Dubai-based Emirates airlines and Rugby World Cup have signed a sponsorship deal for the Rugby World Cup 2015 and 2019, which will be held in England and Japan respectively.

Emirates has also extended its sponsorship of the International Rugby Board’s (IRB) match officials until the end of 2019, which includes for the first time in Rugby World Cup (RWC) history the rights to brand the shirts of match officials on the field of play during the tournament.

Tim Clark, president of the airline, said: “Rugby is a core part of Emirates’ sports sponsorship portfolio. We’ve supported rugby around the world for more than 20 years, and we are glad to have helped connect hundreds of thousands of passionate rugby fans from around the globe through these events.”

Emirates will be an official worldwide partner of the World Cup tournaments, as well as the official airline.  

The ‘Fly Emirates’ logo will adorn the shirts of match officials, and the airlines will have its branding displayed around all stadiums in England and Japan where matches will be played during the six-week long tournaments.  

RWC 2015 will kick-off on September 18 at the Twickenham Stadium in London, with a total of 20 teams participating in the tournaments. - TradeArabia News Service