By IANS
Dubai : Dubai-based international airline Emirates has become an official partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the next eight years.
“We have been involved as a sponsor of cricket for many years, particularly through our support of the Emirates Elite Panels of ICC Umpires and Match Referees, and our partnership with Cricket Australia. We felt that the time was right to expand our partnership with the ICC,” Emirates executive vice-chairman Maurice Flanagan said after signing the sponsorship deal here Monday.
“Sport is a perfect way to communicate with our passengers, and cricket has an incredible global following both through the media and the enthusiastic fans at the matches. We look forward to strengthening our association with the game, the other commercial partners and with the ICC.”
This deal takes in all ICC events until 2015, including two ICC Cricket World Cups, the ICC Champions Trophy, ICC World Twenty20, ICC Women’s World Cup and Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
This means the airline will have rights over 2011 World Cup to be hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lank and Bangladesh and its next edition in 2015 to be held jointly by Australia and New Zealand, the Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan this year and the Twenty20 World Cup in England in 2009.
“We have already established an excellent relationship with Emirates through its sponsorship of the Emirates Elite and International Panels of ICC Umpires and Match Referees,” ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said.
“Given that relationship, we are delighted to extend it further, with Emirates becoming an ICC Official Partner up to 2015.”
He said that with the ICC cricket academy set to open here this year, this West Asian metropolis is set to become a hub for all cricket teams travelling across the world.
“We are now based in Dubai, the ICC Global Cricket Academy is set to open this year and Dubai is a hub for teams travelling around the world. These facts make this new agreement especially appropriate.”