Allianz Joins Top Programme
Insurance giant Allianz is to join the International Olympic Committee’s top-tier sponsorship programme, The Olympic Partners (TOP).
The German-based firm will become the Worldwide Olympic Insurance Partner in an eight-year deal that will run from 2021 to 2028.
It is the first new partnership to be announced for the post-2020 cycle, under a new joint marketing programme which sees global rights for the Olympic and Paralympic Games negotiated as a joint package. Last month, Visa became the first serving TOP to renew from 2020.
Allianz currently serves as an International Paralympic Partner – one of only two with global rights from outside the TOP programme.
The Munich-headquartered firm shares its home country with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and has been a strong supporter of the Paralympic movement since 2006.
Its expansion into Olympic sport follows speculation about the impact of the new joint rights packages, which had centred on the prospect of new brands coming into parasport.
Speaking at the Sport Industry Breakfast Club last week alongside Duncan Blake of BP, the other non-TOP IPC partner, IPC President Andrew Parsons said: “[This agreement] will make a big difference to our growth in many countries.
“In summary, it brings more money, clarity and activation – and this ability for NPCs [National Paralympic Committeees] to create local relationships.”
Under its new Olympic agreement, Allianz will work with the IOC to provide innovative and integrated insurance solutions to support the Olympic Movement, including the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games.
The support will include existing products, such as fleet and property & casualty insurance, but also insurance solutions for future products and services, driven by technological changes.
The sponsorship period will cover the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Olympic Winter Games 2026 and the Olympic Games LA 2028. In China, France and Spain, Allianz will already have marketing rights from 2019 onwards.
IOC president Thomas Bach commented: “This new partnership demonstrates the global appeal and strength of the Olympic Movement, and we are delighted to be working together in the long term with Allianz to support sport around the world.
“Allianz also has a strong sporting heritage and, in line with the Olympic Agenda 2020, we share a digital ambition of connecting with young people around the world to promote the Olympic values and the power of sport.”
Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte said: “I am thrilled that we are joining a global community of athletes and people enthusiastic about sport and team work – in addition to our existing strong partnership with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
“Through the IOC’s digital and social channels, we can connect with more people than ever before and offer them our expertise in insurance.
“We believe the world is a better place when people have the courage to leave differences behind and stand together to achieve better outcomes for themselves and for the societies they live in.”
Allianz will join a TOP programme that currently features 13 brands. Six existing TOP sponsor deals – GE, Atos, Coca-Cola, Dow, P&G and Samsung – are currently due to expire at the end of 2020.
