Australian Beef to power our 2020 Paralympic Team

Australia’s 2020 Paralympic Team will be fuelled by Australian Beef, with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) signing a new sponsorship deal with Paralympics Australia.

The partnership will run from mid-2019 through to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, being held from 25 August to 6 September 2020.

It follows the announcement in November 2018 of MLA’s sponsorship deal with the Australian Olympic Committee as an official partner of the 2020 Australian Olympic Team.

MLA Managing Director Jason Strong said MLA is thrilled to have Australian Beef as an official partner of the Australian 2020 Paralympic Team, embracing the opportunity as a perfect fit for Australian Beef and a natural extension of the Australian Olympic Team partnership.

“Like our partnership with the Australian Olympic Team, this sponsorship with Paralympics Australia will provide a far-reaching platform over an extended period to positively promote Australian Beef’s nutritional benefits through its association with elite sport and our best Para-athletes,” Mr Strong said. 

“Some 4.5 million Australians have a disability – nearly one in five Australians – and our 2020 Australian Paralympic Team will be competing in one of the biggest Games to date, with more sports, medals, competitors and broadcasts.

“To give an indication of the huge popularity of the Paralympics, the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games was the second largest global sporting event in 2016, with a global television audience of four billion people across 154 countries.

“The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will be the first Summer Games in our time zone since 2008 and the Australian 2020 Paralympic Team will be its biggest yet, anticipating 180 athletes from potentially 18 sports pending qualifications over the next year.

“Marketing activity will extend from television and social media right through to point of purchase material. MLA will also undertake cross-promotional opportunities in Japan to further cement Australian Beef’s leading position in our largest beef export market.

“Beyond the marketing activities, an immediate win is the inclusion of Australian Beef on the menu at all Paralympics Australia events leading up to and during the Games. 

“Paralympics Australia hosts a range of events across the nation and we are proud to showcase Australian Beef – the nutritional king of meats – through these events reminding everyone why Australian Beef is the greatest.

“Together, the partnerships with the Australian Paralympic Team and Australian Olympic Team, will help reinforce the message of Australian Beef as part of a healthy diet to communities and consumers all over the country.”

Paralympics Australia Chief Executive Lynne Anderson said Paralympics Australia is thrilled to welcome Australian Beef to the Paralympic family.

“Our Paralympians know the immense value of eating healthily and the many ways this can contribute to success, which makes Australian Beef a perfect partnership for us,” Ms Anderson said.

“With just over a year to go until the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Paralympics Australia is laser-focussed on providing our athletes and our wider team with the best opportunity to succeed on the world stage and we’re very thankful for the support that MLA and Australian Beef will provide us as we strive for gold.”