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Siemens has agreed a multi-million pound deal in support of the British rowing team.
Aside from lottery funding, which continues to be a major benefit to the sport, this investment is the most significant to be secured by British rowing from private sector sponsorship and is intended to help the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA) to identify and develop world class rowers to give them the best chance of winning medals in future world championships and major events.
As the High Performance Partner, Siemens will work with GB Rowing on innovative ways to assist the team’s training and the performance of its men’s, women’s and adaptive (rowers with a physical or sensory disability) crews. Funding will also be available to continue to develop the new national rowing training facility and to add value to the ARA’s World Class Start Programme, designed to support talented and emerging individuals.
Alan Wood, UK chief executive of Siemens, put the sponsorship in context: “This is about more than branding. We have a track record of introducing technology to sport, from innovations like Hawk-Eye to the latest in medical equipment, and we intend to focus our efforts on helping British rowing in any way we can. We liked the outreach opportunity that this partnership with GB Rowing offers us: to work with the ARA and local rowing clubs and schools,” said Wood. “This enables our employees to get involved at local community level. Our core business is about making things better and helping companies and communities compete and flourish in world markets: the fit with rowing is right for us.”
As part of its sponsorship, Siemens will back the ARA’s High Performance Programmes in clubs designed to identify potential medal-winning talent at rowing clubs around the country and nurture those individuals to help boost Britain's chances of winning medals at World Cup events, World Championships and other major events.
Di Ellis, Chairman of the ARA, was upbeat about the new deal: "We are extremely proud to welcome Siemens into the family of rowing. These are innovative and exciting times for rowing and this High Performance Partnership fills us with confidence as we prepare for the challenges of our home-based World Championships, next month at Eton, as well as other major championships in the future".
David Tanner, Manager of the GB Rowing Team and Performance Director of the Amateur Rowing Association, also welcomed the new agreement with Siemens. “This partnership with Siemens will help us spot new talent and develop a world-beating rowing team. We are also excited at the prospect of working with some of the country’s top scientists to help us stay ahead of the competition in sports science. I believe business will play a crucial role in helping our athletes win medals at World Cup Events, World Championships and other major events and I am looking forward to the exchange which will take place between us and Siemens’ 21,000 UK employees on issues such as nurturing teamwork, setting goals, motivation, and competitiveness.”
Siemens’ initial commitment is for a £3.2 million sponsorship with the ARA over six-and-a-half-years. In addition to the support for the ARA and to underline Siemens’ long-term support and commitment to rowing, Siemens will be a Main Sponsor and the Premier National Sponsor of the World Rowing Championships organised by FISA, the world rowing federation.
The 2006 World Rowing Championships will take place at Eton from 20th-27th August. It is the first time for twenty years that the World Championships have been staged in the UK.
E&OE
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