NEWS | BLOG

Great Britain men saved their best performance until last in the Pinsent Masons’ London Handball Cup at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Saturday, narrowly losing out to Korea 25-29.

After two defeats to world-class Tunisia and Argentina in the first couple of days, GB men turned on the style against the Koreans – none more so than Steven Larsson who used his height and skill in equal measure to score 14 goals for GB, who got better as the tournament went on despite playing against three of the best teams in the world who have qualified by right for the London Olympics this summer.

The plan for the Pinsent Masons’ London Handball Cup was to give Great Britain experience of playing against the top nations so they can better prepare for this summer’s Olympics. On that score it is very much ‘job done’ with lessons learned, and Great Britain will take heart from their performance against a very strong Korean side.

Great Britain’s Steven Larsson finished the tournament as top-scorer with 19 goals, while Korea’s Yi-Kyeong Jeong scored a total of 15.

Tunisia won the event overall with two wins and a draw, while Korea finished second.

Great Britain men will now begin preparations for the qualification tournament for the 2014 European Championship in Italy from June 8-10, where they will face Switzerland and Greece as well as the host nation.

Pinsent Masons’ London Handball Cup

Results:

April 5: Tunisia 30 Korea 25, Great Britain 15 Argentina 32.

April 6: Korea 31 Argentina 25, Great Britain 15 Tunisia 41.

April 7: Argentina 23 Tunisia 23, Great Britain 25 Korea 29.

Pinsent Masons Announced as title sponsor of London Handball Cup

International law firm Pinsent Masons has been unveiled as the title sponsor of the London Handball Cup, to be staged in the capital from 5th to 7th April 2012.

Great Britain Men’s handball team will take on Tunisia, South Korea and Argentina in the Pinsent Masons’ London Handball Cup at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. The event forms a crucial part of the GB side’s preparations for this summer’s Olympic Games, and has been made possible thanks to considerable backing from UK Sport.

British Handball recently welcomed Pinsent Masons on board as one of a raft of new sponsors which included Collins Stewart Wealth Management, bolstering support for handball from the City’s financial quarter.

One of the fastest growing sports in the country, handball is set to become one of the hits of this summer’s Olympics with participation levels in schools, universities and community groups exploding across Britain.

Trevor Watkins, head of sport at Pinsent Masons, comments: “The inaugural Pinsent Masons’ London Handball Cup is a great platform for us as a multinational law firm. It will enable our staff and clients to engage in our partnership with GB Handball through a prestigious international event. Bringing together leading teams in a pre-Olympics tournament is a great opportunity for us to extend our support for the sport and invest in its future.”

UK Sport’s Head of Major Events, Esther Nicholls, said: “UK Sport is pleased to be supporting the Pinsent Masons’ London Handball Cup, which will be a fantastic showcase for handball in the UK, and will provide valuable experience for both the athletes and their support staff ahead of our home Games in under six months time.

“In the lead up to London 2012, 41 of the 46 Olympic and Paralympic sports have secured backing from UK Sport’s National Lottery funded World Class Events Programme to stage a major event, and handball will be the 41st of these, supporting our aspiration to ensure all sports are best prepared for the home staging of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

British Handball Chief Executive Paul Goodwin said: “We’re delighted to have Pinsent Masons on board, not just as title sponsor for the Pinsent Masons’ London Handball Cup, but also going forward to the future as we continue to promote the sport.“The Olympics have given us a rare opportunity to introduce Britain to handball, a sport which is massively popular across the world because it is fun, fast and physical and can be played by people of all ages.“We look forward to working with UK Sport’s events team, Pinsent Masons and all our sponsors as the British teams prepare for the London Olympics. But also we look to the future and hope that some of the youngsters now playing handball for the first time might also achieve their own Olympic Dreams in Rio 2016 and 2020.”

Having British teams competing in the Olympic handball competition for the first time has given the sport a huge boost at grassroots level across the country, with England Handball and Scottish Handball working tirelessly to introduce the sport to as many people as possible.

England Handball reports a major rise in the number of people being introduced to the sport in schools – last year, 58,000 children were introduced to the sport by England Handball, compared to 10,500 three years ago. They were given a target of getting 3,000 youngsters regularly playing handball by 2013 – as of last year they had smashed that target and report that more than 9,000 have discovered just how much fun the sport is and play it regularly.

For further information and details on tickets for the Pinsent Masons London Handball Cup, please visit:  http://britishhandball.ticketbud.com/pmlhc2012

Revolution Sports Marketing Group has been appointed by the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Team – Saudi Equestrian – to manage its website, and to also develop its online social media accounts including Twitter and Facebook.

In what promises to be an exciting year for Saudi Equestrian, with the 2012 London Olympic Games fast approaching, it is essential that fans are kept up-to-date with the team’s results, news and developments, including new acquisitions to this highly-regarded and constantly evolving outfit.

