Middle East

The UAE Basketball Association has reached a long-term agreement with Dubai Duty Free under which the airport retailer has become an event sponsor of the International Basketball Federation’s (Fiba) 2014 U-17 World Championship in Dubai

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.

Emirates has agreed to become a presenting partner and the official airline of basketball’s 2014 Fiba U-17 World Championship in Dubai.

Swiss watchmaker Omega has agreed a three-year extension to its title sponsorship of the Dubai Desert Classic and Dubai Ladies Masters golf tournaments.

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.

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.

Dubai Aluminium (Dubal), a subsidiary of Emirates Global Aluminium, has extended its sponsorship of the Dubai Desert Classic European Tour event and Dubai Ladies Masters Ladies European Tour competition until 2017.

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.

Stefan Lacher, head of technology, sponsorships for technology company SAP, speaks to Sports Sponsorship Insider about the brand's work in the Extreme Sailing Series.

Qatari telecommunications firm Ooredoo has signed a one-year sponsorship deal with the Qatar Football Association.

Payment systems company MasterCard is using its sports sponsorships as part of a consumer-based marketing strategy despite a lack of direct consumer operations, Ann Cairns, president, international markets for MasterCard, told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

The Government of Dubai has agreed to extend its groundbreaking sponsorship of the Chinese Table Tennis Association until 2017.

Qatari retail chain Fifty One East and electronics giant Sony have agreed a three-year deal with the Qatar Football Association to extend their sponsorship of the Emir Cup club football competition.

Online betting company Unibet will be the Official Betting Partner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts organisation under a two-year deal, from March 2014 to March 2016.

Global banking brand Barclays has refocused the strategy for its title sponsorship of the English Premier League this season on brand engagement rather than media delivery, according to David Wheldon, Barclays head of brand, reputation and citizenship.