Comcast recently announced it will be the official broadcaster of the US Ski and Snowboard team beginning with the competitions leading up to the 2020 Winter Olympics. The partnership will last for several years and will feature the XFINITY logo on athletes’ uniforms, starting with the FIS Ski World Cup tour, kicking off later this month. In return, the team gets communications support and a broader range of exposure around the world.
Comcast isn’t the first supporter to significantly bolster the US Ski and Snowboard team. A group of eight elites—all of whom have spent years providing the team with financial, organizational, and instructional support—will be inducted into the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame’s class of 2017 next spring. Thom Weisel, renowned Silicon Valley businessman and athlete in his own right; Marty Hall, longtime cross country ski coach and inventor; and six other athletes and sports builders will be celebrated next April at Squaw Valley, where the 1960 Winter Games took place.
Meanwhile, the Park City, Utah-based team will begin its partnership with Comcast in November, when the team’s World Cup tour stops in Killington and Beaver Creek. XFINITY will also sponsor the women’s FIS Ski World Cup weekend at Killington Resort on November 25-26, which will be broadcast on NBC and NBCSN.
“We are excited to support Team USA and all of the incredible athletes empowered by US Ski and Snowboard,” said Comcast’s Executive Director of Partnership Marketing, Matt Lederer. “…We are proud to partner with [the team] and help athletes, teams, coaches, parents, and volunteers in communities across the country to progress skiing and snowboarding and achieve success.”
“This global partnership with Comcast reflects the stature of our athletes and events and the impact they have in both the US and international sports market,” said US Ski and Snowboard Chief Commercial Officer Dan Barnett. “It’s a comprehensive approach to supporting both the athletes who compete and the events in which they participate, which is a great endorsement both here in America and around the world.”
This isn’t the first time Comcast has been the sponsor of Team USA. In March of this year, the US Olympic Committee announced that Comcast would be the presenting sponsor of the Team USA Champions Series through 2020. The series covers both the Summer and Winter Olympics and will award Comcast the ability to broadcast athletes year-round on NBCUniversal.
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