FIS MEDIA INFO: Cooperation extended until 2017: Audi presents FIS Alpine World Ski Championships

Sölden, 25.10.2012//--A success story will continue: just in time for the new Audi FIS Ski World Cup season. The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2015 and 2017 will continue to be held under the Audi flag. The company has reached an agreement with the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the rights holder and partner of FIS, to continue its Presenting Sponsorship commitment beyond Schladming 2013 to Vail (USA, 2015) and St. Moritz (Switzerland, 2017).

For two weeks last year, 130,000 fans and nearly 500 athletes experienced an action-packed ski racing event in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany under the symbol of the four rings. The preparations for the 2013 World Championships in Schladming, Austria, are well under way and the plan for the future is now confirmed as well: Audi will partner with the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships as Presenting Sponsor and with the athletes for the next five years.

“With athletes from more than 60 nations and worldwide visibility, the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are one of the major sporting events in winter,” says Luca de Meo, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales of AUDI AG. “We look forward to continuing to partner with the athletes beyond the next World Championships and to bring the Audi brand closer to all the spectators in an emotional and top-class sporting environment.”

Audi has previously accompanied the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz (SUI) in 2003, Bormio (ITA) in 2005, Åre (SWE) in 2007, Val d’Isère (FRA) in 2009 and in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 2011. The event in Schladming, Austria, will begin on 4th February 2013. Beaver Creek/Vail (USA) has been elected for 2015, and St. Moritz again for 2017.

Gian Franco Kasper, FIS President, welcomes the extension of the cooperation: “Audi has been partnering with FIS for the past decade and has done much for winter sport during this time. The brand’s commitment goes beyond the role of a sponsor. With fresh ideas, Audi continually gives the competitions new impulses. Together with the EBU, we look forward to three more World Championships together.”

Ingolfur Hannesson, Head of Sports Rights – Winter Sports, at the EBU, adds: “On the part of the EBU we greatly valued the excellent and professional cooperation with Audi on the occasion of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2011 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and are delighted to extend this partnership for another two editions, until St. Moritz in 2017. Audi’s commitment as Presenting Sponsor makes a crucial contribution to the quality, competitive edge in technology and innovation, and enhances the level of the entire event for all stakeholders.”

Audi has been active in winter sport for almost three decades, including partnering with fifteen National Ski Associations at present. In the 2002/2003 season, the Audi FIS Ski World Cup celebrated its premiere under the symbol of the four rings. Earlier this year, this commitment was extended as well, until 2018. The season opener in Sölden this weekend marks the beginning of a tour of 20 venues in Europe and North America for the athletes. In addition to the legendary Hahnenkamm weekend in Kitzbühel, the parallel slalom event on Munich’s Olympic Mountain on New Year’s Day is a highlight of the tour.

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About Audi

The Audi Group delivered 1,302,659 cars of the Audi brand to customers in 2011. In 2011, the Company posted revenue of €44.1 billion and an operating profit of €5.3 billion. Audi produces vehicles in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm (Germany), Győr (Hungary), Changchun (China) and Brussels (Belgium). The Audi Q7 is built in Bratislava (Slovakia). In July 2010, CKD production of the Audi Q5 was added to the existing Audi A4 and A6 manufacturing operations in Aurangabad (India). At the Brussels plant, production of the Audi A1 has been running since 2010, while production of the new A1 Sportback began in 2012. The Audi Q3 has been built in Martorell (Spain) since June 2011. The Company is active in more than 100 markets worldwide.

AUDI AG’s wholly owned subsidiaries include amongst others AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft. (Győr/Hungary), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant’Agata Bolognese/Italy), AUDI BRUSSELS S.A./N.V. (Brussels/Belgium), quattro GmbH in Neckarsulm and the sports bike manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna/Italy). Audi currently employs around 65,000 people worldwide, including around 48,000 in Germany. Between 2012 and 2016 the brand with the four rings is planning to invest a total of €13 billion – mainly in new products and the extension of production capacities – in order to sustain the Company’s technological lead embodied in its “Vorsprung durch Technik” claim. Audi is currently expanding its site in Győr (Hungary) and will start production in Foshan (China) in late 2013 and in San José Chiapa (Mexico) in 2016.

Audi has long been fulfilling its social responsibility on many levels – with the aim of making the future worth living for generations to come. The basis for Audi’s lasting success is therefore formed by environmental protection, the conservation of resources, international competitiveness and a forward-looking human resources policy. One example of AUDI AG’s commitment to environmental issues is the Audi Environmental Foundation. Within the context of “Vorsprung durch Technik,” which extends far beyond its products, the Company is directing its activities toward a major goal – comprehensive CO2-neutral mobility.

About FIS

FIS is the governing body for international skiing and snowboarding, founded in 1924 during the first Olympic Games in Chamonix, France. Recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIS manages the Olympic disciplines of Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding, including setting the international competition rules. Through its 115 member nations, more than 6’500 FIS ski and snowboard competitions are staged annually. Specific initiatives are undertaken by FIS to promote snow activities as a healthy leisure recreation, notably for the young.

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