Software company SAP has agreed a sponsorship deal with the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).
The deal, the length of which was not disclosed, names SAP as the official analytics sponsor of the FEI's World Cup Dressage series.
The partnership will centre on enhancing the FEI’s fan engagement initiatives, with a new app, Spectator Judging, having been launched.
The free app, which launched for last weekend’s World Cup Dressage final in the US city of Omaha, allows fans to get in the judges’ seats during competitions and create real-time scores and rankings, which they can then compare to official results on arena scoreboards.
Bjoern Ganzhorn, head of global sponsorships at SAP, said: “Putting the audience in the centre of the action by simplifying and enriching the sports experience powered by SAP is a key part of our sports strategy, and Spectator Judging provides a whole new way of interacting with fans of equestrian sport.”
FEI secretary general Sabrina Ibáñez added: “The app strikes that perfect balance – live game experience with immediate acknowledgement and reward for our dressage fans, and working with SAP we're now looking forward to creating more engagement opportunities like this.”