Emirates Becomes Formula One Sponsor

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

File:  The announcement of UAE sponsoring Formula One, made by H. H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline ‘&’ Group and Bernie Ecclestone, Chief Executive Officer of the Formula One group.

Emirates Airlines announced a multi-million dollar five-year agreement with Formula One Racing to become a Global Partner beginning with the 2013 season. The announcement was made by Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, and Bernie Ecclestone, Chief Executive Officer of the Formula One group, at Emirates headquarters in Dubai this week.

Per the agreement, Emirates will have a strong branding presence at all but four races on the 2013 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar on five continents. The four races exempt from this partnership are: Melbourne, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Monaco due to their pre-existing title-sponsorship commitments. Starting with the second race of the year in Malaysia on March 22-24, the Fly Emirates branding will be seen at all Formula One venues, including the historic circuits like Silverstone (UK), Monza (Italy) and Interlagos (Sao Paolo, Brazil).

“Emirates has taken a truly big step with this announcement and we will now have an even better presence across all the continents,” Shaikh Ahmad said. “My message to Formula One fans is ‘Fasten your seat belts so that we can all share the passion for Formula One. This new partnership will truly become one of our main associations with a truly global reach. Emirates has embarked on a new platform to connect people, and I cannot wait for the season to start,” he said. Emirates’other high profile sponsorship deals include those with Arsenal Football Club of the English Premier League, the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour.

“Emirates has a first-class international reputation and I’m very pleased to welcome such a prestigious company as a global partner of Formula One,” Eccleston added. But he refused to divulge the financial details, stating, “Gentlemen never speak about last night and money. At Formula One we like to be associated with top corporates from across the world. And I am convinced that the F1 teams will benefit for sure.”

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