Extreme Sailing Series owner, clinic OC Thirdpole has merged with Patrice Clerc & Associates (PCA) to create a new sports marketing company called OC Sport.

As part of the deal, asthma OC Sport will own 100% of the Extreme Sailing Series – acquiring a slice of the event that has been owned by Swiss investors including Ernesto Bertarelli since 2010. The deal has also involved Matignon Investissement, doctor a  company that takes minority stakes in high-growth entrepreneurial companies.

Since the loss of iShares as title sponsor at the end of 2009, the Extreme Sailing Series has been kept alive through private investment. The investment by Alinghi’s Ernesto Bertarelli is described by OC Sport as ‘significant’ – and it has  funded the growth of the event from a European tour into a global series. Investment also allowed OC to acquire the rights to the Extreme 40 class in September 2010, allowing the events organisers to control the evolution of the boat.

The new President of the Board of OC Sport, Patrice Clerc commented: “Extreme Sailing Series will remain a core part of the OC Sport overall strategy, as a global event it takes us in to some exciting markets and iconic cities. The recent owners have done an excellent job of developing the product to be one of the benchmark events in professional sailing, and we are looking forward to taking it even further in the future.”

As well as the Extreme Sailing Series, the sailing side of OC Sport looks after the Artemis Offshore Academy and activation of Nespresso’s sponsorship of sailing including the America’s Cup. OC Sport is also involved with the MOD70 Tour – including the selection of venues and have been key to the development and running of the Barcelona World Race. OC Sport also owns the rights to ‘The Transat’ offshore race.

However, since the merger with Thirdpole in September 2010, the company has been heavily involved with other outdoor sporting events including cycling, biathlon and marathons. The new deal will see the sports marketing consultancy and athlete management side of the business bolstered.

The new part of the OC Sport is PCA and its subsidiary Ocho Sport. PCA is based in Paris and was founded by Patrice Clerc, Benoit Coville and Sam Primaut in 2009. It is described as: “a leading consultancy service offering strategic and operational support for brands involved in sport and leisure.”

Patrice Clerc will become President of the Board of OC Sport. He has extensive experience in the creation, management and development of major sports events over the last three decades and as Chairman of Amaury Sport Organisation from 2000 to 2008 has been involved with events like the Tour de France, the Dakar Rally, the Paris Marathon and the French Golf Open. From 1984 to 2000 Clerc was Managing Director of the Roland-Garros French Open.

Patrice Clerc commented on the OC Sport deal: “Our current business centers around helping our clients define a strategy to develop their sport or leisure activities whilst evaluating performance and measuring the impact of the strategies, as well as advising and supporting them in their media and marketing activation campaigns. We are very motivated by this merger as OC ThirdPole has built an outstanding track record in the field of sports event management on a global level, and together we feel we have enormous potential to develop as an outdoor sports focused company.”

Rémi Duchemin, will keep the title of CEO in the new OC Sport. He said about the merger with PCA: “The experience of Patrice Clerc and his team will be hugely effective as we move forward with our business goals of developing our existing properties and projects, as well as growing our current portfolio of 20 events and 120 clients – brands and public authorities – around the globe. The combined talent and experience of the new team created by the merger will allow us to accelerate our business plans, permitting us to inspire even more people through professional sailing and outdoor sports.”

The new business will fully own the existing operating companies of PCA, its subsidiary Ocho Sport, and OC ThirdPole, in France, Switzerland and the UK and maintain full-time offices in each country. OC Sport employs around 70 staff.

For the first time in European Tour history ticket sales had to be stopped early for an event after the final two rounds of next week’s Irish Open were sold out.

The tournament’s return to Royal Portrush for the first time since 1947 has attracted a field including world number two Rory McIlroy and fellow Northern Irishmen Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell.

Triple major champion Padraig Harrington and U.S. PGA winner Keegan Bradley are also due to take part in the June 28-July 1 event in County Antrim.

“We are preparing for a crowd around the 100,000 mark for the week…and with a particularly large spectator audience expected for the weekend we felt it prudent to stop selling tickets for Saturday and Sunday,” championship director Antonia Beggs said in a news release on Thursday.

Portrush is the home town of Clarke who claimed his first major victory in the British Open at Sandwich last July.

Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) Chief Executive Alan Clarke added: “This year’s Irish Open is sure to be one of the biggest in the competition’s history with advance ticket sales reaching unprecedented levels and record crowds expected in Co. Antrim.” said Clarke.

“While in previous years, it may have been possible for spectators to turn up on the day and purchase tickets on the day, we would strongly urge people not to try this on Saturday and Sunday as the event is completely sold out at the weekend and there is absolutely no chance of being admitted without a ticket.

Former cricket tycoon Allen Stanford has been sentenced to 110 years in jail after being found guilty of leading a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of around $7bn.

