Visa announced as Presenting Sponsor for Britain's Team 2012

Team 2012 was today launched at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, with leading payment system Visa announced as its Presenting Partner. Team 2012 is the largest national team ever sponsored, comprising approximately 1,200 athletes from forty-seven sports and disciplines, Olympic and Paralympic alike. Team 2012 will help realise the dreams and ambitions of all Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes, being "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", says the BOA. The four bodies came together earlier this year to create the initiative for Olympic and Paralympic sponsors, to get behind the nation’s top athletes aiming for London 2012 and beyond.

Visa Europe'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. Promising The sponsorship deal, which runs through to 2012, is transformational for the partnership, says the BOA, 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 Britain's 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 an 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. Hopefuls "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". 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".

Related news 28.9.2009 Olympics timekeeper Omega extends sponsorship through to 2020 11.8.2009 Standard Life sponsors British Basketball on its journey to London 2012 31.7.2009 Olympic Games Act puts off potential sponsors: survey 15.7.2009 Panasonic UK appoints brandRapport to leverage 2012 sponsorship 17.6.2009 LOCOG signs up The Nielsen Company as Official Market Research Services provider to London 2012 1.6.2009 LOCOG announces Holiday Inn as latest London 2012 Olympics sponsor 27.3.2009 Crystal becomes sixteenth London 2012 commercial sponsor 15.1.2009 London 2012 appoints Adecco as Tier Two Supporter, as Tier One Supporter Nortel files for bankruptcy protection 3.12.2008 Number 10 hosts inaugural meeting of London 2012's The Chairman's Club 21.10.2008 Cadbury becomes latest London 2012 Tier Two supporter 9.8.2009 Nortel announced as London 2012's Official Network Infrastructure Partner and seventh Tier One sponsor 9.7.2008 BP signs as latest Tier One Olympics partner 25.3.2008 Risk that 2012 Olympics sponsorship target "will not be achievable": NAO report 24.8.2007 New Tier 1 category added to London 2012 sponsorship programme 12.7.2007 EDF unveiled as London 2012 Tier One sponsor and sustainability partner 16.3.2007 Lloyds TSB becomes first domestic sponsorship partner of London 2012 5.2.2007 High profile airline and sportswear sponsorship categories launched for London 2012 Games Useful link About us: sponsorship - London 2012