Hsbc Signs Headline Deal With Sevens Series
Banking giants HSBC has agreed a landmark deal with the International Rugby Board to become the first ever title sponsor of the IRB Sevens World Series. ??
The announcement represents a further boost for Rugby Sevens as the sport marks the one-year anniversary of being voted onto the Olympic Games programme, starting with the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. ??
Under the five-year deal, HSBC has been awarded title naming rights to the IRB Series, which comprises tournaments in Dubai, South Africa, New Zealand, USA, Australia, Hong Kong, England and Scotland.
The Series will now be known as the HSBC Sevens World Series and will begin with the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens on 3rd – 4th December. ??
International Rugby Board President Bernard Lapasset said of the deal: ‘The appointment of a market leader in the banking industry as title sponsor of the IRB Sevens World Series further enhances Rugby Sevens’ prominent stature as an Olympic sport with significant prestige and attraction within the global marketplace.’??
For a fifth consecutive year a record global audience switched on to Sevens in 2010. ??
Television broadcast coverage of the eight-tournament 2009/10 Sevens World Series reached 141 countries across six continents, with 34 broadcasters showing action from the tournament won by Samoa.
The Series also attracted record attendance figures with over 500,000 fans at the events and the tournament visits England on the 21st – 22nd in 2011.
