CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- United States Olympic Committee (USOC) sponsor Bank of America today launched its 2008 Olympic Games programming by introducing its roster of 12 U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls. The athletes, who have collectively won eight Olympic medals across a variety of disciplines, will be part of the bank's year-long U.S. Olympic marketing campaign.
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Bank of America also announced its continued support for the Bank of America Hometown Hopefuls™ Family Center, a unique hospitality experience, which will act as a home base for friends, families and more than 550 talented U.S. Olympians during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The multi- level 15,500 square foot facility, located in the western part of the city, will feature many of the comforts of home, including complimentary lunch, dinner, snacks and other refreshments; complimentary tickets to an Olympic event for up to four family members; wide-screen televisions with closed- circuit coverage of Olympic competition; information services; and an Internet lounge for athletes, families and friends who are eager to stay connected with others back home in the United States.
"We not only support the United States Olympic Committee but also the dreams, aspirations and preparations of the athletes who will represent our country on the world stage," said Anne Finucane, Chief Marketing Officer, Bank of America. "We are particularly proud to support these individual athletes and their families through our U.S. Olympic programming, and we hope the Family Center adds to their enjoyment of watching America's Team in their quest for gold."
"Bank of America knows how to maximize the value of their U.S. Olympic Team sponsorship for its customers and associates, while also bringing athletes closer to their dreams and the American public closer to the athletes that represent our nation in Olympic competition," said USOC Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr. "The Bank of America Hometown Hopefuls program reflects the bank's continued commitment to America's Olympic athletes and their families, and affords them a place to interact and celebrate their success at the Games."
Bank of America will provide financial and marketing support to the following roster of U.S. Olympic athletes and hopefuls for the Beijing Olympic Games:
* Jennie Finch (Phoenix, AZ - Softball), Pitcher for the 2004 gold-medal
winning U.S. Olympic Team for softball
* Aaron Peirsol (Irvine, CA - Swimming), Three-time gold medal winner at
the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, sweeping all three backstroke
competitions
* Lauryn Williams (Pittsburgh, PA - Track & Field), 100m silver medalist
at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece
* Shannon Boxx (Redondo Beach, CA - Soccer), Member of the 2004 gold-
medal winning U.S. Olympic Team for soccer
* Tara Kirk (Bremerton, WA - Swimming), Silver medalist in 4x100 medley
relay at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games
* Sada Jacobson (Dunwoody, GA - Fencing), First woman in U.S. history to
medal (bronze) in Olympic fencing competition during the Athens 2004
Olympic Games
* Howard Bach (San Francisco, CA - Badminton), Member of the U.S. Olympic
Team for Badminton that competed during Athens 2004 Olympic Games
* Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA - Water Polo), Scored 15 goals for Team
USA during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games
* Brett Heyl (Charlotte, NC - Kayak), Member of the U.S. Olympic Team for
Canoe & Kayak that competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece
* Ogonna Nnamani (Normal, IL - Volleyball), Made her U.S. Olympic Team
debut at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games as the youngest member of Team
USA for Volleyball
* Cullen Jones (New Brunswick, NJ - Swimming), 2007 world champion as a
member of the men's 400m freestyle relay; the first African-American
swimmer to break a long-course world record
* Hayley Peirsol (Irvine, CA - Swimming), One of only three women in U.S.
history to break the 16-minute mark in the 1500m freestyle
"Family support has always been vital to my athletic performance," said Olympic gold medalist, softball player Jennie Finch. "Bank of America has been and continues to be a valuable and committed partner, providing my family with a home away from home during their time in Beijing, which is comforting to me as I train and prepare to represent America in Olympic competition."
The Bank of America Hometown Hopefuls program recognizes the important role that families and friends play in the life of an elite athlete. Past research conducted by the USOC found that U.S. Olympic athletes ranked "support of family and friends" as their number two success factor.
Bank of America is widely recognized as a major corporate supporter of the U.S. Olympic Team, helping to make it possible for the nation's best athletes to represent the United States in world-class competition. Bank of America's earliest known involvement with the U.S. Olympic Movement dates back to 1921, when the bank provided leadership and financing for the Los Angeles Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games. In 1992, Bank of America signed on as an official sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team that competed in Barcelona, Spain. The company has supported every U.S. Olympic Team since, including the American athletes who will compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Visit http://promotions.bankofamerica.com/usolympicteam/ for more information on Bank of America's roster of U.S. Olympic hopefuls.
About the USOC
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole entity in the United States whose mission involves training, entering and underwriting the full expenses for the U.S. teams in the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. In addition to being the steward of the U.S. Olympic Movement, the USOC is the moving force for support of sports in the United States that are on the program of the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. Learn more about the U.S. Olympic Team and USOC at http://www.usolympicteam.com/.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 57 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 5,700 retail banking offices, more than 17,000 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 22 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in 175 countries and has relationships with 98 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
http://www.bankofamerica.com/
Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050720/CLW086LOGO-bAP Archive:
http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
SOURCE: Bank of America
CONTACT: Joe Goode of Bank of America, Office, +1-617-346-4830, or
Mobile, +1-781-799-6048, joseph.l.goode@bankofamerica.com; or Lindsay DeWall
of United States Olympic Committee, +1-719-866-4566, or
lindsay.dewall@usoc.org
Web site: http://promotions.bankofamerica.com/usolympicteam
http://www.usolympicteam.com/
http://www.bankofamerica.com/
