Lausanne, Feb 06, 2014: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that it has reached an agreement with Panasonic to extend its Worldwide TOP Partnership through to 2024.
Panasonic will continue as the Worldwide Olympic Partner within the exclusive audiovisual product category which includes: home entertainment equipment, including televisions; cameras; professional video equipment; professional displays, including large in-venue screens; professional audio equipment and video surveillance equipment.
Panasonic has been a Worldwide Olympic Partner since the IOC’s global sponsorship programme began in 1985, and is the first Partner to sign to 2024. Panasonic first began its involvement with the Olympic Movement at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games as the supplier of the professional sound system and large video display for the main stadium.
Panasonic is already supporting the Organising Committee for the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and the Organising Committee for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016. The company’s support will now also benefit the Organising Committees of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (2018) in PyeongChang and the Games of the XXXII Olympiad (2020) in Tokyo, as well as the Olympic Games in 2022 and 2024, the host cities of which have yet to be decided. As part of the agreement Panasonic will also continue to support the IOC, the Youth Olympic Games Organising Committees and every National Olympic Committee and their team.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “We are thrilled to be able to announce that we will continue to work with our long-term Partner Panasonic. Panasonic was one of the founding members of our global sponsorship programme, and is the first Partner to commit to continue its global sponsorship through 2024. This is a clear demonstration of Panasonic’s continuing belief in the Olympic values and the company’s global commitment to the Olympic Movement.”
“Panasonic has contributed to the Olympic Movement for over 25 years. Today, we are proud to announce our commitment to support the Olympic Movement for a further eight years through to 2024,” said Kazuhiro Tsuga, at the signing ceremony. “Through our cutting-edge technologies and products, our staff and operations services, we will continue to support the Olympic Games, the greatest sporting event in the world.”
Gerhard Heiberg, Chairman of the IOC Marketing Commission, said: “I am proud that we are continuing our partnership with Panasonic. This is a clear sign of the strength of the Olympic brand and its appeal to the business community – from whom we receive not only critical funding, but also support in terms of products and technological expertise that support the staging the Olympic Games.
By reaching long-term agreements, we are able to better support all the constituents of the Olympic Movement including the National Olympic Committees, and ultimately the athletes themselves. As a Japanese company with a long, global Olympic experience I’m sure it will be of great assistance, in particular for the organisation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.” —- IOC
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