Cleveland Cavaliers withdraw funding commitment for Quicken Loans Arena renovation

The Cleveland Cavaliers today announced the cancellation of their participation in the transformation project of the publicly-owned Quicken Loans Arena.

Construction on the £107 ($140) million publicly-owned facility project was due to start in June but had been delayed due to a prospective referendum being placed on the ballot by the Washington, DC-based Metro Industrial Areas Foundation.

The prospective referendum will cause the arena transformation to miss the current construction cycle, which pushes the overall price tag of the project higher due to rising construction costs.

The public-private partnership was to be funded with £77 ($70) million of private capital contributed by the Cavaliers organization and an additional (£77) $70 million in public funding was to be generated primarily by a portion of the existing Admission Tax of every ticket sold to every event at ‘The Q’ from 2023-2034.

The Cavaliers had also committed to covering any and all construction cost overruns on the project.

“Quicken Loans Arena brings over 2 million people a year to downtown Cleveland and last year alone produced £188 ($245) million in economic activity including the RNC and the NBA Finals,” said Len Komoroski, CEO of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“This facility is Cleveland’s gateway to the world as many of our events are broadcast nationally and internationally. The investments over the years into The Q have paid back multiples in economic impact, job creation and tax generation.”

The Q is the oldest arena in the NBA without a major structural renovation.

The renovation project would have extended the life of The Q to over 40 years when the average life of similar facilities is only 22 years in the NBA.

“It is very disappointing to see our further private investment into The Q Transformation project reach this ending point,”  Komoroski added.

Olympic gold medallist Krisztina Fazekas-Zur joins ICF Athletes Commission

Two-time Hungarian Olympic gold medallist Krisztina Fazekas-Zur has been elected by her peers to join the International Canoe Federation’s (ICF) Athletes Committee.

Fazekas-Zur finished ahead of Denmark’s Henriette Engel Hansen and Poland’s Beata Mikolajczyk in the poll conducted during the ICF World Championships.

Russian sprinter Yurii Postrigai, a K2 200 gold medallist at the London Olympics, was elected unopposed as the male representative on the committee.

Fazekas-Zur was a member of Hungary’s K4 500 gold medal team at the London and Rio Olympics, and the winner of eight World Championship gold medals.

“I’m really happy. I’m moved people voted for me because I really wanted this position,” she said.

“I’ve already talked with the athletes here at the World Championships, and I hope we can have a stronger voice. I hope we can have a good conversation.”

Fazekas-Zur and Postrigai will join South Africa’s Hayley Jo-Nixon (Canoe Marathon), Great Britain’s Claire O’Hara (Canoe Freestyle), Great Britain’s Tim Lodge (Paracanoe) and Australia’s Amanda Reynolds (Paracanoe) on the committee.

Elections for representatives from canoe slalom will be held during next month’s World Championships in Pau, France.

Thailand’s Buriram Circuit poised to join MotoGP calendar

Thailand’s Buriram Circuit is set to sign a three-year deal to join the MotoGP calendar from the 2018 season this week, series promoter Dorna has announced.

Carmelo Ezpeleta, chief executive of commercial rights holders Dorna Sports, will join Sakon Wannapong, the governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, at a formal contract signing in Bangkok on Thursday.

The race is expected to be added towards the end of the motorsport’s expanded 19-race calendar, with the current Asian Pacific triple-header set to be reshuffled in order to accommodate the Thai venue.

The Buriram Circuit, which is located in the North East of Thailand, already hosts a World Superbike round and MotoGP teams will experience their new surroundings for the first time during February’s winter testing dates.

The addition of Thailand and Finland, who agreed a deal earlier this month to stage a race from 2019, could see the MotoGP calendar surpass the 20-race mark in the near future.

Top Rank signs multi-year boxing deal with ESPN

ESPN has agreed a multi-year broadcast and streaming deal with boxing promoters Top Rank.

As part of the agreement Disney-owned ESPN will become the exclusive home of Top Rank boxing in North America. A selection of fights will be televised live across ESPN and ESPN Deportes channels in the US, and on TSN and RDS in Canada, while pay-per-view events will also be available.

