MENA

Dubai-based football club Al Ahli has signed a $3 million shirt and stadium sponsorship deal with Japanese electronics giant Toshiba, it was announced yesterday.

The Aspire4Sport Congress and Exhibition has announced a media partnership with the SportBusiness Group, the world’s leading supplier of information, media and B2B marketing services to the sports industry.

Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, president of Qatar’s Motor and Motorcycling Federation (QMMF), yesterday said the country’s Losail International Circuit is being upgraded in a move to become the third Persian Gulf country to host a Formula One race.

Slowly but surely, US nutritional company Herbalife has emerged as a major sponsor on the global sports scene. Best known for partnering Barcelona FC and LA Galaxy, this week it added three new partners to its stable.

Abu Dhabi is set to enter a team and build a new boat for the 2011-12 edition of the Volvo around the world race in a $25-million partnership with Britain’s double Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker as skipper and his business partner Jamie Boag.

Qatar’s Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani plans to replace bookmaker William Hill as shirt sponsor of his newly-acquired football team, La Liga’s Malaga, because of his religious beliefs.

MasterCard has agreed a three-year sponsorship deal to become the Saudi League official card with exclusive rights in the financial services sponsorship category, starting from the 2010-11 season.

Video interviews with former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, and sports stars Ian Thorpe and Rahul Dravid are among the content on SportAccord's YouTube channel, following last month's event in Dubai.

The lack of a governing body or system for the sports marketing industry in the GCC, the Middle East free trade area established in 1981, has led to the emergence of fly-by-night agencies that are damaging all stakeholders according to Boutros Boutros, Divisional Senior Vice-President of Corporate Communications for Emirates airline.

Netherlands based media group Endemol will produce content for four new HD channels covering the English Premier League in the Middle East.

The SportAccord Convention, whose eighth annual convention takes place in Dubai from April 25-30, has posted ‘Ten Golden Rules for Building a Sustainable Sporting Event’ in partnership with CH2M HILL.

Swiss watchmaker Blancpain has signed as the official timing partner of the newest FIA-sanctioned motor-racing series, the GT1 World Championship.

German sportswear company Puma will enter a team in the next Volvo Ocean Race, in 2011-12, after finishing second in the 2008-09 competition.

The Qatar Bid Committee for the football World Cup in 2022 has signed up to all remaining Soccerex events for 2010 following a successful participation at last year’s Soccerex Global Convention in South Africa and the recent Soccerex European Forum in Manchester.

Princess Haya Al Hussein yesterday announced her intention to seek a second term as president of the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale).

Executives from adidas, Audi, Emirates and Swiss Timing will speak at a session on sponsorship strategy at the next SportAccord Convention.