Sports company PUMA has appointed advertising agency JWT New York as its lead creative agency.

JWT will assume a leadership position over all PUMA advertising and creative on a global basis, generic with reach across North America, generic Europe, apoplectic Latin America, APAC and Middle East/Africa.

JWT will work with PUMA to develop and define a fast-moving creative process poised to capitalize on culturally relevant sporting moments. The agency will immediately begin working on a project to re-ignite the brand heat, working with PUMA to define its new Forever Faster brand messaging before rolling out a new global brand campaign in the second half of 2014.

“In JWT, we have found an agile agency with a global reach that understands the PUMA brand and culture,” said Björn Gulden, CEO of PUMA. “The team quickly proved that they could deliver on our new mission to become the Fastest Sports Brand in the World. Together we’ll craft a more nimble creative structure that will allow us to support all of the company’s sporting and lifestyle categories with a single consumer message and streamlined creative concept across territories.”

The PUMA account will be led out of JWT’s flagship headquarters in New York, with offices across the agency’s network contributing regional insight and localization of the global brand campaign.

“PUMA is more than an advertising relationship for us; it’s a true brand and business partnership,” said Peter Sherman, CEO, JWT New York.  “It will be a privilege to work with this team.”

PUMA is the latest in a string of new business wins for JWT New York in the last three months, which includes a consolidation of Energizer brands and a creative assignment from Google.

Timo Glock has lost his drive at Marussia F1 for the 2013 season due to ‘commercial reasons’ according to reports.

The German left the Banbury-based team by “mutual consent” after a three-year spell, although Marussia team boss, John Booth hinted that the decision was made for “commercial” reasons. 

This was backed up by an exchange Glock had with fellow F1 driver Mark Webber on twitter.

The Red Bull ace expressed sympathy with Glock for losing his drive, to which the German replied: “Hi mate, thanks a lot for that message, that means a lot to me!”

He added: “That’s the way of F1 at the moment hope it will change again soon because like this it has nothing to do with sport!

“Now it’s up to you guys to make things clear in drivers meetings.”

Glock, 30, was on a salary and the team could now replace him with a new driver who would bring in money through his own sponsorship deals.

Booth said: “Timo is a fantastic driver and he has been a very popular member of the team.

“Our team was founded on the principle of benefiting from proven experience whilst also providing opportunities for young emerging talent to progress to the pinnacle of motorsport.

“This philosophy has also been reflected in our commercial model.

“The ongoing challenges facing the industry mean that we have had to take steps to secure our long-term future.

“Tough economic conditions prevail and the commercial landscape is difficult for everyone, Formula One teams included.

“We would like to thank Timo for working with us to reach this decision, especially as he had a valid contract, and also for the contribution he has made to our team.

The 2013 edition of the FIBA 3×3 U18 World Championships will take place in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta from 26th to 29th September, bronchi FIBA have announced.

The Indonesia Basketball Federation, sale one of Asia’s pioneers in developing 3×3, prescription will host the third edition of the tournament. It was previously held in Rimini, Italy (2011) and in Alcobendas, Spain (2012).

The 2013 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Championships will follow the same competition format as past editions, with men’s and women’s tournaments as well as individual contests. At least 48 teams (24 men’s and 24 women’s) from more than 35 countries are expected to compete in Jakarta.

“We are extremely pleased to stage the 2013 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Championships in Indonesia, giving the country its first major FIBA event,” said FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Patrick Baumann.

“New markets like Mexico and South Africa were very keen to host this event, which proves that interest in 3×3 is truly global. It is a discipline that is opening new horizons for FIBA and basketball.

“This is another very important step on our path to have 3×3 included in the basketball programme at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.”

The teams that perform the best at the 2013 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Championships will directly qualify for the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2014.

The selection of teams for the tournament (as well as for the FIBA 3×3 World Championships for Men and Women and the Youth Olympic Games) is based on both sport’s and development’s criteria, allowing both the strongest on the field as well as the most active countries to participate in the event, which follows the aim of diversity – key for 3×3.

Indian Premier League franchise, Deccan Chargers have rejected the only takeover bid they have received for the team, the country’s cricket board (BCCI) said on Thursday.

Deccan Chronicle Holdings, which owns the Deccan Chargers, put the Twenty20 team up for sale last week after getting the nod from the cricket board.

“They informed us the price and terms were not suitable so they did not accept it,” BCCI president N. Srinivasan told reporters in Chennai.

“The BCCI assisted the Deccan Chargers and we also looked at the eligibility criteria, whether they were fit and proper.

“We found the party was acceptable to us. After that, though, it was between Deccan Chargers and the bidder.”

According to media reports PVP Ventures, a company which has interests in real estate and also finances film projects, submitted a bid of nine billion rupees ($162.4 million) to buy the troubled franchise.

Deccan Chronicle paid $107 million in 2008 to bag the franchise for 10 years.

The team finished last in the inaugural IPL but came back strongly to win the next edition in South Africa in 2009.

The Chargers were second last in the most recent IPL tournament that ended in May.

NFL teams can individually determine how much of their (publicly-financed) stadiums they will require to be full, denture meaning that some cities may still be subjected to blackouts.

The new policy does not mean lower ticket prices, which continue to go up. The average ticket price last year was $77.

According to a Wall Street Journal report last week, “Team owners have passed a resolution that starting this season will allow for local broadcasts of NFL games even when as few as 85% of tickets are sold. Under the new rule, each team has more flexibility to establish its own seat-sales benchmark as long as it is 85% or higher. To discourage teams from setting easy benchmarks, teams will be forced to share more of the revenue when they exceed it.”

Five female players who failed a drugs test in Germany last month have excluded their country North Korea from the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada at the hands of a FIFA ban.

Of those who tested positive for steroids from a traditional musk deer gland therapy, Pok Sim Jong, Myong Hui Hong, Un Byol Ho and Un Hyang Ri have been suspended for 18 months, while Jong Sun Song is out for 14 months.

North Korea say that the players were given the treatment after being struck by lightning at a training camp.

The country’s doctor has been banned from being involved in football for six years, and the national football association hit with a $400,000 fine, which is the same amount they received in prize money for their performance at the World Cup.

North Korea finished third in a group, which included Sweden, Colombia and the eventual losing finalists United States, failing to score a single goal.

They took just a point from a 0-0 draw with Colombia, and one of their players, Yineth Varon, has also been suspended for two years after also being found guilty of violating FIFA’s anti-doping regulations.

UEFA EURO 2012 have announced the marketing agencies appointed to handle corporate hospitality sales after the tender was launched on April 12, shop providing the opportunity for top businesses and companies to choose from the various corporate hospitality packages available and join the most prestigious and exclusive soccer experience of the tournament: UEFA EURO 2012 Club Prestige.

UEFA will conduct direct sales of the corporate hospitality packages in the two host countries, cheap Poland and Ukraine, generic as well as in several European territories via its own dedicated sales force.

Additionally, in key markets, UEFA has established a sales network of the leading sport marketing agencies comprising of International Management Group (UK) Limited – IMG (UK, Russia, Turkey), SPORTFIVE GmbH & Co KG (Germany), SPORTFIVE (France), Infront Sport & Media Italy (Italy), Cosmos Viagens e Turismo, SA (Spain & Portugal), Pro Sport Nederland BV (Netherlands) and MATCH Hospitality AG (in all non-UEFA member countries other than Angola).

In addition, Deloitte, a leading professional services organisation, has been appointed as an authorised sales consultant in the two host countries, and Donbass Arena and Wroclaw2012 (SMG) stadium operators have been appointed to handle corporate hospitality sales as authorised sales agents.