IOC And Airbnb Announce Global Olympic Partnership

Airbnb and the International Olympic Committee have agreed a nine-year global partnership deal.

This agreement will now support the Olympic Movement and cover the IOC’s next five major global events until after the 2028 Olympic Games.

In a statement from Airbnb regarding the deal, they say this deal will play a role in helping the IOC achieve their sustainability objectives set out in the Olympic Agenda 2020.

The agreement includes accommodation provisions that will reduce costs for Olympic Games organisers and stakeholders, minimise the need for construction of new accommodation infrastructure for the Olympic Games period, and generate direct revenue for local hosts and communities.

They add that work will be done with the International Paralympic Committee to increase accommodation that supports accessibility for people with disabilities or other accessibility needs.

Airbnb Co-founder, Joe Gebbia said: “Airbnb and the IOC have a strong track record in creating and accommodating the world’s greatest events. Our Olympic partnership will ensure that the Games are the most inclusive, accessible and sustainable yet, and leave a lasting positive legacy for athletes and host communities. Airbnb’s mission is to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, and we are proud that the Olympic spirit will be carried by our community.”

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “This innovative partnership underpins our strategy to ensure that the efficient staging of the Olympic Games is sustainable and leaves a legacy for the host community. With Airbnb’s support, we will also develop new opportunities for athletes around the world to develop their own direct revenue streams through the promotion of physical activity and the Olympic values.

“From this partnership there will also be direct benefit for athletes beyond the US $5 billion the IOC is distributing during this Olympiad for their benefit to Organising Committees and sports organisation around the world.”

Linglong Tire and Juventus Extend Partnership To 2022

Juventus and Linglong Tire have extended their current partnership agreement until 2022.

The Chinese brand first partnered with the Italian champions in February 2018, but have clearly seen such a successful period for the club as reasoning to add more years to the agreement.

Just a few weeks ago, Jeep revealed they would pay Juventus an extra €25 million for the next two seasons on top of their current deal due to the extreme success the team is seeing on the pitch.

Giorgio Ricci, Juventus Chief Revenue Officer, said: “We are happy to continue this successful relationship with Linglong Tire. This has proven to be a mutually beneficial partnership that has allowed both brands to continue to grow globally thanks to a series of fantastic activations. We are looking forward to expanding our collaboration in order to create even better experiences for fans.”

Linglong Chairman Wang Feng, added: “During the past few years, Juventus and Linglong have worked together and established a good cooperative relationship and a deep friendship. With the help of the club’s huge and loyal worldwide fan base, Linglong has improved its brand image and increased its product sales, with the brand now being chosen by more consumers.

“The renewal is the result of a high degree of unity in the pursuit of outstanding values for both sides. Therefore, from now until 2022, we will continue to work together with Juventus to bring more satisfaction and surprise to fans and consumers around the world.”

Americas Rallycross To Be Ended By IMG After 2019 Season

IMG and the Americas Rallycross Championship have announced the closure of the championship beyond the 2019 season.

A failure to secure any long-term financial support and backing for ARX means it will now no longer continue into its planned third season next year.

A statement on the ARX website said:

“After consultation with a wide group of stakeholders and interested parties, IMG has taken the difficult decision to not extend the Americas Rallycross Championship beyond the 2019 season.

We would like to thank our passionate fans, teams, drivers, partners and event hosts for their support and participation in Americas Rallycross.”

[Picture: Americas Rallycross]

Atlanta Hawks Bring Intel To State Farm Arena With New Partnership

The Atlanta Hawks have joined up with Intel Sports to provide a brand new viewing experience for fans inside the arena, watching on their local broadcast channel and on social media.

Intel will bring their True View platform to State Farm Arena via an array of 5K HD cameras are installed and mounted throughout the arena. These capture unique views and angles, delivering unique perspectives that regular cameras cannot.

Once the video is processed, the innovative system produces 360-degree highlights, freeze frames and exceptional views of the action, including from a player’s perspective, that are distributed to broadcast, digital and mobile platforms.

Andrew Saltzman, Chief Revenue Officer of the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena, commented: “We are excited to introduce this amazing innovation and continue enhancing the fan experience for Hawks fans everywhere.

“Intel True View is the premier viewing technology in all of sports, and we are eager to work with Intel Sports on new and cutting-edge ways to showcase the incredible action displayed every game at State Farm Arena,” Saltzman said.

“Intel Sports is excited to partner with the Atlanta Hawks to enhance the fan experience through innovative immersive media experiences in the state-of-the-art State Farm arena,” Howard Wright, VP of Business Development, Intel Sports, added.

“The Hawks are a dynamic partner for Intel Sports because they are eager to experiment and push the boundaries of technology to provide new and compelling ways to engage their fans. Atlanta has a vibrant technology community with a loyal fan base that is ready for enhanced digital storytelling that Intel True View enables,” said Howard Wright, VP of Business Development, Intel Sports.

ATP And Emirates Take Partnership Deal To 2025

Emirates will remain as a premier partner for the ATP Tour after securing a new partnership extension for an extra five years.

