Badminton Rebrands World Tour Finals -- Federations Focus

(ATR) The Badminton World Federation is expanding in the Chinese sports market as it seeks to increase its position among the world’s top sports.

Guangzhou, China will host the Badminton World Tour Finals for the next four years under a remodeling of the federation’s World Tour. The tour final’s move to Guangzhou from Dubai, United Arab Emirates is the principal change of the tournament, along with ditching the "BWF Superseries Finals" moniker for the "HSBC WBF World Tour Finals".

The world tour changes were announced in Guangzhou on Jan. 8 along with a new extensive partnership package with global banking company HSBC. HSBC is now the Principal Global Partner of the BWF, meaning the company will have a corporate presence across all BWF events including being the title sponsor of the annual BWF World Tour and World Tour Finals.

HSBC will also become the Premier Sponsor for BWF Major Events, which include the World Championships, Sudirman Cup and Thomas & Uber Cup Finals. The banking group is now also a BWF Global Development Partner that will assist the federation in growing the sport across the world.

The federation believes the partnership will propel the sport "to unprecedented heights" in the market.

"This is a significant milestone in our federation’s history," said BWF President Eric Høyer. "We are stepping boldly into the future with a partnership that will define badminton for the ages.

"HSBC enjoys a cachet that is the envy of the banking world. It has distinguished itself across the panorama of sport as a brand of excellence – a brand with which BWF is proud to partner."

Team USA Lugers Confident in PyeongChang Security

The United States luge team that will travel to South Korea in February for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics has no concerns about security or international tensions as they prepare for the Games.

Speaking on a conference call from Koenigssee, Germany while attending an FIL World Cup event, singles luger Tucker West told Around the Rings that people always have concerns ahead of the Olympics but it’s never usually an issue.

"I’m confident that there are people taking care of our safety and making sure tensions are low," West told ATR. "I’m sure the Olympics will go swimmingly, but there’s always a hubbub over every single Olympics. You just never know what’s going to go on and the media loves to blow it up so we’ll see what happens this time around."

The U.S. lugers are also excited about the opportunity presented to improve North and South Korean relations through the Olympics. On Jan. 9, state officials from both countries held talks for the first time since 2015 with North Korea agreeing to send a high-level delegation of athletes, demonstrators, performers and officials to South Korea for the Games.

"It will be an amazing thing," doubles luger Matt Mortensen told ATR. "Sport has a history of bringing people and cultures around the world together and it would be incredible for this Olympics to mend or build a bridge between North Korea and South Korea in a positive light."

Mortensen’s teammate Jayson Terdiman agreed and said improved Korean relations can help everyone who attends the Games.

"It seems like it’s a great thing for building a bridge between the two countries and the smoother things can be between everyone the better we’ll all feel," Terdiman said.

The PyeongChang 2018 Olympics will take place from Feb. 9-25.

FIFA Meets With Council of Europe

A meeting between FIFA and the Council of Europe will lead to more work on "how to better promote human rights in sports".

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland met today to discuss greater cooperation between the two bodies. The subject of human rights and good governance emerged during the meeting, to which the parties said work on a Memorandum of Understanding will begin.

"It seems clear to me that FIFA and the Council of Europe share many common goals," Infantino said in a release. "Good governance, respect for human rights and a resolute stance against doping, match-fixing and violence are a top priority for world football’s governing body."

Jagland said he believed a MoU would extend beyond Europe and "help to promote respect for human rights in sports worldwide". FIFA and the Council of Europe will keep working at drafting a MoU, which is expected to be signed by the end of 2018.

"I am also pleased that FIFA wants to work with us on the subject of governance," Jagland added. "The role of sports in our society– for example, in boosting integration – cannot be underestimated. Good governance will help ensuring that the benefits of sport can be enjoyed by everyone."

FINA Establishes Goals for 2018

After a successful 2017 of competitions, the International Aquatics Federation (FINA) is already preparing for the 2018 FINA World Swimming Championships set for Hangzhou, China in December.

FINA will also implement an initiative called the "FINA Aquatics Olympic Support" throughout the year aimed at providing more support funds to National Federations.

Click here to learn more about the federation’s goals and events planned for 2018.

Written by Kevin Nutley and Aaron Bauer

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