Under Armour Signs 8-Year Deal With USA Gymnastics
BALTIMORE (AP) -- The U.S. gymnasts are getting a new look, courtesy of Under Armour.
Under Armour will provide USA Gymnastics with apparel for competition and training through the next two Olympics as part of an eight-year agreement being announced Thursday. It's the first deal with a national governing body of a Summer Olympic sport for the apparel maker, which also works with the U.S. speedskating, bobsled and luge federations.
It's the largest apparel deal USA Gymnastics has had.
"This is a huge statement about the history that Under Armour hopes to make at the Summer Olympic Games," USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny said.
Best known for its "unique" football uniforms, Under Armour got into gymnastics when it sponsored Alicia Sacramone, the captain of the Beijing Olympics. That led to the larger deal, which calls for Under Armour to provide U.S. athletes, their coaches and USA Gymnastics staff with clothing, footwear and accessories at competitions and national team training camps. Under Armour will work with GK Elite, which has manufactured the leotards U.S. gymnasts have worn in competition since 2000, on the competition apparel.
U.S. gymnasts will begin sporting their new apparel at Saturday's American Cup. Olympic bronze medalist Danell Leyva, Jake Dalton, Katelyn Ohashi and Simone Biles are representing the United States at the World Cup event, being held at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.
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