FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oakley, Inc. and the United States Olympic Committee today announced the extension of a partnership that will make Oakley the official eyewear supplier to Team USA® through 2020.
“Decades of Oakley innovation were venerated when we were selected as the official licensee and eyewear supplier to Team USA for London 2012, and it is a tremendous honor to have the partnership extended so far into the future,” said Scott Bowers, Oakley’s Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Brand Development.
Oakley is the first-ever performance-based eyewear supplier to the USOC and Team USA, and has licensing rights for protective, active, lifestyle and corrective eyewear, including glasses, sunglasses, goggles and associated accessories.
Bowers continued, “Oakley is driven Beyond Reason™ to achieve innovation worthy of the world’s best athletes. We look forward to the future of our USOC partnership and to reinventing possibility for U.S. Olympians and Paralympians who will put their faith in our products during the performances of their lives.”
Hundreds of athletes from more than 15 sports will rely on Oakley performance innovations during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The company will also supply product to the U.S. delegation at Sochi 2014, Rio de Janeiro 2016, Pyeongchang 2018 and the soon-to-be-determined host city of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Additionally, Oakley will support Team USA at the Youth Olympic Games for Nanjing 2014, Lillehammer 2016 and the yet-to-be-decided hosts of the 2018 and 2020 Youth Games.
“U.S. athletes trust Oakley eyewear, and we are proud to partner with a company that has earned such a distinguished reputation for performance technology,” said USOC Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Baird. “In addition, the partnership allows Team USA fans to show their support for athletes by purchasing products from the Team USA Collection.”
Oakley’s Team USA Collection lets fans share their excitement for the Games and experience the breakthroughs that U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes will depend on to perform at their best. A percentage of the proceeds from sales of all Team USA eyewear will support the training of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls.
Prior to the London 2012 Games, Team USA hopefuls will rely on Oakley eyewear as they compete to earn a spot on the U.S. Team. Oakley’s athletes include Kristen Armstrong (Olympic gold medalist, cycling), Bryan Clay (Olympic gold medalist, decathlon), Susan Francia (Olympic gold medalist, rowing), Lolo Jones (world champion, 100m hurdles), Taylor Phinney (world champion, cycling), Wallace Spearmon (world champion, 4x100m relay), and Kerri Walsh (two-time Olympic gold medalist, beach volleyball).
Many Olympic and Paralympic athletes depend on Oakley performance eyewear for optical clarity, uncompromising protection and superior comfort. Oakley’s patented lens technologies offer the performance edge of High Definition Optics® (HDO®). Offering true, accurate vision, Oakley HDO improves concentration and mental focus, reduces eyestrain and squinting and enhances relaxation by reducing wind exposure and filtering harsh glare. Olympic athletes can also depend on the uncompromising impact protection and 100 percent UV filtering of Oakley eyewear.
The Team USA eyewear collection will evolve with continual updates to keep pace with Oakley’s latest performance inventions and style innovations and initially will feature 10 sunglass styles in 11 different colors, plus one active-lifestyle prescription frame. Current eyewear in the collection includes Oakley Jawbone, Radar® Path®, Flak Jacket®, Fuel Cell, Commit Sq™, Miss Conduct™, Caveat™, Deviation™, Half Jacket® 2.0, and Batwolf™.
The new collection is available at Oakley.com and through the company’s domestic distribution channels. In addition, the USOC is selling the products online via TeamUSAShop.com, which is proud to accept only Visa for the purchase of all official Team USA merchandise, and through storefronts at its U.S. Olympic Training Centers. New styles of glasses, sunglasses and goggles will be released throughout the duration of the partnership.
Visit Oakley.com to learn about the company’s sport performance and lifestyle products and connect with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team on TeamUSA.org, Twitter and Facebook.
About Oakley, Inc.
Established in 1975 and headquartered in Southern California, Oakley is one of the leading sports brands in the world. The holder of more than 600 patents, Oakley is continually seeking problems, solving them with inventions and wrapping those inventions in art. This philosophy has made Oakley one of the most iconic and inimitable brands on the market, with innovations that world-class athletes around the globe depend on to compete at the highest level possible. Oakley is famed for its insuperable lens technologies such as High Definition Optics® (HDO®) which is incorporated into all Oakley sun and prescription eyewear, and all premium Oakley goggles. Oakley has extended its leadership position as the world’s leading sports eyewear brand into apparel, footwear and accessories collections. Laser focused on the consumer, Oakley has both men’s and women’s product lines that target Sports Performance, Active and Lifestyle consumers. Oakley is a subsidiary of Luxottica Group. Additional information is available at www.oakley.com.
About the USOC
Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., the U.S. Olympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. As such, the USOC is responsible for the training, entering and funding of U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, while serving as a steward of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements throughout the country. For more information, visit TeamUSA.org.
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