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Athletics Canada and Swimming Canada create marketing partnership; Bell signs on as lead sponsor

News –

Athletics Canada and Swimming Canada are pleased to announce a first-of-its-kind marketing partnership between two Canadian sporting giants with Bell as a founding partner.

The partnership aims to create marketing, public relations, activation, and sponsorship opportunities by enticing brands to engage with Canada’s two most participated-in and most internationally successful summer Olympic and Paralympic sports.

The organizations are thrilled to also announce Bell has signed a three-year agreement as the first-lead sponsor of this new marketing partnership.

“This is a true marriage of equals providing new and unique opportunities for brands to activate from playground to podium with two of Canada’s largest and most successful sporting organizations,” said Mathieu Gentès, Athletics Canada Interim-Chief Executive Officer. “In Canada, athletics and swimming count more than 4 million active participants, and together our organizations have been responsible for much of the country’s medal haul at recent Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Half of Canada’s 24 Olympic medals, and more than three quarters of Canada’s Paralympic medals at the Tokyo 2020 Games came from athletics and swimming. Moreover, both organizations have similar club structures, similar participation bases and both are considered life skill sports.

“Swimming Canada is very excited to announce this new partnership with Athletics Canada. Together we can officially leverage our combined commercial strengths and continued podium success to maximize opportunities and engagement for prospective partners,” said Swimming Canada CEO Ahmed El-Awadi. Both sports are engrained as fundamental skills for all Canadians. We have already started to creatively build new assets and bespoke opportunities for new partners to engage with our swimming community via digital and on-site opportunities.”

Bell is the first to sign on as sponsor of the newly combined partnership, having concluded a partnership through 2024 as the official Telecommunications partner of both organizations. Bell will be recognized as the title sponsor of the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Canadian Championships and Trials for both Athletics Canada and Swimming Canada.

“We are pleased to continue to support Athletics Canada and Swimming Canada as they join forces,” said David Kennedy, Vice-President, Brand & Sponsorship, Bell. “Bell is a long-standing supporter of our Canadian athletes and we’re excited about what this partnership can do for the development of aspiring Olympians that make us all proud.”

The partnership opens the door for social and digital platform content integrations showcasing some of the greatest Paralympic and Olympic athletes in the world.

Olympic gold medallist Maggie Mac Neil, “Sponsorships help athletes to achieve their dreams and we’re excited to work with Bell on this. Everyone looks forward to the Olympics starting in the pool and finishing on the track. It’s exciting we can work together to grow as sport organizations, which will enhance Canada’s success on the international stage.”

“Having more opportunities in the sponsorship space for athletes is huge,” said 2020 Paralympic gold medalist in the athletics T37 1,500m Nate Riech. “Something like this will help Para-athletes bridge the gap and train full time. All we can ask for in this space is more opportunity.

“As for the partnership with Swimming Canada, I believe we are always stronger together. There are many similarities but some critical differences between both sports that make for a unique collaboration.”