Swedish apparel manufacturer Sail Racing has signed a three-year deal with the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) to provide it with branded team clothing.

Newly appointed WMRT Chief Executive, Jim O’Toole, said: “This is a key new relationship for the Tour. Sail Racing’s brand concept fits perfectly with the plans we have for the ongoing development of the Tour brand. We share core values such as creativity and innovation and look forward to building our clothing business to mutual benefit.”

Sail Racing Manager Director, Henric Wikestam, said: “Partnering with such a successful sports brand is a very positive step for Sail Racing, we have watched the Tour’s recent growth under the new leadership team with keen interest and are ready to be a part of the ambitious global expansion plans.”

Sail Racing has previously worked with the Volvo Ocean Race and the Nokia Oops Cup, two of the most successful sailing events in the world.

The deal will begin from the Stena Match Cup Sweden on 5 July.

India’s new Indira Ghandi Indoor Stadium velodrome, a venue for the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, has been inaugurated by Sports Minister M S Gill and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

In a ceremony on Tuesday, Gill said: “It’s a special occasion today. There were issues but it has come up in 17 months and undoubtedly something to be proud of. The other venues are also ready and I am just fixing the dates for their inauguration.”

Delhi Chief Minister Dikshit added: “Credit should go to the Sports Authority of India and CPWD for it (construction of the venue). The job has been done not only elegantly and beautifully but with the state-of-the-art facilities. I have begun to feel that these will be the best Commonwealth Games.”

The velodrome, which has a seating capacity of 3,800, cost just over US$32 million to build and such are the first class facilities on offer, it has been adjudged as a category one cycling velodrome by the International Cycling Federation (UCI).

The Commonwealth Games will take place from 3 to 14 October this year.

Haas F1 Team, malady which is set to join the grid in 2016, sale cialis has made a key hire in its executive ranks, clinic naming Adam Jacobs as their chief marketing officer.

Jacobs will lead brand strategy and partnership development for Haas F1 Team, which will make its debut in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2016, becoming the first American-led Formula One team in 30 years.

Jacobs comes to Haas F1 Team from Anheuser-Busch where he was the sports marketing manager for the company’s Budweiser brand in NASCAR and the Bud Light brand in the NFL and college sports. In that role, Jacobs oversaw sponsorship programs collectively valued in the billions, which included Budweiser’s sponsorship of Kevin Harvick in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Bud Light Hotel during Super Bowl XLVIII in New York City.

“Adam came highly recommended to Haas F1 Team and he brings a wealth of sports marketing experience to our organization,” said Joe Custer, chief operating officer, Haas F1 Team. “The projects Adam has overseen are global in scope, involving numerous partners and constituencies. He’s built great relationships during his career and we’re proud to have him at Haas F1 Team.”

Jacobs has amassed extensive experience in and around the sports industry within the corporate, property, agency and academic settings. Prior to his role at Anheuser-Busch, Jacobs joined the NFL’s St. Louis Rams in 2006 as director of marketing before becoming the team’s vice president in 2009. He has also held positions at the Indy Racing League, General Motors R*Works, Washington Mutual Bank and the Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer. 

“It’s a great opportunity to develop and launch a global brand in an organization led by someone as driven and accomplished as Gene Haas,” Jacobs said. “With strong support and leadership already in place, Haas F1 Team is clearly positioned for success. I look forward to helping shape the ways we achieve that success on and off the racetrack.”

Haas F1 Team is currently preparing for its on-track debut in 2016. Haas Automation, Inc., the CNC machine tool builder Haas F1 Team chairman Gene Haas founded in 1983, will serve as the team’s primary sponsor. However, Jacobs is positioning the team to partner with other high-profile brands that desire to reach a global audience.

“One of our key objectives as the only American F1 team is to help grow the sport domestically,” Jacobs said. “With the massive global reach of Formula One, Haas F1 Team is also uniquely positioned to provide a platform for brands seeking to grow their businesses in key markets abroad.”

While the 2016 Formula One season is more than a year out, preparation for Haas F1 Team’s debut is well underway. Work is nearing completion on an 11.600 square-meter (125,000 square-foot) facility adjacent to Haas’ NASCAR team in Kannapolis, North Carolina, that will house the Haas F1 Team. Construction is scheduled to be completed in late November.

