Skandia spread their net

New sponsor announced for the British Olympic sailing team

The British sailing team preparing for the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 has today announced the signing of long-term savings group Skandia as its first ever title sponsor.

The sole and exclusive partnership was unveiled at a reception during the London Boat Show and will commence with immediate effect, providing vital funding for sailors in the run-up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The team will be referred to from now on as Skandia Team GBR 2008.

Great Britain is the world's top Olympic sailing nation, having topped the medal table at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. Skandia Team GBR 2008 is recognised today as one of the UK’s most successful sporting teams in terms of medal results and receives significant support from UK Sport through lottery funding.

Rod Carr, OBE and CEO of the Royal Yachting Association that manages and runs Skandia Team GBR 2008, stated today: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Skandia to our team as the Title Sponsor and to see the team evolve now to become ‘Skandia Team GBR 2008’. Skandia joins our existing partners of Gul International as Clothing Technology Partner, Alfred McAlpine PLC as a Silver Partner, Volvo as Official Team Car Supplier, Inchcape as Car Leasing Partner and Concept 2 as rowing equipment suppliers.

“We all recognise the commitment of Skandia to the sport of sailing through their involvement in Skandia Cowes Week and through the ongoing support to the Star sailing team of Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell and we are very much looking forward to winning medals together over the coming years!”

Andre Oszmann, Marketing Director for Skandia, commented: “We’re delighted to be the title sponsor of Skandia Team GBR 2008, which has been highly successful in bringing together the best of the best sailors across the range of Olympic sailing classes managed by a team of experts, to achieve medal-winning performance. At Skandia, our success is based on bringing together the best of the best fund managers across a range of sectors managed by a team of experts, to achieve market-leading performance for our pension and investment customers. It’s a perfect match! We’re also all about the long-term, which is why we’ve committed to support the team to at least 2008 alongside our title sponsorship of Skandia Cowes Week,which has run since 1995.”

Skandia Team GBR 2008 preparations for Beijing 2008 are already in full swing and an intensive programme of sailing covering both team training camps and regattas take place during 2006, 2007 and 2008. Stephen Park, Olympic Sailing Team Manager, elaborated, “During 2005 alone, Skandia Team GBR 2008 has won 32 medals at World and European Championships and Grade 1 Olympic regattas so we are in great shape. I am also most encouraged by the groundswell of enthusiastic, talented and determined young sailors now coming through our Development and Transitional squads which bodes well for medal winning in London 2012. China is sure to present challenges to Skandia Team GBR 2008 as well as other teams but we have already established a first class set up out there and are gaining invaluable knowledge of local conditions.”

Iain Percy, Olympic Gold medallist currently campaigning a Star Boat with Steve Mitchell, as well as being helmsman for the +39 America’s Cup Team, added “I have personally been supported in my Olympic sailing campaigns since 2002 by Skandia and so I am very excited that they are moving forward in their commitment to British sailing for Beijing 2008 (and hopefully beyond!) in such a major way. I am certain that we will all benefit from what is sure to be a rewarding and long lasting relationship.”