Citi Handlowy, one of the largest financial institutions in Poland, has become the naming sponsor of the IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw and the 5150 Warsaw triathlon events, both scheduled for June 6, 2021.
The Citi Handlowy naming sponsorship deal follows the recent announcement of The IRONMAN Group’s Polish event portfolio expansion, with the addition of two events: IRONMAN Gdynia and the IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw.
The bank also remains the sponsor of the IRONMAN Gdynia and the Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Gdynia taking place in early August 2021.
The events in the capital city of Poland will be named the Citi Handlowy IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw and the Citi Handlowy 5150 Warsaw.
“We are glad that Citi Handlowy continues to partner with the IRONMAN Poland,” said Maciej Kropidłowski, Vice-President of the Management Board of Citi Handlowy.
“We are proud to become the naming sponsor of the prestigious IRONMAN 70.3 event which will take place in Warsaw for the very first time. These events enjoy a massive recognition by athletes and fans – including our clients and partners. We truly hope 2021 will give us an opportunity to take part, shoulder to shoulder, in these great sport events.”
Michał Drelich – CEO at Sport Evolution, Poland’s exclusive IRONMAN licensee, said “This year has been exceptionally tough for the mass participation events industry. Most events have been postponed or cancelled.
“That was also the case for the IRONMAN Poland races. The events in Gdynia eventually took place on a new date in September – under very rigid sanitary regimen – while in the case of the 5150 Warsaw we were forced to cancel the event in 2020”
Drelich continued, “Our partnership with Citi Handlowy is an extremely positive example of corporate social responsibility, even more important in this challenging period. For athletes from around the globe this is a great news which should make all of us look ahead with a bit more optimism.
“The Covid-19 pandemic is not over yet and we take it very seriously, but we also believe that the ‘return to normal’ is possible.”
Renata Kaznowska, Deputy Mayor of Warsaw, said “The 5150 Warsaw event has already been held four times and attracted almost 6000 athletes. The people and the community of Warsaw have proved that sport is in our blood.
“In recent years, our city has seen numerous mass participation sport events with large numbers of Warsaw citizens taking part. To us, adding the IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw was just a matter of time. I am glad our citizens will have a new opportunity to challenge themselves.”
The Citi Handlowy IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw will offer 40 age-group qualifying slots to the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission on September 17-18, 2021 in St George, Utah, USA.
General registration for the IRONMAN Gdynia, the Enea IRONMAN 70.3 Gdynia, the Citi Handlowy IRONMAN 70.3 Warsaw and the Citi Handlowy 5150 Warsaw was launched on December 2. IRONMAN reports that nearly 3,000 athletes have already signed up in the first days after opening.
