Dow and USA Luge Renew Partnership -- Sponsor Spotlight

(ATR) Dow and USA Luge will remain partners through 2022.

The two organizations announced this week the renewal of Dow as the Official Technical Partner of the USA Luge team.

The partnership began in 2007 and has proven beneficial for both.

"The collaboration between Dow and USA Luge to seek advancement in sled design applies Dow’s extensive knowledge of the science of speed, pushing the boundaries of engineering possibilities to create breakthrough sporting experiences for athletes," said Mike Reed, vice president of Dow Olympic & Sports Solutions, in a statement.

"The innovations that we developed with the team have applications beyond sport and are an excellent business case for forging technical partnerships with high performance teams such as USA Luge."

Team USA Luge has seen historic successes at the Olympic Games with Erin Hamlin winning the first ever USA luge singles medal at Sochi 2014 with a bronze, followed by Chris Mazdzer’s first U.S. men’s singles medal at PyeongChang 2018.

"Our partnership with Dow has delivered advances in sled design that have helped U.S. athletes to race faster and with more control over the sled," said Mazdzer in a statement. "With races determined by thousandths of a second, every small adjustment matters."

Dow’s decision to stay with USA Luge could be viewed as a good sign for the IOC. Dow is one of five IOC TOP sponsors that have yet to decide whether to extend their agreements past 2020. The others are Coca-Cola, Atos, GE and P&G.

Team GB Lands Sponsor to Grow Grassroots Sport

The British Olympic Association is teaming up with leading UK house builder Persimmon Homes in a partnership that targets grassroots sport.

At the heart of the three-year deal is "Building Futures", Persimmon’s new national funding program which will distribute £1 million ($1.29 million) each year to assist in community sports, education, and arts and health initiatives for under-18s.

The scheme is being delivered through the Persimmon Charitable Foundation, which last year gave away £620,000 ($802,115) to support children’s sport.

The initiative will have Team GB Olympians attend community projects across the United Kingdom to personally present funds and see first-hand the impact the donations have on local communities.

"Over the next few years millions of pounds will be invested in new facilities," British Olympic Association Commercial Director Tim Ellerton said in a statement.

"The support of our partners enables us to take athletes to the Olympic Games and, without their funding, we would not be able to provide the platform for them to inspire the nation, be that in the boxing ring, in the pool or on the track."

Persimmon Homes marketing director Mark Cook adds that his company "will also be launching an initiative to retrain and find jobs for retiring athletes, supporting them through and beyond their sporting careers."

Written by Gerard Farek

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