ManU's style of play under Manager Louis van Gaal "has been criticised" by adidas CEO Herbert Hainer, whose company signed a £750M ($1.1B) kit sponsorship deal with the club last summer. ManU has scored just 15 goals at home this season, the lowest of the 92 league clubs, and van Gaal's position "remains precarious with the club currently in fifth place and out of the Champions League." Hainer's comments "will not have helped." Hainer: "Business with Man United is going very well, we sell more shirts than expected. We are satisfied ... even if the current playing style of Man United is not exactly what we want to see" (London GUARDIAN, 1/4). ... IMG has been appointed to provide management services to Changbaishan Powder Paradise, a new tourism experience focusing on the high-end adventure sport of backcountry skiing. This date also kicks off the strategic alignment between IMG and Zhonghong Holdings which will see both parties collaborate to see Zhonghong emerge as a tourism powerhouse (IMG). ... Sina Sports announced it has "signed a partnership deal with Ultimate Fighting Championship, which will see Sina Sports become an official digital media partner of UFC in Mainland China." As well as a Chinese website, Sina Sports will "officially launch a new edition of www.ufc.cn." There will be an additional website (m.ufc.cn) "for users with mobile devices" (YUTANG SPORTS, 1/4). ... MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo "has signed a three-year deal with Shark Helmets and splits with long-term supporter HJC." The reigning MotoGP world champion had used HJC race helmets for the past three campaigns and "will switch to French manufacturer Shark and use the Race-R Pro helmet." The change "comes after Lorenzo suffered two high-profile incidents with his race helmets in 2015, when the foam lining came loose and covered his eyes in Qatar and also missed out at Silverstone due to a foggy visor" (CRASH, 1/4). ... German 3rd League football club Hansa Rostock "renewed its partnership with Nike for another three years." The kit deal, which was set to expire this season, "will now run until '18-19." Nike "has been a partner of the club since '11-12" (SPONSORs, 1/4). ... Sports marketing agency WWP "has secured a new sponsor for this year's FIS World Cup race in Kitzbühl, Austria." Mastercard "has signed on as a premium partner of the Hahenkamm race weekend on Jan. 19-24." As the race's official payment system, Mastercard "will receice ad space in the start and finish areas and offer special promotions to card holders." Other sponsors of the race include A1, Audi, Bridgestone, Generali, Gösser and Red Bull (SPONSORs, 1/4).
