Sponsor Spotlight -- Panasonic Extension; Sharapova at Samsung Event

Panasonic will be an IOC TOP sponsor for another eight years, signing a deal with the IOC through 2024.

The deal, announced on Thursday, means Panasonic will have 40 years as an IOC partner in the elite TOP category. Panasonic’s first sponsorship was for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where the Japanese company provided the audio system and large-screen televisions for the main stadium.

Panasonic will maintain the rights to the audio visual category.

IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement, "This is a clear demonstration of Panasonic’s continuing belief in the Olympic values and the company’s global commitment to the Olympic Movement."

Kazuhiro Tsuga, president of Panasonic, added, "Today, we are proud to announce our commitment to support the Olympic Movement for a further eight years through to 2024. 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, the IOC’s marketing chief, said of Panasonic’s deal, "As a Japanese company with a long, global Olympic experience, I’m sure it will be of great assistance, in particular for the organization of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Currently, the IOC has 10 TOP Sponsors through the 2016 Olympics.

Sharapova Makes Appearance at Samsung Opening

Four-time Grand Slam tennis champion Maria Sharapova was the guest of honor at the Samsung Galaxy Studio opening in Sochi Olympic Park.

The former world number – who spent part of her childhood in Sochi – said she is excited for the world to get to know her hometown in the weeks ahead.

"Coming back to Russia means so much to me," Sharapova said. "It is so special and meaningful for me to have these Winter Games in Sochi.

"When I heard that the Olympics would be here, I was so happy because I always believed that Sochi is special and unique andI hope that the rest of the world will finally see that."

Sharapova said she plans on attending some figure skating events and will also be busy working as a correspondent for NBC Sports, showcasing her city to the American television audience.

Samsung will give all athletes participating at the Games a Samsung Note Three tablet. Timo Lumme, IOC television and marketing director, and Sharapova also praised Samsung’s new WOW app, which will provide stats and information about the Games while permitting fans around the world to send short messages to their favorite athletes.

Asked if the various challenges and controversies that have swirled around the lead-up to the Sochi Games would ultimately be detrimental to its overall success, Sharapova said, "I’m quite confident [in the success of Sochi]. It’s been many years in the making."

AT&T Condemns Anti-Gay Law

AT&T, a sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Committee, has issued a strong statement against the Winter Olympic host country.

"We support LGBT equality globally and we condemn violence, discrimination, and harassment targeted against LGBT individuals everywhere," said the telecommunications giant in a blog post.

The statement, AT&T said, was prompted by a request from the Human Rights Campaign for responses from major IOC sponsors to Russia’s anti-gay legislation. Though AT&T is not an IOC sponsor, it says it supports the campaign’s principles.

"AT&T should be recognized for showing true leadership in opposing this hateful Russian law, and other sponsors that have failed to lead should take corrective action immediately," said Human Rights Campaign on its website.

AT&T is the first major U.S. corporation to decry the law publicly.

Written by Ed Hula III, Nick Devilin, andBrian Pinelli

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