In the world of business, as in the world of sports, excellence seeks out excellence. It makes perfect sense, then, that the BMW Group would become involved as the Official Mobility Partner of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), allowing the two organizations to combine their resources and create the best possible support environment for U.S. Olympic athletes.
The automaker first became involved in the Olympic movement in 1972 when the games were held on its home soil in Munich, Germany. BMW picked up the torch once again in 1996 when it sponsored both the U.S. Olympic Team and the Atlanta games as a whole. BMW’s current USOC partnership is set to run through 2016, alongside BMW UK’s support of the 2012 London games. The BMW Group has also expanded its Olympic involvement to also include a similar Mobility Partnership with four of America’s National Governing Bodies, covering the sports of bobsledding, skeleton, speedskating, swimming and track & field.
BMW will be contributing more than deep financial support for American athletes; it will also employ the technology it has developed in the pursuit of building some of the world’s finest automobiles to improve the training efforts of both Olympic and Paralympic participants. “We are excited to share our resources, which include some of the world’s leading engineers and technology experts…with U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes,” said Jack Pitney, Vice President of Marketing for BMW North America when the company’s sponsorship was initially announced. At the time, Pitney shared the stage with celebrated short track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno and USOC Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Baird in New York City.
It will not be difficult to spot BMW’s Olympic presence over the course of the next few years. Not only will BMW be present at each major event organized by the U.S. National Governing Bodies in the buildup to the London games in 2012, but BMW Group will also be actively involved at each of the nation’s three Olympic Training Centers where personnel will assist in the development of programs for the athletes living at these facilities. In addition to its USOC sponsorship, BMW will lend a hand during the country’s participation at the Pan American and Parapan games in 2011 and 2015. All of this is on top of the company’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness and support for American athletes as they march toward the gold.
BMW’s USOC partnership and involvement in the 2012 London Olympic games are an important part of the brand’s dedication to sportsmanship, competition and the spirit of international cooperation – values shared by BMW and by Olympic athletes the world over.
