The new agreement will see Nissan involved in the "Road to Sochi and Rio" initiative as the Official Automotive Partner of the two teams while they will also provide vehicles to the BOA and British Paralympic Association (BPA) for logistical support.

The agreement comes after the BOA regained their rights to secure individual sponsorship deals at the start of this year as they were previously restricted from doing so by the Joint Marketing Agreement that was in place with London 2012 due to the city hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The deal is also a major boost for Nissan after they were unveiled as a Tier One sponsor of Rio 2016 last year, having controversially missed out on being a backer of London 2012. 

The Japanese manufacturer was overlooked by London 2012, who chose BMW, despite a claim from Nissan who claimed that its electric-car fleet would have been a better choice.

But that has all been forgotten now.

"Nissan has invested heavily in British industry and now it is backing Britain in the greatest sporting arena in the world," said Coe here.

"I am delighted that Nissan, a company that is recognised globally for excellence and performance, is partnering with Team GB on the 'Road to Sochi and Rio'.

"The BOA played an important role in enabling me to pursue my Olympic dreams and compete for Team GB, and now, thanks to partners like Nissan, today's athletes can be afforded the same support."

Paul Willcox, senior vice-president for sales and marketing for Nissan in Europe, was also in attendance at the announcement.

"There is a great synergy between the pioneering Olympic spirit and the way that Nissan constantly strives to challenge perceptions and identify innovations," said Willcox.

"Last year, British Olympic and Paralympic athletes did an amazing job at their home Games and were a source of enormous national pride and excitement.

"We are delighted to be associated with two such inspirational squads."


The sponsorship deal with Nissan was spearheaded by Sophie Mason, the BOA's interim commercial director and part of the organisation's new-look management team under Coe.

Mason was previously the BOA director of fundraising in the lead-up to London 2012 but is now serving as commercial manager following the departure of Hugh Chambers earlier this year.

There are currently no plans to appoint a full-time commercial manager meaning Mason will occupy the position for the foreseeable future.

It marks part of a dramatic shift in organisation at the BOA, which has been spearheaded by Coe after he took over from Colin Moynihan as chairman of the organisation in November last year.

Coe has looked to significantly reduce the costs at the BOA with the number of staff at the organisation having fallen from 96 at London 2012 to 45 at present.

Senior figures to have left since London 2012 include Chambers, chief executive Andy Hunt and performance director Sir Clive Woodward.

Coe also revealed today that the BOA is looking to raise £42 million ($66 million/€50 million) in the next four-year Olympic cycle through to Rio 2016, the same amount they raised in the four-year cycle to London 2012.

"Following London 2012, is vital for the BOA to take some fragility out of the balance sheet so that we can become a more sustainable and efficient organisation," Coe said.

"It is the same with every host National Olympic Committee (NOC) following the conclusion of a home Olympic Games where you must scale up in the lead-up to the Games and scale down afterwards."

Coe added that, following the restructuring process and the outline of their strategy for the next four-year Olympic cycle, the BOA will begin the search for a new chief executive to replace Hunt, who left in February.

"We are going to begin our search for a new chief executive but we are not putting any time limit on that process," Coe said.

"It is something that we will look to take our time over so we can get it right."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
June 2012: Nissan sign deal to sponsor Rio 2016 Paralympics
February 2012: Nissan sign Rio 2016 sponsorship deal as London 2012 disappointment forgotten
December 2009: Exclusive - London 2012 defends choice of BMW as Nissan claim they would have been greener choice