'Talent first'- Reebok supports new initiative to help fulfill potential of young cricket enthusiasts

Company Brief

New Delhi, March 04, 2008

Reebok, India’s largest sportswear brand today announced the commencement of Reebok Cricket Star Twenty20, a nationwide talent hunt to discover the most promising young cricketer of India. Reebok Cricket Star Twenty20 talent hunt will be conducted across the eight IPL cities. The cricket legend Greg Chappell will judge the selection trials. The winner of Reebok Cricket Star Twenty20 will be awarded a contract with the Rajasthan Royals, the Indian Premier League

Cricket team.

Commenting on Reebok Cricket Star Twenty20, Subhinder Singh Prem, Managing Director, Reebok said “The association is our way of bringing alive the vision of our brand – fulfilling potential. As a performance brand we have a rich legacy in cricket since our inception in 1995 our sports heritage has grown from strength to strength. We are equipped to take new initiatives in this field, to encourage people to pursue sports and fitness and we hope that Reebok Cricket Star Twenty20 will send a message to all that Sports is not a faction of the elitist but a measure of talent, hard work and determination and Reebok as a brand is there to support anyone who has these in abundance measures.”

The contestants of the Reebok Cricket Star Twenty20 talent hunt will be tested for their cricketing abilities under the expert eyes of Greg Chappell. The selected contestants from each city will attend a 10 day camp at Jaipur where they will go through rigorous training on Twenty20 format and will compete with each other to be the next Reebok Cricket Star. The Reebok Cricket Star Twenty20 talent hunt is expected to draw thousands of young prospective cricketers. This initiative will provide a platform for aspiring cricketers throughout India to showcase their cricket abilities.

Reebok is a believer in associating with the Sportsman and not just the Sports star. They have always believed in the philosophy of grooming talents in sports and assisting the players to fulfill their potential in line with their vision right from its inception. Players like Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma who have gained popularity have been with Reebok for the last 3 years. Reebok also has 4 out of playing 11 members of the U-19 World Cup winning team as their Brand ambassadors.

Reebok strongly supports domestic cricket and is the only brand to be associated with the UP and Delhi Ranji teams. At the felicitation ceremony done by Reebok for the T20 world cup champions, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, the key architects of this win shared with media about Reebok’s support of athletes citing their own personal examples.

This association with the Cricket Star Twenty20 is another step in the same direction. It is an attempt to support and groom the young cricketing talent in the nation and help them to outperform for the nation. For Reebok associating with cricket is not just about endorsement. Their brand ambassadors are their brand users in a very real way because Reebok provides cricket gear and equipment to players and also makes super customized bats keeping in mind the individual specs for the majority players of the Indian cricket team.

For further information, please contact:

Reebok India Company

Puneet Sewra

Tel: 0124 – 4124131

e-mail: puneet.sewra@reebok.com