Ramsau, Austria – The new sponsors of the first season of the women’s FIS Ski Jumping World Cup were announced at last week’s traditional Forum Nordicum in Ramsau am Dachstein, Austria. OMV has joined the series as the official main sponsor alongside Viessmann, a long-term partner of FIS World Cups.
OMV is already active as a ski jumping team sponsor in Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Romania. For the first time OMV, an integrated, international oil and gas company, will partner with FIS as the official main sponsor of the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Ladies.
The female ski jumpers have made it. After the title of a world champion was already awarded twice at the FIS World Ski Championships, the 2011-12 winter season will see the first female FIS World Cup champion in the history of ski jumping and, following a decision in April, women’s ski jumping has been accepted into the Olympic program for the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia. With the establishment of the World Cup series, the women will complete their leap into the top tier. As a long time sponsor and promoter of Ski Jumping, OMV has supported this development from the start and now seeks to partner with FIS to further solidify women’s ski jumping at the highest level.
“After the inclusion of the ladies‘ Ski Jumping in the Olympic winter program beginning with Sochi 2014, we are now looking forward to their first World Cup season. The discipline of ladies’ Ski Jumping has been continuously developing, and the excellent competitions at the FIS World Ski Championships in Oslo 2011 and Liberec 2009, along with the increasing quality of the ladies’ Continental Cup series, provide an excellent starting point for the first World Cup winter,” commented FIS President Gian Franco Kasper.
Christian Moser, OMV Sponsoring Manager, added, “Until now, Ski Jumping is one of the few disciplines in which the ladies have yet to enjoy the attention they deserve despite great performances. That is why it especially important for OMV to promote the ladies’ Ski Jumping.” Furthermore, the female ski jumpers serve as great examples and role models through the courage they demonstrate and the hard work they invest to excel.”
“The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Ladies is the latest addition to the FIS portfolio. OMV was particularly excited and motivated by the challenge of developing something new. This is why they are supporting this project and chose to come onboard as the main sponsor of the World Cup. We are looking forward to working with them and are grateful for their trust,” said Christian Pirzer, CEO of FIS Marketing AG that manages sponsoring for the Ladies’ World Cup in a partnership with FIS.
Walter Hofer, FIS Ski Jumping Race Director, added, “We think it is fantastic that an international brand commits to sponsorship like this without existing facts and figures, such as TV ratings or media visibility. But I am convinced that the ladies will show that it’s worth it.”
OMV has been active as a team sponsor in Austria since 1989. In 2004 the partnership with the National Ski Association in the Czech Republic was started, and in 2005 a partnership in Slovenia followed. In order to remain successful long term, young athletes need to be discovered early and professionally trained. For OMV there is no question about supporting sustainable projects in this field. OMV Move & Jump was brought to life in the fall of 2007. This project enables children and young people in Romania to participate in the sport of ski jumping and offers these children new perspectives. Now, through the FIS partnership with the Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup, OMV is expanding its involvement to include another new segment.