Newsbyte: SAP Continues to Make Waves With Sponsorship of Extreme Sailing Team

WALLDORF, Germany, April 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) has further cemented a place at the forefront of international sailing by today announcing its sponsorship of the SAP Extreme Sailing Team. As one of the most exciting and innovative new formats of the sport, the sponsorship helps SAP to continue on its course in assisting the development of sailing around the world. The team, formerly the Danish Extreme Challenger Team, is racing as part of the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series and SAP will look to implement a range of innovative technology solutions to deliver cutting-edge analytics to the team in order to improve overall race and training performances.

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"Through our existing work with Sailing Team Germany, Kieler Woche and the 505 World Championships, SAP continues to deliver cutting-edge innovations to the sport of sailing," said Stefan Lacher, head of Technology for the SAP Sailing Program. "We are excited to build on our experience and enhance the sport on another level through working with the SAP Extreme Sailing Team."

In the Extreme Sailing Series teams battle against each other close to the shoreline, combining spectator-friendly configurations with challenging sailing conditions. "Stadium Sailing," as the fast-paced and action-packed discipline is more commonly known, puts fans and spectators at the heart of the competition. The series will take fan involvement one step further through the use of "fifth man spots" that will allow spectators to join the teams out on the water and experience all the action firsthand. The SAP Extreme Sailing Team is set to compete in Act 2 of the Extreme Sailing Series season in Qingdao, China, where its new multihull will be unveiled.

SAP's history in sailing has produced a number of impressive results in a wide range of disciplines. In 2011, SAP worked with Audi Sailing Team Germany on solutions to support the decision-making process of sailors in order to increase the effectiveness of their racing strategy and execution. With this in mind, a "Sail Better" solution was created to help sailors and coaches to increase their training efficiency through trim optimization, venue pattern analysis and video-based learning. It also provides the team's Olympic prospects with the tools to chart a winning strategy for London 2012.

As premium sponsor of Kieler Woche, the world's largest sailing regatta, SAP delivered a number of solutions that enhance the viewing experience by bringing together live race results, analytics software from the SAP® BusinessObjects™ portfolio and 3-D visualization with commentary. For more information, see "SAP and Kieler Woche Bring the Excitement of Sailing to the World."

SAP's longstanding relationship with the 505 World Championship has provided another excellent platform to showcase their innovation within the sport. At the 2011 505 World Championship, SAP launched a prototype application that consolidated GPS tracking data with an augmented reality function to provide thrilling real-time insights into the race, offering spectators access to a live results list simply by pointing their phone toward race markers or the fleet of 90 participating boats.

Digital content, including photos, video and press releases, are available for download from the Extreme Sailing Series at the Extreme Sailing Series Digital Media Exchange (DME). To signup/login, click here or access it via the "PRESS/TEAM" section of www.extremesailingseries.com.

To learn more about SAP's global sponsorships, visit www.sapsponsorships.com. For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews and @SAPsponsors.

Media Contact:
Jim Dever, +1 (610) 661-2161, [email protected], EDT

SOURCE SAP AG