Fila Korea signed a sponsorship
contract with the Dutch Skating Federation (KNSB) to support the
national skating teams of the Netherlands. Fila will supply jerseys, training wear, and shoes to
the 150 speed skaters, short track skaters, and inline skaters until
2018.

The agreement will include the world championship matches over the next four years and the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province

A signing ceremony on Sept. 30 was attended by FILA Korea Chairman Yoon Yoon-soo, Sochi Olympics gold medalist Sven Kramer, Jennifer Estabrook, executive vice president of FILA USA, and others.

Our
support for the Dutch teams is to step up our global marketing and
refine our brand image in the 70 or so countries where we are doing
business, FILA Korea said in a statement. Our support for the KNSB as
well as the Korean national team will increase our international
standing as a global leading sports goods brand.

The Dutch speed skating team ranks No. 1 in the world, led by Kramer.
The company also signed a separate sponsorship agreement with Kramer,
the world’s No. 1 who won two gold medals in Sochi.

Fila has
been sponsoring the Korean speed skating team, which is one of the best
in the world. The firm also supports national teams in a wide range of
sports, including rhythmic gymnastics, rowing, wrestling and boxing.

Gene Yoon, center, FILA Korea chairman and CEO, poses with Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer, right, after signing a sponsorship agreement to provide the skater with suits and other sporting goods. On the left is Jennifer Estabrook, executive vice president of FILA USA. The sports brand also signed an agreement to sponsor other Dutch skaters. / Courtesy of FILA Korea

By Lee Hyo-sik

FILA Korea will sponsor the Netherlands speed skating team through the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics as part of efforts to strengthen its brand image as a leader in the global sporting goods market.
.

FILA Korea, lead by Chairman and CEO Gene Yoon, signed a sponsorship agreement with KNSB, the Dutch skating union, in Amsterdam, Monday.

Under the agreement, the sporting goods maker will provide the Netherlands speed skating and short-track skating competitors with training suits, shoes and other goods. In return, Dutch skaters will wear jerseys with a FILA logo when they compete in world championship matches over the next four years and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province.

FILA has been jointly developing next-generation skating suits with a group of Dutch researchers. The company said the suits will be ready for the skaters before the next Winter Olympics.

The latest sponsorship agreement with the Dutch speed skating team shows that the world began acknowledging us for our advanced technical knowhow and expertise in manufacturing state-of-the-art sportswear, a FILA Korea spokesman said. This will help us expand our global sports marketing and raise the brand awareness across 70 countries.

The company will continue to do its best to develop and provide the most optimal products for skaters, the spokesman said. The Dutch team has shown trust in our technological prowess and brand power. We will not disappoint them.

leehs@koreatimes.co.kr,

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