UEFA Unveils Streaming Platform To Promote All Competitions

UEFA has unveiled its new over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform which is aimed at giving viewers greater access to live and on-demand video content from a variety of competitions.

The OTT service named UEFA.tv. will also become the home of youth, women’s and futsal UEFA competitions by offering them a wide live coverage in relevant markets. Finally, it will also serve to promote all of UEFA competitions by offering behind the scene content, interviews and additional content.

Bundesliga will be the first league to offer content on UEFA.tv as a result of partnership between UEFA and the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL). This service will be available as from the launch and will include Monday highlights of weekend matches and shows such as the “Bundesliga Special”.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: “UEFA is an innovative organisation and by introducing this platform, we will be making football and our competitions more accessible to supporters around the world. “Our partnership with the Bundesliga is yet another example of the unity of European football and clearly demonstrates our desire to address future opportunities together for the promotion of our sport.”

DFL CEO Christian Seifert said: “UEFA’s new streaming service is a very timely step to reach football fans around the world, especially younger target groups. The DFL has consistently backed and initiated technological and media innovations ever since it was founded. “We are therefore delighted to be the first national league partner in this project, which will allow us to get even more people around the world excited about the Bundesliga in the future.”

Arsenal FC To Bet With VBET Until 2022

Arsenal FC has named VBET As the club’s Official Betting and Gaming Partner until 2022.

Under the agreement, the betting brand will utilise access to the first-team squad to create a bespoke content series for supporters. VBET will also become the Official Presenting Partner of The Breakdown, Arsenal’s  social video which sees former Gunner Adrian Clarke provide supporters with tactical and statistical analysis of upcoming or previous games.

Arsenal Commercial Director, Peter Silverstone, said: “We are delighted to welcome VBET into our family of official partners. Innovation is a key part of what drives us at Arsenal, so we are excited to partner with such a forward-thinking, global brand. We look forward to working with them to create unrivalled content and provide exclusive offers that we know our supporters will enjoy.”

VBET Founder and CEO, Vigen Badalyan, said: “Everyone at VBET is delighted to be Arsenal’s global betting partner for the next three years. By building our own software and doing everything in-house we can offer supporters an innovative, easy and safe experience that has responsible gambling at the heart of the brand. We look forward to engaging with passionate Arsenal fans around the world.

“We’re great admirers of Arsenal’s tradition and this partnership is a key part of our long-term strategy. VBET will bring the next generation of gaming direct to the Arsenal fans with great products and exciting promotions. We are thrilled to be a part of the next chapter in Arsenal’s long and storied history.”

ISL And WSL Sign A Landmark Anti-Doping Agreement

The International Surfing Association (ISA) and the World Surf League (WSL) have signed a landmark agreement to adopt a comprehensive anti-doping programme ensuring athletes are eligible for the sport’s Olympic debut in 2020.

The programme will be run in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code and the ISA’s Anti-doping Rules and will be run throughout the WSL Championship Tour (CT) in 2019 and 2020 leading into the Olympics.

ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, said: “This historical agreement with the WSL and their professional surfers on this critical subject is very important news for our sport and a phenomenal step forward as we continue to prepare for Tokyo 2020. Surfing is a sport of integrity and we are committed to preserving and promoting clean sport. I am proud today to see WSL and ISA work together to adopt such a rigorous approach to clean sport. We are on the cusp of a special era in Surfing’s history, and I am excited to be entering this era with robust processes and partners.”

WSL CEO, Sophie Goldschmidt, said: “This agreement not only reflects the WSL’s continued commitment to clean sport, but also to being a good partner to the ISA and the Olympic Movement.  I am proud that our surfers have understood the importance of this matter and willingly stepped up to this obligation. We appreciate this continued collaboration with the ISA on the Olympic qualification process. Olympic inclusion has changed our sport for the better and I cannot wait to see the elite athletes of Surfing competing on the greatest stage – it will be an incredible spectacle.

 

FEI Signs JustWorld International As Charity Partner

The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) has named JustWorld International as its ‘Official Charity Partner.’

