Third Chinese Sponsor Joins FIFA World Cup -- Federations Focus

(ATR) Smartphone and software creator Vivo signs a six-year deal with FIFA earning them sponsorship rights of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The Chinese technology company is the third from the country to join the FIFA sponsorship program for the upcoming World Cups in Russia and Qatar. Wanda and Hisense have previously inked deals with FIFA to support one of the largest global sporting events every four years.

"As a Chinese smartphone maker, Vivo wishes to grow into a world top brand with the help of top sports events like FIFA World Cup," said Vivo vice president Ni Xudong according to Xinhua.

The partnership with Vivo and FIFA is a second-tier sponsorship with an undisclosed value. The deal brings the Russia 2018 World Cup sponsorship list to 12 companies with another 22 needed to fill out the program, according to the AP.

FIFA has been hard-pressed to find willing sponsors for its events given the fallout from the scandals involving the federation’s former leaders. Many of the former regime are still under investigation by U.S. and Swiss authorities.

FIFA will continue to aggressively seek sponsors as the Russia 2018 World Cup approaches the one year to go milestone.

Weightlifting Faces Olympic Challenge

Tamas Ajan secures a fifth term as president of the International Weightlifting Federation at the general assembly in Bangkok on May 29.

Mohammed Jaloud was elected secretary general, the only Iraqi to hold a leadership post among the 28 Summer Olympic federations. Notable among the six vice presidents elected is Ursula Papandrea of the U.S., elected to a seat reserved for a woman. Jose Quinones, the embattled president of the Peru Olympic Committee, was another VP elected at the Bangkok meeting.

Olympic champion Pyrros Dimas of Greece was chosen for one of the seven executive committee seats. Dimas now lives in the U.S.

The presidential election was a rematch of the 2013 contest, Ajan of Hungary versus Antonio Urso of Italy, president of the European Weightlifting Federation.

With 700 positive tests for weightlifters in the past 15 years and 52 positives from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, the federation has racked up more doping offenses than any other summer federation.

Members of the executive committee tell Around the Rings they are worried that the doping history could lead to the sport being cut from the Summer Games program in 2024. The IOC Program Commission is due to make its recommendations soon for the 2024 program. Approval by the IOC Session in Lima is required.

South Africa Submits Official 2023 RWC Bid

South Africa is all-in for a Rugby World Cup in 2023.

The country’s rugby chief Jurie Roux submitted South Africa’s official bid to World Rugby detailed across 827 pages.

Roux and bid committee member Bruce Beckett were welcomed at World Rugby headquarters in Ireland by chief executive officer Brett Gosper and Rugby World Cup chief Alan Gilpin.

South Africa will have to beat the bids submitted by Ireland and France in order to host the event. World Rugby will select the host country on Nov. 15.

"This is a momentous day for South African rugby and in November, when the decision is made, we hope it will ignite the beginning of a six-year journey to a climatic conclusion at the National Stadium in Johannesburg in front of 84,373 spectators in the biggest and most spectacular Rugby World Cup final there has ever been," Roux said in a statement.

Table Tennis Re-elects President Thomas Weikert

Incumbent International Table Tennis Federation president Thomas Weikert begins his second and what he told Around the Rings is his final term as the federation's leader.

Weikert was re-elected president over his competitor Jean-Michel Saive in a drawn-out voting process that spanned more than four hours during the federation’s Annual General Assembly.

"Thank you to all the National Associations for their confidence in me to continue as President," Weikert said in a statement. "I promise to keep giving my best to push the sport to new heights and achieve all my goals stated in my manifesto."

Both candidates were given 10 minutes to state their cases to the ITTF assembly before the manual vote began. Weikert ultimately earned 118 votes to Saive’s 90.

The election was held in the midst of the Liebherr 2017 Table Tennis World Championships also in Dusseldorf.

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Written by Kevin Nutley and Ed Hula

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