English Championship club London Welsh have confirmed its long-term commitment to play rugby in Oxfordshire with the agreement of a new three-year deal to continue at the Kassam Stadium.

A modern facility with excellent accessibility, the Kassam Stadium is a tried-and-tested world-class rugby venue and is the logical choice for London Welsh as it continues to establish itself as Oxford’s representative side at the highest levels in English rugby.

Part of the Club’s long-term vision is its investment in the Oxfordshire community. With an established community development programme reaching over 3,000 young people in schools and rugby clubs across Oxfordshire, the Club has already shown how it intends to keep investing in the area and today’s announcement helps to affirm that commitment.

The Club has been encouraged by the support it has received from those who regularly attend its matches and is now looking forward to increasing and widening its engagement with all communities throughout the region, building on what has already been achieved through a number of excellent business partnerships and community-based activities.

London Welsh Chairman Bleddyn Phillips, said: “The Kassam Stadium is an excellent facility with a great pitch and very popular with the Club’s players. We are delighted to be in a position to be able to confirm the Club’s commitment to Oxfordshire with the signing of this agreement.”

“With the team having secured its place in the Championship semi-finals these are exciting times for both the Club, and for Oxfordshire generally, in the realm of rugby. The Club is committed to establishing itself as a Premiership club and this is a very important step in that direction.”

“We are looking forward to building up and deepening local support in Oxfordshire to help us achieve and continue to play top class rugby in the county, together with maintaining our strong and traditional links with the ever loyal support base from Old Deer Park where the professional team will continue to work and train alongside our Amateur and Womens teams as well as participating fully in junior rugby at all levels.”

Michael Doyle, General Manager of The Kassam Stadium, said: “This is very exciting for the people of Oxfordshire – to have both top-flight professional football and rugby playing week-in week-out is great news, and therefore we are delighted that London Welsh has chosen The Kassam and Oxford to be its home.

“The last two seasons have shown that rugby and football can co-exist very happily and the investments that both Welsh and Oxford United have made, has meant we have a playing surface even better than many single sport facilities.”

“We will continue to welcome the supporters of London Welsh from across Oxfordshire and from further afield to the excellent facilities here at The Kassam. This new three-year agreement will allow us to continue to develop and invest in those facilities.”

The dates for the play-off matches to secure a place in next season’s Premiership will be confirmed in due course.

Liberty Mutual Insurance, which sponsors the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams as Official Property and Casualty and Life Insurance Partner, has launched a new advertising campaign centered on the theme of “Rise.” for the Sochi 2014 Olympics.

The campaign celebrates what can be achieved through adversity, highlights what is possible with the support of others, and showcases the determination in all who face a setback to come back and “Rise.”

Debuting as part of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony U.S. broadcast beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST on NBC, the campaign features three 30-second television spots and one 1-minute commercial.  

The advertisements, “Missteps,” “Trail Back” and “Twists & Turns,” all highlight the comeback story theme — whether it’s Kerri Strug’s iconic vault landing that led her 1996 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team to gold — or a Midwest American family coming back from the devastation of being victim to a tornado. The television ads, which also revisit the unforgettable 1980 Olympic Winter Games when Team USAhockey rose to victory over the Soviet Union national team, will air throughout the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and continue through the duration of the Paralympic Winter Games in March.

“The comeback story is part of the fabric of American culture for a reason — small or large, setbacks happen to all of us at some point or another — and we always look within ourselves, and to the support of others, to rise,” said Paul G. Alexander, Liberty Mutual Insurance chief communications officer. “Liberty Mutual Insurance not only embraces second chances, we are a catalyst to guide people on the path to comeback. We wanted to capture and embrace this theme with our “Rise” campaign and corresponding new television spots to showcase iconic setbacks and comebacks through U.S. Olympic history.”

After debuting on NBC during the Opening Ceremony, the four broadcast spots will continue to air throughout the Olympic Winter Games coverage on NBC’s family of broadcast networks and will be supported by a significant number of additional broadcast assets, including billboard and bumpers, to promote Liberty Mutual Insurance’s status as official partner of the USOC and Team USA.

deltatre, anesthetist a specialist in sports media and technology, has announced today the acquisition of IMPIRE AG, aleading provider of premium sports data and digital media services, as well as TV graphics and performance analysis technologies in German-speaking markets.