The non-profit organisation will work with FEI to promote their activities and work closely on development and fundraising for the JustWorld International charity programmes.

FEI President Ingmar De Vos said said: “Our organisations have a very strong connection, sharing the same values of promoting equestrian sport and encouraging its development among the youth. Through our Solidarity Programme ‘Sport for All’ we help children from public schools and from socially disadvantaged environments to have access to riding activities. The partnership with JustWorld International will allow us together to provide incredible benefits to disadvantaged children around the world.”

President Jessica Newman said: “This has been a goal for JustWorld. We believe that working together with the FEI and having their official support will have a remarkable impact and further enhance our charity programmes.”

 

Tokyo 2020 To Create Podiums With Recycled Plastics

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) has joined forces with Worldwide Olympic Partner Procter & Gamble to utilise the events as a means to promote sustainability.

As part of the initiative, Tokyo 2020 is asking Japanese people to provide household plastic waste, aiming to recycle this to produce the podiums that will be used during award ceremonies for all events at the Games.

There will be collection boxes for discarded plastic placed in aronud 2,000 retail outlets of Japanese retail chain, AEON. AEON will forward the plastics to P&G, who is a partner company in the project after signing up as a gold partner of the Paralympics back in August.

Furthermore, Olympic and Paralympic medals will be manufactured from precious metals recovered from used consumer electronic appliances such as mobile phones. Tokyo 2020 established the sustainability concept of the Games as “Be better, together – for the planet and the people”, and is running numerous sustainability projects under this banner.

 

Rakuten and Lagardère Sports Partner For J.League Media Rights

Rakuten and Lagardère Sports have joined forces for the media rights distribution of Japan’s J.League.

J.League football matches will now be available for viewing worldwide excluding selected international territories, via Rakuten’s new sports entertainment platform – Rakuten Sports.

Rakuten is already the “Official EC Platform Partner” of the J.League and owner of the top-tier club Vissel Kobe, where top stars such as Andrés Iniesta, Lukas Podolski and the recently signed David Villa play.

Nikolaus von Doetinchem, Executive Vice President Global Media, Lagardère Sports, said: “The J.League is fast becoming one of the most attractive leagues in Asia and features international superstars like Andrés Iniesta, David Villa, Lukas Podolski and Fernando Torres. As the appetite for compelling sports content available on digital platforms grows, we were excited to come to Rakuten with a customised concept for a new state-of-the-art partnership activation which led to the launch of a new sports entertainment platform for fans.”

Masaaki Kimura, Senior Managing Director of the J.League, said: “It is our genuine pleasure to hear that Rakuten Sports will distribute Meiji Yasuda J1 League matches worldwide via their platform in the 2019 season. In addition to the international superstars like Andrés Iniesta and Fernando Torres playing in the league, we feel the growing global interest towards our league. We hope to have a positive synergy with Rakuten Sports and make the league become more attractive for all sports fans around the world to enjoy.”

European Tour Extends Agreement With Club Car

The European Tour and Club Car have extended their agreement with a new four-year deal.

Apart from supplying golf cars to the European Tour, Club Car has also been an Official Supplier at every Ryder Cup staged in European since 1997. In addition to The European Tour, Club Car is also an official supplier of golf cars to the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) and the PGA of America.

Max Hamilton, Head of Commercial Partnerships at the European Tour, said: “Club Car have been a valued European Tour partner for more than 20 years, and this continuation of our relationship is a testament to the unrivalled service they have provided in that time.

“They are a world leader in their field, and in terms of the vehicles they provide, the support service, reliability, and distribution network, we know that we can count on them to meet the demands of the diverse and global European Tour International Schedule. We look forward to continuing to work with Club Car over the next four years.”

Marco Natale, Vice President EMEA at Club Car, said: “We’ve been a long-standing partner of The European Tour, and are extremely proud to renew this important partnership. It is a great privilege to have the Club Car brand present at some of the biggest tournaments amongst the game’s greatest players, demonstrating our position as a leading brand in the golf market. The European Tour’s range of tournaments provides Club Car the perfect platform to showcase the quality and reliability of its vehicles to millions of spectators.”

