Airline Emirates extends sponsorship of European Tour

LONDON (Reuters) - Golf's European Tour received a financial boost on Tuesday when Emirates signed up as its airline partner and agreed to double the number of tournaments in which it invests. In a four-year deal, the Dubai-based airline said it would support a further 10 events, in addition to the nine it was already involved with. Financial terms were not disclosed. "Golf is one of the most popular sports in the world, and as a global sponsorship platform it has been immensely successful for us," Nigel Hopkins, an executive vice-president with the airline, said in a statement. Emirates is heavily involved in sponsorship of a number of sports, having naming rights to the Arsenal soccer stadium in north London. It is also a backer of Formula One motor racing. (Writing by Keith Weir, editing by Justin Palmer)