Leading footballers join forces to announce a partnership designed
to get people to “Lace Up. Save Lives”
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 30, 2009--
On the day before World Aids day some of the world’s best footballers
joined Bono at an announcement of the partnership between NIKE, Inc.
(NYSE:NKE) and (RED).
Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Andrei Arshavin
(Arsenal), Marco Materazzi (Inter Milan), Denilson (Arsenal), Lucas
Neill (Everton), Clint Dempsey (Fulham) and Seol Ki-Hyeon (Fulham), came
together in London today to announce a partnership between NIKE, Inc.
(NYSE:NKE) and (RED).
This unique partnership delivers a two-pronged approach to fight
HIV/AIDS in Africa, by delivering funds to support programmes that offer
education and medication on the ground, and will harness the power of
sport to engage youth around the world in the fight against AIDS in
Africa.
In making the partnership announcement, Mark Parker, President and CEO
of NIKE Inc., Susan Smith Ellis, CEO, (RED) and Professor Michel D.
Kazatchkine Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS ,
Tuberculosis and Malaria were joined by footballers from around the
world and U2 vocalist and (RED) co-founder Bono, to emphasize the need
for global action and participation to eliminate AIDS in Africa.
"The fight against AIDS in Africa needs great brands to drive awareness
and engagement,” said Susan Smith Ellis, CEO, (RED). “Nike is the right
partner to connect education with sport, and in so doing help drive
social change, prevention and understanding of HIV/AIDS. We are thrilled
to have them with us."
Nike has a proven history of elevating global causes to create consumer
awareness and participation. “As a global brand and creative company,
Nike can play a role in amplifying this important issue,” said Mark
Parker, President and CEO of NIKE Inc. “With football as the catalyst,
Nike is joining the (RED) movement to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.”
The Nike and (RED) concept is a simple one that invites people to “Lace
Up. Save Lives” by purchasing a pair of NIKE (PRODUCT)RED™
laces. One hundred percent of the profits from (NIKE)RED
laces will be split equally between The Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, which funds AIDS programs that provide
medicine for those living with HIV, and football-based community
initiatives that deliver education and understanding around HIV/AIDS
prevention. This unique partnership delivers programs that both medicate
and educate.
Progress has been made in the drive to reduce HIV infections in Africa,
with fourteen countries reporting a decline in the prevalence of the
disease. This is great news and proves the fight can be won. But AIDS
remains one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. An
estimated 3,800 men, women and children die in sub-Saharan Africa every
day, in addition to 6,000 new infections every day among 15-24 year old
men and women.
“The (RED) Nike laces can tie athletes around the world together with
people living under threat from HIV in Africa in a beautiful way ,” said
Professor Michel D. Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund.
“Wearing these (RED) laces is a sign that you care about others – and it
helps us to protect and treat millions of people who every day risk
infection or struggle with the effects of HIV.”
“(RED) has created a sustainable way to engage business in funding the
fight against AIDS in Africa on a grand scale. Its partnerships not only
deliver funds to buy medicine to keep people alive but also provides the
leverage needed for us to demonstrate to the public sector that this
partnership works and to garner additional support,” said Dr Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Minister of Health of Ethiopia and Chairman of the
Board of Directors, The Global Fund. “The addition of Nike to the (RED)
initiative will only strengthen this impact as it will help us take this
message to millions of football fans around the world and engage them in
this issue through their passion for sport.”
(NIKE)RED laces will be available December 1st at
Nike Store locations and key retailers worldwide. In addition, (NIKE)RED
laces will be available at nike.com for purchase. And additional (NIKE) RED
products will be introduced in the coming months.
For further information: www.nikemedia.com
About Nike
NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading
designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear,
apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and
fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse
Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel
and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes
luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading
United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand; and Hurley
International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports
and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more
information, visit www.nikebiz.com.
About (RED)™ and (PRODUCT)RED™
(RED)’s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising
awareness and funds for the Global Fund, to help eliminate AIDS in
Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT)RED
mark contribute a significant percentage of the sales or portion of the
profits from that product to the Global Fund to finance AIDS programs in
Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current
partners are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Bugaboo, Converse,
Gap, Emporio Armani, Hallmark, Dell, Nike and Starbucks. Since its
launch in the Spring of 2006, $140 million has been generated by (RED)
for the Global Fund. One hundred percent of this money is put to work in
Global Fund AIDS grants in Africa with no overhead taken out. (RED)
money is at work in Swaziland, Rwanda, Ghana and Lesotho. For more
information, visit http://www.joinred.com/
About the Global Fund
The Global Fund is a unique global public/private partnership dedicated
to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This partnership between
governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities
represents a new approach to international health financing. The Global
Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral
organizations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three
diseases. Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the
dominant financier of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,
with approved funding of US$ 18.4 billion for more than 600 programs in
144 countries. To date, programs supported by the Global Fund have saved
4.5 million lives through providing AIDS treatment for 2.3 million
people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 5.4 million people and the
distribution of 88 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the
prevention of malaria.
For more information, including multi-media materials, please visit: www.nikemedia.com
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6108940&lang=en
Source: NIKE, Inc.
Nike
(Europe)
Charlie Brooks / Leo Sandino-Taylor
Charlie.brooks@nike.com
/ leo.sandino.taylor@nike.com
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(0)207 578 0500
or
(US & Global)
+1-212-367-4447 or
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