RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION

+++ Golf retailer American Golf has become the official New Balance Golf UK retail partner, exclusively stocking a range of men’s and women’s golf shoes both online and across its stores 

+++ On March 1, after over three years with distributor 2pure, Coros Wearables wll be taking direct control of the distribution of its products across the U.K. and Ireland

 

EXECUTIVE CHANGES

+++ Performance cycling couture apparel and lifestyle brand Jelenew has made American former pro basketball player Lisa Leslie its chief brand strategy officer

+++ Having initially said it would follow Moncler’s Genius model of creative collaborations, Lacoste has instead named Pelagia Kolotouros as creative design director, replacing Louise Trotter who left in January after four years in the role

 

LEGAL & INSTITUTIONAL

+++ Football Australia has begun to create a new professional second-tier men’s league, targeting March 2024 as a start date 

+++ Catalonia has increased its sports budget by 21 percent to €97.4 million, or 0.2 percent of the total budget 

+++ The Olympic flame for the Paris 2024 games will begin its journey through France in spring 2024 in the city of Marseille

+++ Premier Padel will be holding at least eight tournaments this year: the Qatar Major (Feb. 26 - March 5), the Italy Major (July 10-16), the Madrid P1 (July 17-23), the Mendoza P1 (Argentina, July 31 - Aug. 6), the Paris Major (Sept. 4-10), the NewGiza P1 (Oct. 30 - Nov. 5), the Mexico Major (Nov. 27 - Dec. 3) and the Milan P1 (Dec. 4-10)

+++ The International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) has granted full membership to both the Ukrainian Mountaineering and Climbing Federation and the Armenian Ski Mountaineers’ Association

 

PRODUCT & MARKETING

+++ Macade Golf has signed up Swedish tour player Alex Noren as a brand ambassador

+++ Racquet brand Nox has signed a sponsorship deal with Nico Gianotti, number three in the beach tennis rankings of the International Tennis Federation (ITF)

+++ The court manufacturer Playtomic has struck a deal to bring pádel and tennis to Sportsville, one of two metaverses (the other is Musichood) run by the Spanish company Uttopion

+++ Travis Rice, a snowboard pro sponsored by Quiksilver, has released its latest film “Accoutrement“ on the company website

+++ Biathlon legend and five-time Olympic winner Martin Fourcade from France has signed a four-year contract with Odlo as the company’s new global brand ambassador

+++ Adidas has kicked off its four-year partnership with the Jamaican Football Federation (JFF), launching the first four-piece game day apparel collection designed by fashion label Wales Bonner

+++ Burton will drop two new coop capsule of snowboards, boots, bindings, outerwear, streetwear, bags and accessories designe in collaboration with Run DMC in mid Feb, accompanied by a digital charity auction of snowboards

+++ According to Shop-Eat-Surf, Vans has not renewed its title sponsorship deal (existing since 2013 in a row) for the US Open of Surfing and plans to concentrate on the brand’s own events, activations and contests instead

+++ Dunlop is to replace Wilson as the official ball of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA)

 

TRADE FAIRS & CONFERENCES

+++ Sport Unlimitech, to be held at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France, on March 16, will focus on the societal impact of sports

+++ The racquet-sport brand Babolat has signed a four-year extension of its deal to equip the coaches of 4Padel, a French pádel-court network owned by the French indoor-leisure group Le Five

 

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