CAPITALIZE ADDS TO ITS SPORT PR PORTFOLIO WITH WORLD TAEKWONDO QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT FOR 2008 BEIJING OLYMPIC GAMES

The BTCB Sport Taekwondo UK Ltd, the high performance business arm of the National Governing Body for Olympic Taekwondo in Great Britain, has appointed Capitalize to implement an international PR campaign and on-event Press Office for the WTF World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Capitalize has been asked to drive the PR strategy for the event, which will take place at Manchester’s MEN Arena in September, as well as raising the profile of the Olympic sport in the UK and its academy of elite athletes. Capitalize will draw on its extensive experience in activating similar campaigns and working with Manchester City Council and its partners, UK Sport and The Northwest Development Agency on its flagship sports events.

The WTF World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which takes place between 28th and 30th September, will see an astonishing 182 member nations submit two male and two female athletes to participate in each weight class with the first, second and two third in each distinction qualifying for Beijing. The event will be the largest Taekwondo event ever to be held in Great Britain and is hoped to be the first of many to be held during the build-up to London 2012.

Capitalize’s PR Team already boasts expertise working with a portfolio of sports gearing up for the Olympics, which includes Hockey, Cycling and Badminton, as well as working with rights holders to deliver positive and effective campaigns to leverage events. Capitalize Director of PR & Communications Alison Forth commented, “The chance to work with a burgeoning Olympic sport like Taekwondo is extremely exciting, and we will work with a broad cross section of international media to ensure more people find out about the level of commitment to develop the sport in the UK, from the opportunities to get involved at a grass roots level right up to becoming an elite academy athlete.”

“Taekwondo is a fascinating sport and our team can’t wait to get under the skin of its combination of combat technique, self-defense, exercise, entertainment, and philosophy. With the Olympics in Beijing next year and London 2012 not far off, there has never been a better time to shout about Taekwondo.”

Sport Taekwondo UK’s Event Director Andrew Link said, “We were put in touch with Capitalize as a result of their impeccable track record in promoting sporting events in Manchester. We have been very impressed by their innovative approach to planning the campaign and now look forward to working with them as the implementation gets under way. The forthcoming campaign comes at exactly the right time as we step up our search for partners and sponsors to aid athlete development up to and beyond 2012.”