Skip to main content

Sony Signs 3-Year Sponsorship Contract with World Athletics


At a signing ceremony in Tokyo on Jan. 23, Sony announced that it will enter into a sponsorship agreement with World Athletics for 2024 through 2026. Beginning with the Glasgow World Indoor Championships on Mar. 1 and running until the end of 2026, Sony will provide sponsorship support for all events in the World Athletics Series. Sony subsidiary Hawk-Eye will provide services to assist in referees' decision making, contributing to fair and impartial competition management.

At the signing ceremony Sony president Hiroki Totoki commented, "Through the integration of World Athletics' knowledge and know-how with Sony technology we will bring all the excitement of athletics to a wider range of people than ever before, from hardcore fans to the kids." World Athletics top Sebastian Coe added, "It brings me great pleasure to announce signing this deal with one of the leaders in the history of technology and innovation. Thank you for believing in the sport of athletics."

Coe went on to outline his hopes for the partnership, saying, "I would like to focus on innovation and making the sport easier to understand, making it even better to draw in those who are new to it. We want to share the spirit of the World Championships and get young audiences into the stadium."

Held every two years, the World Championships will celebrate its 20th edition in Tokyo from Sept. 13 to 21, 2025. The World Championships were previously held in Tokyo in 1991 and in Osaka in 2007, making this their third domestic edition.

Translator's note: Coe also met with Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike during his trip to Tokyo to talk about preparations for the 2025 World Championships, as covered in the video above. More on their meeting here.

source article:
translated by Brett Larner

Buy Me A Coffee

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Australian Male Arrested on Drug Smuggling Charges After Entering Japan for Osaka Marathon

On Apr. 9 the Kinki Region Bureau of Health, Labor and Welfare's Drug Control Division arrested Matthew Inglis Fox , 38, an Australian business owner of no known fixed address, on charges of violating the importation regulations of the Narcotics Control Act by smuggling tablets containing marijuana elements from the United States. The suspect had entered Japan in February to run in the Osaka Marathon . The suspect was arrested on suspicion of smuggling approximately 12 pills containing marijuana by sending them from a U.S. airport to Osaka's Kansai Airport using an international courier service on Feb. 19. The Osaka branch of the Customs Service discovered the tablets in arriving cargo and suspected them to be narcotics. Customs contacted the Narcotics Control Division, which then began its investigation of the case. According to the Narcotics Control Division, the suspect denies the charges.  Translator's note: Fox, who received a lifetime ban from the Ageo City Half Mara...

Australian YouTuber Handed Lifetime Ban by Ageo City Half Marathon After Running 1:06 with Another Runner's Bib (updated)

After discussion with their race's chief JAAF referee, on Nov. 27 the organizers of the Ageo City Half Marathon handed down a lifetime ban from their event against 36-year-old Australian Matt Inglis Fox  for running the Nov. 15 race wearing the bib number of another JAAF-registered runner. The incident came to light after Fox posted on his personal Instagram account that he had run a PB of 1:06:33 and finished 203rd in Ageo with a 10 km split of 31:03, along with photos and video of himself in the race wearing a bib number beginning with 11. Fox did not appear in the results by name or in that time or place, the closest match being a 1:06:54 gross, 1:06:50 net finish time with a 31:21 10 km split for 18th place in the JAAF-registered division and 209th overall by bib number 1129, registered to a non-Japanese Tokyo-resident club runner. The club runner, Harrisson Uk , readily confirmed that he had given his bib to Fox, saying, "I gave my number to Matt. It wasn't me."...

Suzuki and Hironaka Win 10000 m National Titles - Kanakuri Memorial Meet Highlights

Former Komazawa University captain Mebuki Suzuki (Toyota) and 3-time 10000 m national champion Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) ran through rain that started just before the day's last two events to win the 10000 m national titles Saturday in Kumamoto at the Kanakuri Memorial meet. With Kenyan pacers and Wavelight in action both races were steady time trials that ground the fields down to a few legit contenders. In the men's race that was Suzuki, 2024 national champ Jun Kasai (Asahi Kasei) and Suzuki's teammate Yamato Yoshii . Yoshii made an early move to break away, but Suzuki and Kasai reeled him back in by 7200. At 9000 m the pace had slowed to 24:56, on track for 27:42, but Suzuki attacked with a 61-second lap from 9000 to 9400, a pace he held to drop a 2:32 last 1000 m for the win in 27:28.82. Kasai was next in 27:33.52 and Yoshii 3rd in a 27:36.33 PB with the top 8 all breaking 28 minutes. The women's race was down to just 2021, 2022 and 2023 national champion Hir...