Watchmaker Omega has renewed its deal as the official timekeeper of the iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series for the next three years. The company has been involved with the competition since 2001, and with sailing since 1964 when it supported French sailing legend Eric Tabarly.

The iShares Cup won the European Sponsorship Award for 'Best Business to Business Sponsorship' last year, and the judges commented that the iShares Cup was, "a sponsorship that had everything - clear objectives, well-managed execution, good attendance by the target audience, and excellent evaluation."

John McKenna, commercial director for OC Group, the competition organisers, said: "This continued support from such a high quality luxury brand as Omega demonstrates the quality of the iShares Cup events for high-end commercial brands. In these tougher economic times, their continued support really is a testament about the return on investment that this property provides to commercial sponsors with its unique and hands-on corporate hospitality experience."