Europe

German automotive manufacturer BMW has agreed a deal with the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) and the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) to become a national supporter of the 2014 World Cup.

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.

German Bundesliga football champion Bayern Munich has announced a three-year deal making fashion giant Giorgio Armani its new partner in the fashion and luxury clothing category.

Spanish Liga football club Valencia has agreed a long-term partnership with sportswear company Adidas.

Clubs in the 2013-14 Uefa Champions League, Europe’s premier continental football competition, generated around €640m ($878m) from shirt sponsorships and kit supplier deals during the season.

Polish Ekstraklasa football club Lech Poznan will wear Nike kits from next season after making the US sportswear giant its new technical sponsor.

Glasgow 2014 has confirmed the Famous Grouse as the official whisky of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.

Active engagement with its products in order to create authenticity and improve the brand’s reputation in sport is the key driver behind nutrition company Herbalife’s sponsorship programme, Brian McKinley, senior director of corporate alliances at Herbalife, told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

UK asset management firm Threadneedle Investments decided to upgrade to a global position in triathlon, having trialled the sport as a local partner of the PruHealth London Triathlon, last year’s ITU World Series Grand Final.

Sasol, the South Africa-based petro-chemical group, is looking for a marketing platform which can be tailored to it its various business-to-business strands in 37 countries,. But its head of sponsorship believes that a sporting property may not necessarily present the right model for the many and various markets it does business in.

Chinese telecommunications company Huawei has agreed deals to become an official partner of Dutch football club Ajax and a business partner of the Eredivisie champion’s Amsterdam ArenA.

Dutch-headquartered electronics giant Philips has reached an agreement with Bayern Munich to become the official lighting partner of the German Bundesliga football club and its Allianz Arena stadium.

Japanese automotive company Isuzu has agreed a one-year to become an official partner of Super League, the top division of rugby league in Europe.

Swiss financial services firm UBS has agreed a four-year extension to its sponsorship of the Swiss Athletics governing body.

Household goods company and International Olympic Committee TOP sponsor Procter & Gamble has signed up as the first official partner of the 2015 European Games, which will be staged in Baku, Azerbaijan.

German Bundesliga football team FC Köln has agreed a four-year extension to its stadium naming rights deal with energy company RheinEnergie.