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Nokia Sponsors Freestyle World Cup
December 11, 1997
Nokia is the title sponsor of the FIS Freestyle World Cup 1997-1998. The Nokia FIS Freestyle World Cup consists of 11 events organized in Austria, France, Italy, USA, Switzerland and Sweden. Nokia will be highly visible in all of the events. Large Nokia phones will be placed next to the starting line and the finish line, and Nokia's logo will appear on the back of the podium.
"Freestyle and Nokia share the same values. Freestyle is about creativity, freedom and individuality. Freestyle skiers take challenges and do things differently. It is a young and growing sport with a strong visual appeal. Freestyle is associated with colorful images and open minded people that have a lot of positive energy. We are looking forward to having this opportunity to work with them," said Anssi Vanjoki, Senior Vice President, Nokia Mobile Phones, Europe and Africa.
Freestyle skiing is a relatively new sport, even though its origins date all the way back to the history of skiing. For as long as people have skied, there has always been someone willing to do acrobatics with skies. The first freestyle contest was held in the United States in the 1970's. The first freestyle rules stated: " Contestants are not judged by the speed of their performance, but instead by their skills on the whole, putting emphasis on the beauty, the precision and the artistry of the performance."
Freestyle consists of three different races: Acro, Moguls and Aerials. Acro resembles ice ballet with skies; the contestants perform pirouettes, jumps and somersaults accompanied by music. In moguls, the contestants ski down a steep slope full of snow bumps while trying to maintain their rhythm and pace. In aerials, a special ski jump is used for making the most imaginative jumps and somersaults. Today the world's top freestyle skiers have specialized in one of the three races.
Freestyle is an Olympic sport in the 1998 Nagano Olympics. The Nokia FIS Freestyle World Cup is an excellent opportunity to follow the development and the performance of the world's best freestyle skiers as they prepare for the Olympics. Nokia's Internet site, www.nokia.com, will closely follow the World Cup by providing on-line result service and the biographies of the top contestants.
Headquartered in Finland, Nokia is a leader in digital technologies including mobile phones, cellular and fixed telecommunications networks, wireless data solutions and multimedia terminals. With sales in approximately 130 countries, net sales totaled FIM 39.3 billion ($8.5 billion) in 1996. Nokia employs more than 36,000 people in 45 countries. Nokia's shares are listed in Helsinki, New York, London, Stockholm, Frankfurt and Paris.
Nokia FIS Freestyle World Cup Events:
| December 12 | Tignes, France | February 24 | Location open | | December 17 | Piancavallo, Italy | February 28 - March 1 | Châtel, France | | December 19-20 | La Plagne, France | March 5-7 | Meiringer - Has., Switzerland | | January 15-17 | Lake Placid, USA | March 10-11 | Hundfället, Sweden | | January 30 - February 1 | Breckenridge, USA | March 13-15 | Altenmarkt - Zauchensee Orf, Austria |
Further information:
Nokia Mobile Phones
Communications Department
Tel. +358 10 5051
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