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Under Armour Going for Gold - The Winter 2010 Olympics

Leader board BaseLayer Challenge

As the countdown to Vancouver 2010 continues American performance clothing giants Under Armour appear to be in a league of their own when it comes to the signing of top medal hopefuls.

The 2010 Winter Olympics have brought many opportunities to both athletes and sponsors alike, the real opportunity has come for Under Armour to build on its own US varsity dominance and grow the already strong brand internationally. During the next 17 days the Winter Olympics' coverage is being extended for the first time to include its sponsors and how they finally rank in medal order.

Because of the unprecedented commercial and media coverage BaseLayer, a top UK on-line retail outlet will cover this year's Winter Olympics' to find out to what extent Under Armour will dominate this year's games. With endorsed medal hopefuls in Freestyle, Bobsled, Skeleton Bob, Curling, Snowboarding, Ice Hockey, Downhill and Alpine it is probable that Under Armour would be placed above a majority of competing nations when the final leader board is published come the 28th of February.

With huge names like the two time world champion poster girl Lindsey Vonn and Ice Hockey super star Rick Nash competing in their corner, Under Armour have put their money where their mouth is when it comes to maximum publicity and maximum medal opportunities.

Team Sweden have other ideas as they plan to target 10 Winter Olympic medals. This potential and proverbial thorn in Under Amours' side puts greater pressure on Anja Pearson who is Lyndsey Vonn's greatest threat already on form by last week winning the Super-Combined event at St Moritz. Team Sweden also makes a statement by fielding a veteran Ice Hockey team looking for that crucial big game experience when the tournament gets to its business end.

Canadian Alpine Skier Manuel Osborne-Paradis could provide Under Armour a knockout blow more devastating than one from Georges Saint Pierre , Under Amours biggest MMA signing to date. Canada remains the only host nation in Olympic history not to have won a gold medal on their home soil. They failed in both the summer Olympics in Montreal, and again in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. The hopes of a nation will be resting on big shouldered Manuel Osborne-Paradis and the medal seeking Canadian Curling team.
The reasons why so many athletes are using Under Armour is because since the mid 1990's, Under Armour has lead the field in technical sporting apparel and has set benchmarks for compression and non compression technical apparel clothing.
The devil is in the fabric and the stitching claims many Under Armour suppliers and end users, the Cold Gear range especially will be this year's main Winter Olympic warmer. Using enhanced thermal protection as standard with unique moisture management means you will stay dry and warm whatever the event. The ‘four way stretch & recovery' system revolutionized the way athletes can now move which means you can bend and twist in any direction whilst maintaining complete support and a complete range of movement.
Low profile seams, laser welded seams, reinforced flat-lock seams, it seems Under Armour have a seam for all occasions and have clearly invented and invested heavily where it counts not just in the quality of its end product but also in the quality of its endorsements. I would expect Under Armour to have picked its winners at this year's Winter Olympic Games with accuracy and precision just like its Cold Gear clothing range. Come February the 28th BaseLayer will have the answer and find out if Under Armour truly does give you a winning performance.

Winter Olympic Vancouver 2010 round up - BaseLayer concludes:

Under Armour Going for Gold - The Winter Olympics 2010 Leader Board BaseLayer Challenge#
Now that the Vancouver 2010 games are over and the snow has finally settled we can take a look at how effective and well selected the Under Armour Winter Olympics 2010 campaign has really been, and if Under Armour did succeed in taking up the ‘BaseLayer Leader Board Challenge'.

The true effects of this year's games will probably not be made apparent until the 2011 Q1 financial results and next year's cold weather season is at its end.
With Under Armour showing strong consistent growth through the last three years driving sales through its peak season has clearly been what the brand is all about, now with its huge initiative with Georges St Pierre and the global phenomenon of Mixed Martial Arts, summer heat gear is also looking like it will take off in the same vain.

Let's conclude on the Winter Olympics first though, with all references to endorsements and sponsorships put to one side for a moment, just how great was the achievement of all the athletes that took part in this year's games. Its remarkable how these dedicated sportsmen and women often coming from different sides of the money track have fared; some with multimillion pound contracts some receiving just their bus fare home competing on a level playing field in what is a dangerous and often painful passion is immense. Well done to you all and thank you for the 17 days of excitement and enjoyment you gave us.

In answer to the original question posed a month ago by BaseLayer a UK based top sports apparel retailer, Under Armour if competing as a nation this year would of came 4th in the medal count with 6 golds, 5 silvers, and 6 bronze medals. This is of course is the endorsed team results, I'm sure the actual figure of athletes winning medals wearing Under Armour is much greater. So well done Under Armour - why so?

Well Under Armour actually managed to get medals in every event they had endorsements in other than snowboarding and the little known event of Skelton Bob, for those of you that haven't heard of it its basically high octane one man sledging and only accounts for 2 of the 61 days Under Armour had coverage in. Team GB slid away with this event by getting Gold in the women's finals. Incidentally this is the first individual medal winner for team GB since Robin Cousins some 30 years ago, congratulations Amy Williams for a truly great achievement.

After careful analyses Under Armour actually had 61 days in total of media coverage spanning seven sporting categories. Ice hockey was a great choice with 16 days of coverage and home country legend Rick Nash spearheading team Canada on their turbulent way to Gold. This event also had the country at a standstill as the final smashed all viewing records in Canada since time began.

2XU appointed as England RL Compression Clothing Suppliers

The RFL has appointed specialist sports apparel company 2XU as the official suppliers of compression clothing to the England team.

The Melbourne-based company are world leaders in the manufacture of technologically advanced compression clothing, which has been scientifically researched, with the aim to enhance performance and improve the recovery of athletes. 2XU compression clothing is designed to improve circulation, reduce muscle damage and heighten agility.

Paddy Mortimer, the England Elite Training Squad Performance Manager, welcomed a deal which could give the sport's best players a vital edge.

"We are delighted to have 2XU on board and are looking forward to working closely with them between now and the 2013 Rugby League World Cup," said Mortimer.

"The RFL is making significant investment in many areas of sports science and our partnership with 2XU is the latest example of Rugby League embracing the technology that will give our athletes every opportunity to be the best they can be."

As well as the senior England squad, 2XU will supply compression apparel to England Women, England Knights (Under-20s), England Talent Development Squad, England Youth, England Academy and Wheelchair Rugby League.

Mike Trees, the Managing Director of 2XU UK, said: "Our association with the RFL and England is the dawn of a new era for 2XU. We hope our high quality and stylish compression garments will play a significant part in both the recovery and improved performance of all the players who wear them.

We have spent years developing and working with the world's best sports institutes to develop a compression collection so scientific, beneficial and comprehensive it can benefit everyone who wears it. The opportunity to work with the country's best Rugby League players, and to develop our products even further to help them to achieve their full potential is a proud moment for 2XU."