New Partners for Rugby World Cup, Ski Federation, Team Mongolia

Rugby World Cup Partners with TAG Heuer

The Swiss manufacturer TAG Heuer is now the official watch of the Rugby World Cup 2011.

"The creation of this partnership with one of the world’s most recognizable brands further enhances the enormous prestige and attraction of Rugby World Cup in the global market place," International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset said in a statement.

TAG Heuer has partnered with many sporting events and athletes, including tennis player Maria Sharapova and race car drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

"Partnering with Rugby World Cup 2011, one of the world’s largest sporting events, is another demonstration of TAG Heuer’s dedication to elite sport," said Jean-Christophe Babin, president and CEO of TAG Heuer.

The World Cup will take place in New Zealand from Sept. 9 to Oct. 23.

Metal Company Sponsors Mongolian Team

Mining company Rio Tinto is sponsoring the Mongolian national team at the London Olympics.

Rio Tinto, which has the Oyu Tolgoi mine in the South Gobi region of the country, sealed the deal at a ceremony attended by Rio Tinto country director David Paterson, NOC president Demchigjav Zagdsuren and IOC president Jacques Rogge.

"We are sponsoring the National Olympic Team as part of our long-term commitment to Mongolia and Oyu Tolgoi. Rio Tinto wants to play its part in giving Mongolia's medal winning athletes the best possible chance to succeed at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London next year," Paterson said in a statement.

Zagdsuren said this sponsorship would help Mongolian athletes at London 2012 and also inspire young generations.

"We are proud to have Rio Tinto as our Olympic Gold Partner in Mongolia. Your sponsorship will give Mongolian athletes vital support in their goal of achieving success in 2012," he said.

"In addition to backing our elite athletes, Rio Tinto's commitment between now and the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year, will also inspire and encourage young Mongolians to get more involved in sport and be our Olympians of tomorrow," Zagdsuren added.

Rio Tinto also provides the metal used to make the Olympic medals.

Hilton Zurich Airport and FIS,Partners for Ten Years

The Hilton Zurich Airport is celebrating 40 years in business and also a ten-year partnership with the International Ski Federation (FIS).

A charity gala will be held on Oct. 8 in conjunction with annual fall FIS meetings. Proceeds will be donated to Hilton’s Community Foundation, which works to improve young people’s health care and education and also supports FIS’s charity Right to Play.

Right to Play uses sports and play to improve the lives of children in disadvantaged areas.

The gala will be a black-tie event complete with a five-course dinner and musical entertainment. Prizes will be auctioned off, including stays in Hilton Hotels, helicopter ski flights and golf outings with a celebrity.

Company Selected to Design Rio Olympic Park

U.S. design firm AECOM will plan how the Olympic Park area will be used for the 2016 Summer Games.

Rio 2016 announced late Friday that the company had won its Olympic Park Urban Masterplan competition. The company will receive $62,000 as the winner.

The plan dictates how the public spaces, parks and squares will be used and also where future real estate developments will be built.

AECOM has experience developing these areas and was responsible for the London 2012 Olympic Park masterplan. The new plan considers use during the Games but also long-term use after the Olympics.

"We wanted to bring the experience acquired in London, where it was also important to plan the park's Games-time operation and long term usage, as well as the transition between these two moments," AECOM associate director Adam Williams said in a statement.

The urban plan frees up at least 60 percent of the Olympic Park area for future developments.

The permanent sports facilities will be built around the existing Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre, Olympic Velodrome and Olympic Arena. After the Games, this group of venues will form an Olympic Training Center to be used for developing talent.

"The Olympic Park legacy for Brazilian sports will be a training centre modeled after the successful experiences of the world's greatest sporting powers," said Rio 2016 president Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

Written by Ann Cantrell.