Sponsor Spotlight - Sponsorship Money for Figure Skating; London Gains Sponsor

New Stars in Figure Skating Rise from Asia

Two of the top three finishers in the ladies event come from Asia. (Getty Images)Sponsorship money follows the stars in figure skating, IMG's Jay Ogden tells Around the Rings. He notes that about 60 percent of the sponsors at this week's World Figure Skating Championships are Asian. Another 30 percent are Europe-based, leaving 10 percent from North America.

Three of the top four finishers in Saturday night's ladies event are from Asia, which has captured the last three ladies crowns. Yu-Na Kim of South Korea won with a world record of 207.71 points, becoming the first female skater to surpass 200 points under the current judging system. Miki Ando of Japan, the 2007 world champion, was third, while teammate Mao Asada, the 2008 world champion, dropped to fourth.

"The secret to this is obviously the stars," Ogden says. "Where are the stars coming from?"

Ogden, IMG senior vice president and managing director for events and federations, has been negotiating sponsorship deals for the International Skating Union for about 20 years.

"For skating it's great that the ISU spent the money they did 10 years ago to develop skating in Asia," Ogden says.

"The ISU made a decision to put development money into Asia, particularly in Japan and Korea, and here's the result - 10 years later you have great skaters coming out of those markets, and consequently you have great sponsors coming out of those markets, too."

Joannie Rochette of Canada won the silver medal while the top U.S. skater was Rachael Flatt in fifth place.

"In North America, quite honestly a lot of Olympic-type sports are down,"

Ogden says. "They don't get the support perhaps that they deserve. And consequently, that's a reflection sometimes of the athletes, of results." The step and repeat background with sponsor logos is a must at press conferences, this one for Russian ice dancing champions Maxim Shabalin and Oksana Domnina. (ATR/Panasonic: Lumix)

That could turn around, Ogden says, with the ascent of Evan Lysacek, who became the first U.S. male skater to win a world title since Todd Eldredge in 1996.

"I think that's huge," Ogden says. "Certainly that's going to help in terms of interest in the sport here in North America."

Russia won the ice dancing crown and Germany won the pairs, while two of the top four pairs were Chinese.

Ogden says the spread of medals across different countries "is extremely important for the future and is the foundation of the sport, because then if every country can have a hero, or a potential hero, that obviously helps the stars."

The ISU has a limit of 14 sponsors at an ISU World Championships. However, Ogden couldn't sell all 14 spots in Los Angeles because the rink at the Staples Center is slightly smaller than previous rinks and couldn't accommodate so many names on the rink boards.

The sponsors are Acom, Asience, Cellier des Dauphins, Citizen, Click, Guinot, Kyocera, Maruhan, Mary Cohr, Olympus, Smuckers, and a Japanese household products company whose name is written only in Japanese characters.

None of the companies are Korean.

Smuckers is based in Ohio, while Olympus and Citizen have major U.S. divisions.

Guinot, a French-based salon, beauty and haircare company, has been with the ISU for a decade. "They obviously believe in the sport," Ogden says.

"They've gotten great results out of the sport and they're going to continue to"It was a smacker," says British skater Jenna McCorkell about her fall in front of the sign for sponsor Smucker's. (Getty Images)be with us for the foreseeable future."

Sponsors get great visibility on the rink boards. "That's a reflection of the fact that this is not a speed sport," Ogden says, "so you have a lot of action in front of all the boards. For example, spins are in front of

boards, you have people falling in front of boards, people start and stop in front of boards."

There are no tiers, but sponsors have exclusivity in their type of product or service.

Ogden said the deals were negotiated two or three years ago, well before the economic took a turn for the worse, but he has renewed almost 90 percent for

the 2010 Worlds to be held in Turin, the 2006 Olympic host city.

"The reason we have the 90 percent retention rate is a reflection of the ISU's success in terms of global TV exposure," Ogden says. "The World Figure Skating Championships is one of the Top 10 sports in the world in terms of TV exposure, the amount of people that actually watch the sport."

Another reflection of the Asian flavor in sponsorships could be found in the main corporate suite at the Staples Center. Most of the food was Asian, including sushi, fried rice and Asian lettuce wraps.

Skaters Ink New Deals

The economic crisis has slowed sponsorship deals for figure skaters, but hasn't stopped them cold.

"In the last few months, I've learned that if a company really wants an athlete, if they really want to work with a certain celebrity, they will find the means to do it and create a program that is tailor-made to exactly what they want," Yuki Saegusa, an IMG senior vice president, tells ATR.

Saegusa represents Lysacek, IMG senior VP Yuki Saegusa (right), with 1992 Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi in the press room at the World Championships (ATR/Panasonic: Lumix)the U.S. skater who already had a Coca-Cola deal in his pocket before winning his first world title on Thursday.

