Zug, Switzerland – iClinic will be an Official Partner of the Champions Hockey League (CHL) for the coming season, following the completion of a one-year sponsorship agreement. The leading Slovakian eye surgery firm is a new partner for the CHL, which brings together the best ice hockey teams from the top leagues across Europe.
The deal – negotiated by Infront Sports & Media, the Champion Hockey League’s exclusive media and marketing partner – will give iClinic significant exposure at each of the 125 matches that make up the 2017/18 CHL season. The company’s logo will appear on two rink boards in each arena, as well as on the official media and press conference backdrops. iClinic will also have the right to run an advertisement on the arenas’ video screens.
Practising eye surgeon and iClinic chief executive Dr. Ivo Ďurkovič said the deal complemented his company’s increasing presence across Europe. It will soon add a clinic in Klagenfurt, Austria to existing facilities in the Slovakian cities of Banská Bystrica and Bratislava and on the Spanish island of Majorca.
“We are delighted to start supporting the CHL. I have always been close to ice hockey and I’m still an active player – ice hockey and medicine are my passions. iClinic is already the main partner of Hockey Club ’05 Banská Bystrica, but we feel the need to extend our cooperation with ice hockey and clubs to the European level. iClinic is expanding and so we also want to be seen outside of Slovakia. Most of our patients already come from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. We see hockey as an important part of the culture of many European nations and CHL recognises the same values as we do: no compromise in the pursuit of excellence.”
Bruno Marty, Executive Director Winter Sports at Infront, commented: “It is a pleasure to welcome iClinic as a new Official Partner for the Champions Hockey League. We are confident this sponsorship deal will offer huge benefits for the company. It will make the brand instantly familiar to the hundreds of thousands of spectators who attend CHL games, as well as to the millions more watching at home. With the first games of the 2017/18 competition now less than two weeks away, we are all eagerly awaiting another highly successful season and are really pleased to have iClinic on board with us.”
Puck-drop on 24 August
The 2017/18 CHL season begins on Thursday, 24 August 2017 and will conclude in February 2018. A new qualification system means 32 professionally ranked teams will take part, all selected purely on the basis of sporting merit. That includes 24 of the best teams from the founding national leagues as well as eight wild cards from the Challenge Leagues. Sweden’s Frölunda Indians and British club Nottingham Panthers automatically qualified as the winners of the 2016/17 CHL and Continental Cup respectively.
About iClinic
iClinic (www.iclinic.sk, www.iclinic-laser.de, www.iclinic.at and www.i-clinic.ch) is a leading provider of eye surgery in Slovakia. With branches in Bratislava and Banská Bystrica, it offers the country’s most comprehensive eye microsurgery services. Their experienced staff uses state-of-the-art laser technology to fix refractive errors of the eye, removing the need to wear glasses or contact lenses. The company is expanding its presence across Europe, with a new iClinic branch soon opening in Klagenfurt in the Austrian Alps and a facility already operating on the Spanish island of Majorca. iClinic is led by chief executive and practising eye surgeon Dr. Ivo Ďurkovič.
About the Champions Hockey League
The league is fully owned and operated by the Champions Hockey League AG/Ltd which includes, as its shareholders, 26 founding clubs, six national founding leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation. The founding national leagues are: Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. The best teams from the Challenge Leagues (Belarus, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Norway, Poland and Slovakia) are extended wild card invitations. The 2017/18 season begins on Thursday, 24 August 2017.
About Infront Sports & Media
Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, is one of the most respected sports marketing companies in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football, summer and endurance sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 170 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 900 experienced staff working from over 35 offices across more than 15 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In November 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Group, part of the Chinese conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group.