Fight cards will also be streamed via the ESPN App, with a total of 18 event set to be available during the first year of the new partnership.

Burke Magnus, ESPN’s executive vice president of programming and scheduling, said: “ESPN is excited to announce this new relationship with Top Rank, the most comprehensive and innovative media agreement in the history of the sport.

“We believe in a new vision for boxing that will super-serve existing boxing fans and create legions of new fans through the highest quality boxing content across multiple ESPN platforms – 365 days a year.

“Together, ESPN and Top Rank will build the superstars of tomorrow through unrivalled exposure, original content and cutting edge technology.”

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) served as Top Rank’s media advisor on the new deal and will now work in conjunction with ESPN to manage sponsorship sales plus the production of content.

Alan Gold, the head of CAA’s Sports Media Advisory practice, added: “The deal puts Top Rank and its best-in-class stable of global fighters at the core of ESPN’s combat sports offering across television, PPV and OTT.

“Top Rank has consistently and successfully built many of their fighters into global brands, and now will benefit significantly from ESPN’s broad distribution, sales and marketing support and outstanding storytelling.”

Kia agrees three-year deal to become official UEFA Europa League partner

UEFA has announced that Kia Motors has signed a three-year deal to become an official partner of the UEFA Europa League. The sponsorship is set to start ahead of the 2018-19 season and will run until the final in 2021.

Europe’s secondary cup competition boasts a global cumulative television audience of 980 million and will present Kia an opportunity to increase its global awareness, build consumer loyalty and engage with automotive dealers across the continent.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director of UEFA Events SA, said: “We will work together to build fan engagement across Europe and beyond and we are thrilled to create the first global Trophy Tour, allowing fans around the world to meet legends of the competition and see the trophy in their own country.

“With a brand such as Kia within our partner programme, we see the UEFA Europa League going from strength-to-strength and anticipate an exciting three years working together.”

Tae Hyun Oh, executive vice-president and chief operating officer at Kia Motors, added: “This partnership provides us with an opportunity to increase Kia’s global brand awareness further, while engaging with a huge audience of global football fans.

“The Uefa Europa League is one of the most competitive global football tournaments and provides the brand with an exciting platform from which to connect with existing Kia customers and prospective buyers around the world.”

Mansion becomes AFC Bournemouth’s first sleeve sponsor

Online gaming company Mansion has agreed on a partnership with AFC Bournemouth to become the Premier League club’s first official shirt sleeve sponsor.

The deal was announced on Friday 25 August, just a day before Bournemouth’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.

The Mansion.com logo will now appear on the left sleeve of AFC Bournemouth’s home and third shirts.

Another one of Mansion’s brands, Casino.com, will feature on the sleeve of the South Coast club’s away shirt.

Mansion has a history of sporting partnerships, including being the Cherries’ main shirt sponsor during the last two seasons.

“I am delighted to further expand our partnership with Mansion,” said AFC Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake.

“The club is growing quickly and now has a huge reach, being in our third season in the Premier League.

“Mansion can capitalise on that, as well as support the club to raise our profile in territories such as Asia. Therefore, it is a deal which is very beneficial for both parties and I look forward to continuing to work with Mansion.”

Karel Manasco, CEO of Mansion Group, added: “We are delighted to continue what has been an exciting journey and terrific partnership.

“The past two years have forged a strong bond between club and brand and we are delighted to continue this journey. Together, anything is possible.”

Fans will have the option to choose either two Premier League badges or one Premier League badge and one sponsor sleeve logo when purchasing their kit.

The Mansion logo can only be applied to adult shirts and does not appear on youth kits, following the club’s policy to promote responsible gambling.

ITTF reaches 2 million social media fans milestone

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has reached 2 million followers across its Chinese & English social media platforms.

The milestone was hit after a successful Liebherr 2017 World Table Tennis Championships held from 29 May to 5 June 2017 in Düsseldorf, Germany, which received high level of following and engagement on social media from fans all over the globe.

The World Championships, which is the biggest table tennis event of the year, reached over 10.3 million fans on Facebook over the eight days of action, together with the ITTF World Tour events that followed, pushed ITTF Facebook page’s following to 400,000.


