Under Armour Strikes Gold With Partnership With USA Gymnastics

BALTIMORE, Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Under Armour and USA Gymnastics today announced that Under Armour, Inc., the Baltimore, MD-based leader in athletic performance gear, will provide performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for the USA Gymnastics athletes, coaches, and staff for the next eight years, through the 2020 Olympic Games.  This is the brand's first sponsorship of a national governing body for a summer Olympic sport.

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"Under Armour is already known for its wide-range of innovative and stylish performance products," said Steve Penny, President of USA Gymnastics, "and the plans we have discussed for our partnership have the potential to elevate both of our brands in the United States and on the international stage."

"As Under Armour continues to expand into new categories globally, we are committed to strengthening our position as the leader in performance innovation," said Matt Mirchin, Senior Vice President, Brand and Sports Marketing, Under Armour. "We are proud to partner with USA Gymnastics, providing state-of-the-art performance apparel, footwear, and accessories designed to help these elite gymnasts perform at their best."

Designated as the official performance apparel and footwear outfitter, Under Armour will provide team members with competition, conditioning and training apparel, accessories and footwear, including competition leotards. The U.S. National Team coaches, athletes and staff will also be outfitted head-to-toe at national training camps and national and international competition.

Under Armour will collaborate with GK Elite Sportswear, L.P. to create the U.S. National Team competition apparel for men's and women's gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling. GK Elite has been the exclusive manufacturer of competitive gymnastics apparel for the U.S. National Team since 2000.

"GK Elite is proud to be partnering with Under Armour and USA Gymnastics for the next two Olympic cycles," said Kelly McKeown, EVP of Corporate Relations. 

Athletes and coaches will also be able to utilize the brand's newest innovation, Armour39™, which is the first-of-its-kind digital performance monitoring system that measures an athlete's heart rate, calories burned, workout intensity and WILLpower™ score, which reflects an athlete's overall effort during a workout session.

USA Gymnastics athletes and staff will first appear in Under Armour® apparel at the upcoming AT&T American Cup Saturday, March 2.

In addition to USA Gymnastics, Under Armour outfits several winter Olympic sports and athletes, including US Speedskating, Bobsled and Skeleton in the United States, Canada Snowboard, and Olympic skiing gold-medalist Lindsey Vonn. Under Armour first became involved in gymnastics with its sponsorship of Alicia Sacramone, who is a 2008 Olympic team silver medalist and won 10 World medals during her career.

About Under Armour, Inc.

Under Armour^® (NYSE: UA) is a leading developer, marketer, and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear, and accessories. The Company's products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland, with European headquarters in Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium, and additional offices in Denver, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Guangzhou, China. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.ua.com.  

About USA Gymnastics

Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men's and women's artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, and acrobatic gymnastics. For more information, log on to www.usagym.org.

About GK Gymnastics Apparel

GK is the world's leading brand of gymnastics apparel and is recognized around the world for superior variety, quality, fit and service.  For over 30 years, GK has been dedicated to the sport of gymnastics, contributing millions of dollars to support hallmark grass roots gymnastics development programs.  Known for their signature collections of gymnastics workout leotards, GK has partnered with over 10 Olympic athletes and currently offers workout leotards designed by 2012 Olympic All-Around Gold-Medalist Gabrielle Douglas and 2012 Olympic Floor Exercise Gold-Medalist Alexandra Raisman.  Based in Reading, Pennsylvania, Elite Sportswear, L.P., the company behind the GK Gymnastics brand, continues its commitment to American-made quality and continuous innovation in designs for Gymnastics and Cheerleading apparel.  For more information about GK Gymnastics Apparel, visit www.gkelite.com.

SOURCE Under Armour