The deal will now see the airline become a premier parter of the ATP Tour until the end of the 2025 season, after their current deal had been set to expire in 2021.

As Official Airline and Premier Partner, Emirates will continue to receive global marketing rights and exposure through iconic on-court net branding at 60 tournaments worldwide.

“We are delighted to have Emirates extend their Premier Partner status as the ATP Tour continues to soar in popularity as a truly worldwide sport,” said Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President.

“The Tour looks forward to further enhancing the exceptional partnership that has already been built, and the renewal reinforces the benefits the global platform of the ATP Tour provides to such a highly regarded and established brand in the sports marketing world.”

Boutros Boutros, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand, stated: “We’ve been associated with the ATP since 2013 and it’s been a successful partnership so far and a great fit for our brand.

“As a global airline serving 158 destinations across 85 countries, and the ATP Tour itself taking place in 30 destinations to which we fly, it remains a strong platform for us to connect with our customers, hence the decision to continue to being a Premier Partner and the Official Airline of the ATP Tour.”

SportAccord 2020 Add DB Schenker as Official Logistics Provider

SportAccord has extended a partnership with leading supply chain management and logistics solutions provider DB Schenker to cover the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2020 in Beijing, China.

DB Schenker, a long-standing SportAccord Delivery Partner, has renewed its designation as the Official Logistics Provider of the event, having been a consistent presence at the annual gathering since the very first edition in 2003.

Nis Hatt, Managing Director, SportAccord, said: “We are thrilled to have the support of DB Schenker once again as the Official Logistics Provider for SportAccord 2020. There is no question that our close working relationship over the years has had a positive contribution towards the smooth running of our events.

“DB Schenker is an obvious choice to support any logistical needs surrounding the World Sport & Business Summit 2020 in Beijing given their status as an official partner, as well as their expertise and knowledge of SportAccord.”

Christian Schultze, SVP Product Management Sports Events at DB Schenker, said: “We have an unrivalled track record in logistics for sports events over the past two decades, playing an essential role across numerous international tournaments and occasions.

“As a leading global logistics provider – which has established an outstanding reputation in sport, as well as other industries – we are delighted to support the delivery of SportAccord once again next year.”

LaLiga Issue Statement After Court Blocks Miami Fixture

LaLiga have released a statement insisting they still have hope for their planned Miami fixture later this season.

A court in Madrid have blocked the game in the interim, however it will be settled properly in February next year.

The statement from LaLiga says:

Madrid’s Mercantile Court No. 12 today decided not to grant interim measures to stage an official LaLiga match in Miami in a case about the pending authorisation from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

LaLiga respects this decision, which does not prejudge the substance of the matter, which will be permanently settled in February 2020.

Staging an official LaLiga match abroad is part of a long-term LaLiga strategy for international growth. We hope that from February forth LaLiga will be able to organise an official match beyond Spanish borders.

Bringing clubs closer to their global fans represents a significant opportunity to connect with them and to continue working to increase LaLiga’s followers around the world. This international growth leads to benefits for the clubs, their players, their fans, LaLiga as a whole, Spanish football and the brand of Spain.

BT Sport Retain Champions League Rights Until 2024

BT Sport have secured the rights to all 420 games of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the new UEFA Europa Conference League, for a further three seasons until 2024.

There was a 26 per cent increase in UEFA Champions League viewer hours on BT Sport last season, with the UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Spurs available for all to watch in the UK on social media, and a record breaking 11.3m people tuning in across all platforms.

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, said: “We’re delighted to remain the home of UEFA Champions League in the UK. BT Sport leads the way when it comes to UEFA Champions League coverage, and we’re very excited to continue to bring our world class coverage to one of the most exciting football competitions in the world – whether that’s broadcasting 12 games simultaneously or delivering industry leading images in 4K UHD.

“With increasingly more ways to watch our content, with more games on show than ever before, and alongside our excellent line up of other competitions and sports, BT Sport is going from strength to strength.”

UEFA Marketing Director Guy Laurent Epstein said: “UEFA is delighted to continue its strong partnership with BT until 2024. All matches will be available across the BT Sport channels and digital services and in addition UK football fans will be able to enjoy club competition highlights for free on social media each match week, as well as the finals to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the newly formed UEFA Europa Conference League.

“Its high quality production and programming standards set the bar for the industry and audiences will continue to enjoy the competitions in new ways via BT’s innovative approach as it showcases new technologies.”

DAZN Takes Brazilian Broadcast Rights For Davis Cup

DAZN has claimed the rights to show the new Davis Cup in Brazil until after the 2021 event.

The online streaming service has agreed to show the next three editions of the competition, beginning later this month, after signing a deal with the International Tennis Federation.

DAZN’s Vice President of Partnerships in Brazil, Sérgio Floris, said: “Tennis fans who are already watching WTA on DAZN will now have more opportunities to watch tennis on the platform. We are happy to offer quality content to our subscribers, which is an absolute priority for us.

“Tennis is one of the most beloved sports. Brazilian fans  and I’m sure that both the Davis Cup and Bruno Soares series, which deals with their intimate relationship with family and sport, will please the public.”