Tokyo 2020: Decision on overseas spectators to be taken this month amid Japanese concern over increased Covid-19 risk March 8, 2021 Olympics chiefs will decide this month whether to ban overseas spectators from this summer’s delayed Tokyo 2020 Games. The Olympics and Paralympics are set to go ahead despite continued concern at the Covid-19 situation in Japan, which extended a state of emergency in Tokyo and neighbouring prefectures on Friday. Around 15,000 athletes and other personnel [...]
Horse racing must embrace innovation to build a prosperous future – and this is the perfect time to start March 8, 2021 British horse racing is facing financial challenges and, as with many sports, has suffered a heavy toll during the pandemic. As the country’s second biggest spectator sport, the exclusion of racegoers has cost around £300m, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) estimates. A review of the Betting Levy is seen as one way of addressing Covid-19-induced [...]
The football club of the future? How Lewes FC’s principles have started to pay off – and their aim of becoming the world’s most owned team March 5, 2021 They take pride in doing things differently at Lewes FC, the small football club with big ideas. From the beach huts that act as hospitality boxes at the Dripping Pan, their distinctive ground with the sunken pitch, to the prosecco served at matches and the pop-culture inspired posters that advertise fixtures, the East Sussex outfit [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Formula 1 takes the pain; Budweiser buys NBA rights; watch every PGA Tour shot; World Rugby’s bad timing; squash, the great survivor March 4, 2021 “Our goal was to try and take the pain in 2020,” Greg Maffei, president of Formula 1 owners Liberty Media, told investors this week. Maffei can consider that mission accomplished after Liberty laid bare the devastating effect of the pandemic on F1’s finances last year. F1 slipped from a $17m profit in 2019 to a [...]
Barcelona and Real Madrid handed multi-million tax bills as European Court of Justice issues ‘definitive’ verdict in state aid case March 4, 2021 Barcelona and Real Madrid must pay millions of Euros in extra tax after the European Court of Justice found they benefited from state aid. The verdict from the European Union’s top court settles a long-running legal battle involving four of Spain’s leading football clubs. Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna are the other teams facing bills for [...]
Cazoo, Dettol and Tik Tok: How the pandemic has changed the sport sponsorship landscape March 3, 2021 The pandemic may have halted the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but in the world of sport sponsorship it has sparked some dramatic moves. New entrants are making major investments while more established sponsors have moved aside to make way. A combination of enforced changes of habit and the uneven nature of Covid-19’s [...]
Cricket, horse racing, tennis and women’s football set to benefit from £300m summer sport aid package March 3, 2021 Sport is to receive a £300m recovery package as part of the Budget announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak today. Cricket, horse racing, tennis, women’s football and rugby league are expected to be among the sports to benefit from the financial support. It follows similar aid granted to winter sports in November to mitigate the cost [...]
beIN Sports wins legal battle to prevent Fenerbahce manipulating the broadcaster’s logo for ‘beFAIR’ protest campaign March 2, 2021 beIN Sports has succeeded in its legal bid to stop Fenerbahce using the beIN logo for the club’s “beFAIR” campaign against the broadcaster. The network lodged an application for an emergency injunction against Fenerbahce for breach of intellectual property last week – as revealed by City A.M. On Friday Turkish courts ruled in beIN Sports’ [...]
Doing good is now part of doing business: Why every sports brand and athlete needs to help society in order to find commercial success March 2, 2021 The influence and social media reach of sports women and men is incredible – and growing. But who is using it to greatest effect, both for their own benefit and that of society? Cristiano Ronaldo has 263m followers on Instagram and Lionel Messi has over 100m on Facebook. Manchester United, widely regarded as the biggest [...]
Exclusive: Formula E champions DS Techeetah take gamble on stock market-linked £1m sponsorship deal with investment platform eToro March 2, 2021 Formula E champions DS Techeetah have struck a £1m sponsorship deal with social investment platform eToro that could see the team not receive a penny. Instead of receiving a flat fee, DS Techeetah will have the seven-figure sum placed in their eToro account for them to invest on the stock market. If their portfolio grows [...]