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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

12 March 2012

The Rolex One to Watch for March 2012 is awarded to Francie Steinwedell-Carvin (USA). Based at Meadow Grove Farm in California, the 51-year-old jumped from 338^th to 231^st during February – a move up the Rolex Rankings of 107 places.

In recent years, Steinwedell-Carvin has enjoyed successes at a variety of high calibre competitions, taking part in numerous Grands Prix and FEI World Cup events with her many talented mounts, including Splitfire, Twistar and Toldine. 2011 was a successful year for the American rider, who finished third at the CSI2*-W in Burbank (USA) with the 12-year-old gelding, Taunus, in September, before going on to claim victory at the CSI2*-W in Las Vegas (USA) two months later with the same horse.

Steinwedell-Carvin has had an impressive start to 2012, finishing first with Taunus at the CSI2*-W in Thermal (USA), in January. Steinwedell-Carvin’s delight was evident. “It was so great to be the only American woman in the jump-off, and to win it was surreal”, she commented. Steinwedell-Carvin’s latest triumph saw her finish in third place at the Grand Prix Final CSI2*-W in Thermal (USA) in March. We look forward to witnessing what Steinwedell-Carvin has in store for the rest of 2012.

The American rider also manages her own string of horses at Meadow Grove Farm, which is a growing business that she owns in-part with her husband Dick Carvin and trainer Susie Schroer.

The Rolex One to Watch is an initiative which identifies the rider who has made the biggest jump within or into the Top 250 of the Rolex Rankings the previous month.

For details online featuring the Rolex Rankings please visit: www.fei.org/disciplines/jumping/rolex-rankings

April’s Rolex One to Watch will be announced at the beginning of April 2012.

Photo Caption: Francie Steinwedell-Carvin riding Taunus at the CSI2* Thermal in California (USA).

Photo: Flying Horse Photography / ROLEX

Mizuno Golf UK has appointed Revolution Sports Marketing Group (Revolution) to work with the brand as it makes its first major push into the sports and consumer media sector.

Mizuno was founded in 1906, and is one of the world’s most established and technologically advanced golf brands – its clubs are played by Luke Donald, as well as England’s Chris Wood. Revolution has been retained to work across the stable of Mizuno golf products but with a focus on its Swing DNA fitting system and the new range of MP-59 clubs.

Graeme Gorrie, UK Marketing Manager said, “Mizuno has a long heritage in golf and its clubs are well known to those in the know, but the time is now right to expand the brand’s appeal and we are delighted to be working alongside Revolution to take Mizuno into new markets.”

Rod Kohler, PR Director at Revolution said, “Mizuno is a premium golfing brand and everyone who plays the game should be aware of its history and outstanding range of products. We look forward to working closely with the in-house team to take the brand into the major sport and lifestyle media.”

In the wake of a significant growth in the business, Revolution Sports Marketing Group (Revolution) has announced the hire of two new employees to join its growing sports team, plus the appointment of one of the world’s leading sports lawyers to its Board.

Steven Wilde joins Revolution as Client Services Director. With over 10 years experience in PR, Marketing and Event Management, he has worked with clients including Champagne Taittinger, The Racing Post, Blue Square, Health Perception, Live Nation, Endemol Productions, and Rank Group.  In addition, he is an established Broadcaster and Commentator, and works regularly for the BBC, Sky Sports and Eurosport.

He was part of the Sports Presentation team for the ‘London Prepares’ Series at Greenwich in 2011 and is set to return to the role for London 2012.

Having completed a French and Spanish degree at King’s College London, Clare Longhurst joins Revolution with experience working across various accounts at live event specialists, Amazing Media and luxury PR agency Luchford APM. Clare trained for eight years at Shaftesbury Barnet Athletics Club and represented them at the National Finals for 400 metre hurdles in 2008. Responsibilities at Revolution include supporting the PR and sponsorship teams on the Rolex International Equestrian PR, Saudi Equestrian Team, Collins Stewart British Handball and Mizuno golf accounts.

