Running to future: Infront adds Athletics to Italian portfolio with FIDAL partnership

Six-year agreement with Italian Athletics Federation includes media and marketing rights, event organisation and new project development

Milan, Italy / Zug, Switzerland – Infront and FIDAL, the Italian Athletics Federation, announced a six-year partnership on Friday, which will run until 2024. The agreement unveiled at a press conference in Rome, will see Infront and FIDAL collaborate at all levels of the federation's events and projects.

This latest move adds a major Italian sport to Infront Italy's growing portfolio.

Under the terms of the agreement, Infront will handle all marketing and commercial rights for the federation, including the sponsorship of national team jerseys and the organisation of major elite events including the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea, the Rome Half Marathon Via Pacis and other top FIDAL events.

Infront will guarantee the federation EUR 12.9 million, as a minimum guarantee throughout the six-year agreement, as well as a revenue share for the Runcard project. The latter represents one of the most challenging areas for Infront, who will enrich the platform with new content and features and provide all members with better services and an enhanced user experience.

FIDAL President, Alfio Giomi, said: "It is a very important day for Italian athletics. As of today, we are glad to have such a high profile partner like Infront on our side. This agreement adds value for FIDAL from the point of view of its communication and the perception of a sports movement that is experiencing stunning results, building towards the European Championships in Berlin. Our world is not only made of professional competitions, but also of a multitude of nationwide events, involving thousands of enthusiasts, who have transferred the values of athletics to their own personal lifestyle."

Infront Italy President and CEO Luigi De Siervo said: "We strongly believe in this project and we want to act as a protagonist in the world of athletics, which has always been considered the 'queen of all sports'. After two years of discussions, this was the perfect time to invest in the movement, which is experiencing a great renaissance thanks to the work done by the federation and the excellent results achieved by Italian athletes.

"Our goals are to grow the partnership with FIDAL, increase participation in the sport and elevate the movement of Italian athletics in order to keep developing our growth strategy in the field of mass participation sports, both in Italy and internationally".

Infront's expertise in the field of sports business and its sales network, both nationally and internationally, will help support FIDAL. The organisation will also be able to count on Infront's production and post-production centre, offering a wide range of digital production services. Furthermore, a dedicated project team will be created, with an integrated communications plan set to be developed in order to raise FIDAL's profile and grow its visibility and popularity for the benefit of both the federation and its partners.

About Infront

Infront is a leading sports marketing company managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events, including the distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 1,000 staff working from 39 offices across more than 14 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Group, part of Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group.