be made next week regarding the ITTF World Tour Hong Kong and China Opens.

The ITTF has also recommended to all Continental Associations to follow the ITTF’s decision.

World Athletics Issues $10million Fine To Russian Athletics Federation

The World Athletics Council today fined the Russian Athletics Federation $10 million for breaching the sport’s Anti-Doping Rules, and, while reinstating the Authorised Neutral Athlete process for Russian athletes, has capped at 10 the number of Authorised Neutral Athletes (ANA) allowed to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and other specified World Athletics and European Athletics senior events.

There is no restriction on the number of ANA athletes that can compete in international one-day events around the world, once they have been granted ANA status by World Athletics Doping Review Board. However, the ANA process will be suspended if $5 million of the $10m fine is not paid by 1 July 2020.

The remaining $5 million of the fine will be suspended for two years, to be paid immediately if during that period RusAF commits a further breach of the Anti-Doping Rules or fails to make meaningful progress towards satisfying the reinstatement conditions set by Council.

The ANA application process remains broadly the same, with strengthened criteria to be issued by the Doping Review Board on behalf of Council within the next week.

The World Athletics Council also approved a new set of criteria for RusAF’s reinstatement, which includes:

  • RusAF establishing a Reinstatement Commission with representation from a number of organisations and at least two representatives appointed by RusAF’s Athletes’ Commission;
  • Two international experts designated by World Athletics to participate in the work and meetings of the Reinstatement Commission, with RusAF bearing the costs;
  • The RusAF Reinstatement Commission to draw up a detailed plan to ingrain throughout Russian Athletics a zero tolerance for doping culture, which will be subject to approval by the World Athletics Council.
  • The two international experts to work with RusAF, in Russia, to ensure the plan is effectively implemented on the ground, and the change in culture is embedded throughout RusAF’s processes and decision-making.

[Decision of the World Athletics Council in relation to RUSAF’s breach of the anti-doping rules]
[World Athletics Council decision in relation to the process of reinstatement of RUSAF]

Commenting on the Council’s decision, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said:

“The package of sanctions approved by the Council today reflects the seriousness of RusAF’s wrongdoing and sends a clear message that we take these types of offenses by our Member Federations extremely seriously. We have consistently tried to separate the clean athletes from a tainted system, which is why we have reinstated the ANA process for athletes from Russia, enabling them to once again compete in International one-day competitions and earn prize money, but we have restricted the number of athletes eligible to compete in senior International and European events, including at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Clearly the previous measures were not enough to change the culture in Russian athletics. We hope this further measure will be sufficient to provoke real change.

“The decision to suspend half of $10 million fine for a period of two years is predicated on the cultural and behavioural change we want to see across all structures in athletics in Russia. But we need to be clear, if the initial sum of $5 million is not paid by 1 July 2020, then the entire decision made today will be revisited and could result in the ANA status being revoked indefinitely.

“The Council feels severely let down by the previous RusAF administration, which is why it has approved a new set of criteria for reinstatement of the Federation. This requires the new administration to set a clear roadmap for reinstatement, to be approved by Council, and greater oversight of the roadmap process by independent international personnel based in Russia.”

Inter Miami Set MLS Merchandise Sales Record, Join With Fanatics

Inter Miami CF, Major League Soccer’s (MLS) new South Florida expansion franchise, and Fanatics, the global leader for licensed sports merchandise, has announced a new long-term omnichannel retail partnership.
The announcement of the deal came as Fanatics announced that since the start of the 2020 regular season, Inter Miami CF has been the top-selling MLS team across the Fanatics network with the club breaking a record for online merchandise sales of a new MLS club during its opening weekend of play, nearly doubling the previous high.

The team’s global appeal, led by co-owner David Beckham, who was responsible for instituting the iconic pink colorway throughout team apparel and branding, sparked sales of fan gear across the Fanatics network to supporters in more than 40 countries during its inaugural weekend, with the UK accounting for more than 50% of all international sales outside the USA.

As the team takes part in its maiden season, Fanatics will manage in-venue retail operations at the club’s new Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Fanatics will also run online and mobile commerce for the team through its operation of MLSStore.com, creating a seamless shopping experience for fans whether shopping online, on their phone or at the stadium.

