Americas

The Canadian Olympic Committee has entered into a one-year deal with Cineplex Entertainment to make the cinema group its official movie partner.

Japanese premium bedding topper firm Airweave has agreed a sponsorship deal with the US Olympic Committee ahead of the 2014 winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

MLB baseball team Texas Rangers has agreed a 10-year naming rights deal with Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company for its Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Carmaker Audi’s far-reaching involvement in winter sports sits as one of four cornerstones in the brand’s wider sponsorship approach, Florian Zitzlsperger, head of sports marketing at Audi, told Sports Sponsorship Insider. The three remaining cornerstones in Audi’s wider strategy are: motorsport, football and golf.

The first sponsorship deal between a major US professional sports team with an online gambling company took place last month.

Japanese tyre manufacturer Yokohama has signed a multi-year agreement with the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail organisation to be the title sponsor of the Ladies Professional Golf Association tournament in Prattville, Alabama.

The Army National Guard has agreed a deal with the National Women’s Soccer League to become the official armed forces partner of the US women’s top-flight football competition.

Chicago Cubs have entered into a three-year deal with locally based pizzeria Giordano’s that makes it the exclusive pizza of the MLB baseball team and its Wrigley Field home.

Information technology services company Atos has reached an agreement to become the fourth premier partner of Toronto’s staging of the 2015 Pan American/Parapan Games multi-sport event.

Mixed martial arts series the Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced a two-year extension to its sponsorship deal with the US arm of Japanese tyre manufacturer Toyo Tires.

WNBA basketball team Phoenix Mercury has agreed a wide-ranging sponsorship deal with gambling and holiday destination Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort.

US fashion brand Levi’s has renewed its five-year sponsorship agreement with MLB baseball team San Francisco Giants.

University Hospitals (UH) in Cleveland has reached a 10-year sponsorship agreement with its local NFL American football team Cleveland Browns.

US sportswear company Nike has agreed an apparel and sponsorship deal with the University of Tennessee's athletics department.

State-owned Dutch bank ABN AMRO is set to overhaul its sponsorship strategy in the summer of 2014 and stablise its focus on partnerships with properties in the Netherlands, Ernst Boekhorst, manager of sponsoring and events at ABN AMRO and director of the ABN AMRO foundation, told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

Multinational electronics company Panasonic has agreed a deal to become a partner of the Philadelphia Eagles NFL American football franchise.