Archery's FITA gains sponsorship support from Vakifbank

The International Archery Federation (FITA) has announced a one year sponsorship agreement with Vakifbank. Vakifbank, one of the biggest and most dynamic banks in Turkey, will be investing in international sponsorship for the first time, hoping to grow its business with the help of FITA in 2009 and beyond. Vakifbank joins a growing group of sponsors that believe that the sport offers good value for money in terms of brand image and visibility (it claims an audience of one billion).

The bank earns the status of "Official Sponsor" for the Archery World Cup and Archery World Champion-ships. The first event involved is taking place currently with the Indoor World Championships in Rzeszow, Poland. The Archery World Cup will start at the end of March in Santo Domingo and the season will culminate with the World Championships in Ulsan, Korea and the World Cup Final in Copenhagen in September. In a difficult economic period, FITA appears to be doing well in terms of sponsorship support. In 2009, the association will have KIA Motors, Spor Toto, Vakifbank, Turkish Airlines, Milli Piyango and Longines as Official Sponsors or Partners. Moreover, FITA has also concluded partnerships with archery manufacturers Easton and Hoyt, the agency MP Silva and Hacettepe University.     FITA has also reached an agreement to continue receiving event services provided by former sponsor Meteksan Events and says it will soon announce a partnership with a logistic company. "We are very pleased to welcome a new archery supporter of the likes of Vakifbank. We are convinced that this new relationship will be a win-win situation. We will help in the international recognition of Vakifbank - its support is key to continuing the development of our activities", said FITA President Prof. Dr Ugur Erdener. "We are delighted with the overall support of our sponsors and partners in 2009 despite a difficult economic situation. We believe archery offers very good value for money in terms of visibility and brand image. We will strive to surpass again the expectations of our sponsors in 2009".