TORRANCE, Calif., March 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota is
strengthening its lineup of Team USA relationships as the company moves toward
the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, its first as an
International Olympic Committee The Olympic Partner (TOP) sponsor.
Today, Toyota announced new multi-year National Governing Body
(NGB) partnerships with:
- U.S. Figure Skating – This partnership will tell the story of
how Toyota is furthering mobility to create the next generation of
Olympic figure skating champions. In addition, U.S. Figure Skating
will work with Toyota through multimedia, social channels, major
events and grassroots outreach to develop and promote the
sport.
- U.S. Speedskating – Toyota's support of U.S. Speedskating will
grow grassroots participation, expand development programs, promote
the sport's major events and provide elite athletes with additional
resources and technological support.
In addition, Toyota extended and expanded a partnership with
USA Hockey that began in 2012.
An official sponsor of USA
Hockey and a proud partner of the U.S. Men's, Women's, and Sled
national teams, Toyota is also the presenting sponsor of the
Toyota-USA Hockey National
Disabled Festival and will be engaged with USA Hockey's efforts in athlete development at
all levels.
Toyota – which earlier this year announced a similar partnership
with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association – also today welcomed
two athletes from that organization into its multi-sport Team
Toyota family:
- Gus Kenworthy -- the
silver medalist in men's freestyle slopestyle skiing at the Olympic
Winter Games Sochi 2014; Kenworthy, 25, also competes in the
halfpipe.
- Torin Yater-Wallace – the
winner of the men's halfpipe skiing event at last month's Toyota
Grand Prix; Yater-Wallace, 21, also competed at the Sochi Games. He
recently won the Olympic test event halfpipe competition in
PyeongChang.
"We are committed to making an impact with our winter sports
presence in the United States,"
said Jack Hollis, group vice
president and general manager, Toyota Division. "With the 2018
Olympic and Paralympic Games less than a year away, Toyota looks
forward to supporting the NGBs and athletes on every step of their
journey as they move toward achieving their dreams."
USA Hockey, U.S. Figure Skating
and U.S. Speedskating share a common thread as each endorses and
participates in Learn to Skate USA, an enhanced iteration of the highly
acclaimed Basic Skills Program, which has taught more than 2.5
million people to ice skate since 1968 and that promotes skill
progression to build self-esteem in kids and adults while providing
them with the resources to reach their dreams. Toyota will be
working with each of the NGBs to enhance Learn to Skate programs
from coast to coast.
"We are thrilled to add Toyota to our family of partners," said
David Raith, executive director of
U.S. Figure Skating. "We're excited to work with an organization
that embraces innovation as we create opportunities to develop and
grow grassroots skating programing across the United States. We look forward to
collaborating with the mobility experts at Toyota to enhance our
programs through this partnership."
"It's an honor for U.S. Speedskating (USS) to be partnering with
Toyota to grow our sport in the United
States while achieving athletic success at the 2018 Winter
Olympic Games and beyond," said Ted
Morris, executive director of USS. "Toyota's commitment to
speed at the grassroots level through the Learn to Skate program
and to the innovation it will provide our elite programs will have
an immense impact on our sport moving forward."
"We're excited about an expanded relationship with Toyota," said
Dave Ogrean, executive director of
USA Hockey. "One of the additional
elements of our partnership is to get more kids on the ice through
Learn to Skate. Ultimately, that helps us toward our goal of
winning gold in the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."
Team Toyota Athletes in the U.S. range from bass anglers to
NASCAR Cup Series drivers.
"I'm so excited to welcome Gus and Torin to the Team Toyota
family," said Team Toyota athlete and U.S. Paralympic snowboarder
Amy Purdy. "I have gone more places
with my partnership with Toyota than I ever could have imagined.
Being part of such an innovative and forward thinking company is a
privilege and I look forward to watching each of you on your
journeys through this partnership."
"I've been fortunate to be a Toyota driver for a number of years
now and it's always great to see athletes from other sports join
the Toyota family," said Martin Truex
Jr., who won last Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race, the first
for the new 2018 Camry. "I've been able to meet a number of
Toyota's athletes at NASCAR races and other events, especially some
fishing events, and it's great to work with a manufacturer that's
so committed to helping athletes develop and have success on and
off the track or field of play."
Beyond the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toyota strategically
uses its relationships with sports properties and athletes as a way
to connect with consumers in the United
States. The brand has relationships with nearly 40 major
sports teams and more than 20 major sports venues.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel
cell vehicle, is committed to advancing mobility through our Toyota
and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we've produced more
than 30 million cars and trucks in North
America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the
U.S.) and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000
in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly
1,500 in the U.S.) sold almost 2.6 million cars and trucks (2.45
million in the U.S.) in 2016 – and about 85 percent of all Toyota
vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road
today.
Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive
know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to
assist more people move more places. For more information about
Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Media Contacts
Nick Ammazzalorso
Marketing Communications Manager
Toyota USA
310.483.1035
Mimi
McKinnis
Manager, Communications
U.S. Figure Skating
719.228.3453
Dave Fischer
Senior Director, Communications
USA Hockey
719.538.1171
Matt Whewell
Communications Director
U.S. Speedskating
801.417.5373
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America