Belgium’s national lottery, Nationale Loterij, and sealants and adhesives brand Soudal have extended their title sponsorship deals with the Belgian UCI WorldTour cycling team.
The team will continue to be known as Lotto Soudal, and Soudal will also step up its investment to assume equal status with Lotto.
Under the new deals, both Lotto and Soudal will sponsor the team through to the end of 2022.
The equal partnership will now result in the team changing branding, depending on where it is competing. In Belgian races, the team will compete in a Lotto Soudal shirt, and in non-Belgian races, with a Soudal Lotto shirt.
This will apply to the WorldTour team, the women’s team and development team.
John Lelangue, general manager of Lotto Soudal, said: “As is natural in a good partnership, we carried out an evaluation at all levels and we discussed our ambitions the past few months, from which a new agreement emerged.
“Soudal has decided to increase its investment and, as such, bring it to the same level as Lotto. As of today, we therefore have two equal name sponsors, which will be visible on our shirts.
“In addition, the team cars, team buses, merchandising and other carriers of visibility will carry the name Soudal Lotto.”
Vic Swerts, founder, owner and chairman of Soudal, added: “We want to create additional opportunities for the future. That is why we increased our input in the team.
“At the time, we did not enter the cycling project for the short term. The past years, we have come to understand that the partnership is profitable and that our international objectives match with the cycling sport and with the values of the team. That is why we will continue until 2022.”
Nationale Loterij signed a six-year extension to its deal in July 2014, and Soudal came on board at the same time.