“We are very proud of our partnership with Fanatics because of the direct value they bring our fans as an expert in managing licensed sports merchandise,” said Inter Miami CF COO & Sporting Director Paul McDonough. “Our fans are craving for more opportunities to wear our brand and represent Inter Miami and Fanatics helps them achieve this through the distribution of fan gear apparel and accessories in our home stadium and online.”

Fanatics Brands, the company’s in-house apparel division, will provide a wide-ranging assortment of high-quality team and player apparel for all members of the family, which includes a significant assortment of unique, Miami-inspired products with distinct team colours. At the team’s home location, Fanatics will operate a variety of pop-up shops, kiosks and custom trailers all stocked with the most real-time assortment of team gear, including jerseys, hats, outerwear, accessories, women’s and youth products.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Inter Miami and their innovative, dedicated ownership group that is committed to providing a world-class experience on gameday and beyond to the passionate, diverse fans across this sports-rich region,” said Gary Gertzog, Fanatics President of Business Affairs. “With Fanatics’ technology-laced, omnichannel retail capabilities, we’ll reach this local and global fanbase with an incredible assortment of unique products available whenever and wherever fans are shopping.”

Sportradar And NPL Combine To Create Australia’s First OTT Streaming Platform For Football

Sportradar, the world’s leading provider of sports data and content, today announced Australia’s first national OTT platform for football (NPL.TV) in partnership with Football NSW & Football Queensland. The deal marks a significant milestone for Sportradar within the Oceania region with several sports and leagues looking to the National Premier Leagues platform as a benchmark to distribute and broadcast their proprietary content live and on-demand.

The industry-first, direct-to-consumer live and on-demand streaming platform, will initially launch showcasing Australia’s strongest National Premier Leagues competitions – New South Wales (Football NSW), and Queensland (Football Queensland) with the opportunity for the other member federations to join over the course of the 2020 season. More than 1000 games will be broadcast live and exclusive on the jointly developed platform.

David Edwards, Director of Sports Media and Partnerships, Oceania, Sportradar, said: “Today’s partnership agreement is the first-of-its-kind in the region and we’re proud to have jointly developed the OTT platform with Football NSW & Football Queensland.

“We’re seeing an increasing demand from both state-based and national sporting federations in establishing direct-to-consumer streaming platforms. Niche competitions suit the OTT distribution model by allowing rights holders to take control of their assets and develop a direct relationship with their fans on their own terms.

“We look forward to helping National Premier Leagues competitions increase digital revenues and supercharge their fan engagement through our unique, data-driven approach to OTT.”

Brian Meinrath, Head of Commercial, Football NSW, said: “Our partnership with Football Queensland and Sportradar is a defining moment for the National Premier Leagues.  NPL.TV provides us with the means to really understand who our audience is and provide robust viewership numbers to the market.  By aggregating content on the one platform, it gives us a huge opportunity to present existing fans with superior live and on-demand content as well as showcase our leagues to a new and expanding audience.

Tracy Grierson,  GM Marketing, Media & Partnerships, Football Queensland, said: “Football Queensland is an innovative organisation and by introducing the Sportradar built OTT platform, we will be making football and our competitions more accessible to supporters in Australia and around the world. Our partnership with Football NSW is an example of the unity of our federations and clearly demonstrates our desire to address future opportunities together for the promotion of our sport.”

The business model is unique in that it allows Football NSW, Football Queensland and Sportradar to explore both advertising integration and paid user subscriptions on a revenue share basis. NPL.TV is available at no cost to all Australia-based fans, with subscribers also able to upgrade to a ‘premium’ Full HD offering for a small monthly charge. Fans can watch live streams and full match replays along with a range of on-demand fan-driven content to be supplied by each member federation.

Sportradar has developed two portals for the International and Australian markets which users are automatically directed to according to their location. This has enabled Football NSW / Football Queensland to establish an international paywall for non-Australian users, with premium upgrades also available to drive additional revenues. The NPL.TV OTT platform is available through all web browsers and will also be available to download as an app (iOS and Android).

Up until now, National Premier Leagues matches have only been available to watch via social media, which provides a limited amount of insight into user behaviour. Sportradar’s evidence-based streaming strategy provides rights holders with deeper, data-driven insights into consumer behaviour, while allowing them to tell more engaging stories to fans across the full range of digital distribution channels.