Saudi Equestrian was founded in January 2010 with the vision of taking the team through the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky (USA), and to prepare for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Since its formation notable results include winning a team gold medal at the 2011 Pan Arab Games in Doha (QAT) and an individual silver medal at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky (USA). The team comprises six riders and 12 horses, and is backed-up by a dedicated team of grooms, vets, farriers and management staff. The team is based at Haras de Wisbecq in Belgium, which is approximately 30km south west of Brussels.

Ziyad Abduljawad, Managing Director of Saudi Equestrian, himself a former show jumper, feels safe in the knowledge that Revolution has a broad and established understanding of equestrian, commenting: “Revolution impressed us with their creative thinking and knowledge of digital communications channels, coupled with their comprehensive portfolio of equestrian clients, and understanding of the sport. Revolution will be key in helping Saudi Equestrian develop its brand name, but also sharing its team news on a global scale.”

Following an Olympic qualifier in Doha (QAT) in December 2011, Saudi Equestrian gained official qualification to the London Games; this is the fourth time that a Saudi Arabian equestrian team has qualified for the Olympic Games, and the fifth time Saudi Arabia has been represented at the Olympic Games in show jumping.

On the team’s Olympic accomplishment, Ziyad Abduljawad commented: “This is a milestone for Saudi Equestrian and our country, and we are all thrilled that the years of preparation have paid off. We will be working closely with Revolution in the lead-up to the Games to maximise our exposure around the world through social media channels, and we are confident that they can help us achieve this”.

Rod Kohler, Managing Director of Revolution, commented: “We are delighted to have been appointed by Saudi Equestrian, and we look forward to working alongside such a dynamic and forward-thinking team. They have massive potential going into the 2012 London Olympic Games and we are excited to be part of their journey.”

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Coverage obtained by Revolution of the sponsorship launch between Collins Stewart Wealth Management Group, Pinsent Masons International Law Firm and the British Handball Association.

Tuesday 31 January 2012

Wealth Manager, Collins Stewart Wealth Management, and international law firm Pinsent Masons, have joined forces to announce a major new sponsorship deal with the British Handball Association which will run throughout 2012.

Collins Stewart Wealth Management and Pinsent Masons have become Official Partners to British Handball, and both the Great Britain (GB) men’s and women’s handball teams will carry the Collins Stewart Wealth Management and Pinsent Masons logos on their shirts in all competitions and training matches in the build-up to the Olympics.

In addition to the sponsorship, Collins Stewart Wealth Management has also launched an initiative, which will see the company donating £10.00 for every goal scored, by both the men’s and women’s teams in the run up to the Olympics in August, to a Fund designed to assist the players who are making big sacrifices, to compete on the global stage.

Since London was awarded the 2012 Olympic Games in 2005, British Handball has been focussed on building two teams to mount a competitive challenge to the handball competition which will be played at the specially created handball arena at the Olympic Park.

Neil Darke, Head of Collins Stewart Wealth Management commented: “Handball is an exciting and dynamic sport to watch, and has great potential to grow in popularity throughout this Olympic year. We look forward to working alongside Pinsent Masons and the talented team at British Handball, to support the athletes who work so hard to help raise the sport’s profile in the UK, particularly during this exciting year.”

“We were attracted to British Handball as an organisation as, despite the sport being relatively unknown, their approach to building the game’s familiarity chimed with us. We were also very pleased as an anchor partner, to help bring Pinsent Masons to the partnership. Like Collins Stewart Wealth Management, Pinsent Masons’ business is built around its clients, which has given us a shared vision when looking to get involved with a sports organisation.”

Trevor Watkins, Head of Sport and a Partner at Pinsent Masons, said: “The sports sector is a key part of our firm’s business. We are delighted to take this opportunity to invest back into sport and make a real difference in doing so. It gives our staff across all of our offices a tremendous opportunity to be part of the GB Handball journey as the teams prepare for what will be one of the greatest sporting events in this country in our lifetime and to play their part by volunteering, supporting and helping to create a strong foundation for the sport beyond 2012.”

Paul Goodwin, Chief Executive Officer at British Handball, commented: “We are thrilled that the sport has attracted two high profile, award-winning companies as major partners; it demonstrates that British Handball is in a strong position in the build-up to the Olympics and we look forward to working closely with Collins Stewart Wealth Management and Pinsent Masons throughout the year to further develop the popularity of the sport into the future.”

The sponsorship will give a major boost to British Handball’s plans to make handball more popular in Britain. Handball is already one of the fastest growing sports in the country following its inclusion in the Change 4 Life programme, which has seen the sport introduced in more than 400 schools across the country. As a result of this, handball has seen a six-fold increase in the number of young people being introduced to the sport.

