Therabody Agrees Partnership With Cristiano Ronaldo

Therabody has signed professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo as the company’s newest Therabody Athlete.

The partnership also marks the release of Therabody’s largest global ad campaign to date, which will launch in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, Australia, China, and Japan.

Known around the world for his accolades as a top goalscorer, his control over the pitch, and desire for perfection, Ronaldo maintains his position as one of the world’s best athletes by prioritizing overall wellness. He attributes the longevity of his career in part to how he takes care of his body with the best technology and techniques available. The Theragun—the first handheld percussive therapy device—has become a staple in Ronaldo’s routine because it helps accelerate his recovery, prevent injuries, and improve overall athletic performance. His habitual use of the device—specifically on his legs and feet—validates the efficacy of Therabody’s industry-leading solutions.

“My body is my weapon,” explains Cristiano Ronaldo. “To be the best, you need the best recovery. That’s why I choose Therabody.”

Ronaldo’s introduction to Theragun was in 2017, when Dr. Jason facilitated a demonstration for players and coaching staff at Real Madrid’s campus. He was the first athlete that Dr. Jason had seen use Theragun’s cone attachment on the sole of his foot, which led Dr. Jason to create a new Theragun protocol. Dr. Jason has become a trusted resource for Ronaldo, advising him on ways to optimize Theragun benefits and help advance his recovery routine.

“Cristiano is a lifelong student and has become a master at his craft, always exploring new and effective ways to take care of his body and mind,” explains Dr. Jason Wersland, Founder and Chief Wellness Officer of Therabody. “I’m honored to support his journey to continuously find ways to behis best and elevate the wellness of those around him.”

Ronaldo will work with Therabody to amplify the importance of whole-body wellness and educate his community on the benefits of Theragun. By partnering with legendary athletes like Ronaldo, Therabody is empowering consumers to take control of their wellness and recovery by using the same technologies that have historically only been available to professional athletes.

IOC Appoints On Location As Global Hospitality Provider For Paris 2024, Milan-Cortina 2026 And LA 2028

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that the IOC, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (OCOGs) Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026 and LA28 will together introduce a new global hospitality model.

Fans and stakeholders will have access to unique ticket-inclusive travel and hospitality experiences through one, official, exclusive hospitality provider. To support this global hospitality programme, following a multi-stage selection process, On Location, a leader in the experiential hospitality business, has been appointed as the exclusive service provider for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026 and LA28 hospitality programmes. Working together with the Organising Committees, On Location will deliver world-class hospitality experiences for fans and Olympic stakeholders alike, with packages including tickets, travel, accommodation and unique in-venue and host city hospitality.

The new model will also enhance services for athletes’ families and friends wanting to see their loved ones compete at the Games, with support for travel, access to accommodation, and other services, including dedicated ticket inventory.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “One of the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020+5 is to deliver additional turnkey solutions that could be provided to OCOGs to simplify the delivery complexity of the Games. This new solution will deliver a simplified, secure process for fans around the world to attend the Games. The centralisation of the project also contributes greatly to better oversight and, with this, to good governance. It will also directly support the staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, all the National Olympic Committees and most importantly their athletes.”

Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, said: “Paris 2024 will be the first Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee to propose a worldwide hospitality offer. This represents a fantastic opportunity – for us and the entire Paris 2024 ecosystem. Our teams are already at work and we look forward to innovating together, to offer unique hospitality experiences that will appeal to a broad global audience. In developing these new products, we will seek to showcase the best of French ‘art de vivre’, our gastronomy, art, culture, sport and innovation against the magnificent backdrop of the City of Lights, while fully respecting the focus on legacy at the heart of our vision.”

CONI and Milano Cortina 2026 President Giovanni Malagò said: “The new approach to hospitality, adopted by the IOC in line with Olympic Agenda 2020+5, is an important step for the entire Olympic and Paralympic Movement. It will provide a unique experience to our fans and stakeholders around the world, along with an important revenue stream that will help Milano Cortina 2026 to deliver exciting and sustainable Games. This agreement also shows how attractive the Italian Winter Games are at a global level and how great an opportunity they represent for our tourism industry and territories”.