The former Texan banker was handed the sentence after US District Judge David Hittner in Houston said he was guilty of “one of the most egregious criminal frauds ever presented to a jury in federal court.”

Stanford, drugs 62, apoplectic became known outside of the US when he provided financially for international cricket competitions in the UK and the Caribbean.

His agreement to stage Twenty20 cricket in England collapsed and was followed by investigations by US regulators.

It is believed that around 30,000 investors fell victim to Stanford’s Ponzi style scheme that centred on his banking operation in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua.

Prosecutors said Stanford wasted investor money on failing businesses, yachts and cricket tournaments. He secretly borrowed as much as $2bn from his bank.

Assistant US Attorney William Stellmach said: “From beginning to end, he’s treated his victims like road kill.

“Allen Stanford doesn’t deserve anyone’s sympathy, and he doesn’t deserve your honour’s mercy.”

Stanford, who denied the charges, ran a statement in court on Thursday that said: “I’m not here to ask for sympathy or forgiveness or throw myself at your mercy.

“I did not run a Ponzi scheme. I didn’t defraud anybody.”

Stanford was arrested in 2009 and has spent the last three years in detention after failing to achieve bail.

In 2006 he was listed as the 605^th richest man in the world by Forbes Magazine.

The National Hockey League (NHL) has entered into a licensing agreement with vineyard vines, a company founded by brothers Shep and Ian Murray, who will design and distribute a line of men’s and women’s accessories that include ties, tote bags, and belts for the organisation.

“We’ve had an incredible response from our existing team products and are thrilled about our new licensing arrangement with the NHL,” said Lindsey Worster, Vice President of Brand Communications. “This launch came at the perfect time with hockey in full swing and the holiday gift giving season upon us. Now our customers and NHL fans can bring their team spirit with them wherever they go.”

The summers on Martha’s Vineyard are not far from the frozen winter ponds of Boston, where hockey is a religion, so it was only natural that the colorful New England styling of vineyard vines products would align with the National Hockey League.

Jim Haskins, NHL Group VP of Consumer Products, said: “The NHL is proud to be associated with a brand that is renowned for its product excellence. The NHL vineyard vines tie collection will present expertly crafted workmanship in neckwear with a fun fashion approach that our fans are going to love.”

Product from all 30 NHL teams plus former teams from NHL’s Vintage Hockey nostalgia collection including the New York Americans and Hartford Whalers will be sold on vineyardvines.com, at vineyard vines retail stores, the NHL Powered by Rebook flagship store in New York City and on Shop.NHL.com, the official online store of the NHL operated by e-commerce provider Fanatics.

The Qatar bid committee to host the 2022 Fifa World Cup has agreed a sponsorship deal with international branding agency Lambie-Nairn, order buy | it has been announced.

The agency is now the official supplier and official brand agency of the Qatar 2022 bid. Lambie-Nairn has been working with the Qatar 2022 Bid since November 2009.

Bid communications director Nasser Al Khater said: “Lambie-Nairn is a world-class branding and design company, and we are delighted to have them on board.

“This shows that our bid continues to attract global support and attention, and we hope to keep the momentum going, with the help of our sponsors, all the way through 2 December.”

CEO of Lambie-Nairn, Christian Schroeder, added: “Working with the bid team and their ambitious plans for 2022 continues to be an exciting journey, and builds upon our experience in the sport industry, and specifically football-obsessed Qatar.

“We take great pride in our status as an official supplier and firmly believe Qatar deserves to have its football dream realised.”

Fifa will announce the host for the 2022 tournament on 2 December.

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is set to announce a multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with car manufacturer BMW next week.

The deal will reportedly be worth around US$24 million until 2016, healing and will make BMW the first foreign car maker to sponsor the USOC and will fill the void left by General Motors who decided not to renew its deal after the 2008 Olympics.

The news comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last week announced a deal with Dow Chemical for it to become a top tier sponsor.

BMW has also been in negotiations with the IOC over the possibility of a multi-year deal.

The ECHL, online also know as the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), viagra buy have announced that it has retained Impression Sports & Entertainment (Impression), arthritis a Denver-based sports and entertainment sponsorship agency, as its sponsorship sales and consulting agency of record. 

Impression will work with the ECHL to secure League-wide and team sponsorships, including an unprecedented League naming-rights opportunity, which will be the first in American team sports. Impression will also deliver traditional sponsorships, including branding, media and experiential assets for all 22 teams across the country. 

“We have worked with Chris Foy and his team in the past and they have a firm understanding of the assets of our League,” said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. “As such, Impression Sports & Entertainment is an ideal partner to promote the value the ECHL has to offer.” 

“The ECHL represents a fantastic opportunity for brands to activate within an established sports property that reaches over 3-million fans per year,” said Chris Foy, president of Impression Sports & Entertainment. “We could not be more excited about our partnership with the ECHL and we look forward to the prospect of announcing the League’s naming-rights partner.”