$440m Chinese sponsorship IPL deal under threat after border face-off
Image : Collected
|| Desk report ||
The Chinese sponsorship deal of India’s biggest sporting event was under threat after an abrupt border clash between the two neighbouring countries that sparked emphatic calls in India for a boycott of Chinese products and companies.
The Board of Control for Cricket in Indian (BCCI) has convened an IPL governing council meeting next week where its mega title rights deal with Vivo, worth - 440 crore per year will be reviewed.
“Taking note of the border skirmish that resulted in the martyrdom of our brave jawans, the IPL Governing Council has convened a meeting next week to review IPL’s various sponsorship deals,” the official IPL handle tweeted late on Friday night, which was also retweeted by BCCI’s verified handle.
“Ban all Chinese products,” Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh wrote on Twitter reflecting the growing anti-China sentiment in the country.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said it was also ready to reconsider its deal with Chinese kit makers Li Ning.
“Our tie up with them is until the Tokyo Olympics. We will take a decision in the executive board meeting whenever that takes place after the lockdown,” IOA secretary-general Rajeev Mehta said.
“We are with the country. And we will never allow our soldiers’ morale to be dampened,” Mehta told AF
