LONDON 2012: INTESA SANPAOLO IS THE MAIN SPONSOR OF CONI, THE OLYMPIC TEAM AND CASA ITALIA

• Though its support of CONI for the three-year period 2012-2014, Intesa Sanpaolo confirms its commitment to the world of sport and the finest values that it conveys
• The shared objective is to foster projects aimed at boosting and spreading the culture and practice of sport at all levels of society, thus contributing to the welfare of the country
• Intesa Sanpaolo is also the sole sponsor of Casa Italia Social, the new CONI project that will bring news on the social networks in a direct and spontaneous manner
• The turnover generated by sport in Italy amounts to over 41 billion Euro, accounting for 2.6% of the GDP

Milan, 26th july 2012

THE PARTNERSHIP
The agreement, signed in Milan last November, qualifies Intesa Sanpaolo as the “Official Main Sponsor” of Coni, of the Italian National Olympic Team (Italia Team) and of Casa Italia for the three year period 2012-2014, which includes some important dates in the calendar. As well as the London 2012 Olympics, there are also the Mediterranean Games at Mersin in Turkey in 2013 and the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi in Russia.

Intesa Sanpaolo will have its own space in the Casa Italia in London – an expression of its support for sport and the challenge being addressed by the champions of the Italian Olympic team represented by the athletes Valentina Vezzali, Eleonora Lo Bianco, Giulia Quintavalle and Daniele Molmenti – where it will engage the public in sports contests, games and activities to support the ‘Azzurri’ champions and promote Italian excellence, a core value with which the bank identifies.

Intesa Sanpaolo will also be the sole sponsor of Casa Italia Social, the new CONI project aimed at bringing the contents of Casa Italia to life on the social networks in a direct and spontaneous manner, getting in contact with everyone following the Olympic Games through the most innovative channels. The project plans to distribute contents specially generated during the Olympics through a multi-platform conceived to be used from a range of both desktop and mobile devices.

On 25 May, the “Casa Italia in tour” initiative – a project developed by the Italian National Olympic Committee – made its debut in Naples. The objective of the tour, which continued for around a month, was to bring an atmosphere of sport and entertainment to the main city centres of Italy, allowing the public to relive the Olympic emotions of the past, while also making them better acquainted with the various disciplines and with our champions, and paving the way for the 2012 Olympics starting on 27 July. This is why CONI and its partners decided to create an authentic itinerant Olympic village, organised in five sections devoted respectively to athletics, water sports (swimming, canoeing, sailing), tatami sports, volleyball and field sports such as football and rugby.

And so in the city squares, enthusiasts or the merely curious were able to try out the various disciplines. The more fortunate were even able to challenge the guest athletes, including Jury Chechi and Antonio Rossi who were present throughout the initiative. The other three stops of the tour were equally packed with events and guest stars. After Naples, Casa Italia visited Turin from 8 to 10 June, hosted in Piazza Castello, after which it moved on to Piazza Duomo in Milan (from 15 to 17 June) finally ending up in Piazza del Popolo in Rome from 22 to 24 June. At the final road show event in Rome, the entire Olympic delegation was welcomed in the village set up in Piazza del Popolo on its return from receiving the Italian flag to be carried at the opening ceremony from the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano.

THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF SPORT
Intesa Sanpaolo and CONI share the values of sport promoted by the international Olympic movement. The shared objective is to foster projects aimed at boosting and spreading the culture and practice of sport at all levels of society, thus contributing to the welfare of the country. Data updated to 2011 estimate that 13 million Italians engage in sports activities. The youth target is that most widely involved in sports, 73% of those aged between 18 and 24 and 67% of the 25 to 34 year-old bracket.
The annual turnover generated by sport in Italy amounts to over 41 billion Euro, accounting for 2.6% of the GDP. The most significant items are costs related to non-technical sportswear (14 billion according to CENSIS-CONI) in addition to 8 billion Euro (Nomisma) for holidays and/or tourist business connected with sport, and 2,7 billion Euro connected with the production of sports equipment (including bicycles) with a commercial surplus of around half a billion Euro (Istat).
Over 13,000 enterprises operating in the sports sector have succeeded in exploiting market niches to maintain significant positions of leadership. A shining example is “Made in Montebelluna”, one of the principal centres for technical sports footwear and the bicycle sector, in which Italy continues as European leader, boasting over 12 thousand employees and 2.5 million articles in 2010 for a production exceeding 1.2 billion. In the high-tech sectors too we can cite enterprises with staggering success stories, such as Technogym, leader in the production of wellness equipment.

INTESA SANPAOLO AND SPORT
The support for CONI in the Olymic three-year period 2012-2014 offers Intesa Sanpaolo the chance to confirm its allegiance to the world of sport and the finest values that it conveys. It is therefore continuing along the path that Intesa Sanpaolo and CONI took up together with the Beijing Olympics in 2008, continued in 2009 with the Mediterranean Games in Pescara and in 2010 at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Intesa Sanpaolo plays a central role in the growth of the country: this explains why it lends its support to events such as the Olympic games that have always represented the acme of competition and sportsmanship. The decision to sponsor these events of major visibility is a demonstration of the bank’s commitment to sustain and promote the Italy system at both national and international level.

“The partnership with CONI,” says CEO Enrico Tommaso Cucchiani, “expresses Intesa Sanpaolo’s support for the universal values represented by sport. Values such as healthy competition, adherence to the rules, dynamism, fair play, dedication and commitment to overcoming one’s limits. These are all principles that hold true for sport and are also the underlying values of good business culture.”

Over the last decade, the growth of the Group has gone hand-in-hand with the commitment to sport. In the two-year period 2000-2002 the sponsorship of the Italian National Football Team extended through to the 2002 World Cup in Japan. Support for Olympic sport began in 2006 with the Winter Olympics of Turin and Piedmont. The commitment then continued with the sponsorship of the Luna Rossa crew during the America’s Cup of Valencia in 2007.

In 2009 Intesa Sanpaolo was present at the World Swimming Championships in Rome, confirming the partnership with the Federazione Italiana per la promozione di attività agonistiche e istituzionali. In 2010 the bank was Top Sponsor at the Men’s Volleyball World Championship and in 2011 at the Women’s European Volleyball Championship.

Sport breaks down barriers at all levels, not only international but also local. At a territorial level, Intesa Sanpaolo lends a hand to Serie A football teams including Milan, Fiorentina, Cagliari, Napoli, Bologna and Udinese as well as several other Serie B teams and various basketball, water polo, handball, athletics and rugby teams.

Sport is also a potent instrument for social inclusion: this is why Intesa Sanpaolo supports the “Sportivamente” project, which addresses mental health and social marginalisation issues through sport-based initiatives.

Nowadays, together with family and school, sport is the third keystone of education. Among Intesa Sanpaolo’s goals is the development of partnerships aimed at boosting sports activities as an opportunity for education and growth for young people, as in the case of the projects “Basket 3 nelle scuole”, “Milan Junior” “Armani Junior Program” and the activities performed in liaison with the CUS Torino.

The snapshot of the Bank’s commitments is further underscored by the statistics of the investments in sports sponsorship. In 2010 Sport accounted for 28.2% of initiatives in Italy, second only to cultural sponsorships.

Intesa Sanpaolo – Rapporti con i Media                                  
stampa@intesanpaolo.com                                     

CONI – Ufficio Stampa
comunicazione@coni.it