Sports news

nrma insurance and Cricket australia announce Platinum Partnership

CriCkeT Australia (CA) is pleased to announce a new men’s Test naming rights partnership with NRMA Insurance, one of Australia’s most trusted brands.

NRMA Insurance will also be the Official Insurance Partner of both the Men’s and Women’s International Cricket Teams, as well as supporting community cricket across the country.

NRMA Insurance acknowledged volunteers from Pat, Josh and Ellyse’s junior playing years who have been instrumental in helping their local cricket communities - Penrith Cricket Club’s Ron and Matthew Halse, St George DCC’s Kevin Greene and Belinda Robertson. Players and volunteers were joined by Cricket Australia Executive General Manager Stephanie Beltrame and NRMA Insurance Group Executive Julie Batch.

NRMA Insurance will hold the naming rights for all men’s Test series in Australia for the next four seasons, including the iconic Sydney Pink Test in support of the McGrath Foundation.

The partnership will begin with the forthcoming men’s Test series against the West Indies and South Africa.

This will be the first time NRMA Insurance has taken a national tier one partnership with an Australian sporting code, enabling the brand to bolster its national presence, and further demonstrating the wide reach and strong reputation of cricket as Australia’s national sport.

While the NRMA Insurance brand will be prominent at Australia’s iconic cricket stadiums, the partnership will also have significant benefits for local communities and cricket clubs.

As a part of this partnership, NRMA Insurance will work with CA to support the sport’s continued growth, which relies heavily on a large network of volunteers and helpers. NRMA Insurance will celebrate and advocate for these helpers, who are the lifeblood of Australian cricket.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley said:

“We are extremely proud to partner with NRMA Insurance and are delighted that cricket has been chosen as the sport to promote its iconic Australian brand.

“This partnership further emphasises the enduring popularity of Test cricket with the Australian public.

“We are particularly excited that NRMA Insurance shares cricket’s passion for helping local communities, meaning that benefits for clubs and volunteers will be significant.

“This is a great way to start a momentous summer of cricket and we look forward to NRMA Insurance becoming a prominent part of the cricket family going forward."

NRMA Insurance Group Executive Julie Batch said:

“This is a significant and purpose-led partnership for NRMA Insurance. Cricket is considered Australia’s national sport, and one that is built on community connection, so it was the ideal partnership to support the continued growth of NRMA Insurance across the country as we deliver on our brand promise of Help.

“NRMA Insurance has been helping Australians for nearly 100 years and we believe in the power of help in building resilient communities.

“Without the helpers behind our national teams, the families that support and encourage the stars of today and tomorrow, and the 220,000 volunteers across community club cricket nationwide, Australian cricket simply wouldn’t exist.

“In partnership with Cricket Australia, we look forward to celebrating the local communities and volunteers that make this great game possible and hopefully inspire others to help too.”

ABoUT nrMA inSUrAnCe:

NRMA Insurance is one of Australia’s most trusted general insurance providers, helping people protect the things they care about since 1925. It has a long proud history of working with communities to build their resilience against severe weather and keep people safer on the road.

More than three million customers across Australia choose NRMA Insurance to protect their homes, vehicles, businesses, motorcycles, boats, pets and travel.

NRMA Insurance is backed by IAG, the largest general insurer in Australia and New Zealand.

iConiC viCtory! indonesia orders punishment for football stadium disaster 'perpetrators'

The Indian Men's team have pulled off an historic win against the World no. 2 ranked Germany at the 2022 World Team Table Tennis Championships.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran came back from being 0-2 to win it 3-2 to help India clinch the victory! Getty • #SathiyanGnanasekaran #ITTFWorlds2022 #TableTennis #TeamIndia #BharatArmy

MAlAng: 's government called on the country's police Monday to identify and punish whoever was responsible for a stadium stampede that left 125 people dead, as anger mounted over one of the deadliest disasters in the history of football.

The tragedy on Saturday night in the city of Malang also saw 323 people injured after officers fired tear gas in a packed stadium to quell a pitch invasion, triggering a stampede. "We ask the national police to find the perpetrators who have committed crimes in the next few days," Indonesia's chief security minister Mahfud MD said in a broadcast statement, without specifying who he was referring to.

"We asked them to unveil who has perpetrated the crimes and that action must be taken against them and we also hope the National Police will evaluate their security procedures," he added, announcing a task force for the investigation had been formed.

The incident unfolded when fans of home team Arema FC\ stormed the pitch at the Kanjuruhan stadium after their loss 3-2 to bitter rivals Persebaya Surabaya.

Police responded by launching volleys of tear gas into packed terraces, prompting spectators to rush en masse to small gates where many were trampled or suffocated, according to witnesses.

Police described the incident as a riot in which two officers were killed but survivors accuse them of overreacting and causing the deaths of scores of spectators, including a fiveyear-old boy. "One of our messages is for the authorities to investigate this (incident) thoroughly. And we want accountability, who is to blame?" said 25-year-old Andika, who declined to give his last name. "We want justice for our fallen supporters," he said.Outside the Kanjuruhan stadium on Sunday evening, people held a vigil beneath the roaring lion statue -- the club's symbol -- to honour the victims.

But fresh graffiti daubed on the walls of the stadium revealed bubbling anger towards the authorities. "My siblings were killed. Investigate thoroughly," read one message scrawled on the stadium's shutters, accompanied by a black ribbon and the date of the tragedy. "ACAB", an acronym for "all cops are bastards", was sprayed on another wall.

In Jakarta, hundreds of football fans gathered outside the country's biggest stadium on Sunday chanting "murderer! murderer!", singing songs in support of Arema FC and placing police tape on the complex's fence.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced a probe into the incident, but rights groups said it should be independent and officers should be held accountable for using tear gas in a confined area. "We call on authorities to conduct a swift, thorough, and independent investigation into the use of tear gas at the stadium and ensure that those who are found to have committed violations are tried in open court," Amnesty

International said in a statement. "This loss of life cannot go unanswered." Mahfud said the task force would be chosen in the next 24 hours and would consist of government officials, analysts, ministry representatives, football organisation officials, academics and members of the media.

He said authorities would announce the results of the probe as soon as possible. "It is estimated the task can be concluded in the next two or three weeks," he said.

54 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, October, 2022