The International Olympic Committee has today (Tuesday) extended its partnership with US financial services company Visa, one of the founding members of its TOP Partner Programme.
Visa first signed up as a TOP Partner, the highest tier of the IOC’s sponsorship programme, in 1986 and the new deal takes this association through to 2032.
In renewing its sponsorship, Visa will work with local organising committees to ensure a legacy of digital payment advancement in the host country during and beyond the Olympics Games.
It will also continue its support of the International Paralympic Committee and the Paralympic Games through the IOC-IPC long-term collaboration agreement.
Tsunekazu Takeda, the IOC’s Marketing Commission chairman, said: “Today’s announcement demonstrates both the strength of our enduring partnership with Visa, one of the original founding members of the global TOP programme, as well as the long-term appeal of the Olympic Movement for the world’s leading companies.”
Lynne Biggar, chief marketing and communications officer at Visa, added: “Visa provides a secure and fast way to pay across merchants, borders and currencies, and the Olympic Games provides an unparalleled opportunity to promote the Visa brand at both a local market level and globally.”
The Visa agreement is the IOC’s first TOP Partner deal since September 2017. At that time the Dow Chemical Company agreed a deal to join the programme through until the 2020 summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.