Russia

Maria Sharapova is set to consolidate her position as the world’s highest-paid female athlete after agreeing a three-year sponsorship deal with Samsung.

Russian Premier League champion Zenit St. Petersburg has secured a substantial cash injection with Gazprom Neft agreeing a US$20 million sponsorship deal with the club.

Sochi 2014 has commenced its goal of ensuring the whole of Russia can enjoy the Winter Olympics by announcing Krasnodar, and the host city itself, as the first Sochi 2014 Live Sites.

Sochi 2014’s preparations for the Winter Olympic Games have received a ringing endorsement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the governing body completed its seventh visit to the city on Tuesday.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has announced that the country will allow visa-free travel for fans at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Sochi 2014’s sports director Werner Augsburger has resigned after only four months in the job.

Baltika Breweries has been recruited as the official beer supplier to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The organising committee for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi has named Avaya as the official supplier of telecommunications equipment for the Games.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the owner of beer brand Budweiser, has become the first member of FIFA’s portfolio of World Cup sponsors to commit to supporting the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in Russia and Qatar, respectively.

Sochi 2014 chief Dmitry Chernyshenko has revealed that organisers of the event are targeting a surplus of more than US$300 million from the Winter Olympics as they bid to expand the commercial portfolio for the Games.

The Russian Rugby Union (RRU) has announced plans to bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup as the sport furthers its development in the country.

Russia 2018 chairman Vitaly Mutko has revealed the country will stage the FIFA World Cup in 12 stadia across 11 cities with the final makeup of the tournament expected to be formalised in October 2012.

RIA Novosti has been appointed as the host national news and photo agency for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

The Sochi 2014 Organising Committee has selected GAZ Group and Scania-Rus as the exclusive suppliers of buses for the Games.

Russian Vice-Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak insisted on Wednesday that venue and infrastructure costs ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi were under control after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) hailed preparations for the Games.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has revealed plans for Russia to reduce the number of stadia it plans to utilise during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has hailed Russia’s early preparations for the 2018 World Cup as “outstanding”.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Co-ordination Commission chairman Jean-Claude Killy has hailed organisers of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games for “continued progress” in construction projects ahead of the event.