In line with deltatre’s steady track record of growth, the acquisition of IMPIRE represents a significant step forward in deltatre’s strategic expansion and constitutes the first corporate acquisition in the Italian firm’s 28-year history.

By combining the strengths and product portfolios of the two market leading companies, deltatre will be able to deliver a more extensive range of best in-class products and services to its global customer base. Moreover, deltatre will also tap into IMPIRE’s attractive client portfolio in German- speaking markets, including top media companies, broadcasters, football clubs, federations and leagues. Organisations in the German market that will benefit from the deltatre’s new expanded solutions offering include: Axel Springer Verlag, ARD, Clubs as well as others.

In addition to working together to offer a more comprehensive suite of solutions ranging from data gathering to editorial services, IMPIRE’s established presence in the Central European region will accelerate deltatre’s growth in target sectors within the area. The acquisition will also provide deltatre with the global ownership of key proprietary technologies and products such as the VIS.TRACK optical tracking system and the VT.GPS, an easy to use GPS solution for physical performance analysis.

“This union will give us the important opportunity to be closer to our customers and to deliver more fully in the German market directly,” said Giampiero Rinaudo, CEO and Co-Founder at deltatre.“Inheriting IMPIRE’s great tradition of technical achievement will constitute a qualitative addition to our portfolio and, most importantly, deltatre will be in a prime position to offer a full spectrum of services not only in Germany, but also to expand to new markets in Central and Eastern Europe.”

Christian Holzer, CEO of IMPIRE, added: “deltatre will offer us the strategic power to advance in the development and delivery to our national and international clients. We are convinced thatdeltatre’s successful sporting track record makes it the best strategic partner for IMPIRE and we look forward to providing the market with new cutting edge solutions and services.”

The Oakland Athletics and Oakland Raiders will remain at the O.co Coliseum for the foreseeable future after a new lease deal was agreed, according to the Associated Press.

Officials overseeing the O.co Coliseum approved short-term leases Monday for both teams.

The Raiders’ lease was extended through the end of the 2014-15 season. The A’s were signed through December 2015.

The Joint Powers Authority says the Raiders will pay $400,000 in 2014. The A’s will pay $1.75 million each of the two years of the extension.

The lease deals now go before Oakland and Alameda County officials for approval.

5-Hour Energy refused to commit to sponsoring Michael Waltrip Racing for the 2014 season.

The president of the energy shot company refused Sunday to give a firm commitment that 5-Hour Energy would remain with MWR and sponsor Clint Bowyer’s car in 2014.

“We’ll see how the year plays out,” company president Scott Henderson said Sunday at New Hampshire. Michael Waltrip said Friday he expected 5-Hour Energy to remain with MWR.

But Henderson, who had a friendly chat with Bowyer before the race, made it seem like no decision was made. “There’s a lot of talk about integrity,” he said. “When the guy who’s in charge can say, ‘I can do whatever I want and I’m going to do it and I just did,’ I wonder about integrity. I want to make sure we can win in this sport, OK?”

Michael Waltrip Racing has already lost NAPA Auto Parts as a sponsor last week after the team was found to have altered the Race to the Chase outcome  with their actions during the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

The Vietnam Masters, which was scheduled to be a new event on the Asian Tour, has been postponed.

Vietnam’s return to top-level regional golf has been postponed until later this season. The event, which was set to be the richest tournament played in the country, was scheuled for next month.

The $500 000 tournament in Hanoi had been announced with some fanfare by the Asian Tour, which is predicting a “new boom” for professional golf in the country.

No reason for the delay was given on the Asian Tour’s website. The Southeast Asian country last hosted an Asian Tour event five years ago in 2008.

The hiccup follows the cancellation of an event on the rival OneAsia tour, as well as this year’s Singapore Open, usually one of the major events on the Asian calendar.

The Hong Kong Open, another cornerstone tournament, is going ahead without a title sponsor and with the Hong Kong Golf Club underwriting part of the prize money, according to reports.

Despite this setback Asian Tour has also added a new event in the Philippines, the Resorts World Manila Masters in November, to the schedule for its 10th season this year.