U.S. Olympic Committee Announces Road to Rio Tour

The United States Olympic Committee has announced details of the Road to Rio Tour presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance. The nine-stop tour will circle the country from July 4, 2015, to Sept. 10, 2016, bringing the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Team USA fans. Tour elements will include interactive sport participation, virtual-reality experiences, athlete meet and greets, Team USA giveaways and sponsor engagement. 

New to the “Road to…” tour series, the Rio edition will expand to the year before the Games, giving fans access to Team USA athletes and experiences earlier than ever before, and heightening awareness and excitement for the Rio Games in the buildup to 2016. Also new is the addition of an athlete spokesperson for the tour, Olympic gymnastics champion Nastia Liukin, who will make appearances at various cities throughout the 2015-16 schedule. The five-time Olympic medalist in gymnastics captured the gold medal in the women’s all-around at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

“The Road to Rio Tour is an incredible way for me to meet Team USA fans who share the same passion and love for the Olympic and Paralympic Games as I do,” said Liukin. “The USOC and its sponsors have created a truly unique experience that brings the Games directly to the fans, while helping fund athletes in pursuing their dreams. Each stop will serve as a true celebration of Olympic and Paralympic sport and a way for fans to experience the energy of the Games.” 

The tour will make three stops in 2015 and six in 2016 leading up to the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The 2015 stops will feature athlete meet and greets and virtual-reality technology, allowing fans to experience pole vaulting, beach volleyball, gymnastics and diving. Using green-screen technology, fans can also capture their own Olympic moment. In 2016, the Road to Rio Tour will add additional interactive sport-participation elements, including a basketball and beach volleyball court, zip line and stage for live entertainment. 

"We’re thrilled to return as presenting sponsor of the ‘Road to…’ tour series and we’re looking forward to bringing the passion of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movements to fans of Team USA, including our tens of thousands of hard-working and service-focused employees, all across the country,” said John Coombe, vice president of Brand Management and Sponsorships for Liberty Mutual Insurance. “We know that support from fans and sponsors is a crucial element in an athlete’s Olympic journey as they strive toward achieving their personal bests, and the Road to Rio Tour, presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance, will help to engage, educate and excite fans of Team USA over the next year.”

The USOC has continued to grow and enhance its marketing activation platforms to bring the Olympic and Paralympic movements to life in the United States, while providing USOC sponsors with opportunities to engage with fans. Proud associate sponsors supporting the Road to Rio Tour presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance include airweave, AT&T, BP, Citi, Kellogg’s and Samsung. AT&T will also serve as the stage sponsor.

All Road to Rio Tour stops are free and open to the public. The tour will make the following stops in 2015-16:
 

For more information about the Road to Rio Tour, visit TeamUSA.org/RoadToRio.

Road to… Launching prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games, the “Road to…” campaigns have brought the spirit and excitement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Team USA fans across the country. The Road to London Tour featured four sponsors, while the Road to Sochi Tour, presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance, grew to 10. The USOC capped the Road to Rio Tour sponsors at seven, with Liberty Mutual Insurance once again presenting, and joined by six associate sponsors and a stage sponsor category. More than 200 Team USA athletes have participated in 43 “Road to…” stops in 35 cities throughout the United States. 

100 Day Countdown: The 100 Day Countdown event has become a celebrated commemoration prior to each Olympic Games. A slew of Team USA athletes will showcase their Olympic and Paralympic skills in New York City’s iconic Times Square while fans partake in interactive sport elements on April 27, 2016. Media credentialing will open in 2016. Visit TeamUSA.org/RoadToRio for more information. 

About the USOC: Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Olympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. As such, the USOC is responsible for the training, entering and funding of U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, while serving as a steward of the Olympic and Paralympic movements throughout the country. For more information, visit TeamUSA.org.

About Liberty Mutual Insurance: Liberty Mutual Insurance helps people preserve and protect what they earn, build, own and cherish.  Keeping this promise means we are there when our policyholders throughout the world need us most.

In business since 1912 and headquartered in Boston, Mass., today Liberty Mutual Insurance is a diversified insurer with operations in 30 countries and economies around the world.  The company is the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2013 direct premiums written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.  Liberty Mutual Insurance also ranks 76th on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2013 revenue.  

Liberty employs more than 50,000 people in approximately 900 offices throughout the world, and offers a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, accident & health, commercial automobile, general liability, property, surety, workers compensation, group disability, group life, specialty lines, reinsurance, and individual life and annuity products.

Liberty Mutual Insurance is the official property and casualty and life insurance partner of the U.S. Olympic Committee for the 2016 Olympic Games and 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The company also is the proud sponsor and partner of several national governing bodies, including ASA/USA Softball, USRowing, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, U.S. Soccer Federation, US Youth Soccer, USA Hockey, USA Volleyball, USA Water Polo and USA Wrestling.