Dec. 18 – Arena, an Italian company in the field of international swimwear, announced the sponsorship agreement with USAA Swimming, the Swimming Federation of the United States, for the next 8 years. The new partnership, which will come into force in January 2013, sees Arena as the exclusive sponsor of the American national team. In addition to this sponsoring role, Arena will also be the exclusive and official sponsor of the American Grand Prix, which represents the key funding activity of the Foundation’s campaign “Swimming Make a Splash” – promoted to encourage minorities to learn how to swim. The American Federation is stronger than ever and growing rapidly, both in terms of popularity and membership. The popularity of the sport in the United States is expected to reflect in a 10% membership increase in the aftermath of London 2012, due to the record-breaking television ratings (and physical attendance) for the U.S. Olympic Trials, and the highest number of medals won in swimming at the Olympics by a single country.
