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The official signing of the formal contract between BNP Paribas and the ITF for sponsorship of Davis Cup was held today at the BNP Paribas UK headquarters in London, one of the major international financial centres and location of the ITF headquarters. Representing BNP Paribas was Chairman of the Board and CEO, Michel Pébereau while the ITF was represented by its President, Francesco Ricci Bitti.

BNP Paribas will join Davis Cup as an international sponsor in 2001 taking over as worldwide title sponsor in 2002. BNP Paribas is one of the leading European banks located in over 80 countries and has a tradition of partnership with large tennis competitions, especially with the French Open Roland Garros, which the bank has sponsored for more than 28 years. This successful relationship is one of the longest in the history of sport and will be continued.

"This is a great day for Davis Cup as we formally welcome BNP Paribas to the ITF family," said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti.
"We are very proud that one of the world's great financial institutions, BNP Paribas, has chosen the ITF's flagship event, Davis Cup, as a fitting complement to its long-term involvement with Roland Garros. We believe that BNP Paribas understands the uniqueness of Davis Cup and, as the guardian of this important competition, the ITF is proud to have the BNP Paribas name linked with Davis Cup as an international sponsor in 2001 but, more importantly, as the title sponsor from 2002 through 2006."

Commenting on this agreement, M. Pébereau, Chairman of the Board and CEO of BNP Paribas, said: "Our worldwide partnership with the Davis Cup will provide a new dimension to our sponsorship activity, which reflects our group's international ambitions following the merger between BNP and Paribas. We are very proud to be both the main sponsor of the leading international team competition, and of the French Open Roland Garros, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Tennis is truly a universal sport. BNP Paribas is glad to strengthen its association with the performance and fair-play values of the game."

Davis Cup is the largest, annual international team competition in sport with a record 142 nations entered for the 2001 competition. The 2001 Davis Cup begins this weekend, 9-11 February, with eight ties in the elite 16-nation World Group including Switzerland/USA, Belgium/France, Germany/Romania, Australia/Ecuador, Brazil/Morocco, Slovak Republic/Russia, Spain/Netherlands and Sweden/Czech Republic.

Ties are played under the Davis Cup home-away format. At the same time, nations in Zonal Group ties will battle it out for promotion. The World Group Quarterfinals will be held 6-8 April, the World Group Semifinals will be played 21-23 September while the World Group Final is scheduled for 30 November-2 December. Davis Cup is entering its 102nd year of competition in 2001, having celebrated its Centenary in 1999.

BNP Paribas will replace the current title sponsor, NEC, in 2002. Other international sponsors of Davis Cup are Heineken and Hugo Boss.

For more information, download the PDF document :
"International Sponsorship for a Global Brand"