• by Tanya Gazdik , August 9, 2007

Bank of America will support the U.S. Olympic athletes in Beijing next year, marking its 16th year as a Team USA sponsor.

This week, the Charlotte, N.C.-based BofA launched its 2008 Olympic Games programming by introducing its roster of 12 U.S. Olympic Team hopefuls, who will receive funding and support as part of BofA's "Hometown Hopefuls" program. The athletes, who have collectively won eight Olympic medals across a variety of disciplines, will be part of the bank's year-long U.S. Olympic marketing campaign.

The marketing program will begin in earnest in February, says Bank of America spokesman Joe Goode. It will be "unprecedented" in terms of its scope and reach, he says, but declines to offer any details until closer to launch.

BofA provides the U.S. athletes, their families and friends with access to a family center in Beijing to make their visit to the Olympic Games as comfortable and affordable as possible. This is the third Olympic Games that BofA has sponsored a team of hopefuls and opened a center on-site for their use, Goode says.

The 15,500-square-foot center is home base for friends and families of more than 550 U.S. Olympians during the games. It will feature many of the comforts of home, including complimentary meals; complimentary tickets to an Olympic event for up to four family members; wide-screen televisions with closed-circuit coverage of Olympic competition; information services; and an Internet lounge for athletes, families and friends who are eager to stay connected with others back in the U.S.

Brett Heyl of Charlotte, N.C., is one of the 12 Olympic hopefuls the bank is sponsoring. He was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team for Canoe & Kayak that competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Heyl can be seen on the BofA "Share the Dream" web site in a video clip talking about mobile banking.

The site, http://promotions.bankofamerica.com/usolympicteam/, was designed by Omnicom Group's Organic, which is headquartered in San Francisco and handles interactive duties for BofA.

"Bank of America knows how to maximize the value of their U.S. Olympic Team sponsorship for its customers and associates, while also bringing athletes closer to their dreams and the American public closer to the athletes that represent our nation in Olympic competition," says U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Jim Scherr in a release.

BofA's earliest known involvement with the U.S. Olympics dates back to 1921, when the bank provided leadership and financing for the Los Angeles Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games. In 1992, BofA signed on as an official sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team that competed in Barcelona, Spain. The company has supported every U.S. Olympic Team since.