Getty Images to work with APO Group to cover Rugby Africa Gold Cup 2018

As we approach the midway point of the Rugby Africa Gold Cup 2018, media relations consultancy APO Group – official sponsor of the tournament – has announced a partnership with global stock photo agency Getty Images to cover the event and boost its global exposure.

The Rugby Africa Gold Cup is the premier annual event organised by Rugby Africa, and this year’s competition is well underway, having kicked off on the 16th of June. The cup will have a total of 15 league matches leading up to the final on the 18th of August, and the teams competing at this year’s competition are Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Morocco, Zimbabwe and Tunisia.

The official sponsor of the cup this year is the APO Group, which is among the largest media relations consulting firms on the continent. The firm was founded in 2007 as the Africa Press Organisation, and has since grown to accumulate over 250,000 media contacts in the print and online domains across Africa and the Middle East.

APO is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and offers end-to-end services on all media platforms, including the production and distribution of video news, the distribution and monitoring of press releases, strategic advice, as well as support with public engagement for public diplomacy and government relations. 

For support with graphic coverage of the cup, APO has now signed a partnership with Seattle-based stock photography and visual communications firm Getty images, hoping to tap into the latter's customer base of nearly one million. This is in addition to the existing viewership for the tournament, which is already high due to the fact that the winner of the tournament secures a position in the Rugby World Cup in Japan next year.Commenting on the partnership, Senior Vice President for Global Strategic Development at Getty Images said, "Sports coverage is the company’s DNA so it is exciting to be partnering with APO Group and Rugby Africa to boost the exposure of this great competition. We pride ourselves on capturing spectacular images of the world’s most important sports events, which we deliver to customers in record time, so are looking forward to supporting the fastest-growing sport in Africa and helping to bring the Africa Gold Cup to the global stage.”

Founder & CEO at APO, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard commented, “Getty Images is the world reference when it comes to high-quality visual content, especially in the field of sports photography. Their support in putting a spotlight on African Rugby is invaluable. The Rugby Africa Gold Cup is a major international sports event that will propel the winners to the Rugby World Cup 2019. Through our partnership, all the most exciting moments would be shared with Getty Images customers through their global distribution network, which spans almost one million customers in 200 countries. That provides us with incredible support and unprecedented reach as we look to expand the profile of African rugby all over the world.”

Meanwhile, President of Rugby Africa Abdelaziz Bougja added “The Rugby Africa Gold Cup gathers the best of African players. Each game is an unforgettable experience, not just for the teams involved, but for sports lovers everywhere. This year, thanks to our main Official Sponsor APO Group and thanks to Getty Images, we have a fantastic opportunity to show the world what African rugby is all about. The more we collaborate with APO Group, the more we are able to explore creative opportunities and elevate African rugby’s exposure internationally. The outcomes have been better than we ever expected.”

In general, international involvement in sporting action is picking up across Africa, as some of the globe's leading consulting firms have been working to set up the Africa Cup of Nations 2019 in Cameroon, while the continent came close to hosting the World Cup again as well. Morocco's bid went toe-to-toe till the last minute with that of North America for the 2026 World Cup, but fell through in the end.