Speedo International has inked a four-year sponsorship agreement with FINA, the International Federation of Swimming. The agreement is the first ever exclusive four year deal FINA has made with a swimwear brand and comes following the success of Speedos sponsorship of the 2003 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, (where the majority of all medals were won in Speedo), and Speedos continued success in international competitive swimming.
The partnership will start at the 2004 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Indianapolis in October, where approximately six hundred international swimmers, including US phenomenon Michael Phelps, will compete for glory once again.
Following the Indianapolis FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), as the official FINA Partner, Speedo will have a presence at all World Championship events up to and including the 2007 FINA World Championships in Melbourne. For each event Speedo will have unique access and branding, recognition in the official printed material related to the championships and exclusive press opportunities which will reinforce the brands authority in the pool. Speedo will also work with FINA to develop global marketing, promotional and advertising campaigns to extend Speedos relationship with FINA beyond the FINA World Championships events.
Paul Phedon, Vice President of Marketing at Speedo said; “This is an exciting time for Speedo as we continue to support international swimming from grass roots to elite level. The partnership with FINA reinforces our dominant position in the pool, and our support of FINA and some of the worlds best swimmers allow us to build on our success in the competitive swimming world. It is a great honour to be given the opportunity to work with FINA for the next four years and help build the future of swimming.”
FINA President Mustapha Larfaoui said; “We are delighted to have Speedo on-board as an Official FINA Partner. Speedo has a long association with swimming and this sponsorship demonstrates its on-going commitment to the sport.”
