NBC Secures World Rowing Championships -- Sponsor Spotlight

(ATR) The United States linear Olympic Channel will broadcast the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida as part of a rights deal with NBC.

The 2017 edition is the first rowing world championship held in the U.S. since 1994. NBC expects to broadcast the event on NBC Sports, the Olympic Channel, as well as online platforms. All events throughout the weekend can be found on the Olympic Channel.

"The opportunity to stage our premier event, the World Rowing Championships, in the United States is a huge benefit for our sport as we see the ongoing growth of rowing in the nation," Jean-Christophe Rolland, World Rowing president, said in a statement.

"This partnership with NBC Sports Group recognizes the demand for rowing coverage in the US and World Rowing completely supports the initiative."

Racing will run from Sep. 24-Oct. 1 in Sarasota in 21 men’s and women’s disciplines. An additional five disciplines will be contested for the para-rowing championships.

Sarasota organizers announced today that single day tickets are now on sale for the championships. Organizers expect to see a total of 40,000 spectators throughout the event.

"The response has been overwhelming, with hundreds of those packages sold to residents throughout the region, the state, the nation and the world," Meredith Scerba, executive director for Sarasota 2017, said in a statement. "We expect to see an even greater demand now that daily options are available."

ITTF Adds Chinese Media Partner

Sina Sports is now the exclusive media partner for the International Table Tennis Federation’s Chinese website.

Sina will help promote cn.ITTF.com on the company’s Weibo social media platform in a new agreement announced today. The deal was finalized to include the ongoing 2017 ITTF World Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany. China is traditionally a powerhouse country in table tennis.

"With 145 million daily active users and 340 million active users a month, Sina Weibo has replaced Twitter as the largest independent social media company with the most active fans in the world," Zhe Zhang, Sina Weibo senior director of operations, said in a statement. "Through this partnership, Sina Weibo will work hand in hand with the ITTF to showcase the 2017 World Championships to the fans through different angles, and other exclusive content."

The arrangement will have Sina promote ITTF content, provide real time scores and "exclusive photo and behind-the-scene content".

Third Chinese Sponsor Joins FIFA World Cup

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.

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ESPN Ranks World’s Famous Athletes

Olympians dominate a list of the world’s 100 most famous athletes.

The list, produced by ESPN, combined an athlete’s "endorsements with social media following and internet search popularity," to determine the fame ranking.

Eight out of the top 10 athletes are Olympians, with the only omissions being golfers. Cristiano Ronaldo, footballer at the 2004 Olympics, topped the list.

The full list of athletes can be found here.

Written by Aaron Bauer and Kevin Nutley

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