The French Professional Football League (LFP) announced French telecom Orange as the naming sponsor for its FIFA 17 esports competition, e-Ligue 1. Orange is an official partner of all 20 Ligue 1 football clubs as well as the official telecom of the French national football team. Orange is also involved in esports through its engagement with French esports team Millenium. The partnership sees the competition renamed Orange e-Ligue 1. Orange will provide technical support to the e-Ligue 1 and offer fiber broadband to players (LFP).
The French Badminton Federation (FFBaD) announced FZ Forza as its new official provider. The Danish badminton brand also becomes an official partner of the French Badminton Championship. FFBaD will exclusively use FZ Forza shuttlecocks and FZ Forza will benefit from visibility at FFBaD events (FFBaD).
The Sahara Group has "renewed its association with Hockey India by signing a sponsorship deal" which will run through '21. Sahara India will be the "major partner of the national teams at the junior and senior levels" (PTI, 1/5).
Reigning Ugandan Super League champion Kampala Capital City Authority signed a new 1.6B Ugandan shillings ($441,376), four-year deal with pay-TV company StarTimes, "extending its shirt sponsorship" to '21. The renewed deal also saw the Chinese company "grab the naming rights to the Phillip Omondi stadium." The contract, the biggest ever in Ugandan football, has seen StarTimes increase the shirt sponsorship from 235M Ugandan shillings to 400M Ugandan shillings ($110,344) annually (DAILY MONITOR, 1/4).
Sports marketing agency ProSportify secured FMCG Patanjali Ayurved as the title sponsor of India's Pro Wrestling League for the next two years. The news "came as a reprieve for Pro Wrestling League’s sophomore season, which was deferred by two weeks due to the nationwide cash crunch." Besides Patanjali, a "clutch of local brands such as Amul, Essco, Piccadily Agro and Sunflame have also joined the sponsorship bandwagon" (ASIA SPONSORSHIP NEWS, 1/4).
Bord Gais Energy is "tipped to come on board as sponsor of the hurling championship" for the '17 season. Gaelic Athletic Association "top brass" are understood to be finalizing the deal "which will see the utility company join Centra and Littlewoods Ireland as the championship's title sponsors" for the '17 campaign and "possibly a further two seasons." Littlewoods recently announced a three-year deal with the GAA to sponsor the hurling championship, and the new deal with Bord Gais Energy sees the end of the GAA's relationship with "both Etihad Airways and Liberty Insurance" (IRISH INDEPENDENT, 1/5).
