FIS MEDIA INFO: Polar named “Official FIS Timing Partner for Cross-Country and Nordic Combined World Cups”

Oberhofen (SUI)/Kempele (FIN), 27th November, 2007/ -- The International Ski Federation (FIS) and Polar Electro Oy, the pioneer and leader of heart rate training systems, announced a new cooperation whereby Polar will become an official “FIS Partner” and the “FIS Official Timing Partner for Cross-Country and Nordic Combined World Cups.” The agreement is effective immediately and will cover all events within these FIS disciplines during the 2007/2008 season.

Under the agreement, Polar will bring its long-term experience in heart rate monitoring and exercise physiology to the world of Cross-Country Skiing and Nordic Combined in order to develop the understanding and interest in these sports. Polar and heart rate based exercise guidance are, and have been for many years, a core element of athlete performance training.

Using Polar's advanced telemetry solutions, the two partners will work together to collect and distribute this athlete specific performance data to the TV audiences in a simple and easy to understand format. Simon Drabble, Marketing Cooperation Manager, Polar Electro Oy, explained: “Live heart rate data is an extremely valuable tool for creating an insight that enhances the understanding of the physical demands of the sport. Delivering this athlete specific information allows people to form a closer and stronger affiliation to the sport itself.”

“We are pleased to cooperate with Polar that has established itself as one of the leading providers of advanced training tools for the Cross-Country and Nordic Combined athletes world-wide,” said FIS President Gian Franco Kasper. “We are always striving to find ways to better present our sports and enhance the value to our TV viewers. The inclusion of interesting details provided in a user-friendly manner helps the audiences better understand the sport overall and especially the developments in a particular race.”

“Polar's connection to the world of Cross-Country Skiing is firmly embedded in the 30 year history of the company and we are proud to have been given this opportunity,” commented Sari Säynäjäkangas, CEO, Polar Electro Group. “It was 1975 when our Company's founder, met up with an old friend at the local ski track in Kempele, Finland. His friend, a Cross-Country Skiing coach, was frustrated by the fact that there was no way to accurately record his team's heart rate during training. Thus, the idea for a portable, wireless heart rate monitor was born.”

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About Polar

Polar Electro Oy, founded in 1977 in Finland, is the world's leading manufacturer of sports instruments and heart rate monitoring, registering and evaluation equipment. Headquartered near Oulu in Finland, Polar Electro operates internationally in over 80 countries. For more information, please visit www.polar.fi

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