Celtic Announce New Five-Year Partnership With Adidas

Celtic Football Club is delighted to announce that it has agreed a new five-year partnership with Adidas starting July 1st, 2020. adidas will become Celtic’s official kit supplier, covering both the men’s and women’s squads, in a deal which is believed to be the biggest kit sponsorship ever to be announced across Scottish sport.

Adidas will create and manufacture first team kit, training wear as well as all supporter replica kits.

Treble Treble winners and current Premiership league leaders Celtic will be teaming up with the global leader in football. adidas is the official supplier of the most important football tournaments in the world, such as the FIFA World Cup™, the UEFA EURO 2020™ and the UEFA Champions League.

The sports brand already partners with some of the world’s top clubs including Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, FC Bayern Munich and Juventus.

Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell commented: “We are delighted to enter this new, long-term partnership with Adidas, one of the world’s leading sports brands. We warmly welcome Adidas to the Celtic Family and look forward to an exciting and successful partnership.

“We know through our discussions with Adidas that they, as a prestige brand, were eager to be associated with a Club of Celtic’s stature and proud history –  to be connected to the passion and commitment of our supporters and to Celtic’s wider vision and values.

“Likewise, everyone at Celtic is delighted to be partnering with one of the dominant names in sportswear manufacturing, an organisation which represents quality and excellence.

“This is a hugely significant new partnership for Celtic and our supporters and allows us to look to the future with confidence.  To be able to create this fantastic new relationship demonstrates the strength and stability of the Club and the power of our enduring story.

“I would like to congratulate everyone at Celtic and Adidas who have worked to deliver this fantastic new partnership between two of the world’s great sporting institutions, in particular, our Commercial Director Adrian Filby.”

adidas added, “Celtic’s successful football history and future ambition make us hugely excited to be working together to create a new chapter with one of the most famous football clubs in the world.

“We are obsessed with helping athletes improve their game, life and world and as such we look forward to supporting Celtic’s players on the pitch as they continue to create new levels of success, and we are confident their legendary fanbase will love our designs.”

Warwickshire Cricket Get New 50% Bamboo Kit In PlayerLayer Deal

Warwickshire County Cricket Club has agreed a new three-year Official Kit Supplier partnership with PlayerLayer, which will see both of its limited overs playing kits made from a more sustainable material derived from bamboo.

In a first for professional cricket, the material used in the shirts and sweaters worn by Warwickshire in the Royal London Cup and by Birmingham Bears in the Vitality Blast will contain a 50 per cent bamboo charcoal mix with polyester, with the full designs and new sponsors set to be unveiled closer to the 2020 season.

The new material significantly reduces the use of plastic and was showcased by PlayerLayer in football last year through its partnership with Forest Green Rovers, which is recognised by FIFA and UEFA as the world’s greenest football club.

Ben Seifas, Commercial Partnerships Manager at Warwickshire CCC, said: “We have previously talked about our ambitions to be the most sustainable cricket club and venue in the country and working with PlayerLayer to create our new bamboo kits takes us a step closer to this goal.

“As part of the development, several members of our playing squad have tested the material to highlight its capabilities in a high-performance environment, with all subsequent feedback confirming that it is a very comfortable and durable material.

“PlayerLayer has been an excellent partner of the club for the last three years and we’re grateful to its team for joining forces with ourselves to be leaders in cricket by creating this new material.”

In addition to the playing shirts and sweaters, the replica shirts will be made from the same bamboo material, which will be available from the Store 94 club shop at Edgbaston in the coming weeks.

Roderick Bradley, Co-Founder and Marketing Director said “ The Warwickshire CCC Bamboo project is extremely important to us. We believe that sport can drive change and this is a perfect example. “Warwickshire CCC have a global reach and will show how Cricket can send a message far beyond sport. This project is just the start of things to come with our partnership.”

Warwickshire CCC had already taken several steps in the battle against single use plastics by ensuring that all food purchased from the kiosks at Edgbaston Stadium is served in compostable packaging, serving drinks in recyclable e-cups and installing 11 hydration stations around the stadium for water bottles to be refilled. In turn, zero waste from the venue goes to landfill sites.

