German sportswear firm Puma has agreed a new partnership with the Cuban Olympic Committee.
Under the deal, Cuban athletes will wear Puma apparel and footwear in the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and the 2016 summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The new collaboration with Cuban athletics follows partnerships with Cuba’s boxing and volleyball federations, along with a number of athletes including world medallist triple jumper Pedro Pichardo, pole vaulter Yarisley Silva and boxers Erislandy Savon and Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo. All of these athletes will endorse Puma products at all entered competitions.
Puma said Cuban boxing will be a key focus within a multi-million global brand marketing campaign in August and September as the firm seeks to assert itself in the training space. Cubans have dominated international amateur boxing for a number of years, winning more gold medals in men’s competitions than anyone else.
“Partnering with the Cuban Olympic Association and various sports federations brings great value to the brand,” Adam Petrick, Puma’s global director of brand marketing, said. “The game-changing attitudes the Cuban athletes embody fit perfectly within the Puma portfolio and we’re excited to expand our relationship with Cuba to become the ‘Fastest Sports Brand in the World.’”