The return of that beaming smile

Magnus Olsen to sail on board Ericsson Nordic boat

Ericsson Racing Team has recruited veteran Magnus "Mange" Olsson as a crewmember on the Nordic crew in the next Volvo Ocean Race. For Olsson it will be the sixth time he sails around the world. Skipper Anders Lewander says: "We have loads of youthful enthusiasm, desire and strength. Now we'll bring aboard experience and knowledge."

Mange Olsson sailed his first yacht race round the world in 1985, when the race was still known as the Whitbread. He won with EF in 1997-98, and placed second with Assa Abloy in 2001-2002. In the most recent Volvo Ocean Race in 2005-2006, he was Technical Director for Ericsson Racing Team, but did not take part on board.

But now, at the age of 59, he's ready to get back into the thick of it. "I don't see my age as an issue. I'm in good shape and I feel I have a lot to contribute on board in this race," says Mange.

Olsson has been working with this edition of Ericsson Racing Team since mid-2006 when Ericsson announced it would participate in the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race. Mange has been acting as coach for the Nordic crew and has assisted skipper Anders Lewander with training and recruiting.

"The idea of getting Mange on board has grown slowly but surely. He sails with us every day and his knowledge and experience are invaluable," says Anders Lewander, who finally asked Mange to participate not just as coach, but on board during the actual race.

"I hesitated for a second, but just for a second," laughs Mange. "But I can't imagine anything more fun. I would have said no if I didn't think I was capable," he says.

With barely six months to go before the start, the Nordic crew consists of: Swedish skipper Anders Lewander; Thomas Johanson from Finland; Jens Dolmer and Stefan Myrälf from Denmark; Norwegian navigator Aksel Magdahl, and Swedish crewmembers Martin Krite, Martin Strömberg and Anders Dahlsjö.

Ericsson Racing Team has its training base on Puerto Calero, Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. The two crews are training and preparing for the Volvo Ocean Race, which will start from Alicante, Spain, in October 2008.

Ericsson's participation in the Volvo Ocean Race is a platform for driving sales. The race gives the company an unrivalled opportunity to reach customers around the world, spend quality time discussing joint opportunities and challenges, as well as showcasing how Ericsson's solutions can help them develop relationships with enterprises and consumers.

With the new race course taking the fleet to stops in the India and China, Ericsson will be able to reach further into these important growth regions.