Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has entered into a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC).
Under the three-year deal, which will run until 2019, Etihad Airways will support sports activities and major sporting events in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE.
At least 15 events will be covered by the partnership, including the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, the Abu Dhabi Tour cycling event, the Fina 10k Open Water World Championship, the Fina High-Dive World Cup, the Emirates Football Forum and the Fiba Basketball 3×3 World Championship. The ADSC said that it eventually expects “dozens” of events to be included in the agreement.
Etihad Airways will promote major sports events in Abu Dhabi across its marketing channels as part of the deal. Special athlete appearances, guest experiences and community engagement initiatives will also be organised.
In addition, the airline’s Etihad Cargo division will provide support for sports equipment to be used during events.
“This deal represents a more structured and long-term approach to delivering on our vision of evolving Abu Dhabi into an international destination for sport, competitiveness and international events,” His Excellency Aref Al Awani, general secretary of the ADSC, said. “Etihad Airways will bring to the table considerable marketing clout which will further build local, regional and global awareness of our headline events.”
The ADSC’s strategic partnership with Etihad Airways replaces the body’s event-by-event approach to sports contests.