Speedo Extends Partnership With Chinese Swimming Team Through The Next Two Olympic Games

Courtesy of Speedo, a SwimSwam partner.

Speedo has announced an extension to its partnership with the China Swimming Association (CSA) which will see the world’s leading swimwear brand sponsor and outfit the China Swimming Team at all international competitions, including the upcoming 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, as well as the next two Olympic Games at Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028.

“The China Swimming Team is home to some of the most exciting stars in swimming, including Speedo-sponsored athletes Wang Shun, who carved his name into history at Tokyo 2020. We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with the CSA and support the China Swimming team as they look to write more golden chapters in Paris and LA”, Simon Rowe, Speedo VP Global Sports Marketing, said.

Speedo also now supports China’s very best swimmers; freestyle swimmer Pan Zhanle who has swum the fastest times in the world for 100m and 200m this year, gold medallist Li Bingjie, Qin Haiyang who has swum the fastest times for breaststroke this year and rising star Yu Yiting. The partnership will see Speedo benefit from the knowledge and expertise of Chinese swimmers, who will play a pivotal advisory and testing role to create future pioneering technologies from Speedo’s world-renowned Aqualab research and development facility.

“Our partnership with the China Swimming Association can be traced back more than 40 years, and this is an extension of an exciting partnership between two forward-thinking organizations that place huge emphasis on innovation and technology to break new ground. We’re eager to continue building swimming’s ever-growing profile in China, and to inspire and support the next generation of swimmers”, Abhy Thomas Joseph, Chief Operating Officer, Pentland Brands, said.

Speedo Aqualab has built the brand’s reputation for setting the standard of innovation in the pool for all types of swimmers, from competitive to fitness or leisure. Since 2000, Speedo’s elite Fastskin swimsuits have been developed using the most advanced fabrics and designs, including emulating sharkskin. The Fastskin story has been made possible with rigorous testing and consultation with the world’s best swimmers, as well as pioneering collaborations with external partners.

The Speedo Aqualab team applies the same forward-thinking philosophy to products including caps and goggles as it does to its swimwear, helping to assure swimmers that they are wearing the most advanced products available, from head to toe.

As a result of the extended partnership between Speedo and the CSA, top-level athletes from China will continue to wear Speedo’s flagship suits, the LZR Pure Intent and LZR Valor, each of which are carefully handmade in Portugal. Since they were launched in 2019, 52% of all individual world records have been broken by athletes wearing the suits.

Speedo Fastskin technology continued to thrive at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with 61% of all gold medals and 49% of all medals won in Speedo – including the unforgettable triumphs of Chinese athletes including Wang Shun. Speedo continues to push the boundaries of performance technology and the extended deal underlines Speedo and the CSA’s shared mission to ensure this record continues through Paris and beyond.

The comprehensive sponsorship agreement offers Speedo sponsorship status at the highest level of the CSA partnership portfolio. It includes exposure at domestic championships, as well as the launch of a new line of Speedo-branded China Swimming Team products.

Speedo’s commitment to swimming in China will be further underlined with the launch of its Swim United program in the country, underlining the brand’s global commitment to ensuring that children who are at risk of leaving school without the ability to swim can have access to swimming lessons.

The China Swimming Team is joined on Speedo’s roster of leading national teams by USA Swimming, Swimming Canada, the German Swimming Federation and British Swimming.

These partnerships underline Speedo’s reputation as the world’s leading swimwear brand, backed by a decorated 95-year history. And beyond the competitive pool, Speedo has an extensive collection of swimwear and equipment that appeals to broader audiences, especially younger Gen Z and female consumers, for both fitness and leisure swimming.

ABOUT Speedo

The world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, creating revolutionary new technologies, designs, and innovations, and supports swimming from grassroots through to the elite level. In the 1920s, Speedo® made history with the Racerback: the world’s first non-wool suit. In 2008 Speedo® redefined swimwear again with Fastskin® LZR RACER® – the fastest and most technologically advanced swimsuit ever created. 2011 saw Speedo unveil another world first with the Fastskin Racing System – a cap, goggle, and suit designed to work together as one. Speedo® is owned by Speedo Holdings B.V and distributed in over 170 countries around the world. To find out more visit: www.speedo.com.