FIBA strikes first new partnership deal under new system

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced on Wednesday that Beijing Enterprises Group Company Limited had signed up to be a partner for the four-year period from 2016 to 2019.

This is the first international partnership deal put in place under FIBA's new competition system, which comes into effect in 2017 and culminates in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup to be held in China with a record 32 teams, reports Xinhua.

The agreement will see Beijing Enterprises Group granted exclusivity in the categories of beer and wine. Its beer brand, Yanjing Beer -- an official sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympics - will be promoted heavily across all senior men's and women's FIBA events.

The agreement grants them key commercial rights such as association with FIBA marks, brand visibility on the court and product placement at the venues. The brand will have great prominence as of 2016, starting with the four FIBA qualifying tournaments for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.