Edgbaston Stadium is also powered by renewable sources through a partnership with Haven Power and there is an active push towards sustainable transport through partnerships with National Express WM and West Midlands Trains, whilst the venue is also a Birmingham Top Cycle Destination.

iSportconnect’s Weekly Deals Update: Formula 1 Team Up With Saudi Aramco, Extreme E Get BBC Deal + More…

Formula 1 + Saudi Aramco

Formula 1 has today announced a new long-term Global Sponsorship deal with Saudi Aramco, the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals company.

Extreme E + BBC

Extreme E has agreed a multi-year partnership with BBC Sport which will see the new electric SUV off-road racing series screened live and free-to-air across BBC digital platforms to British viewers.

PGA Tour + ESPN+

The PGA TOUR today announced its new nine-year domestic media rights portfolio for 2022-2030.

ESPN + MLB

ESPN and Major League Baseball have expanded their successful partnership with a new rights agreement that will see live MLB action on ESPN’s TV and OTT platforms across multiple markets in Europe and Africa.

FIBA + TicketSocket

FIBA and TicketSocket, a ticketing service operating worldwide, have entered into an agreement to provide state of the art ticketing solutions for FIBA events around the globe.

Renault F1 + DP World

DP World and Renault F1 Team have signed an agreement making DP World the Global Logistics Partner and Title Partner of the team, which will become the Renault DP World F1 Team as from the 2020 season.

Other Deals

Warwickshire + PlayerLayer

Sir Robert McAlpine + Paralympics GB

McLaren + Coca Cola

Celtic + Adidas

Sportradar + NPL

Inter Miami + Fanatics

LaLiga + PointsBet

 

Women’s Sports Group + FA

PwC and Suirui Group + Beijing 2022

 

World Bowling + QubicaAMF

Longines + CGF

 

West Ham + RoadX Tyres

British Athletes Agree Rule 40 Agreement With British Olympic Association

The British Olympic Association and a group of athletes represented by the legal firm Brandsmiths are pleased to announce they have reached an agreement in relation to the interpretation of the International Olympic Committee’s Rule 40 in the United Kingdom.

Following a challenge to the BOA’s Rule 40 position in November 2019, the BOA has engaged in constructive dialogue with Adam Gemili, who acted as lead representative of the athlete group, and Brandsmiths and agreed to provide a greater level of commercial freedom to athletes whilst preserving the BOA’s unique funding model, with new guidelines to be published in due course.

The guidelines will include increased multiple opportunities for athletes to endorse, via ‘thank you’ messages, their personal sponsors during the Games period, and a move to a process of deemed consent for athletes and their sponsors in relation to Games-time marketing campaigns.

The move to deemed consent, whereby athletes do not now have to formally submit all marketing materials for approval (but are still required to notify), has been further supplemented by a relaxation of the ‘in-market’ period, defining the dates by which a campaign has to be visible to the public.

Andy Anson, CEO of the BOA, said: “This agreement allows athletes to further benefit from their personal sponsors whilst balancing the needs of the BOA to raise funds to support all athletes at the Games.

“I’m grateful that Adam [Gemili] and his colleagues took the time to work with us to find a solution.

“We have always been and will continue to be supportive of athletes maximising their earning potential and having sponsors at a national or local level.”

Adam Gemili, on behalf of the athletes represented by Brandsmiths, added: “As an athlete group we are pleased to have reached an agreement with the BOA that moves us into line with other Olympic federations and that provides every athlete an equal and fair chance to generate sponsorship revenue in the build up to and during the Games.

“I would like to say thank you to the BOA for facilitating an open dialogue and recognising and addressing the concerns of the athlete body.

“Most importantly I would like to thank my teammates who have supported this movement both openly and behind the scenes, together we have made a real difference and demonstrated the strength of unity.”

Chair of the BOA Athletes’ Commission, Ben Hawes, who worked with the Athlete group and BOA to support the process, commented: “The BOA Athletes’ Commission is put in place by and is representative of athletes across all sports. We are glad to have supported the process to find a satisfactory position that will help all athletes access more marketing and commercial opportunities, whilst protecting the vital funding of the BOA which continues to enable Team GB athletes to have the best support at Olympic Games.

“It remains crucial that we have a strong athlete voice and seat at the table within the organisation. Athletes will then continue to have the ability to raise issues and concerns on any matter across the Olympic sporting journey.”