Insurer Allianz to sign up as Olympic Games sponsor for 2021-2028

[September 18, 2018]  By Karolos Grohmann

(Reuters) - German insurer Allianz on Tuesday agreed to become a global Olympic sponsor for a four-Games period between 2021-2028 in the latest addition to the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) top tier sponsorship program.

Allianz, eager to access the Games' young global audience and wider sports community, will see its logo used at the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles four years later, as well as the Winter Games in 2022 in Beijing and in 2026.

"This new partnership demonstrates the global appeal and strength of the Olympic movement," said IOC President Thomas Bach in a statement.

"We are delighted to be working together in the long term with Allianz to support sport around the world. Allianz has built a global business founded on trust."

The insurer, who will become the IOC's 14th top sponsor, will already have marketing rights in China, France and Spain from 2019 onwards.

The IOC said Allianz would work to provide "innovative and integrated insurance solutions to support the Olympic movement, including the organizing committees of the Olympic Games, with the ambition of providing those insurance solutions to the National Olympic Committees around the world and their Olympic teams and athletes."

The logo of insurer Allianz SE is seen on the company building in Puteaux at the financial and business district of La Defense near Paris, outside Paris, France, May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

Financial details of the deal were not released but media reports said the IOC was seeking around $50 million per year.

"I am thrilled that we are joining a global community of athletes and people enthusiastic about sport and team work – in addition to our existing strong partnership with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)," Allianz CEO Oliver Baete said in the statement.

"Through the IOC's digital and social channels, we can connect with more people than ever before and offer them our expertise in insurance."

Long-time Olympic sponsor Coca-Cola, Intel and Panasonic are also among the 14 IOC partners. Visa, another long-time sponsor, recently extended its contract with the IOC to 2032.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Christian Radnedge)

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