Toyota Moves Toward PyeongChang

TORRANCE, Calif., March 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota is strengthening its lineup of Team USA relationships as the company moves toward the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, its first as an International Olympic Committee The Olympic Partner (TOP) sponsor. Today, Toyota announced new multi-year National Governing Body (NGB) partnerships with:

• U.S. Figure Skating – This partnership will tell the story of how Toyota is furthering mobility to create the next generation of Olympic figure skating champions. In addition, U.S. Figure Skating will work with Toyota through multimedia, social channels, major events and grassroots outreach to develop and promote the sport.
• U.S. Speedskating – Toyota's support of U.S. Speedskating will grow grassroots participation, expand development programs, promote the sport's major events and provide elite athletes with additional resources and technological support.

In addition, Toyota extended and expanded a partnership with USA Hockey that began in 2012.

An official sponsor of USA Hockey and a proud partner of the U.S. Men's, Women's, and Sled national teams, Toyota is also the presenting sponsor of the Toyota-USA Hockey National Disabled Festival and will be engaged with USA Hockey's efforts in athlete development at all levels.

Toyota – which earlier this year announced a similar partnership with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association – also today welcomed two athletes from that organization into its multi-sport Team Toyota family:

• Gus Kenworthy -- the silver medalist in men's freestyle slopestyle skiing at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014; Kenworthy, 25, also competes in the halfpipe.
• Torin Yater-Wallace – the winner of the men's halfpipe skiing event at last month's Toyota Grand Prix; Yater-Wallace, 21, also competed at the Sochi Games. He recently won the Olympic test event halfpipe competition in PyeongChang.

"We are committed to making an impact with our winter sports presence in the United States," said Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Division. "With the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games less than a year away, Toyota looks forward to supporting the NGBs and athletes on every step of their journey as they move toward achieving their dreams."

USA Hockey, U.S. Figure Skating and U.S. Speedskating share a common thread as each endorses and participates in Learn to Skate USA, an enhanced iteration of the highly acclaimed Basic Skills Program, which has taught more than 2.5 million people to ice skate since 1968 and that promotes skill progression to build self-esteem in kids and adults while providing them with the resources to reach their dreams. Toyota will be working with each of the NGBs to enhance Learn to Skate programs from coast to coast.

"We are thrilled to add Toyota to our family of partners," said David Raith, executive director of U.S. Figure Skating. "We're excited to work with an organization that embraces innovation as we create opportunities to develop and grow grassroots skating programing across the United States. We look forward to collaborating with the mobility experts at Toyota to enhance our programs through this partnership."

"It's an honor for U.S. Speedskating (USS) to be partnering with Toyota to grow our sport in the United States while achieving athletic success at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games and beyond," said Ted Morris, executive director of USS. "Toyota's commitment to speed at the grassroots level through the Learn to Skate program and to the innovation it will provide our elite programs will have an immense impact on our sport moving forward."

"We're excited about an expanded relationship with Toyota," said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. "One of the additional elements of our partnership is to get more kids on the ice through Learn to Skate. Ultimately, that helps us toward our goal of winning gold in the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."

Team Toyota Athletes in the U.S. range from bass anglers to NASCAR Cup Series drivers.

"I'm so excited to welcome Gus and Torin to the Team Toyota family," said Team Toyota athlete and U.S. Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy. "I have gone more places with my partnership with Toyota than I ever could have imagined. Being part of such an innovative and forward thinking company is a privilege and I look forward to watching each of you on your journeys through this partnership."

"I've been fortunate to be a Toyota driver for a number of years now and it's always great to see athletes from other sports join the Toyota family," said Martin Truex Jr., who won last Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race, the first for the new 2018 Camry. "I've been able to meet a number of Toyota's athletes at NASCAR races and other events, especially some fishing events, and it's great to work with a manufacturer that's so committed to helping athletes develop and have success on and off the track or field of play."

Beyond the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Toyota strategically uses its relationships with sports properties and athletes as a way to connect with consumers in the United States. The brand has relationships with nearly 40 major sports teams and more than 20 major sports venues.

About Toyota 

Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to advancing mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands.  Over the past 60 years, we've produced more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000 in the U.S.).  Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold almost 2.6 million cars and trucks (2.45 million in the U.S.) in 2016 – and about 85 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.  

Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to assist more people move more places. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.  

Media Contacts

Nick Ammazzalorso
Marketing Communications Manager
Toyota USA
310.483.1035

Mimi McKinnis           
Manager, Communications
U.S. Figure Skating
719.228.3453

Dave Fischer
Senior Director, Communications
USA Hockey
719.538.1171

Matt Whewell
Communications Director
U.S. Speedskating
801.417.5373

SOURCE Toyota Motor North America