 

UEFA Celebrates Euro 2020 ‘One Year To Go’ Milestone

Events to celebrate the ‘One Year To Go’ milestone for UEFA EURO 2020 are taking place in 12 European cities – and the countdown to the finals continues with the launch of ticketing, hospitality and volunteering applications from tomorrow (June 12).

The 12 host cities are Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome and Saint Petersburg. There are eight capitals amongst the host cities, and eleven venues boasting a stadium capacity in excess of 50,000.

Saint Petersburg will kick off the celebrations this evening with a light projection on the iconic Palace Bridge. The EURO 2020 Football Park on the city’s Fortress Island will then be the setting for a legends football match on 12 June, featuring five UEFA EURO 2020 ambassadors – Antonios Nikopolidis, Gianluca Zambrotta, Robert Pirès, David Trezeguet and Fernando Morientes – who will compete against a local Russia international legends team.

Other cities will also follow tomorrow, the tournament’s ‘One Year To Go’ milestone, with other local events organised in the following days to celebrate the opening matches that will take place in each of the venues in a year’s time.

‘One Year To Go’ will also see the launch of official hospitality packages for all stadiums, with a range of options, including private suites, business lounges and a club with a more casual setting.

UEFA Events SA CEO Martin Kallen said: “Our intention was to host a unique EURO to celebrate the 60 years of the competition, and for the host cities to provide their own local flavour. This is the biggest EURO ever – one which we are bringing even closer to the fans, with seven of the twelve countries hosting EURO matches for the first time.

“Over the coming days, each of the 12 host cities will present the final tournament to their local population and provide information in relation to various important initiatives. People will see that the tournament is on their doorstep. It will be a unique celebration, and the moment is now here to be part of it.”

FIFA And UN Women Sign MoU To Promote Gender Equality

FIFA and UN Women have signed their first-ever memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide a strong framework for strengthening and further developing synergies between the two organisations.

As per the MoU, both organisations will work closely with public authorities, international organisations, the private sector, and media and sports organisations to make football more accessible to women and girls and to disseminate diverse sports content to promote gender equality.

The three key areas of work in the MoU are sports policy development, the promotion and support of sustainable projects that will help create a lasting legacy, cultural change and empowerment of women and girls around the world, and communications to raise awareness around gender equality through sport, for example through the support of the FIFA Legends and UN Women Goodwill Ambassadors, as well as major tournaments.

Infantino said: “Together, we will raise awareness about women’s football and its impact in terms of health, empowerment and positive role models for women and girls around the world.”

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said: “UN Women and FIFA are committed to levelling the playing field for women and girls, leveraging football’s mass appeal to bring positive change around the world. We are confident that this partnership will make a real difference to the gender inequality that we currently see in all sports, and that we are working to end throughout society, knowing that the benefits are for everyone.”

IAAF Re-Brands As World Athletics

The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) is re-branding itself with the aim of attracting a younger audience.

IAAF will now be known as World Athletics and will also introduce a new logo in October. The IAAF Council approved the global governing body’s new name and logo at the 217th IAAF Council Meeting which concluded on Saturday in Monaco.

IAAF president Seb Coe said:  “The hope is that our new brand will help attract and engage a new generation of young people to athletics.We have now created a brand that can come to life in the digital world while reflecting the changing nature of the sport. And at the same time bring into focus the athletes, the heroes of our sport.”

Meanwhile, at the IAAF Council Meeting in Monaco, it was further announced  that Russia’s ban on international meetings had been extended over ongoing doping concerns.

Russia’s athletics federation was suspended in November 2015 after a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found evidence of widespread doping in the sport.

Rune Andersen, Chairman of the IAAF task force overseeing Russia’s reinstatement efforts, said the Athletics Integrity Unit, which oversees integrity issues in international athletics, would be looking into Reuters findings that two Russian athletics coaches and one doctor banned for doping remain involved with athletes.

“The Taskforce noted recent allegations that banned coaches and a banned doctor continue to work with Russian athletes,” Andersen told a news conference in Monaco, referring to Reuters’ findings.