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The technical consulting company ÅF is expanding its international cooperation with athletics by embarking on a major new sponsorship venture. In January 2007 the world star athlete Susanna Kallur was employed in the ÅF organisation, and in February 2008 ÅF signed a far-reaching agreement with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). One of the consequences of this agreement is that the IAAF’s annual circuit of one-day international competitions, the Golden League, will henceforward be known as the ÅF Golden League.
"In ÅF we have gained an active and well-informed partner. I look forward to a long and rewarding collaboration that will benefit both parties," says the IAAF’s Senior Vice President, Sergey Bubka.
ÅF is a modern technical consulting company with a long history and almost 4,000 employees in around 20 countries. Cooperation with the IAAF is an important aspect of the company’s endeavour to strengthen the ÅF brand in the international market.
"We see this collaboration as a step towards achieving our ambition of raising ÅF to a new international level. We want to be an active partner and we believe that our expertise within technology and the environment can benefit athletics," said Jonas Wiström, President and CEO of ÅF.
The ÅF Golden League attracts a large and devoted following. Most of the meetings are quickly sold out and television broadcasts are watched by large audiences, particularly in Europe. In Sweden TV4 will broadcast live from all six meetings in 2008. The fact that the Olympic Games will be held this summer lends special interest to athletics in 2008. Four of the ÅF Golden League meetings will be held prior to the Beijing Olympics and two afterwards. This year’s ÅF Golden League venues are Berlin (1 June), Oslo (6 June), Rome (11 July), Paris (18 July), Zurich (29 August) and Brussels (5 September).
"The ÅF Golden League presents an ideal opportunity for ÅF to strengthen its brand internationally," says Jonas Wiström. "The competition takes place in major European cities where we are already active – not least Zurich and Oslo."