LA28 Chairperson Casey Wasserman said: “On Location brings an incredible track record creating experiences for major global events, and will set a new standard for Olympic and Paralympic Games hospitality. Modernising the hospitality and ticketing platform has been a major priority for us as we prepare to host a world-class event in Los Angeles. This partnership furthers our commitment to deliver an extraordinary Games experience for athletes and fans in our community and around the world”.

On Location President Paul Caine said: “At On Location, we are dedicated to providing our customers with exceptional live event experiences that produce memories to last a lifetime. We are honoured to join the International Olympic Committee in reimagining hospitality at future Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we are committed to providing stakeholders, partners and fans around the globe with exclusive hospitality experiences that uniquely celebrate each host city.”

ICC To Expand Global Events; To Re-Introduce Men’s Champions Trophy

The ICC Board has confirmed the schedule of ICC events from 2024- 2031 with both the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be expanded and a Men’s Champions Trophy to be re-introduced.

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will become a 14 team, 54 match event in 2027 and 2031, whilst the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be expanded to a 20 team, 55 match event in 2024, 2026, 2028 and 2030. An eight team Champions Trophy will be hosted in 2025 and 2029.

ICC World Test Championship Finals will be hosted in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031. The ICC Women’s event schedule has already been confirmed with the expansion of both the Cricket World Cup and T20 World Cup forming part of the ICC’s long-term commitment to growing the women’s game. 

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup format will have two groups of seven, with the top three in each group progressing to a Super Six stage, followed by semi-finals and final. This is the same format that was used in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2003. The format of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will consist of four groups of five, with the top two from each group going through to a Super Eights stage, followed by the knockout stages of semi-finals and a final. The Champions Trophy will follow previous editions with two groups of four, semi-finals and final. 

The ICC Board also approved the process for determining the hosts for all Men’s, Women’s and U19 events in the next cycle. The hosts for the Men’s events will be decided in September following a selection process that will get underway this month. The hosting process for Women’s and U19 events will commence in November and will be an opportunity to engage with a wider range of Members including first-time hosts. 

The ICC Board has requested management focus its planning efforts for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on the event being staged in the UAE with the possibility of including another venue in the Middle East. A final decision on the host country will be taken later this month. The Board also confirmed that the BCCI will remain the hosts of the event regardless of where the event is played.  

ICC Acting Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “Having the ICC event schedule confirmed through to 2031 is a significant step forward for cricket and will form the basis of our growth strategy for the next decade. 

“The revised approach to selecting hosts for our events will give us much more flexibility to grow the game and engage new fans. There is a smaller pool of countries with the infrastructure needed to host our senior Men’s events which narrows the selection process. Additionally, many of our Members expressed interest in hosting Women’s and U19 events which gives us a great opportunity to stage events in established and emerging cricket nations.”

RugbyPass Acquires Sports Analytics With The Aim To Increase Fan Engagement

Global digital rugby publisher, RugbyPass has acquired Sports Analytics, a leading sports data and analytics company.

Sports Analytics is a rugby performance data analysis platform that captures a unique blend of basic and distinct sequence metrics allowing coaches, players and entire teams to revolutionise their performance.

Sports Analytics were recently cited as being instrumental in guiding The Bulls to their first Currie Cup win in 15 years. As well as The Bulls, Sports Analytics works alongside The Cheetahs, Stormers and Rugby Europe using proprietary data capture and visualisation techniques to feed their analytics platform, which allows coaches to analyse performance and make informed decisions on training, tactics and talent investment.

Neil Martin, Global CEO at RugbyPass, spoke about the acquisition:
“When we saw the amazing results that come from this kind of deep analysis, it excited us not only for the potential value it can add to high-performance organisations such as Rugby Europe – but it excited us as die-hard rugby fans in general for the value it can bring to the game. This kind of data and analysis will continually improve the quality of rugby on the pitch, in turn heightening entertainment levels and ultimately expanding the engagement and appeal of rugby as a whole. We’re very excited to welcome Sports Analytics to the RugbyPass family.”

