Asia

Singaporean telecommunications company SingTel has signed up as a sponsor of the 2015 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, with its S$15m (€8.8m/$12m) deal representing the biggest financial commitment to date for the country’s staging of the multi-sport event.

Internet company Yahoo’s acquisition of Chelsea manager José Mourinho to write expert blogs for the duration of the 2014 Fifa World Cup has opened the door to future investment in football.

Singapore supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice has reached a deal worth S$5m (€2.9m/$4m) to become a tier one sponsor of the 2015 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

German luxury car brand BMW has paid an increased fee for the right to extend its partnership with golf’s European Tour for four more years, from 2015 to 2018.

Kit manufacturers spent $396m (€289m) on deals with the 32 national teams competing at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in the year covering the tournament, Sports Sponsorship Insider can exclusively reveal.

Diageo-owned vodka brand Smirnoff has committed the lion’s share of its global sponsorship budget for this year to a one-year major partner deal with the Force India F1 team. The deal was announced on May 1, ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth race of the Formula One season.

The global appeal of football is central to payment services company Western Union’s deal with the Uefa Europa League but the brand is considering refining its portfolio to reach more consumers in North America and Asia, Marc Audrit, vice president, global brand for Western Union told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

Electronic and technological goods retail chain Suning Company has become the first Chinese partner of Spanish Liga football club Barcelona.

English Premier League champion Manchester City has announced a two-year deal to make Jiwasraya its official insurance partner in Indonesia.

Solar energy technology company Hanergy has signed up as an official partner of the Beijing ePrix, the inaugural race on the International Motorsport Federation’s (FIA) Formula E Championship electric car-racing calendar.

Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli has enhanced its partnership with the Superbike World Championship (WSBK) by taking on title sponsorship of the motorcycling series’ new race in Malaysia.

English Premier League champion Manchester City has entered into a two-year marketing partnership to promote Thai seven-a-side youth football tournament Seven Shoot.

Indian Premier League teams, including last year’s champions the Mumbai Indians, accepted last minute, cut price deals to sell out inventory in the run up to the seventh edition of the Twenty20 cricket competition, IPL 7, currently underway.

Singapore Airlines has replaced telecommunications company SingTel as title sponsor of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix. Singapore Airlines will pay S$10m (€5.8m/$8m) to $15m per year under a deal signed in April.

The International Triathlon Union, triathlon’s world governing body, has seen a moderate rise in sponsorship revenue associated with its flagship ITU World Triathlon Series, despite a decline in revenue from its global partnership deals.

Japanese tyre giant Bridgestone has agreed a 10-year deal to become a TOP sponsor of the International Olympic Committee, according to Asahi Shimbun.