Sponsor Spotlight - IOC Announces Supply Deal; Nike, Others Drop Armstrong

IOC Announces Nike Supply Deal

IOC members and staff will wear Nike through the end of 2016.

Tuesday’s announcement comes more than a month after Around the Rings confirmed the deal through Gerhard Heiberg, chair of the IOC Marketing Commission.

The change is the result of Mizuno dropping its long-running hold on the category so the Japanese firm could sponsor the Tokyo bid for the 2020 Olympics. Mizuno chairman Masato Mizuno is also chairman of the Tokyo bid, as well as vice president of the Japanese Olympic Committee.

"We are delighted that we have reached this agreement with Nike, the world’s leading sports and fitness company, and we feel that this relationship will be a great fit for the IOC," said Timo Lumme, Managing Director, IOC Television and Marketing.

Nike Brand President Charlie Denson added: "We’re honoured to be working with the IOC and we look forward to this being the start of a long and successful relationship."

The agreement begins in January 2013 and provides for the supply of uniform and products at Sochi 2014, Nanjing 2014, Rio 2016, Lillehammer 2016 as well as IOC Sessions, Evaluation Commissions and other events as required.

Nike was not a sponsor of the London Olympics, but did supply sportswear to more than 100 National Olympic Committees and footwear to thousands of individual athletes at the Games. The four Independent Olympic Athletes who competed under the IOC flag in London also wore Nike.

Sponsors Drop Armstrong

Lance Armstrong continues to lose sponsors in the wake of last week's USADA report.

The cyclist lost the support of 24-Hour Fitness, Anheuser-Busch, Radioshack, Trek and Nike, among others, on Wednesday.

All companies cited the fallout from the 1,000-page "reasoned decision" showing widespread and systematic doping in Armstrong’s team as the reason they discontinued their sponsorships.

"Given the determinations of the report, Trek today is terminating our long-term relationship with Lance Armstrong," the bicycle manufacturer said.

"Given the evidence surrounding Lance Armstrong's alleged actions, we have determined that our business relationship with Armstrong no longer aligns with our company's mission and values," 24-Hour Fitness said in a statement.

"We have decided not to renew our relationship with Lance Armstrong when our current contract expires at the end of 2012," said Paul Chibe, vice president of U.S. marketing for Anheuser-Busch.

Media reports suggest the value of Armstrong’s endorsements totaled $50 million over the next five years.

Eurostar Slams London Olympics

Eurostar may have received a small boost from the Games, but revenue still declined during the Olympic period.

The railway company that operates between London, Paris and Brussels noted that many tourists decided to stay home during the Games due to traffic warnings in London.

Eurostar’s revenue from July to September was down about 5 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.

"What we didn't see coming was that in July the leisure passenger, the tourist, didn't come to London," said Nicolas Petrovic, CEO.

"Also the business market went down much earlier than usual because of all the calls to avoid London – [because of] the traffic here."

The company reported that consumer traffic increased after the Games, and there is a "positive outlook" for the rest of the year.

Samsung Supports Generations For Peace

The Generations for Peace awards featured Samsung as its sponsor awarding prizes for innovation, quality, impact and sustainability in the Generations For Peace movement.

Faisal Abdi Artan of Somalia won for innovation, Pavel Voloshchuk of Russia for quality, Mohammad Asideh from Palestine for impact and Hana’ Juma’h of Jordan for sustainability.

The awards were presided over by HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan.

"Our support for Generations for Peace fits within Samsung’s ‘Hope For Children’ program. We are impressed with the growth and achievements of Generations For Peace," said Bumsuk Hong, President of Samsung Electronics Levant.

This is Samsung’s fifth year sponsoring Generations For Peace.

Viessmann, FIS Ink Nordic Deal

Viessmann signed a deal with the International Ski Federation to become the "Presenting Sponsor" for the 2012/13 Nordic season and beyond.

The deal covers the FIS World Cup Series, FIS World Championship and other disciplines.

Viessmann will be the main sponsor for the 2013, 2015 and 2017 Nordic skiing world championships as part of the deal.

"FIS is highly pleased to build on the partnership with Viessmann during the next six years," said FIS president Gian-Franco Kasper.

"Our organization puts great value on nurturing long-term relationships with partners and finding creative solutions to grow the sport. We are looking forward to joining forces with Viessmann to seek new, innovative ways to engage Nordic Skiing fans."

Viessmann started sponsoring Nordic disciplines during the 1993/94 season and became the principle sponsor for the Nordic Jumping World Cup in 2002/03.

Written by Aaron Bauer.

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