12/03/2003 Continued commitment to sport sponsorship.

ContiFanWorld designed to further football enthusiasm.

Hanover, December 2003. Already a good two and a half years before the start of the 2006 FIFA World Cup GermanyTM, Continental, one of the official global sponsors, is promoting its commitment to the event. In the run-up to the Preliminary Draw of the qualifying groups on December 5th 2003 in Frankfurt, Germany's leading tyre manufacturer Continental has launched a small-scale advertising campaign to draw attention to this first major football event, when the eyes of the world will be on Germany. Large banners will be displayed in the town centre of Frankfurt to welcome the arrival in Germany of major figures in the world of international football, such as Zinedine (Zidane), Giovanni (Trappatoni), David (Beckham), Otto (Rehhagel), Wynton (Rufer), Franz (Beckenbauer) and Rudi (Völler). Premium tyre brand Continental will also be promoting the great event in the immediate vicinity of the Festhalle, Frankfurt's festival hall, with numerous posters featuring a tyre motif.

Here you can download the press release as a doc-file (34KB).

Continental's support for the 2006 FIFA World Cup GermanyTM is a determined step forward in the company's commitment to sponsorship of the sport which commands the highest awareness level in the world. Continental's activities as an international football sponsor of the UEFA Champions LeagueTM from 1995 to 1999 were seen as a positive experience, which allowed the company to substantially enhance awareness of the premium tyre brand Continental, particularly in strategically important sales markets such as France, Italy, Great Britain and Spain. The company is currently active as a football sponsor in numerous markets, including the French champions Olympique Lyonnais, the Belgian national team, several British Premier League teams and the German Federal League club Hannover 96.

ContiFanWorld designed to further football enthusiasm.

Continental, which is listed on Germany's DAX stock market, is convinced that 2006 FIFA World Cup GermanyTM will be the outstanding sporting event of the decade in Germany. Continental's involvement as official FIFA partner provides the company with a unique international marketing platform, which is why it will be launching a new website (www.contifanworld.com) in the four official FIFA languages German, English, French and Spanish parallel to the Preliminary Draw of the qualifying groups. From December 5th 2003 football fans around the world will be able to use the website to prepare for the 2006 FIFA World Cup GermanyTM online and win attractive prizes. The ContiFanWorld website is designed to be used as a platform for online games, providing football fans with a series of games which become progressively harder, the closer the World Cup gets. ContiSoccerCamp is the first in the series. Internet users can practise their techniques, tactical skills and perseverance in six game sessions right up to the start of the UEFA EURO 2004TM European football championship in Portugal, with tempting prizes to be won every month.

The Continental Group is a leading supplier of tyres, braking systems, suspension components, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers. In 2002 the company employed some 64,500 staff worldwide and achieved a turnover of 11.4 billion euros.