“We are very excited to be working with the Moroccan Association”, says Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA AG. “PUMA has been strongly connected with athletics for many years. By adding the Moroccan Association to our athletics roster it furthers the brand’s positioning in this category and strengthens PUMA’s position as one of the leading suppliers in athletics.”

“We appreciate our new apparel supplier PUMA and are glad to cooperate with the company”, added Aziz Daouda, Technical Director of the Moroccan National Athletic Association. “Especially our common aim of engagement concerning youth training and our combined participation in the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, which is of great importance to the Moroccan Association.”

During the last few years the Moroccan Athletic Association has enhanced its athletics development program and now possesses a successful international team. One of Morocco’s many outstanding athletes is the 27 year-old Hasna Benhassi who won the 1500m gold medal at the 2001 indoor championships in Lisbon and the 800m silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Alongside the Moroccan Athletic Association, PUMA is also the official apparel supplier for the Swedish and Jamaican Athletic Associations.

“The cooperation with our Swedish partner has been a great success,” General Manager PUMA Nordic AB Ulf Kinneson said. “We are very pleased to extend our contract, keeping the Swedish team in our athletics portfolio as this further strengthens our positioning as one of the leading running brands.”

With outstanding athletes such as 400-meters sprinter Johann Wissman, high-jumper Linus Thornblad and 100-meter-hurdles athlete Jenny Kallur, the Swedish team has scored impressive results in recent years. At the 2004 Olympic Games, Sweden took home three athletics gold medals in men’s high jump, men’s triple jump and the women’s heptathlon.

“The Swedish Athletic Association is very pleased that our successful relationship with PUMA as our official supplier will continue in the next years to come,” said Yngve Andersson, President of the Swedish Athletic Association.

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing this August will be the next major event where PUMA will provide the Swedish athletes with innovative shoes, apparel and equipment to guarantee the perfect starting position for success.

The designs will be worn by the entire team (men and women), including three-time Jamaican Olympic gold medallist, fastest man in the world and PUMA athlete Usain Bolt. PUMA’s partnership with Marley, the eldest daughter in the Jamaican family dynasty, underscores the brand’s long-time commitment to the Caribbean nation, with its rich cultural heritage, global music contributions and its unparalleled dedication to Athletics.

“It is truly an honor to design this collection for my home country and my home team,” said Cedella Marley. “It’s not even a dream come true because it’s something I never dreamed would be possible. I ran track in high school in Jamaica and I’m still a huge fan of Jamaican Athletics, so to have a role in creating the outfits for our Olympians is a thrill. I admire what PUMA has been doing in Jamaica over the years and the Marley family has the same type of give-back philosophy. I think this partnership is going to be legendary.”

Staying true to PUMA’s DNA of sportlifestyle, the collection incorporates high-tech fabrics and silhouettes engineered to enhance the performance of the athletes hailing from the fastest country in the world—Jamaica. Taking inspiration from the vibrant colors and patterns of the Caribbean nation as well as the African influences that have come to characterize that country, Cedella Marley’s unique designs are sure to make the world take notice in the summer of 2012.

“I can’t think of a better person to design our Olympic outfits than Cedella,” said Usain Bolt. “PUMA got that right…hooking up with a legendary Jamaican. She’s a great designer but also carries on the spirit of our nation through the legacy of the Marley family. It’s going to be inspirational to run in London with that energy surrounding me.”

PUMA’s Olympic wear will be accompanied by a lifestyle collection of apparel, footwear and accessories which will be available at PUMA retail stores globally in June 2012.

“We’ll go through a rigorous process of material selection and design to ensure the performance singlets, in particular, meet the needs of Jamaica’s world-class athletes,” continued Marley. They have to fit and feel like a second skin.”

“Cedella, the Marley family and their fun and laid back Jamaican nature are a perfect fit for the PUMA brand”, said Franz Koch, CEO of PUMA. “Cedella’s vibrant style and unique design will bring an authenticity to the Olympic PUMA collection for the entire world to see in London 2012, boosting the visibility of our brand significantly.”

