Tennis player Rafael Nadal, who signed a sponsorship extension contract with Kia Motors (Photo by Kia Motors)
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Kia Motors announced on the 26th that it held an online signing ceremony on the morning of the 24th at 11 a.m. (local time) via Facebook Live to extend its sponsorship contract with tennis player Rafael Nadal for five more years. Notably, considering the COVID-19 pandemic, this signing ceremony was conducted in a virtual format connecting Kia’s headquarters in Seoul and Nadal’s hometown, Mallorca, Spain, where the Nadal Academy is located, in real time.
With this, Kia and Nadal have extended their partnership until 2025, continuing their 21-year partnership since the first sponsorship contract was signed in 2004.
This event, promoted online, was broadcast live to fans worldwide through Nadal’s Facebook account. Approximately 130,000 fans joined the live broadcast. Additionally, fans participated in an interactive event immediately after the signing ceremony by voting online for Nadal’s most desired training session, and Nadal performed activities on-site such as target serving, spinning in place and returning the opponent’s shot, and executing trick shots.
Song Ho-sung, President of Kia Motors, said, “The 16-year partnership with Rafael Nadal has inspired millions of people around the world to enjoy tennis,” and added, “We are pleased to extend the partnership with Nadal for five more years and look forward to inspiring each other for mutual growth in the future.”
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal, a tennis player from Spain, has been serving as Kia’s global ambassador since 2006. As of July, he is ranked 2nd in the world and has won a total of 19 trophies at the four major Grand Slam tennis tournaments.
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