Emirates to Sponsor IPL Franchise Deccan Chargers - Press Meet

Emirates - A Committed Supporter of Global Sports

With its long-standing commitment to sport sponsorships, Dubai-based Emirates airline has been involved with a wide range of sporting e ents and teams around the world for over 20 years. In 1987, only two years after its inception, Emirates began to build up its sponsorship portfolio. Today the airline is linked to some of the world's leading sport events, spread across the six continents that Emirates flies non-stop to from Dubai.

Through the association with these prestigious sporting events, the airline also helps to promote Dubai as an international destination for sport, business and tourism. The award-winning airline now flies to more than 120 points in over 70 countries.

Current sponsorships include:

FOOTBALL

As an Official Partner of FIF A since 2007, Emirates is involved with all tournaments run by the world governing body of football, across both the men's and women's game, including the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup, FIFA Interactive World Cup, FIFA Futsal World Cup, FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, FIFA U-20 and U-17 World Cups, FIFA Confederations Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and, of course, the FIFA World Cup.

At the 2006 FIFA World CUpTM Germany, Emirates became the first airline to be an Official Partner of the world's most celebrated football tournament. This partnership continued at the 2010 FIFA World CUpTM South Africa and the airline is looking forward to once again being part of the football festival at the 2014 FIFA World CUp Brazil.

The airline also sponsors a number of clubs throughout the world. In 2004, Emirates and Arsenal agreed a record sponsorship deal, which gave the airline naming rights of the club's new home, the Emirates Stadium, as well as the opportunity to host an annual pre-season tournament - the Emirates Cup. Emirates also has a joint venture with the club in the UAE - Arsenal Soccer Schools Dubai, which is based at the airline's dedicated sporting facility, 7he Sevens.

Elsewhere in Europe, the airline supports AC Milan, which includes shirt sponsorship and an annual winter training camp in Dubai. In addition, it is also a shirt sponsor of Paris Saint-Germain and Hamburger SV, while it also has sponsorship agreements with Real Madrid and Olympiacos.

Emirates is also the Official Airline and Partner of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the governing body of Asian football, and has sponsorship rights to all its tournaments, including the AFC Champions League, AFC Cup and the AFC Challenge Cup, as well as a number of women's and youth events.

In addition, Emirates is the Official Partner and Official Airline of the Zain Saudi Professional League.

GOLF

As a leading supporter of golf tournaments across the globe, Emirates is the Official Airline of 14 events in 2012, as well as the Official Partner of the European Ryder Cup Team. Seven of the tournaments it sponsors are on the European Tour International Schedule, including the Alstom Open de France, Avantha Masters (India),
Malaysian Open, BMW International Open (Germany), WGC-HSBC Champions (China), Barclays Singapore Open and the Ballantine's Championship (South Korea), while it also supports the Emirates Airline Invitational (UAE), Thailand Open, Australian PGA Championship and the Emirates Australian Open, as well as the Japan Open Golf Championship (Men's, Ladies and Seniors).

Emirates extends its support of golf by allowing passengers to check in a set of golf clubs free of charge - in addition to their normal checked baggage allowance - in any class of service on all of its flights.

CRICKET

Emirates' ICC Official Partner status gives the airline sponsorship rights to all ICC major tournaments, including the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and ICC World Twenty20, which in 2012 will be staged in Sri Lanka. It also sponsors the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, ICC Under-19 World Cup, ICC Intercontinental Cup and the ICC Women's World Cup.

In partnership with the ICC, Emirates sponsors the Emirates Elite Panel ofICC Umpires and Referees, an agreement which sees the Fly Emirates logo prominently displayed on the umpires' clothing at all ICC events.

In addition, Emirates is the Team Sponsor of Deccan Chargers and will be supporting the Hyderabad club in the IPL until 2014.

Emirates also supports English County side Durham as the shirt sponsor of its Twenty20 side, while it also has naming rights to the club's stadium, the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground.

Emirates sponsors domestic cricket in Pakistan and is involved with a number of tournaments, including theQuaid-e-Azam Trophy 2011-12, Pentagular Cricket Cup 2011-12, One Day Cricket Cup 2011-12 and Super 8 T20 Cricket Cup 2012.

Emirates is also a sponsor of the UK charity Lord's Taverners and - in partnership with the Arabian Cricket Challenge - it is the title sponsor of the Emirates Airline Twenty20, Emirates Airline Forty40 and the Emirates Airline ARCH Trophy, which is contested by schools

RUGBY

Emirates has a vast rugby sponsorship portfolio around the globe in all formats of the game.

In Rugby Union, the airline is a long-standing Partner of the International Rugby Board (IRB) and its association includes sponsorship of the IRB referees and match officials.

Also in Rugby Union, it has partnerships with USA Rugby and the UAE Rugby Association (UAERA), as well as the Emirates Western Force in Australia and Dubai Hurricanes.

In Sevens Rugby, it is title sponsor of two IRB Sevens World Series events - the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens and the Emirates Airline Glasgow Sevens.

In Rugby League, Emirates is the Official Sponsor of the UK's Rugby Football League, Super League and the England Rugby League Team, while it also supports Warrington Wolves.

HORSE RACING

Emirates has been title sponsor of the Dubai World Cup, the world's richest race, since its inception in 1996. It is also the Official Airline of the Dubai World Cup Carnival, the Jebel Ali Race Course and the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival. It also sponsors Godolphin, horse racing's most successful international stable.

Further afield, Emirates is title sponsor of the Emirates Singapore Derby and Australia's most famous race, the Emirates Melbourne Cup, known as 'the race that stops a nation'. Emirates is also the Principal Partner of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, which includes being Title Sponsor of the Emirates Stakes and the Emirates Airline Handicap on the final day of the Carnival.

AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL

Emirates is the proud shirt sponsor of the Collingwood Australian Rules team in Melbourne, who are the current AFL Premiership Champions.

TENNIS

Emirates is the Official Airline of the US Open and the title sponsor of the Emirates Airline US Open Series, 10 events which combine to form the summer hardcourt season that leads into the US Open.

Emirates is also the Official Airline of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the Rogers Cup in Canada and the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, the most attended tennis tournament in the world outside of the four grand slams.

SAILING

Emirates has been a sponsor of Emirates Team New Zealand since 2004 and looks forward to supporting them throughout their build-up to the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup, the event which will determine which team challenges for the 34th America's Cup in San Francisco. The team is also competing in The Volvo Ocean Race as Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand, which got under way in Alicante, Spain, in October 2011 and takes in nine stops en route to the finishing line at Galway, Ireland, in June 2012.