Betfair has entered into a key sponsorship this week with Kiel-Marketing and the City of Kiel as sponsor of Kiel Week 2012 and a new international trimaran racing series called MOD70 European Tour 2012.
Kiel Week traditionally began as an annual ship racing championship in the last complete week of each June but has grown to include a music festival across all public stages within the city that is well supported by corporate sponsors predominantly from the Schleswig-Holstein media and telecommunications industry.
The festivities attract in the region of 5 000 sailors, 2 000 ships and around three million visitors each year.
Tim Holborn, spokesperson for the city of Kiel, welcomed the new partnership, saying: “We are delighted that we have found a strong partner in Betfair. Betfair is a reputable and highly respected company in the UK, which takes its social responsibility seriously and already shows great commitment to sports and society.”
Peter Reinhardt, Central European head of Betfair, added: “Kiel Week in Germany is a sporting highlight – a commitment from Betfair was easy, given the international appeal of this event.”
Online gambling firms have been quick in entering into sponsorships in the most liberal and progressive German state of Schleswig Holstein. bwin.party Digital recently entered into a sponsorship of the THW Kiel handball team and PokerStars has secured naming rights for Stadion an der Lohmühle, Lübeck, home of the VfB Lübeck fourth division soccer club.