Europe

After a record number of entries and a fierce debate amongst the judging panel, Rugby Expo has announced the finalists for this year’s awards.

Ajax Amsterdam is on the lookout for a new shirt sponsor after Aegon announced it would not extend its contract beyond the end of the 2013-14 season.

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has stepped up its commitment to rugby union in the UK by agreeing a five-year deal to become the main banker to the English Rugby Football Union (RFU).

Rugby Expo 2012 has confirmed the final list of speakers for this year’s event, which takes place from November 14-15 at Twickenham Stadium, London.

Betfair has extended its presence in the snooker sponsorship market by assuming the naming rights to the 2013 Masters.

London 2012 swept the board at the 6th Annual International Sports Event Management (ISEM) Awards in London on Wednesday evening, claiming seven of the 11 awards on offer.

SportAccord Convention has announced that the general theme of the 2013 conference will be ‘The State of Our Industry – Examining the Health of Sport.’

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has announced a two-year extension to London’s staging of the World Tour Finals, while Barclays has extended its title sponsorship of the event and Ricoh has signed a new agreement with the governing body of men’s tennis.

Emirates has furthered its ties to Glasgow’s staging of the 2014 Commonwealth Games by becoming an official partner of the event and the official airline of the Queen’s Baton Relay.

London 2012 figurehead Sebastian Coe was on Wednesday confirmed as the new chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA) as it emerged that the Olympic Stadium may not reopen in its legacy guise until August 2016.

The Sport Industry Group has announced that Barclays will once again be the official VIP partner of the Sport Industry Awards on May 2, 2013.

The organisers of the Giro d’Italia have shrugged off the controversy surrounding cycling by signing a two-year deal for Balocco to become the new sponsor of the race leader’s prestigious pink jersey.

IMG Media has bolstered its cycling portfolio by agreeing a three-year deal with the Flanders Classics organisation, which represents a series of one-day races.

The World Series of Boxing (WSB) has announced the addition of a British franchise to the forthcoming third season of the competition, with Karim Bouzidi being confirmed as its new chief operating officer.

Werder Bremen has announced record losses of Eur13.9 million for the 2011-12 season as the 1.Bundesliga club paid for a second year without European competition.

Istanbul's bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games received a boost yesterday following credit ratings agency Fitch's decision upgraded Turkey's investment grade.