"It's very recent," says Saegusa. She said Lysacek is part of an Olympic program the worldwide soft drink company is putting together in the one-year-out ramp-up to the Olympics.

Saegusa says men's figure skating is finally getting corporate attention and interest after playing second-fiddle to the ladies side for so long

"Evan's such an eloquent spokesperson, articulate (and) intelligent," Saegusa says. "I think a lot of companies really like that quality about him.

"The women are still the flower of the sport. I'd hate to say that (the U.S. women) are not very good now. Hopefully they will be. One year out, when you're thinking of what corporations want, they want someone that they can kind of bank on. If they're looking at someone like Evan Lysacek who just won World Championships, well, there's a good possibility that he'll be at Olympics and he'll do well."

Kimmie Meissner, the 2006 world champion from the U.S., was thought to be

the future of the sport in her country until she was derailed by injuries.

She wasn't competing at Worlds, but still has contracts.

"Kimmie has a tremendous Under Armour relationship," Saegusa said. "If you go to major sporting good stores, she's featured on placards and point of sale (ads). She's also VISA's spokesperson for the Olympic Games."

Saegusa said the deals were done two years ago. The Under Armour contract is

for three years, while VISA's goes through the Olympics.

London 2012 Gets Another Sponsor

London 2012 gained another tier-three sponsor after Crystal CG became the official digital graphic services supplier Tuesday.

Crystal CG, based in Beijing, becomes London’s 16th sponsor and gives London 2012 an additional $14.7 million in domestic sponsorship money.

“It is encouraging for our commercial program that in these difficult economic times, many companies are thinking about the long-term importance of maintaining investment in marketing and business development projects,” London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe said.

Crystal CG was involved with the Beijing Olympics and becomes the first Chinese company to sponsor the London Olympics.

Coca-Cola Launches Environmental Plan for Vancouver 2010

Coca-Cola is launching its holistic plan to minimize its environmental impact at the 2010 Olympics and will give Canadians who reduce and recycle the chance to carry the Olympic Flame.

Coca-Cola partnered with WWF-Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation to determine steps to reduce its carbon footprint at the Games.

“We are excited by Coke’s commitment to introducing an Olympic Games Sustainability Program at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and its efforts to support Canadians in living more sustainable lives,” WWF-Canada President and CEO Gerald Butts said.

In addition to its environmental plan, Coca-Cola is also giving Canadians who recycle, conserve energy or water or set examples of environmental sustainability a special opportunity.

“Coca-Cola’s Olympic plan offers all Canadians the chance to carry the Olympic flame by making a personal commitment -- big or small -- to sustainability,” Coca-Cola Communications Director Dave Moran said.

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games offer Hospitality Packages

The World Games 2010 Foundation is offering fans and businesses various ways to experience the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games after launching its Hospitality Program.

“We want to help our visitors relax and enjoy the splendor of the world’s most prestigious equestrian event,” Hospitality Director Kimberley Bennett said.

“Our hospitality program provides an elegant, sophisticated atmosphere to enjoy the 2010 Games in a way that will impress our patrons and their guests.”

The hospitality packages will include first-class event tickets, passes to the Main VIP Hospitality Pavilion, and give the holders the first selection of preferred hotels, concierge services and parking.

More information on the packages can be found at www.alltechfeigames.com

Vancouver Chef Rescues Canada’s Olympic Team

After losing federal Own-the-Podium funding, Canada’s ski jumping team has gained a new sponsor.

Vancouver gourmet food chef Lesley Stowe agreed to a one-year $100,000 sponsorship deal with the team. Stowe’s company makes Raincoast Crisps snack foods.

“It’s like a life raft being thrown to us,” Ski Jumping Canada chair Brent Morrice said.

“This is fantastic timing. By stepping up like this, Lesley has ensured we will continue to develop men and women to become future Olympians.”

Canada’s ski jumping team lost Own-the-Podium funding because it does not have any medal prospects.

“Our company had been thinking about how we could somehow get involved with the Olympics and support something that needed help,” Lesley said.

The sponsorship gives the team a new name, Lesley Stowe Fine Foods’ Canadian Ski Jumping Team, for a year.

Briefs…

…LOCOG has partnered with JCDecaux to gain exclusive outdoor rights for Olympic sponsors. JCDecaux will allow LOCOG to reserve outdoor sites such as billboards, roadsides and buses for sponsors March-June 2011.

…Athletic goods producer Mizuno revealed its new lightweight fabric swimsuit Thursday. The SST-100 series swimsuits, engineered to improve movement and limit drag through the water, will debut in select stores April 15 in Japan.

…ASICS has become the Official Partner and Exclusive Sponsor of footwear, apparel and accessories of USA Field Hockey. The multi-year partnership makes it the largest corporate partnership in U.S. Field Hockey’s history.

Written by Karen Rosen and Isia Reaves.