Kevin Bouwer, Director of Sports Analytics added: “RugbyPass are a worldwide rugby network, and we are very excited to have become part of the RugbyPass family. Sports Analytics are the sole provider in the market,and we have built all our metrics and data with a pure rugby focus.

“The team at Sports Analytics draws from decades of experience in performance data, rugby coaching, grass roots rugby and even refereeing. We are always excited to see the results of our work as this is a unique product with a comprehensive data set enabling us to generate far greater insight and analysis for our partners.”

John-William Meyer, Bulls Performance Analyst commented: “The Currie Cup is one of the oldest sporting trophies in South Africa and winning it is not only a privilege but requires a technical edge. Our Statistics partner Rugby Analytics provides us with data on our players and plays which is pertinent in our review of the team, as well as the assessment and game planning against our opponents. We enjoy working with Rugby Analytics as they understand the teams needs and deadlines which makes for a great partnership”

Southampton FC Signs Utilita As Junior Kit Partner

Southampton Football Club has announce Utilita, the only energy company created to help households use less energy, as its first-ever Junior Kit Partner.

The move comes as Hampshire-based Utilita also extends its deal as Official Energy Partner of Southampton Football Club for a fifth successive season.

Utilita’s support for Saints forms part of its ongoing mission to power grassroots football to the Premier league. It will see the energy company become the new front of shirt sponsor for the junior shirts after the launch of the Utilita Coaching Hub in March, which supports grassroots teams with training drills and exercises that can be done at home during the pandemic.

The announcement follows Utilita’s newly launched Football Rebooted campaign with environmentalist and former goalkeeper, David James MBE, which encourages people to donate and claim pre-played football boots and Astro boots, to save families a small fortune, as well as 136,000 tonnes of carbon – the same as taking 7,000 cars off the road for a year or turning the energy off in one million medium-sized houses for a week. Over 800 pairs of boots were donated in the first 48 hours of the campaign launching.

Football Rebooted is designed to put an aspirational spin on a mechanic that will get good boots through to families struggling to afford new ones, after Utilita’s State of Play report revealed that out of the 74 per cent of families who had been impacted financially by the pandemic, 18 per cent won’t be able to send their kids back to grassroots football as they can’t afford boots and other items such as goalie gloves and shin pads. 

Sarah Batters, Director of Partnerships and Marketing at Southampton FC, said: “We are delighted to renew our partnership with Utilita for a fifth successive season. As a club we are well known for our academy and developing players, and therefore it seemed a perfect fit to have them as the new front of shirt sponsor for our junior and academy kits. Utilita are already doing some amazing initiatives in the grassroots space and we look forward to continuing our work together to support the future stars of our game.”

Jem Maidment, Utilita’s Chief Marketing Officer, commented on Utilita being the principal partner: “We are proud to be the first-ever partner to sponsor the Saints’ junior kit, and to support the Saints Academy, too, which is one of the best academies in Europe, with a long history of illustrious graduates including Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale and James Ward-Prowse.

All of this forms part of our wider objective to support the Premier League by investing in the footballers of tomorrow, including the launch of Football Rebooted – a campaign to rehome at least one million pairs of quality football boots across the UK. We look forward to seeing the junior kits come out as we continue a long-term partnership with our local club for a fifth successive season.”

Outdoor And Action Sports Engaged 749m Fans Across Social Media Between May 2020 And May 2021, Says Hookit

Despite Covid-19, 749 million fans engaged with outdoor and action sports across social media, a study by Hookit found. World Surf League topped the social media list with total 15.3M followers.

In their latest report, titled “Sports Marketing In Outdoor & Action Sports”, Hookit have analyzed posts from athletes and sports properties within this area of sport which were published across social media from 1 May, 2020 – 30 Apr, 2021.

The study aims to find out how well action sports athletes and leagues are promoting their brand partners and which brands are being promoted the most & best across these sports. The sports reviewed included Skating, Surfing, Snowboard, Skiing, Climbing, Mountain Biking, BMX, Motocross and Off-Road Moto.

