Citi Renews as Official Bank Partner of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams through 2016 | Sports Destination Management

Citi Renews as Official Bank Partner of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams through 2016

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Apr 24, 2013
Four-Year Partnership with U.S. Olympic Committee Builds On Success of Citi's First Team USA Sponsorship in 2012

Citi and the United States Olympic Committee announced today that Citi will continue its support of Team USA as the official bank partner of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams through 2016. To mark its 200th anniversary, Citi was an official sponsor of Team USA in 2012 for the first time in the company's history.

"We are excited to continue our support of Team USA through the 2016 Games in Brazil," said Citi CEO Michael Corbat. "Our first-ever USOC sponsorship last year proved to be a meaningful platform to engage colleagues while showcasing our innovative banking products to clients and consumers. Supporting our U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls on their journey from ambition to achievement captures how we aspire to help our clients reach their goals and we are proud to be a part of the Olympic Movement."

"We are proud to announce our continued partnership with Citi through 2016," said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. "Citi continues to demonstrate a deep commitment to supporting the inspiring journeys of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes, journeys that wouldn't be possible without the generous support of our loyal sponsors. We were thrilled to see Citi celebrate its 200th anniversary last year during the 2012 Games, and we look forward to Citi launching its third century in partnership with the 2014 and 2016 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams."

For its first-ever Team USA sponsorship in 2012, Citi announced a $500,000 donation to the USOC, above and beyond its sponsorship, to launch the Every Step of the Way program to benefit U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sport Programs and support future hopefuls and athletes of all ages in communities across America.

As part of its sponsorship, Citi executed the largest, most integrated national advertising and marketing campaign for a U.S. sponsorship in the company's history. The campaign, which featured 13 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic members of Team Citi -- a mix of qualifiers, hopefuls and legends -- included broadcast, print, out-of-home, digital, events, promotions and retail activation.  Citi earned "Cause-Related Campaign of the Year" for the Every Step of the Way campaign at PR Week's annual awards.

The variety of ads encouraged viewers to join the Every Step of the Way movement and highlighted some of Citi's most competitive and innovative banking products, including Mobile Check Deposit, Citibank® Popmoney®, and the ThankYou® Points sharing app.

In the year leading up to the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, Citi brought the Olympic Spirit to Citi sites and locations across the country. Through the Citi Team USA Flag-Raising Tour, 25,000 employees and local students  had the opportunity to meet Olympic and Paralympic athletes, hear their inspirational stories and show their support for Team USA. Tour stops included Citi sites in Sioux Falls, S.D., Irving, Texas, Tucson, A riz., Jacksonville, Fla., Hagerstown, Md., Elk Grove Village, Ill., Long Island City, N.Y., and its headquarters in New York City.

For more than 200 years, Citi's mission has been to enable progress and support clients on their journey from ambition to achievement. By supporting the athletes of Team USA on their journey, Citi affirms this commitment and complements the USOC's mission of supporting U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes in achieving sustained competitive excellence.

In addition to continuing its support of the USOC, Citi will once again collaborate with NBCUniversal, the official U.S. media rightsholder of the Olympic Games.   

About Citi: Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

*Citi's USOC partnership  and media rights include U.S. corporate and investment banking, retail banking and commercial banking.

About the USOC : Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., the U.S. 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.

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