SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Visa (NYSE: V) today announced an expanded commitment to Paralympic athletes training for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games amid rising momentum and interest in para-sport competitions. With one year to go, the Official Payment Services Partner of the Paralympic Games and a Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Gold Partner, has signed five Paralympic athletes to its Team Visa roster and is supporting the Japanese Paralympic Committee’s launch of a donation-matching program for Visa cardholders in Japan.
“The Paralympic Games presents a tremendous opportunity for dedicated athletes to pursue their dreams both on and off the field,” said Lynne Biggar, chief marketing and communications officer, Visa. “These athletes push through boundaries every day, and they are a terrific expression of what Visa stands for as a brand. We are proud to expand our support of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic athletes.”
A global Olympic partner for more than 30 years and the first and longest-standing global Paralympic partner (since 2003), Visa is also continuing to support athletes with the tools, resources and support they need through its Team Visa program, originally founded in 2000. Visa has again signed Oksana Masters, Paralympic athlete in cross-country skiing, biathlon and rowing (USA), as well as Daniel Dias, Paralympic swimming (Brazil), Aurélie Rivard, Paralympic swimming (Canada), Monika Seryu, Paralympic canoe (Japan), and Hajimu Ashida, Paralympic athletics (Japan).
Masters, with eight Paralympic medals in three different sports, will compete to medal in a fourth sport – cycling – at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. She was named the Women's Sports Foundation's 2018 individual Sportswoman of the Year.
“It’s amazing to be a part of Team Visa and have a partner like Visa behind you believing in you and supporting you,” said Masters, a multi-sport medalist in Para cross-country skiing, biathlon and rowing.
Visa’s support for Olympic and Paralympic athletes also extends to leadership off the field with the Olympian and Paralympian Business Development Program, which gives athletes such as champion swimmer and cyclist Kelly Crowley exposure to different parts of Visa’s business that they may not have otherwise had.
"Visa’s program is testimony to how the mental skills needed for winning an elite competition can translate to a business setting," said Crowley, a two-sport Paralympic medalist who now works at Visa on its talent acquisition team. “As we look forward to Tokyo 2020, the Paralympic Games is another important aspect of Visa’s commitment.”
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will feature 4,400 athletes competing in 537 medal events – including 1,756 slots for female athletes, the most ever, according to the International Paralympic Committee. The Rio 2016 Paralympics Games broke viewing records, with a record audience of 4.1 billion.
The JPC Athlete Donation Program with Visa
In Japan, the Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC) will launch the JPC Athlete Donation Program for Visa cardholders and Visa will match donations made by Visa cardholders from August 25, 2019 to December 31, 2020 via the donation program page on the JPC's official website. For more information, visit www.jsad.or.jp/paralympic/donation.
About Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa, visa.com/blog and @VisaNews.