“Supercross helped Motocross lead all outdoor & action sports in total sponsorship value with $87.3M in AAV generated for brand sponsors.”

According to the report, some athletes within this area have massive followings but very few engaged fans. Others have more modest followings, but highly engaged fans, a key for brands as they should engage fans with better engagement rather than a larger following.

In total, Skaters generated the most sponsorship value for brands, but Supercross helped Motocross lead all outdoor & action sports in total sponsorship value with $87.3M in AAV generated for brand sponsors.

Some other notable findings from the report include:

– Across action sports, energy drinks have been established as the leading category, making up 3 of the top 5 brands by sponsorship value received since May 1, 2020.

– While Skaters drive the most engagement and have the most followers, climbers, mountain bikers, and surfers drive the most engagement per follower.

– Athletes drive 65% of the value across action sports, but Supercross, the World Surf League, and Freeride World Tour drive significant value for their brand partners.

– On average, action sports athletes deliberately promote 8 different brands. Action sports leagues and events typically promote 24 brands 3x as many as athletes.

Access the full report here – https://www.linkedin.com/smart-links/AQEL006J6Zmy0Q/16f94f3e-d698-496a-8ffb-54900757022b

ELEVEN SPORTS Poland To Broadcast Swedish Speedway Competition

ELEVEN SPORTS Poland has acquired exclusive rights to broadcast the leading Swedish speedway competition Bauhaus-Ligan for the next two seasons.

Coverage went underway since yesterday with Polish riders Bartosz Zmarzlik, Krzysztof Kasprzak, Patryk Dudek and Maciej Janowski set to be involved.

ELEVEN Poland will add Swedish speedway to their coverage of the Polish motorcycle series Speedway Ekstraliga. Motorsports fans will now have access to live speedway action three evenings a week with ELEVEN Poland.

Patryk Mirosławski, ELEVEN Poland COO, said: “Top level speedway is very popular in Poland and the Swedish league will be an important reinforcement of our programming offer. When combined with PGE Ekstraliga, we will now be able to offer speedway to our viewers on three evenings each week of the regular season”.

Austrian Ski Federation Renews Media Rights Deal With IMG And Eurovision Sport

The Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) has extended its media rights partnerships with IMG and Eurovision Sport until the 2026/2027 season – an extension of three years on its current deal.

Under the extended agreement IMG will be advising ÖSV on the distribution of their international media rights outside Austria, consequently an agreement has been reached with Eurovision Sport for the exclusive media rights for Europe. Austrian public service broadcaster ORF has the domestic rights.

The original agreement between the parties was until the 2023/24 season and the early extension for the distribution of media rights shows the commitment of all parties to maximize both growth and awareness of Austrian skiing events across both public service broadcasters and digital platforms.  

To date, IMG and Eurovision Sport have secured coverage in over 100 countries in Europe and throughout the world including live action for the first time in South Africa, Thailand and South America as well as on planes and cruise ships via Sport24, the IMG-owned and operated 24/7 service. 

Under the partnership with Eurovision Sport, audiences in key European markets have grown year on year from 98.5 million total hours viewed (in 12 key countries during the 2011-2012 season) to 124 million last season. The live average market share for Alpine skiing is now over 25% – with Austria and Switzerland topping 40% average market share.

Peter Schröcksnadel, President of the Austrian Ski Federation, said: “We are pleased to be able to continue the proven co-operation with IMG and the EBU beyond the current contract period. By extending the contract, we can guarantee all ski fans worldwide that free-to-air coverage of the highlights of the events in Austria will also be offered in the coming years.”

Christian Salomon, SVP, IMG, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, said: “This early new agreement shows the strength of the relationship and the shared vision we have with the Federation to ensure these prestigious events are seen wide and far. We will continue to explore potential new territories and platforms to showcase the crown jewels of the winter sport calendar and are delighted our trusted partner, the EBU, will continue to give high exposure for the races within Europe.”

