Team 2012 and Visa Europe Partners With News International

Team 2012 Ltd and its presenting partner, Visa Europe, have partnered with the News International Group to help promote Team 2012 and encourage the British public to get behind and support more than 1,200 athletes from 47 Olympic and Paralympic sports and disciplines. These athletes, who represent the best of British talent, are training in the hope of competing at London 2012 and beyond.
The partnership allows News International newspapers (The Sun, News of the World, The Times and The Sunday Times) to all carry the title ‘Official Newspaper of Team 2012’. Over the next 18 months News International will undertake a multi-channel campaign featuring Team 2012 to engage their audiences to get behind each of the athletes, their sports and their personal stories as they prepare for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Mariano Dima, Chief Marketing Officer at Visa Europe, said: “Visa celebrates 25 years of sponsoring the Olympic Games this year and in the run-up to 2012 we are committed to enabling consumers, members and retailers to connect with the Olympic and Paralympic Games in innovative ways. This wide-reaching partnership with News International enables us to engage with a large audience across a variety of channels. This is part of our integrated marketing programme which we will roll out in the next few months across the UK and Europe, using our sponsorship to drive brand preference and card usage.”
Rebekah Brooks, Chief Executive of News International, said: “This unique partnership gives our newspapers unrivalled access to the Team 2012 athletes and means we will be able to throw our full support behind the team and give our readers the inside track. We are delighted to be working with Visa Europe to generate maximum public support for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Phil Lane, chairman of Team 2012, said: “News International’s online and offline portfolio will deliver widespread national awareness of Team 2012 and enlist the nation’s support in our campaign to raise vital funds to help provide our talented and dedicated athletes with the best possible chance at glory at London 2012.”
In September 2009, Visa became the Presenting Partner of Team 2012 providing essential funds to support British sport through Team 2012. Last year, Visa’s financial support of Team 2012 helped UK Sport increase their funding to 11 sports, including fencing, shooting, handball and waterpolo. This increase in funding means that athletes are now better able to target success in 2012, with some team sports able to have a genuine ambition to be represented at the Games for the first time.