Sports
Soccer brand summit on 7 October in UK
MUMBAI: On 7 October, brand and sponsorship directors will gather at Chelsea FC in the UK as part of the Leaders in Football, an international football business event for the inaugural Brand Leaders Summit.
The day will start with a closed “sponsor only” forum for 50 brand leaders to allow the exchange of ideas, challenges and concepts in a private, peer to peer environment.
Following this there will be an open programme of speakers and best practice seminars from figures at the helm of some of the world’s most iconic sports brands.
Kicking off the programme will be NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Adam Silver. He will explain how the NBA has embraced media and technology to drive the globalisation of the brand and what the digital future holds for rights holders.
The day will also include a session by marketing director Uefa Philippe Le Floc’h and Heineken Activation global manager Hans Erik Tuijt on the Champions League story, one of the most successful sports brands in the world.
Also taking the stage will be NJ Nets CEO Brett Yormark, who will explain how his NBA franchise drives customer loyalty and Peter Moore, President, EA sports, who will outline the future relationship between brands, new media and consumers.
Rounding off the programme will be Castrol Global Brand Director Des Johnson, and Diageo Global Category Director Steve Cumming who will look at how to use sponsorship to connect the brand to the fans.
Sports
Ashish Limaye bags gold and bronze at Montelibretti 2026 event
Indian rider shines in Italy, gains ground ahead of higher-level tests
MUMBAI: Ashish Limaye delivered a strong performance on the international stage, clinching both gold and bronze at the FEI Eventing Competition Montelibretti 2026 held in Italy earlier this month.
Competing against riders from across the globe, Limaye secured the top podium finish in the CCI 2 Long Format riding Easy Turn, registering a score of 30.2 in a field that featured participants from five nations. He followed it up with a bronze medal in the CCI 2 Short Format aboard Willy Be Dun, scoring 32 in a much larger and highly competitive pool of 66 riders representing nine countries.
Reflecting on the outing, Fédération Equestre Internationale event rider Ashish Limaye said, “Riding at Montelibretti was amazing. To compete with such talented riders from around the world was fantastic. I’m really happy with the results and the effort our team has put in.”
Beyond the podium finishes, Limaye also achieved a milestone result on D’Avril du Pinier, earning a Minimum Eligibility Requirement, bringing him closer to qualifying for the FEI World Equestrian Games.
While the Montelibretti competition was not a direct qualifier for major multi-sport events, it serves as a crucial stepping stone as Limaye prepares to move up to the more demanding CCI 3 level.
With momentum firmly on his side, the Indian rider now looks set to build on this success as he targets bigger stages in the global equestrian circuit.