Cedella Marley began designing clothes while she was on tour with Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, a band comprised of her brothers and sisters. Her fashion brand, Catch A Fire, named after her father’s first album, debuted in 2001 and encompasses a tailored bohemian style with vivid colors and prints. Her collections are available in upscale department stores throughout the United States. In addition to fashion design, Marley is a children’s book author and the CEO of Tuff Gong International—the record label founded by father Bob Marley in 1965. She is also the director of Marley and Company which manages Bob’s image and music rights and helms the merchandising conglomerate The House of Marley. A life-long philanthropist, Marley is currently overseeing operations for The Bob Marley Foundation and 1Love.org, which aligns well with PUMA’s own commitment to giving back.

PUMA’s investment in Track & Field in Jamaica is far and wide, with Usain Bolt being undeniably one of the brand’s greatest ambassadors. Since 2002, PUMA has sponsored the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), which is the governing body for Track and Field in Jamaica, and the Jamaica Olympic Association. In addition to this, PUMA helps to foster young talent through sponsorship of seven high school track and field programs. This partnership also drives the annual ISSA Boys & Girls Track and Field Championships, dubbed “The Champs” which is lauded as the most popular sporting event in Jamaica and the place where many of the world-renowned sprinters got their start. PUMA is a partner of pre-Champs meets including the Gibson Relays and various Invitationals. Outside of the high school sphere, PUMA is the main partner of the Reggae Marathon, which takes place each December in Jamaica and draws distance runners from all over the world.

The world will be watching Usain Bolt in London 2012 to see if he will break his own record in the 100m and 200m relays, clad in Cedella Marley’s unique designs. At 25, Bolt has emerged as one of the world’s most talented Track and Field athletes in the modern era, winning three gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and smashing two world records in the 100m (9:58) and 200m (19:19) at the World Championships in Berlin in 2009. PUMA, like many Bolt enthusiasts, believes the best is yet to come.

Now aged 27, Usain Bolt has been training and competing in PUMA since 2003, most recently wearing the evoSPEED performance spike which led him to the finish line at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, where he won a total of six gold medals. He has been the face of multiple global marketing campaigns orchestrated by the PUMA, and will be the focus of product initiatives and brand marketing communication in 2014 and beyond.

Usain Bolt commented, “PUMA has been with me since the very beginning. They recognised my talent at an early age and have supported me throughout, especially in the early years when I had some difficult times due to injuries. Their work and commitment to Jamaica is also very important to me. I have always been very happy to be a part of the PUMA family, I am proud to represent them and delighted to continue with them for the years ahead.”

Bjoern Gulden, CEO for PUMA said, “Usain Bolt has been a partner of PUMA since he was sixteen years old. With our support, he grew from a young athlete with huge potential to a World and Olympic Champion, claiming the title of the World’s Fastest Man. We are very proud to extend our sponsorship contract with him because Usain is the perfect ambassador of the PUMA brand. He will play a crucial role in our future product concepts as well as brand communications leading towards the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 and beyond.”

In addition to its contract endorsement with Usain Bolt, PUMA has a longstanding commitment to Jamaican Track & Field. Since 2002, PUMA has partnered with the JAAA (Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association) and the JOA (Jamaica Olympic Association). PUMA also helps to foster young talent through sponsorship of high school track and field programs, and works with various grass roots activities in Jamaica.

PUMA also launched the School of Speed in 2016. Headed by the World’s Fastest Man, Usain Bolt, the thrilling school athletics series aims to identify exceptional young South African Track & Field athletes.

“Track and field has always been a part of PUMA’s heritage and we are proud to be able to collaborate with the South African athletics federation, outfit one of the world’s leading teams and help to develop athletes for tomorrow’s success,” says Pascal Rolling, Head of Sports Marketing Running for PUMA.

ASA President Aleck Skhosana said: “It’s a pleasure for ASA to partner with one of the most renowned brands in the world. In particular we are excited that our new partner, PUMA, is in familiar territory in terms of sporting discipline and the athletes that they are sponsoring in South Africa. We look forward to a cordial, long-term relationship”.