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24
HOUR FITNESS® BECOMES FIRST OFFICIAL FITNESS CENTER SPONSOR OF
U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM
Partnership to Offer Eligible US Olympic
Hopefuls Access to Local Fitness Centers Nationwide
SAN RAMON, Calif. (April 28, 2003) -
24 Hour Fitness today announced its official sponsorship of the US Olympic
Team, the first ever by a national fitness operator. The agreement designates
24 Hour Fitness the exclusive official fitness center of the US Olympic Team
through the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The sponsorship automatically grants future
24 Hour Fitness memberships to eligible US athletes training for the Olympic
Games and Olympic Winter Games. In addition, the company will upgrade the US
Olympic Training Centers in Colorado Springs, Colo., Lake Placid, N.Y. and
Chula Vista, Calif., with the same state-of-the-art equipment found in all
300+ 24 Hour Fitness locations nationwide. 24 Hour Fitness will also provide
cutting edge athletic training equipment at High Performance Centers for the
US Teams at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece 2004 and Beijing, China 2008;
and the Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy 2006.
As part of its sponsorship, 24 Hour Fitness
will work with the USOC's Sports Science and Sports Medicine Divisions to
research and develop specialized programs to support the training of US
Olympic hopefuls as well as 24 Hour Fitness' members.
The 24 Hour Fitness sponsorship includes
advertising and promotional use of US Olympic marks and graphics for
advertising and marketing purposes.
"This is one of the most exciting days
in our 20-year history," said Mark S. Mastrov, Chairman and CEO of 24
Hour Fitness Worldwide. "The synergies between the USOC and 24 Hour
Fitness are unparalleled. We are thrilled to be a part of the US Olympic
movement and with our goal being that this USOC partnership will enhance our
ability to inspire people to make fitness a way of life."
"This is the beginning of a tremendous
partnership that gets to the core of our mission to train and support
America's top athletes as they strive to achieve their Olympic dreams,"
said Jim Scherr, USOC Chief of Sport Performance. "For the first time in
our history, athletes will benefit from 24 Hour Fitness' network of
state-of-the-art fitness centers, which operate at any hour of the day, seven
days a week."
A long-time supporter of Olympic sports, 24
Hour Fitness' existing sponsorship of six National Governing Bodies (NGBs),
including USA Track & Field, USA Volleyball, USA Weightlifting, USA Water
Polo, USA Softball and USA Wrestling, has already helped numerous athletes
achieve their Olympic dreams.
"As an Olympic gold medalist, I couldn't
be happier to see 24 Hour Fitness support the USOC," said 24 Hour Fitness
Magic Johnson Sport Club namesake Earvin "Magic" Johnson. "Our
goal at 24 Hour Fitness is to make fitness a way of life for everyone. This US
Olympic sponsorship speaks volumes about our commitment to helping people
achieve their fitness dreams and goals."
Using the sponsorship as a platform, 24 Hour
Fitness will develop a full array of marketing initiatives designed to
increase brand awareness while providing numerous benefits to 24 Hour Fitness
members, partners and athletes. To start, 24 Hour Fitness plans to create new
US Olympic-themed training programs and classes in all its clubs.
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