VISA ANNOUNCED AS PRESENTING PARTNER TO HELP BOOST NATION’S OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC AMBITIONS
Team 2012 was launched this week at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, with leading payment system Visa announced as its Presenting Partner. It represents a huge new ambition for British sport, and is the largest national team ever sponsored, comprising approximately 1200 athletes from 47 sports and disciplines, Olympic and Paralympic alike.
Team 2012 will help realise the dreams and ambitions of all Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes and is a groundbreaking partnership between the British Olympic and Paralympic Associations (BOA and BPA), the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), and UK Sport. The four bodies came together earlier this year to create this initiative for Olympic and Paralympic sponsors to get behind the nation’s top athletes aiming for London 2012 and beyond.
Visa’s sponsorship will help support sporting bodies as they provide the training and competition support needed for athletes aiming to become part of Team GB and ParalympicsGB at the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The sponsorship deal, which runs through to 2012, is transformational for the partnership, ensuring Team 2012 is able to deliver on its ambition of providing extra funding for World Class Performance Programmes through a vital ‘third stream’ of private sector income, which will sit alongside existing National Lottery and Government funding, for our most promising athletes. The launch marks the start of a major long term fundraising drive through to 2012 and beyond.
Speaking on behalf of the partnership, LOCOG Chairman Sebastian Coe said: “Today’s launch of Team 2012 is a ground-breaking moment for British sport. Team 2012 will help bring to reality the dreams of future generations of athletes in competing at the very highest level. We are delighted to have Visa as the presenting partner and driving force behind Team 2012. Their support is vital and complements the crucial funding from the National Lottery and Government. Team 2012 will help ensure that as Olympians and Paralympians head toward London, they are properly resourced to do the job and make Britain proud.”
Visa has been a proud Olympic sponsor for over twenty years, and sees Team 2012 as an immense opportunity to increase the UK’s chances of Olympic and Paralympic success. Peter Ayliffe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Visa Europe commented: “As a worldwide partner of the Olympic Games since 1986, Visa is proud to have created such a prolific partnership with Team 2012. It will embody British pride, courage, effort and achievement and provides a unique opportunity for the country to get behind the UK’s best athletes and help them compete and win more medals than ever before. The athletes’ race for success doesn’t begin at the starting line, it has already begun, and Visa plans to support them every step of the way through Team 2012.”
The drive for private sector sponsorship of the World Class Performance Programme came from Government. Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Minister for Sport added: “This is a terrific vote of confidence by the business community in the work being done to give our medal hopefuls the best chance of striking gold in 2012. It is fantastic that Visa has stepped forward, and I am confident that this extra funding - building on the unprecedented levels of public funding for our athletes - will help our Olympic and Paralympic teams deliver even more medals in London.”
Ben Ainslie, three times Olympic gold medallist Sailor, said: "I am very pleased to support Team 2012, in particular its ambition to raise funds for athletes across all the Olympic and Paralympic sports not just in the build up to London but beyond 2012 as well. It is vital that we maximize not just our nation's medal opportunities at the Games but also the legacy that can be left in terms of the potential of future generations."
Darren Kenny, Paralympic multi gold medallist, said: “For the British Paralympic team, the home Games in London 2012 provides a fantastic opportunity to raise the profile of disability sport and hopefully encourage more people to get involved, either through playing it, coaching or volunteering. The extra funding from Team 2012 will help to ensure all British Paralympians and Paralympic hopefuls can do their best to win medals in London and make the country proud.”
Darius Knight, Table Tennis hopeful for the London 2012 Olympics, said: “I am really excited to be part of Team 2012 and playing my part in this unique opportunity to raise funds for high performance sport in this country. I’m hoping to make an impact in 2012 and I know that the extra funding that this scheme will bring, will help in ensuring that British athletes like me are best prepared when the Games come to London.”
Sophie Wells, Para Dressage hopeful for the London 2012 Paralympics, said: “Taking part in Team 2012 is something that I am really excited about. An opportunity to represent your country on home soil at a Paralympic Games doesn’t come around very often and it is important that programmes like Team 2012, which will help secure important funding for Olympic and Paralympic sports, make the most of this.”