After last weekend’s successful World Championship preliminaries at Oslo’s new Holmenkollen sports complex, companies are lining up to be sponsors. Fears that the finance crisis would spoil funding are being brushed aside.
Sports officials were worried 18 months ago that the organizing committee for next year’s Nordic Skiing World Championships in Oslo would have trouble raising funds. They’re worried no more.
“We’re on budget and will sell out the rest of the sponsorships by summer,” Christian Pirzer of Tridem, hired by Oslo 2011 to handle sales, told newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN).
Oslo 2011 managing director Åsne Havnelid is pleased, after especially being eager to line up Norwegian sponsors. Statoil has signed on as “general sponsor,” contributing around NOK 18 million. Norway’s biggest bank, DnB NOR, offshore firm Aker Solutioins, sportswear maker Craft and Intersport of Norway have also committed as major sponsors.
The World Championships has a budget of NOK 150 million and will involve 3,000 volunteers. Other smaller sponsors lined up so far include the Airport Express Train Flytoget, bus company Nettbuss and Choice Hotels.
Views and News staff
