Visa International yesterday announced its partnership with the Turin Organizing Committee for the XX Olympic Winter Games (TOROC) as a Worldwide Sponsor of both the Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Winter Games of Turin in 2006. Valentino Castellani, President of the TOROC, represented TOROC, while Hans van der Velde, President and CEO of Visa EU, and Tom Shepard, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships and Sponsorship, Visa International, represented Visa International in the symbolic signing of the partnership, which took place at the Spazio Sironi in Milan, Italy.
As a worldwide Olympic Sponsor, Visa will be the exclusive payment card and the official payment system at the XX Olympic Winter Games, which run from 10-26 February 2006, and the IX Paralympic Games which run from 10-19 March 2006, in Turin, Italy. Hans van der Velde said, ‘The signing of the agreement with TOROC is an exciting time for not only Visa but for our Member Banks too.’
‘The Olympic and Paralympic Games form the cornerstone of our global acceptance message and they provide excellent business-building opportunities for our Members. For example, in Europe alone, over 150 Olympic based cardholder promotions – at both a national and local level – have been created to feature the ATHENS 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games.’
‘These promotions grow Visa’s payment services business whilst at the same time helping to endorse the values of the Olympic Games. I’m anticipating an even greater volume of support and activity for the Games in Turin.’
‘The attention that Visa has devoted to sports over the course of its sponsorship of the Olympic Games, Valentino Castellani noted, ‘and the great sensibility particularly shown towards youth and the Paralympic sports, are the strong points of this relationship, making TOROC proud to join Visa in spreading the Olympic values.’
Through its global Olympic sponsorship of the XX Olympic Winter Games of 2006, Visa will also have global marketing rights, which include advertising and promotional use of Olympic marks and graphics from the Olympic Games.
Visa Bank members around the world will be able to issue Visa payment cards bearing the renowned Olympic rings. Visa was recently recognized by the ‘Around the Rings’ newsletter as one of the most influential entities in the Olympic Movement and one of the ‘giants of the world of Olympic sponsorship.’ It also was considered a guiding influence on the way cities establish an Olympic personality prior to the Games. ‘As the world’s leading payment card and a global Olympic sponsor, Visa is in a unique position to assist Turin in building tourism and local business revenues as the Olympic Winter Games approach,’ said Tom Shepard, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships and Sponsorship, Visa International. ‘Over the years, we have witnessed dramatic growth in tourism and local business revenues in each Olympic host city and country where we have formed partnerships, We know we can do the same for Turin and Italy.’
In November 2003 Visa International and Turismo Torino announced a three-year global alliance to promote Turin worldwide as a key travel destination and to showcase Visa’s sponsorship of the Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Visa also will be the ‘Preferred Card of Turismo Torino’ as a result of this alliance which will run until December 2006. Over the next three years, Visa and Turismo Torino
will work together to create unique programs to benefit the city’s merchant community, the local travel industry and Visa’s member financial institutions worldwide. As a result of this strategic alliance, special advertising and marketing programs will be developed jointly to stimulate both inbound and outbound travel and to promote Turin and its surrounding areas as key travel destinations. Visa’s member and merchant Olympic marketing programs also will promote Turin around the world using advertising, direct mail, cardholder communications and other Olympic promotions.
Since 1986, Visa’s Olympic partnership has incorporated five Olympic Games (Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens), five Olympic Winter Games (Calgary, Albertville, Lillehammer, Nagano and Salt Lake City) and two Paralympic Games (Salt Lake City and Athens). Additionally, Visa has extended its Olympic and Paralympic Games sponsorship through to 2012.
For more details contact:
Michael Sherman, Visa International Tel. + 1 650 432 3923 at globalmedia@visa.com