1 January 2012

Saudi Arabia’s equestrian Show Jumping team, Saudi Equestrian, gained official qualification to the London 2012 Olympic Games (27 July – 12 August) at the CSI-W4* Doha (QAT) on Friday 30 December 2011. 15 teams, each with four riders, are now qualified in the equestrian team Show Jumping competition, which takes place over three days from Saturday 4 to Monday 6 August at the World Heritage Site of Greenwich Park.

The Saudi team secured its place in the Olympics during the Group F (Africa and Middle East Region) FEI Select Olympic Qualification event held in the Qatari capital of Doha (December 27 – 30, 2011).

News of officially qualifying for the Olympics follows earlier success in Doha: The Saudi Equestrian team claimed the coveted Nations Cup and Abdullah Sharbatly won the Grand Prix.

15 Show Jumping teams are now lined up for the Summer Olympics. They include the host nation – Great Britain – and five teams – Germany, France, Belgium, Brazil and Canada – who automatically qualified from securing the top five places at last year’s FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. The Saudi team took eighth place at these Games.

Saudi Equestrian was founded in November 2009 to take the team through the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games and prepare for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Saudi Equestrian team comprises six riders, including previous 2000 Sydney Olympic bronze medallist, Khaled Al Eid, and 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games silver medallist, Abdullah Sharbatly. Saudi Equestrian has its training facility at Haras de Wisbecq, Belgium and is backed up by dedicated support staff that includes experienced trainers, management, grooms, farriers and vets.

Saudi Equestrian first qualified for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where Khaled Al Eid, riding Eastern Knight, finished in 30th place. In the 15 years since then, it has developed into a highly respected outfit that has notched up exceptional results on the global equestrian stage. That includes an Olympic medal, the second in the nation’s history, at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games when Al Eid, aboard Khashm al-‘Aan, won bronze in the individual Show Jumping event. This is the first and only Olympic medal won by an Arab or African nation in any of the three Olympic equestrian disciplines (Show Jumping, Dressage and Eventing). In the individual Show Jumping competition at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games, Saudi Equestrian rider, Abdullah Al Sharbatly, won silver in the coveted Rolex Top Four competition – the Middle East’s first medal in Show Jumping at a World Equestrian Games.

Now the Saudis have reached their fifth Olympics in Show Jumping. Saudi Equestrian’s managing director, Ziyad Abduljawad, commented: “This is a milestone for Saudi Equestrian and our country. We are all thrilled that the years of preparation have paid off”.

Abduljawad, himself a former show jumper, continued: “There are impressive and formidable Show Jumping teams lined up for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Saudi Arabia is proud to have the opportunity for our nation to compete on the world stage.”

Prince Faissal bin Abdullah bin Muhammad Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Equestrian Board of Trustees, commented: “All of us in Saudi Arabia are overjoyed that the Saudi Equestrian Team has officially qualified to compete with the world’s best in Show Jumping at the 2012 London Olympics”.

Prince Faissal continued: “Our riders and horses continue to achieve impressive results in top level international events. They have earned their place along with the other 14 Show Jumping teams competing in the Olympics. Horses and horsemanship have always been closely woven into the culture and history of Saudi Arabia and we are proud that Saudi Equestrian will be representing the nation in this exciting equestrian event at the Summer Olympics.”

Photo caption (from left to right): Abdullah Sharbatly aboard Jalla de Gaverie; Ashraf (Sharbatly’s groom); Badr Alfayes; Ramzy Al Duhami; HH Prince Faisal; and Kamal Bahamdan aboard Delphi at the CSI-W4* Doha (QAT)

Photo credit: Saudi Equestrian

Notes for writers and editors

Olympic equestrian disciplines

There are three equestrian disciplines on the Olympic programme at Greenwich Park: Dressage, Eventing and Show Jumping. All three feature both Individual and Team events and a total of 200 riders will compete in the three disciplines.

75 riders will compete in two Show Jumping events: a total of 60 riders from 15 countries for the team show jumping event and 15 riders for the individual jumping event.

London 2012 – Team and Individual Show Jumping schedule:

Saturday 4 August
– Team Jumping – Qualifier for Round 1
– Individual Jumping – 1st Qualifier

Sunday 5 August
– Team Jumping – Round 1

Monday 6 August
– Team Jumping – Round 2 and Victory Ceremony

Wednesday 8 August
– Individual Jumping – Final and Victory Ceremony

The 15 teams in the team Show Jumping competition at the 2012 London Olympic Games are:
Great Britain, (Host Nation)
Germany, France, Belgium, Brazil, Canada (2010 FEI World Equestrian Games five best-ranked teams)
Australia, Ukraine, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, United States, Mexico, Chile and Saudi Arabia

The six riders of the Saudi Equestrian team from which four will compete are:
Khaled Al Eid, Ramzy Al Duhami, Abdullah Sharbatly, Kamal Bahamdan, HRH Prince Abdullah Bin Miteb, and HH Prince Faisal Alshalan