KIA renews support to Royal Rugby for second year

KIA, one of the most popular automobile brands in Sri Lanka, has renewed its support to Royal College’s 1st XV Rugby team for the second year running, as ‘sole team sponsor’.

The sponsorship gives KIA branding rights for the rugby jerseys of the senior rugby players of Royal College in all interschool games and tournaments of the 2013 rugby season.

The extension of the sponsorship agreement was formalised at Royal College on Thursday, 28 February by the directors of KIA Motors (Lanka) and senior officials of Royal College Rugby.

Commenting on the company’s decision to renew its support to the Royal College Rugby Team, KIA Motors (Lanka) Managing Director Mahen Thambiah said: “This sponsorship was intended to contribute tangibly to the development of facilities of the players, and build team performance.

“Royal played creditably in 2012, and we hope our support will encourage the team to play even better this year. As a brand that is associated globally with sports, KIA is proud of its association with Royal College Rugby, which has a history dating back to 1916.”

On the world stage, KIA recently extended its multi-million dollar partnership with the Australian Open tennis championship through to 2018. KIA is also an official partner of FIFA until 2022 and is a sponsor the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Other sports related sponsorships of the iconic Korean car brand include a five-year deal for exclusive naming rights to the historic Oval ground and the primary shirt sponsorship of Surrey County Cricket Club. KIA Motors (Lanka) has represented the KIA brand in Sri Lanka since 1995.