Visa announced its roster of athletes for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games, the company said in a press release on Wednesday (Nov. 13).
Team Visa’s 70-plus athletes represent 43 countries across more than 30 sports and include the new additions of surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing.
The roster includes previous Olympic and Paralympic medalists, World Champions and 16 first-time hopefuls. They gathered at Visa’s California headquarters in San Francisco for the Team Visa Summit.
Visa is one of the longest-standing Olympic and Paralympic partners and Tokyo 2020 is “set to be the largest Games yet,” said Chris Curtin, chief brand and innovation marketing officer at Visa.
He added that Team Visa Tokyo 2020 roster “reflects The Games themselves: globally diverse, representative of new emerging sports and larger than ever.”
Team Visa has backed almost 500 athletes since its founding in 2000.
“I am honored to join Team Visa and share the spirit of The Games with these incredible athletes as we prepare for Tokyo 2020,” said Simone Biles, four-time Olympic gold medalist, Gymnastics, USA.
“The opportunity to compete on the world stage while representing our country is truly an honor, and the encouragement and support we receive from teammates, family, friends, fans and our partners, like Visa, really means a lot as we pursue our lifelong goals and dreams,” she added.
Japanese surfer Kanoa Igarashi is a first-time Olympic hopeful. “The Team Visa Summit is a great opportunity to meet and interact with my peers in advance of The Games,” he said. “In hoping to compete at my first Olympic Games, having a family of athletes in Team Visa will help me feel more at home knowing I have a sense of community by my side.”
As the exclusive payment technology sponsor of the Olympics, Visa is exploring state-of-the-art payment experiences at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo to support “Cashless Japan.” The company recently renewed its partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through 2032.
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