Robert Portman, Head of Winter Sports at Eurovision Sport, said: “We’re delighted to be able to bring the very best skiing World Cup events to audiences across Europe free-to-air. From the Alpine season opening in Sölden to the season highlight that is Kitzbühel, the night slaloms in Schladming and Flachau and the Finals of the 4-Hills Tournament, these races really are the highlights of the FIS World Cup circuit and, thanks to our partnership with ÖSV and IMG, audiences everywhere will now be able to share the excitement.”

The agreement includes over 40 FIS World Cup competitions throughout the season including alpine classics in Kitzbühel and Schladming as well as the ski jumping competitions of the Four Hills Tournament in Innsbruck and Bischofshofen.

Dave Beeche Appointed As CEO For FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

FIFA has announced the appointment of the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ in Australia and New Zealand.

With just over two years to go until the tournament kicks off, Dave Beeche has been appointed as the new CEO of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand from 14 June this year and will lead the overall delivery of the tournament, together with the Chief Operating Officers, Jane Fernandez and Jane Patterson.  

Speaking today on his appointment, Dave Beeche, the CEO of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, said:

“I am honoured and excited to be given the opportunity to lead the delivery of such a significant tournament, especially at a time when there is so much focus globally on the development of women’s sport and, more broadly, the empowerment of women. I look forward to working with both member associations and the Host Cities to not only deliver an outstanding tournament that showcases the world-class talent in women’s football, but leave a lasting positive legacy for women’s sport.”

Originally from New Zealand, Beeche has an accomplished track record as a CEO in both Australia and New Zealand, with over 15 years’ experience leading high-profile commercial and non-profit organisations in the sports, events and tourism sectors.

The appointment represents another significant and exciting step forward in the preparations for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup and follows the recent announcement that a record ten stadiums and nine Host Cities across Australia and New Zealand will host matches during the tournament.

In his previous leadership roles and extensive experience delivering successful major sporting events in both host countries, Beeche has also shown a strong commitment to inspiring diverse, high-performing and geographically spread teams as well as developing female leaders in sport. This includes having worked alongside the current heads of the upcoming women’s rugby and cricket World Cups when he served as the CEO of the Local Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015.

FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura added: “We are delighted to welcome Dave to the FIFA team to head up our newly created offices in Australia and New Zealand. The FIFA Women’s World Cup has gone from strength to strength with new levels being achieved on and off the pitch in France 2019. We are looking to continue this growth and set a new benchmark for this fantastic tournament in 2023 together with our hosts Australia and New Zealand.”

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is the ninth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and will take place in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August 2023. The tournament will also be the first edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup to feature 32 teams.

LaLiga Appoints Oscar Mayo Pardo As Executive Director

LaLiga has announced the appointment of Oscar Mayo Pardo as the executive director of the organisation.

Under the leadership of the President of LaLiga, he will be responsible for implementing the strategy to ensure the institution fulfils the objectives set out by the presidency in the most efficient manner possible. 

A member of LaLiga since 2017, Mayo was the director of business, marketing and international development, a post in which he led the consolidation of the league’s 11 global offices and 44 global delegates, driving international expansion by signing major joint ventures in strategic markets such as the US and China. He also sits on the Board of Directors of LaLiga companies, such as LaLiga North America, the Port Aventura World Joint Venture and LaLiga China.

In the three years during which he has spearheaded the commercial strategy, LaLiga has increased its revenue by 48% by virtue of agreements with major companies such as Banco Santander, Microsoft, Budweiser and EA Sports, among others. 

Additionally, he played an important role in negotiating the agreement with ESPN and in the launch and follow-up of the LaLiga Business School project.

In his career prior to LaLiga, Mayo held posts with a responsibility for marketing and business in the sports industry and education, in companies with a national and international reach such as Gympass, BeOne, the Universidad Europea and the University of California, Riverside, carrying out his work in international markets, including the US and China. 

With this appointment, Oscar Mayo will take on new organisational challenges to consolidate LaLiga’s national and international growth and continue to innovate in the management of one of the leading sports competitions on the planet, as well as continuing with his role supporting the strategy of the presidency of Javier Tebas.