Audi quattro signs its name to Winter Games NZ

Audi New Zealand is proud to announce its naming rights sponsorship of the Audi quattro Winter Games NZ for 2013.

The sponsorship agreement, signed today between Audi New Zealand and Winter Games NZ, provides the perfect platform to showcase Audi quattro, says General Manager of Audi NZ, Dean Sheed.

“After 33 years of leading the world in quattro permanent all-wheel drive technology, and with the five millionth quattro vehicle having rolled off the assembly line this year, it makes perfect sense that Audi would lend its support to the Winter Games and the sports most closely associated with quattro.”

Sheed says that there are some powerful synergies around the partnership.  “Audi is really at home in the snow.  We were the first to host New Zealand’s leading ice and alpine drive programme in the Southern Alps – the iconic Audi ice experience – and internationally Audi is the key sponsor of a number of winter sports events and teams in the Northern hemisphere, so the addition of the Winter Games sponsorship here in New Zealand is hugely exciting.”

Sir Eion Edgar, chairman of Winter Games NZ, said the partnership was a major boost for winter sports in New Zealand. "Audi's sponsorship of Winter Games NZ is fantastic news, not just for the Games but also for the development of winter sport in New Zealand. It enables us to achieve our objectives of profiling winter sports in New Zealand and providing our athletes and communities with a world-class event.

"Just as Audi pioneered the development of four wheel-drive vehicles like the quattro, which we all now rely on to get us safely up to the ski fields, so Winter Games NZ is breaking new ground for winter sports events in the Southern Hemisphere. The eyes of the world will be on the Audi quattro Winter Games NZ as the best in the world come and compete for their spot at Sochi 2014 and we can’t wait!”

Winter Games NZ takes place from 15-25 August 2013 featuring alpine skiing, cross country skiing, snowboard, freeskiing and curling at Coronet Peak, Snow Farm, Snow Park, Cardrona Alpine Resort and Naseby. It is one of the top five events on the international winter sports circuit and includes seven World Cups, attracting the best of the world’s elite snow sports athletes as they compete to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The two-week long Games also include a full Downtown Sessions festival programme featuring films, live music and entertainment in Queenstown and Lake Wanaka.

For more information, go to www.wintergamesnz.com