Heineken Beer At Next Rugby World Cups -- Sponsor Spotlight

(ATR) Fans will exclusively drink Heineken beer at the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup and 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Heineken renewed as a Worldwide Partner for both events, and will serve as the official sponsor for the 2017 World Rugby Awards, according to a release from World Rugby. Heineken has served as a partner for the federation for over 20 years according to Heineken Global Sponsorship Director Hans Erik Tuijt.

"Rugby World Cup will again enable Heineken to create engaging experiences for fans at the tournament and at-home in the 20 participating countries and beyond," Tuijt said "This partnership complements our other long-standing global platforms; Formula One, UEFA Champions League and James Bond."

Heineken is the second company to continue on with World Rugby for the 2019 World Cup. The beverage company joins Emirates as on the marketing program.

"The continued global prestige and strength of Rugby World Cup is reinforced by the renewed commitment from one of the world’s leading supporters of global sporting events," Murray Barnett World Rugby Chief Commercial Officer said in a statement. "Heineken and Rugby World Cup are a great and natural fit and we are delighted they will be supporting Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 under the deal."

Dutch Ink Outfitter

Dutch athletes will wear FILA apparel and footwear at international competitions for the next five years.

A signing ceremony between the Netherlands National Olympic Committee (NOC*NSF) and FILA took place on Feb. 24 at the High Performance Centre Papendal, in Arnhem, Netherlands.

All international competitors under the NOC*NSF will be included in the apparel deal, including the next three Olympic teams. Included in the arrangements are training suits, sports footwear, sports apparel for training purposes, and award ceremony attire, according to a statement.

"The Netherlands national team's innate talents, passion and sporting mentality aligns with FILA's brand identity," Gene Yoon, FILA chairman, said at the ceremony. "FILA will sincerely strive to help support the Netherlands in making its mark on the international scene by persevering in providing premium sports apparel."

Nike and FIBA Agree to 11-Year Deal

One of the top basketball brands in the world is now the official sports apparel company of the International Basketball Federation.

Nike and FIBA agreed to an 11-year deal on Feb. 27 that will extend the highly-recognized sports brand’s collaboration with international basketball. Nike is already a Founding Partner of FIBA’s 3x3 discipline, which is trying to break into the Olympic program.

"This is a memorable day for FIBA as we team up with Nike, THE basketball brand by excellence," FIBA secretary general and IOC member Patrick Baumann said. "We look forward to this long-term partnership and it helping us grow the game globally, thanks to the unrivaled popularity as well as worldwide presence that Nike has to offer."

The deal includes sponsorship rights for Nike at all men’s and women’s FIBA competitions through 2027 including World Cups, Continental Cups and Qualifiers as well as the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Nike will also become the title sponsor of FIBA’s World Rankings.

FIBA will utilize the Nike ‘swoosh’ branding on competition courts and across online and in-arena coverage of events. The federation is seeking to capitalize on the Nike brand to help expand the game globally, focusing first on the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup scheduled to take place in China.

Written by Aaron Bauer and Kevin Nutley.

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