Industry Shorts: Formula 1, Csm, LTA

Formula 1 has finalised its 2020 race calendar, adding events in Turkey, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi to its schedule.

Two races will take place in Bahrain, meaning a total of 17 will take place in the 2020 campaign.

The series has confirmed that there will be no race in China for 2020, but that a Shanghai event is envisaged for 2021, and has also stated that some fans will be in attendance for a number of races taking place throughout the season.

CSM Sport & Entertainment has formalised its communications offering to clients, and has also been appointed by Umbro UK to deliver its long-term partnership with Gallagher Premiership rugby side Bristol Bears.

The agency has highlighted the fact that it already has over 40 communications specialists on its books working across offices in the UK, UAE, France, Hong Kong, USA, Germany and Brazil.

The communications side of the agency will be led by Business Directors Scott Branch and Joe Laing. READ MORE

The LTA has announced that Life Fitness will become the NGB’s Official Gym Partner.

The three year deal sees the fitness brand, which provides exercise equipment for commercial gyms and use at home, make a competitive rate card available for LTA Registered Venues in the UK to purchase cardio, strength and group training products at discounted prices, It will also provide the National Tennis Centre gyms with new equipment.

The LTA says the new deal forms part of its commercial strategy to create value across every aspect of tennis, through development of strategic partnerships aligned with the LTA brand vision to help take the game to new audiences.

Southampton has announced Sportsbet.io as its new sponsor in a one-year deal.

The move sees the Premier League club end its deal with previous Chinese sponsor LD Sports early. A statement from the club says it has attempted to confirm ‘that LD Sports are still an appropriate and viable partner for the club,’ however Saints have been ‘left with no alternative other than to end the partnership’. 

As a consequence of the move, the club has also confirmed that it is halting the sale of its replica kits as it seeks to place the new sponsor’s logo on those shirts already created with the previous partner’s branding.

The Rugby League World Cup 2021 has launched a new Sustainability Charter and ‘Innovation Academy’.

The move aims to put social impact at the heart of the tournament, while carving a path for future tournaments to learn from the event. 

Organisers say the strategy has been developed by RLWC2021 organisers, the RFL and external experts and stakeholders, such as host cities and towns, tournament venues as well as with support from UK Sport.

The Innovation Academy, meanwhile, will offer internships, placements and voluntary projects, while working with Community Integrated Care, the tournament’s Official University Partner Manchester Metropolitan University, and other academic organisations including University Academy 92 and Leeds Beckett University, to deliver opportunities to a diverse group of people, ensuring the tournament provides professional experience.

Details of the roles are available on the #Jobs-and-work channel on Sport Industry Slack. To find out more and sign up to Sport Industry Slack click here.

Chinese technology company Tencent has teamed up with Barcelona for a new esports-focused partnership.

The deal will see the La Liga giants – who look set to lose icon Lionel Messi – engage with the company to grow its esports presence, and will also ensure the pair collaborate on projects around education and the sharing of industry knowledge.

The London Marathon has announced the opening of general entries for its first ever virtual race.

The 40th Race will physically go ahead as an elite-only race in St James’s Park, but participants who had already secured their place to run the 2020 event had been given the opportunity to take part virtually.

Now, the virtual event will be opened to the general public, both in the UK and abroad, to run or walk the 26.2 mile distance at any point between the 00:00 and 23:59:59 BST on Sunday 4th October. 

Organisers London Marathon Events have also confirmed that a new app is under development with its technology partner TCS to enable participants to log their achievement and receive a medal and a New Balance finisher T-shirt.

US investment firm ALK Capital has announced investments in two London-based football technology businesses.

The deals mark ALK Capital’s first entry into the UK sport industry, and will see the firm invest in talent identification tool AiScout and transfer market tool Player LENS, and come at a time when the scouting, recruitment and transfer market has which has been heavily disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The businesses will receive resources and support from ALK Capital’s leadership team, headed by former Real Salt Lake CEO and Citi executive Alan Pace.