Recognised by Sport Business International magazine as one of the World’s top 20 sports lawyers, Trevor Watkins has joined Revolution Sports as a non-executive Director, to help the founders Merrick Haydon and Rod Kohler, develop and continue to grow the business.

Trevor is a partner at international law firm Pinsent Masons, where he heads up the Sports Sector.

Merrick Haydon, Director at Revolution, commented, “We’re delighted to welcome Clare, Steven and Trevor to the Revolution team; they will all add a great deal to the business at a time when it is growing rapidly.”

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.”

Cartier start campaign with a win

The title sponsor’s team in the seventh Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge began their campaign with an impressive victory over the title holders and hosts of the competition, Desert Palm. They defeated the home side 9-6 in a thrilling four-chukka match that resembled the faster-paced high-goal game. The impressive partnership of Juan Jose Brane and Francisco Elizalde kept the red shirts of Cartier ahead throughout the match. This was despite some impressive defensive play from Alfredo Capella and Martin Valent.

However, the match was not just about the professionals. A unique feature of this competition is that each team is made up of two patrons; the Cartier patrons also had a hand in their team’s victory. Mohammed Bin Drai produced a great run down the field to score in the second chukka, while Adriano Agosti worked hard to keep rival patrons, Faris Al Yabhouni and Tariq Albwardy, out of the game.

The first game in this 2012 competition saw a closer affair between the CNN and Julius Baer teams. CNN held the edge throughout the match, but their advantage was only ever one or two goals and some great play from Julius Baer, especially from the stick of Pancho Marin Moreno, kept them in contention until the final whistle, by which time the scoreboard read 7-5 to CNN.

Peter Schaer, the Chief Executive of Julius Baer in Dubai, presented the prizes for both matches at the Clubhouse Ground at Desert Palm. Tomorrow all the teams are in action once more. Today’s losing teams, Julius Baer and Desert Palm will meet each other at 2.30pm on the Hotel Ground, which will be followed by the Cartier v CNN game at 3.45pm.

For a high resolution image of CNN playing Julius Baer please click the following link https://www.yousendit.com/download/M3BuaXRObThEa1ZBSXRVag

Image caption: CNN playing Julius Baer on Day 1 of the Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge 2012

CARTIER INTERNATIONAL DUBAI POLO CHALLENGE 2012 TEAMS

Team Cartier: Adriano Agosti (CH) 0; Mohammed Bin Drai (UAE) -1; Francisco Elizalde (ARG) 6; Juan Jose Brane (ARG) 7.
Team Julius Baer:  Amr Zedan (KSA) 0; Saad Audeh (UAE) 0; Pancho Marin Moreno (ARG) 6; Rodolfo Ducos (ARG) 5.
Team CNN: Gary Shepherd (UK) -1; Kassem Shafi (PK) 0; Vieri Antinori (ARG) 6; Hissam Ali Hyder (PK) 6.
Team Desert Palm: Tariq Albwardy (UAE) 1; Faris Al Yabhouni (UAE) 0; Martin Valent (ARG) 5; Alfredo Capella (ARG) 6.

Team Julius Baer’s two professional players – Pancho Moreno (left) and Rodolfo Ducos (right) – prepare for their match at the Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge at the Desert Palm Polo Club.
Sponsoring a team for the third consecutive year, Team Julius Baer consists of Amr Zedan and Saad Audeh, plus the two Argentinean professional players, Pancho and Rodolfo.

The Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge is an exclusive, annual, invitation-only sporting event hosted at the Desert Palm Polo Club from 20th – 24th February 2012.

For a high resolution image of Pancho Moreno and Rodolfo Ducos please click the following link https://www.yousendit.com/download/M3BtQ3Q5RkVkMnY1SE1UQw

Image caption (from left to right): Pancho Moreno and Rodolfo Ducos at the Cartier International Dubai Polo Challenge 2012
Image credit: imagesofpolo.com