Sports Illustrated Group Commissions Poster of Iconic Michael Phelps Eight Gold Medal Cover
The First SI Cover to be Reproduced as a Poster in Franchise History
The Sports Illustrated Group (www.SI.com) today announced that the iconic August 25, 2008 SI cover featuring Michael Phelps wearing all eight of his 2008 Olympic Gold Medals will be commissioned as a poster and available to a global audience. This is a first for the SI franchise.
“I have spoken at length about my desires to help grow the sport of swimming and I am truly honored that Sports Illustrated has chosen to create this commemorative poster for fans across the US and around the world,” said Phelps. “I hope the poster will serve as a reminder to all that anything is possible.”
The poster will be available beginning Monday, August 25 through retail partner Fine Art Limited (www.fineartlimited.com) or 1-800-544-5239. Posters will be 13×18 ($15 + p&h) and 18×24 ($19.95 + p&h). Previously, Sports Illustrated had published posters featuring iconic images from the pages of the magazine, but never a cover for mass distribution.
“This cover represents photo journalism at its finest,” says Sports Illustrated Group President Mark Ford. “Our mission is to create innovative ways to deliver sports fans our award winning content and this is the latest example. We are thrilled that this amazing image will be our first commissioned poster.”
Fine Art Limited is an official licensee of the United States Olympic Team.
“For Michael’s epic performance in Beijing to be remembered with an iconic Sports Illustrated poster will be a treasure for any sports fan,” said Peter Carlisle, Octagon’s Managing Director of Olympic & Action Sports. “Michael has taken the sport of swimming to a whole new level and this poster featuring his eight gold medals is a testament to all his hard work and dedication.”
Source: Sports Illustrated
Five-Time U.S. Olympic Swimming Gold Medalist Aaron Peirsol Is Honored by Bank of America for His Work to Protect the Oceans
Bank contributes $15,000 to Peirsol’s “Race for the Oceans” campaign
Bank of America today announced a $15,000 contribution to Aaron Peirsol’s “Race for the Oceans” campaign, following the U.S. Olympic swimmer’s gold medal performances in the men’s 100 meter backstroke and 4×100 meter medley relay at the Beijing Olympic Games. Peirsol, a Bank of America endorsed athlete who also secured a silver medal in the men’s 200 meter backstroke, created “Race for the Oceans” with ocean advocacy group Oceana to raise awareness about the threats facing the world’s oceans by providing a forum for swimmers and swimming fans to “dive in” to ocean conservation. In addition to his accomplishments during the Beijing Olympic Games, Peirsol won three gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Peirsol, 25, and a native of Irvine, CA, is part of the Bank of America Hometown Hopefuls(R) program. Through this program, Bank of America provides financial support and marketing exposure to 12 U.S. Olympic athletes and hopefuls.
“Aaron’s accomplishments in the pool are equaled only by his dedication and commitment to protecting the world’s oceans,” said Ray Bednar, Global Sponsorship Marketing executive, Bank of America. “We are delighted to celebrate Aaron’s tremendous success at the Beijing Olympic Games, and honor his achievements through our support of his Race for the Oceans advocacy.”
As part of the company’s support for Peirsol’s campaign, Bank of America is sponsoring the Race for the Oceans Open Water Swim in Fort Meyers, Florida on November 8 and 9. The two-day program includes open water racing, clinics, multiple in-ocean training sessions and educational forums on the causes of and solutions to the declining health of the world’s oceans.
“Growing up in Orange County, I have seen a lot of change in the oceans, which is why I wanted to create this program,” said Peirsol. “Now, to have the support of my sponsor, Bank of America, who is an established environmental leader, Race for the Oceans can have an even greater impact.”
The contribution to Peirsol’s Race for the Oceans is consistent with Bank of America’s ten-year, $20 billion environmental initiative to address global climate change by promoting sustainability in its operations and through its lending, investing, new products and services.
Bank of America has a legacy of environmental leadership dating back two decades, when it began implementing and applying environmental considerations to its own operations and internal business practices. For example, the bank reduced paper usage per associate by 40 percent and set aggressive, voluntary goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the company by 9 percent by 2009 through the reduction of its energy consumption. Bank of America also reimburses its associates $3,000 when they buy a new hybrid vehicle — a benefit that more than 2,200 individuals have taken advantage of to date.
Bank of America’s environmental initiatives emphasize business opportunities, created by green economic growth, by providing critical financing to encourage the development of environmentally sustainable products and technologies; accelerate the deployment of existing technologies; and increase energy efficiency. For more information about Bank of America’s environmental efforts, visit www.bankofamerica.com/environment .
Bank of America is widely recognized as a major corporate sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team, making it possible for the nation’s best athletes to represent the United States in world-class competition. Bank of America’s involvement with the Olympic Movement dates back to 1992, when it first signed on as an official sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team that competed in Barcelona, Spain. The company has supported every U.S. Olympic Team since, including the Americans competing in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Race for the Oceans
Race for the Oceans is a campaign started in 2007 by Olympic swimmer Aaron Peirsol. Its mission is to engage swimmers and swimming fans in ocean conservation by spreading awareness and connecting them with the worldwide efforts of ocean conservation group, Oceana. Aaron’s website, www.RacefortheOceans.org, is a forum where his fans can read blog entries, view videos, make donations and take action in support one of several projects initiated by Oceana. To learn more about Oceana visit www.Oceana.org .
