Japanese sportswear and equipment company Mizuno has entered into a partnership with the British Rowing national governing body.
Mizuno has agreed a four-year deal, which will run until December 2020, to serve as the official sportswear partner of British Rowing.
The wide-ranging deal will support all levels of the sport and marks the first major sportswear agreement signed by British Rowing.
As part of the deal, Great Britain’s rowing team will train and compete in specially manufactured and adapted Mizuno sportswear. The kit will include an exclusive high-performance all-in-one, newly designed gym training kit, off-the-water team wear and a range of accessories.
In addition, Mizuno will supply kit for the wider organisation to support British Rowing’s strategic objectives, with a range of replica kit to be produced and sold online and at events later in the year.
Mizuno will also create a new range of kit for schools, universities and community clubs to support British Rowing’s grassroots initiatives.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but British Rowing said Mizuno would “invest significantly” in research and development of on-water rowing kit to support the body’s Olympic and Paralympic high-performance programmes.
Kenny Baillie, director of partnerships and communications at British Rowing, said: “Very few national governing bodies secure long-term partnerships with major international sportswear companies. It is testament to our world-class athletes, coaches and support staff as well as the strength of rowing across the country that Mizuno has chosen to partner with British Rowing.
“Kit is a crucial part of an athlete’s performance and we are confident that partnering with Mizuno will enable us to continue to find ways to make the boats go faster.”
British Rowing added that it is actively seeking a new headline sponsor to support the growth and development of the sport in the country.