Kiwi Shot-Put star in olympic campaign

MEDIA RELEASE

Kiwi Shot-Put star joins world-class athletes in global London 2012 Olympic Games campaign

Valerie Adams carries gold medal hopes to the London 2012 Olympic Games

AUCKLAND, 3 February 2012 – Visa, a proud sponsor of the Olympic Games for 25 years, announced today that New Zealand shot-putter, Valerie Adams, will join sporting greats including American swimmer Michael Phelps and Australian gymnast Lauren Mitchell as the face of its London 2012 Olympic Games campaign.

New Zealand-born Valerie will travel to London later this year to defend her Olympic Gold title, taking with her the hopes of a nation. New Zealanders will be able to get behind Valerie thanks to Visa’s Olympic-themed marketing campaign that goes to air on Sunday February 5.

“The Olympic Games begin and end with athletes and we are once again proud to be supporting Valerie in her quest for Olympic gold,” says Sean Preston, Country Manager for Visa New Zealand. “Valerie is an inspiration to all New Zealanders and we, along with the rest of the country, look forward to watching as she returns to defend her title.”

Visa’s new “Go World” television campaign, featuring Adams, will give cardholders the chance to win a trip for two to the London 2012 Olympic Games. A total of eight trips will be up for grabs, two each month between February and May 2012*.

Valerie, who was recently named one of the top three female athletes in the world by the International Association of Athletics Federation, spent the majority of 2011 based in Switzerland working with new coach Jean-Pierre Egger. “I’m excited to be part of Team Visa, alongside so many world-class athletes,” says Adams. “It is tough training in Switzerland, being away from home for so long, but the Olympics is what it is all about. It’s great to know that Visa and the rest of New Zealand are behind me as I head to London.”

For 25 years, Visa has sponsored the Olympic Games and provided valuable marketing exposure and financial support to Olympic and Paralympic athletes as they pursue their dreams of competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Leading up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Visa will support more than 50 individual athletes and national teams from more than 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, China, South Africa and Russia.

Visa’s athlete selection process is based on a variety of criteria including their personal journey to the Olympic and Paralympics Games, athletic achievements, dedication to developing their sports, and active community involvement.

*From February 1 cardholders will be automatically entered into the monthly draws simply by using their Visa cards each week. Does not include debit purchases made in store using cheque or savings accounts. `For full terms and conditions visit www.visa.co.nz/olympicgames.

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Editors Note

Visa is hosting a press conference with Valerie Adams at 3pm, 23 February 2012 at the Nation Clubrooms in SkyCity. This will be the last opportunity to speak with Valerie before the London 2012 Olympic Games.

For additional information, please visit www.visa.co.nz/olympicgames.

About Visa

Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world’s most advanced processing networks—VisaNet—that is capable of handling more than 10,000 transactions a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

ENDS

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