ITTF and GAC Group serve up naming rights renewal

The International Table Tennis Federation has agreed an extension with its World Tour title sponsor the Guangzhou Automobile (GAC) Group until 2015.

The deal was brokered by the ITTF’s marketing arm, TMS international, and renews a co-operation between the governing body and the GAC Group that began in 2011 when it acquired the naming rights to the World Table Tennis Championships.

The following year it took on the ITTF World Series and the fresh three-year deal is inclusive of the 2013-2015 events.

The GAC Group 2013 ITTF World Tour is 11 meetings into its ongoing series. The next event takes place in Santos, Brazil from August 8-11 as players continue their efforts to qualify for the $1m (€769,000) Grand Finals, which are being hosted by Dubai in January 2014.