Calgary (AB), Canada – Alpine Canada on Monday announced a long-term sponsorship deal with Audi Canada.  Through the agreement, the Ajax, Ontario-based company will support Canada’s alpine, para-alpine and ski cross programs through 2014.

“Our partnership with Alpine Canada provides an excellent forum to showcase the Audi brands’ sporting performance and dynamism to a wide audience,” said Mike Briscoe, Audi Canada’s director of marketing and product management. “Through a large number of combined events and campaigns Audi Canada will be able to build a strong foundation for future growth in ski programs.”

The new partnership takes effect immediately and runs through to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

“We are delighted to partner with Audi Canada,” said Max Gartner, president of Alpine Canada. “Audi has a long association with the sport of ski racing as title sponsor of the FIS World Cup and we look forward to continuing our winning tradition in partnership with a brand we have long admired.”

Canada’s 2011-12 World Cup teams include reigning world champions Erik Guay (alpine, downhill), Chris Del Bosco and Kelsey Serwa (both ski cross). The Audi FIS Ski World Cup gets underway in Soelden, Austria, in October, while the ski cross World Cup season kicks off in Italy in December. The first stop on the IPC para-alpine World Cup is in January 2012, also in Italy.