Business news :ARENA AND THE ITALIAN SWIMMING FEDERATION ANNOUNCE FOUR-YEAR SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT

Global swimwear company Arena and the Italian Swimming Federation have signed a sponsorship agreement for a term of four years.

As part of the new partnership, which will run from January 2013 to December 2016, Arena will be the exclusive technical sponsor of the national swimming, water polo, diving, synchronized swimming, open water, and rescue teams, as well as group and race officials.

"The Italian Swimming Federation particularly appreciates the interest shown by Arena, a leader of the watersport movement,” said Paolo Barelli, President of the Italian Swimming Federation. "We have been affiliated with the Tolentino company for almost ten of its 40 years in business, and have noted its professional excellence and global interactions, delivering a guarantee of quality and reliability. With this partnership we return after four years to Team Arena alongside prestigious nations, ready to make our contribution to further enhance an already virtuous system with our champions, who are at the apex of a movement with over 1.500.000 registered athletes from clubs and the federal swimming schools, and five million participants. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jaked, official supplier of the national teams, and technical sponsors Yamamay and Carpisa for their support and contributions over four years of success."

The agreement – which provides for synergies in the promotion and dissemination of watersport disciplines throughout the country, including important joint marketing and communication activities – restores a proven successful collaboration over two prior four-year periods up until the eve of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"We are extremely proud of this agreement with the Italian Federation until 2016, which comes at an important stage in Arena’s history,” said Cristiano Portas, CEO of the Arena Group. "At the London Olympics we achieved our best-ever results in terms of medals won by the federations and athletes that we sponsor. Furthermore, our latest competition swimsuit, POWERSKIN Carbon-Pro, has obtained such widespread approval and success as to be identified as a symbol of ‘the color of victory’. The agreement with the Italian Federation comes on Arena’s 40th anniversary, and we firmly believe that the technical partnership and communication will greatly contribute to the growth of swimming and water sports in Italy, attracting many talented youngsters to these wonderful aquatic disciplines. This association with the Italian Federation is the natural evolution of a long history over the past 30 years, featuring many successes for Italian swimming and water sports. Today Arena, one of the world leaders in the watersports product market, is able to offer the Italian Federation technical equipment of superior quality, and to guarantee constant evolution thanks to the work done by our R&D team in collaboration with a global network of preeminent scientific institutions."

The agreement was reached with the common desire to support the growth and development of water sports in Italy at all levels, from beginners to the top athletes in the country.

"It's with great satisfaction that we announce after a four-year absence that Arena will once again be the official sponsor and technical partner of the Italian Swimming Federation,” said Enrico Maria Tricarico, Director General of Arena Italy. "Today we are sponsor of 15 of the best federations in the world, including, as recently announced, the US Swimming Federation, but for a large Italian company, to be the sponsor of the federation of their country is a goal that goes far beyond mere economic value. This new agreement also launches a new challenge: to be a prestigious partner in the promotion of the major watersport disciplines in Italy by growing the number of enthusiasts and members, and the return of Arena to the garrison of pools will be the first step in this direction. The success of Arena over these past forty years is the result of the victories of those great champions who chose and continue to choose to wear our increasingly high-performing products, as well as the trust placed by the many fans that engage daily in watersports who have chosen our brand."

( Source Arena International )