Williams F1 team and watchmaker Oris have extended their partnership for a 12th season. The Oris logo will appear in a new position on the cars' noses. Oris will also continue its presence on the driver and mechanic overalls, driver gloves, driver helmets and the kit worn by team personnel (Williams F1). ... South Korean electronics brand LG "has increased its involvement as shirt sponsor of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and opened its first brand store inside the BayArena over the weekend." The store "features LG's newest products including smartphones and TVs" (DIGITALFERNSEHEN, 2/17). ... The German Sailing Bundesliga (DSBL) "has signed a sponsorship deal with car manufacturer Audi" (IBN, 2/14). ... At a presentation of Qatar Airways' partnership with Barcelona, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker announced that "the company's planes will now be painted" in Barcelona's colors. Al Baker "presented a model of a Boeing 777-300ER that previously featured the Qatar Airways logo." The new planes will feature the phrase, "A team that unites the world" (SPORT, 2/17). ... Shell "will return to Le Mans and International sports car racing this season" after signing a deal to become the official fuel supplier for the Automobile Club de l’Ouest. The deal, which will see Shell supply V-Power unleaded and diesel fuel to the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series, "will also see Shell bring its Trackside Laboratory facility to selected European races" (THE CHECKERED FLAG, 2/15). ... Bulgarian football side Levski Sofia Owner Todor Batkov said that Russian energy firm Gazprom "is still an option for the main sponsorship of the club." The Russian company "has frequently been named in connection" with the Bulgarian club for almost two years, but "there has been no firm developments to date" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 2/17). ... League One Rotherham United has agreed to a partnership with Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and credit unions Rothersave and Laser. The deal will see the name of Laser Credit Union appear on the Rotherham home shorts. Both companies will advertise via a perimeter board at the Millers' matchday program (Rotherham United). ... Al Hilal Bank has renewed its sponsorship contract with the UAE FA. This marks the sixth consecutive year that Al Hilal is sponsoring the UAEFA President’s Cup. The bank is also a supporter of the national and Olympic football teams (Al Hilal). ... Insurance firm Great Eastern announced an extension of its co-title sponsorship of Singapore's S.League. The one-year deal "will take the association between the two parties into a sixth season" (STRAITS TIMES, 2/17). ... EPL Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud is the new brand ambassador for beermaker Carlsberg (Carlsberg).
