The International Basketball Federation (Fiba) has signed Chinese conglomerate Beijing Enterprises Group as its first international partner under the governing body’s new competition system.
The four-year agreement, which becomes effective in 2016 and will run until the end of 2019, grants the state-owned group exclusive rights in the beer and wine sponsorship categories. The group’s Yanjing Beer brand will be promoted extensively at Fiba’s major men’s and women’s events.
Beijing Enterprises Group’s partnership with Fiba will cover the body’s flagship events over the next four years. These include the qualifying tournaments for next summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; the 2017 Continental Cup; the 2018 Women’s World Cup and the 2019 Men’s World Cup, which will take place in China.
The group will receive courtside advertising exposure and product placement at the aforementioned events. In addition, it will be permitted to use the official Fiba mark on its products.
“It is a great sign of confidence to already sign our first partnership for the 2019 Fiba Basketball World Cup in China,” Patrick Baumann, Fiba secretary general, said. “This shows that the strong support for the next edition of Fiba’s flagship event goes beyond the political and sports landscape, extending into the large and growing business community.”
The deal marks Fiba’s first international partnership since the body announced the restructuring of its major competitions. The revised system will be introduced in 2017.