ANZ renews Australian Open sponsorship with 5-year exclusive partnership
ANZ today announced that it has extended its sponsorship of the Australian Open for a further five years, signing an agreement that makes it the tournament’s exclusive banking partner.
ANZ Chief Executive Officer Mike Smith said: “We’re pleased to continue our support of the Australian Open. Our partnership with the Australian Open has played an important role over the past five years in helping us grow ANZ brand in Australia and throughout Asia Pacific.
“The Australian Open is the largest annual sporting event in Australia attracting the world’s best players. We are very pleased to support the hard work of Tennis Australia which has cemented the tournament’s position as the Grand Slam of Asia Pacific.
“More than half of the worldwide audience are tuning in each year from our own region here in Asia Pacific. Just last night, there were more than 20 million tennis fans in China that watched Li Na defeat Dominika Cibulkova in the women’s final, highlighting the growing popularity of tennis in the fastest growing region in the world.
“We are looking forward to getting our staff and customers even more involved as we broaden our support for Australian tennis to local communities,” Mr Smith said.
Last year, ANZ extended its association with tennis in Asia Pacific with a five-year sponsorship of the Shanghai Masters. As part of the agreement, it launched the ANZ China Tennis Development Program, a grassroots initiative aimed at developing young talent in China.