Infront secures Intersport as Official Sponsor of the Men’s and Women’s EHF EURO 2012 to 2016

The international sporting goods retailer continues its long-standing handball involvement with this new agreement

Zug, Switzerland, 13 December 2011 - Infront Sports & Media, the official marketing partner of the European Handball Federation (EHF), has secured a long-term sponsorship agreement with Intersport, the biggest sporting goods retailer worldwide, for the Men’s and Women’s EHF European Handball Championships (EHF EURO). The contract runs from 2012 to 2016 and covers the next six events.

As an Official Sponsor of the EHF EURO, Intersport will be present at all the final events, benefitting from prime advertising space in camera view and logo integration on all official print and online publications. Intersport can also take advantage of activation and promotional opportunities onsite as well as a range of corporate hospitality options and tickets. Furthermore, it obtains the right to use the official tournament logos.

Franz Julen, CEO of Intersport International Corporation, said: “Team sports in general and handball in particular are a core competency of most Intersport shops. This is why Intersport has been supporting this dynamic and popular sport for many years. Thanks to the extensive media coverage of the EHF EURO events, we will be able to address our customers in key markets such as Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe through a high impact and emotional environment that will significantly increase awareness of the Intersport brand.”

Commenting on the announcement, EHF President, Tor Lian, said: “I am delighted that a major international sports brand such as Intersport has chosen to sign a long-term agreement to partner the European Handball Federation’s flagship national team event. Both the Men’s and Women’s EHF European Championships involve the sport’s top stars and leading national teams and attract extensive media, TV and spectator interest across the world, providing the ideal platform for international companies to promote their brands.”

Win-win situation for both partners

Stephan Herth, Executive Director Summer Sports at Infront, added: “The commitment of Intersport at the EHF EURO is a win-win situation for both partners. As a leading sports retailer with stores throughout Europe, Intersport is close to the fans and will activate as well as further strengthen the event brand EHF EURO. In turn, the company will benefit from a cumulative television audience of more than one billion for the EHF EURO tournaments – connecting with its sports enthusiastic clients in an efficient way through one of the most popular summer sports in Europe.”

The Men’s EHF EURO 2012 is scheduled from 15 to 29 January in four cities across Serbia. The women’s event follows from 2 to 16 December in the Netherlands. The events take place every two years with 16 of the best national teams fighting for the European Championship title. For further information, visit the official websites at www.ehf-euro.com.

About Intersport

Intersport is an international sporting goods retailer. With a turnover of over EUR 10.1 billion and more than 5,300 specialist sports stores in 39 countries, the INTERSPORT Group has further strengthened its position as the leader in the world’s sporting goods market. For more information, please visit www.intersport.com.

EHF and Infront – Partners for 18 years

Infront Sports & Media’s relationship with the EHF dates back to 1993, when the international sports marketing group took over the responsibility for both the television distribution and marketing of the European Handball Championships (EHF EURO) on a worldwide basis. In June 2009 the EHF and Infront have agreed to extend their current long-term marketing partnership in until 2020.