PUMA's Leap of Faith in Volvo Ocean Race

PUMA's Leap of Faith in Volvo Ocean Race

March 30, 2007

    PORTSMOUTH, England, March 30 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
PUMA, the global sports lifestyle company, has announced
today that it will enter a boat in the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean
Race - the world's most challenging fully-crewed round the
world sailing event.
 
    PUMA's decision underlines the race's stature as a
compelling marketing platform. It comes after confirmation
from telecommunications giant Ericsson that it will
participate again following its entry in the 2005-06 event.
Further announcements will be made in the next few months
with entries from Europe, the Americas and Asia.

    PUMA will also become the official supplier of replica
merchandise for the event, which starts in October next
year.

    "We are thrilled to announce PUMA's entry into the
Volvo Ocean Race - one of the world's iconic sporting
events," said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO, PUMA AG.
"The race's global reach, lifestyle appeal and true
sporting characteristics match the PUMA brand perfectly and
provide PUMA with exciting new opportunities to make a mark
in the world of sailing, on and off the water. This
continues our strategy to expand into new product
categories and explore the potential of the brand."

    In 2005-06, the Dutch banking group ABN AMRO recognised
the race's commercial appeal with a two-boat campaign. Last
week ABN AMRO scooped Britain's Hollis Sponsorship of the
Year Trophy for the sponsorship value it gained from the
race.

    In a unique marketing tie-up, Walt Disney used the race
in 2005-06 as an eight-month rolling billboard for the
global launch of the sequel to Pirates of The Caribbean.

    Commenting on the latest high-profile sponsor for the
event, Glenn Bourke, the Volvo Ocean Race CEO, said:
"This race is hugely demanding psychologically,
physically and emotionally and we are confident that our
new partner PUMA has what it takes to support the sailors
with high quality and innovative lifestyle products.

    "The new markets the race is going to - India,
China and the Middle East - have an enormous interest in
the human drama of the race. People can get their brain
around sailing round the world for nine months in
debilitating conditions. That's a story of interest to the
Joe Public who has no understanding of sailing in general.
It's a story that is broadening in its appeal
globally."

    Formerly The Whitbread Round the World Race, the
2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race will be the 10th running of the
iconic marathon. Spanning 39,000 nautical miles, the race
takes in five oceans and stops in 11 ports on four
continents over nine months. Starting from Alicante, Spain,
it will for the first time, take in ports in China, India
and the Middle East.

    The exploits of the crews in the 2005-06 race were
watched by a cumulative global television audience of 1.8
billion with output in over 190 territories. 


    For more information, please contact:

     Reg Gratton
     Volvo Ocean Race
     Tel:    [phone]
     Mobile: [phone]
     Email:  [e-mail]