Software major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has taken up the title sponsorship of Amsterdam Marathon for five years from 2011 with the event being rechristened as ‘TCS Amsterdam Marathon.'
TCS has also become the official technology partner to the Amsterdam Marathon. The announcement marks another step in the strategy of TCS “to engage with global sports sponsorships in order to promote wellness and community development through sports,” the company said in a notification to the stock exchanges today.
The Amsterdam Marathon, conceived in 1975, is one Europe's prominent marathon races and is expected to attract 33,000 participants from 80 countries in the 36th edition on October 16, 2011.
According to the Mayor of the City of Amsterdam, Mr Eberhard van der Laan, the city was proud that a prestigious international company like TCS has chosen to sponsor the marathon, which he hoped would strengthen further the relationship between the city and the company .
Global sportssponsorships
TCS is already associated with global sports sponsorships including tie-ups with Formula 1 racing team Ferrari, pro-cycling team Garmin-Cervelo and many other marathons including Bangalore, Boston, Chicago, Mumbai and New York cities. Apart from title sponsorship, TCS would support the marathon by providing technology services and has set up a “special purpose team” to enhance “the performance and experience of the sport,” the company's statement said.
According to Mr Surya Kant, President of TCS- North America, UK and Europe, the Netherlands was a key centre of operations for TCS and it was happy to support the Amsterdam marathon “as part of our larger commitment to the community.”
The Amsterdam Marathon has been renamed as ‘TCS Amsterdam Marathon' and TCS will be the title sponsor for five years-from 2011 to 2015.
TCS has been in the Netherlands since 1992 and its unit there is one of the largest country operations globally with over 2,000 experts catering to leading companies like KLM, ABN AMRO, Rabobank and the ING Group.