Source: Bank of America
Free swimming hailed as vision for the future as 2012 legacy action plan is launched
A new £140 million fund to boost sport and fitness through free swimming for over 60s was announced today as the centre-piece of the Government’s plan to ensure a lasting sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
The initiative was part of a package of measures in the Legacy Action Plan: Before, During and After: Making the most of the London 2012 Games, which was unveiled today by Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Andy Burnham and Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson.
The plan, which builds on the five legacy promises made last year, includes new programmes and builds on existing ones which have been enhanced and inspired by the UK’s hosting of the Games.
Key announcements include:
- Encouraging Local Authorities to open up nearly 1,600 publicly owned swimming pools free to over 60s in England through a new £140 million fund; using the fund as a “challenge fund” to encourage Local Authorities to offer free swimming to under-16s and to rejuvenate and maintain pools.
- Committing to meeting a target of getting two million people more active by 2012 – to be achieved through the new Sport England strategy to get 1 million people more active through sport and supported by programmes coordinated by Department of Health and other departments.
- Overhauling the way Sport England invests in sport through new, more effective relationships with national governing bodies and working through county sports partnerships will deliver a substantial increase in sports participation.
- Unveiling the `Inspire Mark’, part of the 2012 brand family. This is the first time the International Olympic Committee have approved a non-commercial brand which will be awarded to non-commercial projects and programmes that help to deliver our legacy ambitions for 2012 and beyond.
- Working with the fitness industry to offer a “Fit for the Future” incentive scheme for 16-22 year olds to address the drop off in sport and physical activity in school leavers. A £1 million commitment will enable this pilot programme to offer subsidised gym and fitness club membership based on frequency of use.
- Introducing a £7 million programme of campaigns to encourage people to walk more each day – including a Schools Walking Challenge to encourage more children to walk to and outside school – and investing £75 million in a targeted social marketing programme to support parents in changing children’s diet and increasing levels of physical activity.
- Inspiring young people through comprehensive education and culture programmes to be launched by London Organising Committee in the autumn.
- Working with the construction industry, through ConstructionSkills, who will be investing £50 million in construction training up to 2012.
- Supporting every business that wins a 2012 contract and every business in its supply chain, through a new initiative called Train to Gain for 2012. Every business will be contacted by train to gain and offered an assessment of their skills needs by a skills broker and hooked up with an appropriate skills provider – potentially benefiting thousands of UK businesses and hundreds of thousands of employees.
Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell said: “My ambition has always been that the Games will offer not just a great summer of sport, but the prize of changing people’s lives for the better for generations to come. Today we are demonstrating how we will turn the rhetoric of the 2012 legacy into fact. There is something for everyone in our plans – every part of the country, every section of the population. Ten million people stand to benefit from our exciting free swimming plan alone. I hope that this is just the beginning and that by 2012 we can offer free swimming to all. For the first time we have outlined a comprehensive plan for everyone – be it through sport, volunteering, culture or business. Our Legacy Action Plan offers practical advice to stakeholders across England and the whole UK so they can get involved in and maximise their opportunities from the Games.”
Chairman of London 2012, Sebastian Coe said: “London 2012 is about a summer of sporting celebration, and a lifetime of opportunity for the whole country. We want the Games to inspire a generation – and leave a lasting and sustainable legacy for the whole country. We recognise that the Games has the power to inspire change. The Inspire Mark is part of our plan to engage people and get them involved in the Games and beyond.”
“Everyone can be part of London 2012 – everyone has something to offer. Whether it is offering your time as a coach, or participating in a new sport, education or cultural activity, there will be opportunities ahead to make positive changes to lives, and we want our Inspire mark, and the content of the Legacy Action Plan, to help drive those changes.”
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, James Purnell said: “The 2012 Games will give us a real opportunity to change people’s lives for the better and we are determined to make sure that people across the UK, and not just in London, feel the benefits.”
“New jobs will be created and people will have the chance to learn new skills through increased access to training, which means that the country will continue to benefit long after the Games have finished. This is a once in lifetime event for the country and the Government wants to give everyone the chance to make the most of it.”
Minister for Business, Shriti Vadera, said: ”The 2012 Games offer long-lasting benefits for UK businesses and the UK economy as a whole.”
“We will support businesses bidding for product and service contracts for the 2012 Games. This will boost their competitiveness into the future for other contracts, including those with government.”
“We believe companies – particularly small and medium-sized companies – that engage with the 2012 Games will reap the long-term rewards of increased productivity and growth.”
The Legacy Action Plan is a “working” document, that will be updated and added to as new programmes are introduced developed over the next four years. It is comprised of five chapters, one addressing each of the Promises made last July: to make the UK a world-leading sporting nation; to transform the heart of East London; to inspire a generation of young people; to make the Olympic
www.culture.gov.uk
Source: Department for Culture, Media and Sport