USA Luge and White Castle Slide Into Agreement -- Sponsor Spotlight

(ATR)White Castle and USA Luge are sliding into a two-year partnership.

The fast food organization known for its slider sandwiches will be the title sponsor of the off-season recruitment program called the White Castle USA Luge Slider Search.

USA Luge athletes, known as "sliders," have won five Olympic medals since the sport joined the Olympic program in 1964. Since 1994, USA sliders have won almost 600 elite level and junior international medals.

USA Luge has used the longstanding Slider Search recruitment effort to replenish the talent pool. The upcoming tour will kick off in White Castle’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio on May 13-14.

"This off-season tour is our pathway to finding new, young athletes that will one day become Olympians and Olympic medalists," said Gordy Sheer, USA Luge Director of Marketing and Sponsorships and 1998 Olympic silver medalist, said in a statement.

"The White Castle sponsorship will be crucial as we seek to expand the Slider Search. Plus, who can resist the ‘slider’ connection?"

"We have been serving The Original Slider® for nearly a century and pride ourselves on knowing a thing or two about sliders," said Lynn Blashford, vice president of marketing at White Castle.

"When we discovered that USA Luge was looking for the next generation of sliders, we knew that White Castle could help fuel their efforts and hopefully help them bring home coveted medals for many Winter Games to come."

2017 World Games Gains Olympic TV Producer

International Sports Broadcasting (ISB) managing directorManolo Romero is now an official Olympic TV producer for the 2017 World Games.

The ISB along with host broadcaster of the Games - Polish ATM - will live broadcast all events. The ISB have also partnered with the Olympic Channel to create a permanent place for viewers to watch the event around the world.

"Manolo Romero is the most experienced TV Producer of multi-sports games," International World Games Association president José Perurena said in a statement.

"He has broadcast several Olympic Games, and one cannot find anyone who understands the character of the Games better than him. I am very pleased to have Mr. Romero and the ISB on board."

The 2017 World Games will be held from July 20-30 in Wroclaw, Poland.

Japan-South Sudan Volleyball Connection

The Japan Sport Council is sending more than 1,000 volleyballs to South Sudan.

The JSC is working with the Japan Volleyball Association to distribute the balls along with other equipment in an effort to build sport programs in the country. Since its independence in 2010, South Sudan has faced civil war and other humanitarian crises.

Partnerships between the South Sudan Volleyball Association and its Japanese counterpart began in 2015 after a visit from Samuel Pawon, director of the SSVA. Pawon and other South Sudanese sport officials appealed to the JSC for help, a request the JSC was "pleased to respond" to, according to a release.

"It is hoped that South Sudan will start taking part in various international tournaments in future, and the Japan Sport Council hopes that the balls and equipment donated this time will help the sport flourish in South Sudan," the JSC said in a release.

"At the same time, the JSC intends to fully utilize... networks to keep up its active international contribution in the field of sport."

Written by Gerard Farek,Aaron BauerandCourtney Colquitt

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