The success of the ITTF’s social media was also built on the popularity of the sport and its stars in China, which skyrocketed after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The ITTF’s Weibo, which currently has over 1.3 million fans, stands at second highest of all International Federations on the platform.

ITTF Head of Communications Matt POUND stated “It is pleasing to see us hit over 2 million social media fans around the world. This shows the appetite for fans to consume ITTF’s content and the popularity of table tennis globally. We look forward to continuing building our fan base and extending the reach of table tennis globally.”

ITTF Social Media Following:

Facebook – 401,000 fans
Twitter – 39,000 followers
Instagram – 110,000 followers
Youtube – 200,000 subscribers, 150,981,000 views
Sina Weibo – 1,365,000 followers
Wechat (@ITTFWorld2014) – 28,060 subscribers
Tencent Video – 1,500 subscribers, 10,991,000 views
Zhibo TV – 58,540 followers

Air China agrees deal to become official partner of Beijing 2022

Air China has signed a deal to become an official partner of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The airline sealed an agreement in the Chinese capital, which is set to become the first city to ever host both the Summer and Winter Games.

Air China president, Song Zhiyong, said: “The Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are a major landmark event in China’s history.

“Air China will bring its own strengths into play and mobilise its resources to spread Olympic values and increase the impact of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

“Air China has the capacity and confidence to promote the Olympic spirit through innovative approaches, fulfill the promise as an official partner, and support the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games with high-quality services.”

The company will play a crucial role in regards to logistics and transportation operations in five years time.

Jon Dutton appointed Chief Executive of Rugby League World Cup 2021

The Rugby Football League has appointed Jon Dutton as Chief Executive of the Rugby League World Cup 2021.

Dutton will officially start his new role on February 1 2018, leaving his current position as Rugby Football League Director of Projects & People.

Dutton, who is a sports management graduate with over twenty years’ experience in the sports industry, has previously worked for the likes of PGA European Tour and UEFA.

Speaking of his appointment, Dutton said: “As a lifelong Rugby League fan who has grown up watching the sport, I am privileged to have been given the opportunity to lead the team that will deliver the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

“Working on the 2013 World Cup provided me with tremendous experience and insight into how to host a successful tournament but the scope and scale of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup will provide completely different challenges and opportunities and I am excited to take these on in the coming years.

“Rugby League is one of the greatest sports in the world and I am determined that we will deliver a World Cup that this country and every sports fan in the UK will be proud of. We have an outstanding opportunity to deliver something brilliant for this sport and I am confident we will do so.”

Chairman of the Rugby League World Cup 2021, Nigel Wood, added: “We had considerable interest in the role but Jon was without doubt the outstanding candidate. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge and has worked at some of the biggest sporting events and organisations in the world.

“He was also an integral figure in ensuring the outstanding delivery of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and in securing the rights to host the tournament again in 2021.

“Jon outlined his vision for the 2021 tournament and we are all confident that he will deliver on this and that England will host the biggest and best Rugby League World Cup in the history of the competition.”

Fox Sports Australia extends UFC broadcast deal

Fox Sports Australia has extended its long-term broadcast deal with The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

The agreement will see the Pay-TV broadcaster continue to offer live coverage of the popular MMA combat series.

Foxtel subscribers will be able to watch all live UFC events as well as access magazine programming and archived events.

Fans will also be able to view content via Foxtel’s streaming service while Fox’s main event channel will show pay-per-view offerings.

Rebecca McCloy, director of acquisitions for Fox Sports Australia, said: “Fox Sports has been the UFC’s Australian broadcast partner for ten years with more fans watching UFC on Foxtel channels than anywhere else.

“It’s great to extend this valuable partnership that will see Foxtel continue to deliver one of the world’s most exciting and popular sports to subscribers across the country.”

Joe Carr, UFC’s senior vice president of international and content, added: “UFC is delighted to extend its long-term partnership with Fox Sports. Continuing to work with the leading producer of sports coverage in Australia was an easy decision.

“Our strong relationship has been instrumental to the success we’ve seen in Australia over the past decade and no doubt this renewal will help us both achieve more positive results.”