(ATR) Toyota gave a check for $150,000 to the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) on Wednesday, the first check in a pledge of at least $750,000 worth of donations to be offered in the next five years.
The award will go into the TTOC’s #10golds24 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund. The funds were supplied by the Trinidad and Tobago branch of Toyota.
On top of monetary awards, the local Toyota branch will also offer internships to qualifying athletes. Internships in the areas of human resources, public relations, communications and sales will be made available. The company will offer ongoing training and education to the athletes.
Toyota will also be the official vehicle for the TTOC throughout the five year contract and could assist the NOC with promotional and advertising initiatives.
Earlier this year in March, the Toyota parent company signed a record $835 million deal with the IOC to be a top sponsor of the organization through the 2024 Olympics. They will have exclusive worldwide rights with the IOC beginning in 2017.
President of TTOC Brian Lewis says it is a bit surprising for a small NOC such as Trinidad and Tobago to receive such a deal from a worldwide Olympic sponsor.
“It usually happens in bigger NOCs, not usually in smaller NOCs, so Toyota T&T signing on to be a partner complements, so to speak, what is happening on worldwide basis but is a landmark deal for the TTOC and we would like to congratulate and welcome them on board,” he said.
Marketing manager for the local Toyota branch Sean Shaffie says they are forward thinking when it comes to Olympic sponsorship.
“Starting today, we will be supporting our local Olympic contingent via the TTOC in readiness for the Olympic Games in 2020, not only because our parent company is an official Olympic sponsor but it is part of our burning desire to coordinate and contribute to Olympic success for our very own athletes,” Shaffie said.