ZURICH — In a move to promote its range of Vredestein-branded winter tires, Apollo Vredestein B.V. has struck a deal to make Vredestein a sponsor of the 2023 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, to be held in Courchevel Méribel, France, Feb. 6-19.
The Alpine World Ski Championships, organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS), is considered a "flagship event" in the global winter-sports calendar, Apollo Vredestein said, attracting millions of viewers to the event's television broadcasts.
During the championships, the Vredestein brand will be featured on participants' bibs, as well as on banners and backdrops for the championships' events, which include alpine combined, super G, downhill, parallel slalom, giant slalom and slalom.
Apollo North America Assistant Vice President Abhishek Bisht said the agreement is a "significant commitment to winter sports (and) provides an ideal platform to increase awareness of Vredestein’s unique brand and product attributes.”
“Our winter and all-weather tires have many natural synergies with the world of competitive skiing, in particular the shared focus on achieving superior standards of performance and safety on snow and ice,” Bisht said.
Infront Sports & Media A.G., the 2023 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships marketing partner, brokered the agreement. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Apollo Vredestein's deal replaces one the FIS had with Pirelli & C. S.p.A. the past six years for the biennial event.
The sponsorship deal will allow Apollo Vredestein to promote its ranges of winter, Wintrac and Wintrac Pro, and all-season, Quatrac and Quatrac Pro, tire ranges.
Bernard Front, president of the Courchevel Méribel 2023 Championships, added: "We are working to make this event a real showcase for the mountain and ski world. Thanks to … Vredestein for accompanying us and participating with us in this great celebration of French and international skiing."
In 2021 the championships secured a combined TV audience of better than 126 million viewers, while the event's online coverage achieved more than 357 million views and 11 million likes.
Apollo Vredestein noted its Vredestein-brand winter and all-season tire ranges received high marks in a series of independent tire tests conducted last fall by leading consumer magazines, including AutoBild, ACE Lenkrad, and Auto Motor und Sport, as well as by ADAC, Europe's largest motoring association.
Founded in the Netherlands in 1908, Vredestein was acquired in 2009 by India's Apollo Tyres Ltd.
