By Press Release

May 15, 2001

International Snowboard Federation seeks new sponsor

The International Snowboard Federation (ISF) is seeking a new sponsor for its 12-event world championship tour, following the widely-predicted withdrawal of existing sponsor Motorola.

"Obviously we're extremely disappointed by Motorola's decision, but it's been evident for some time that the cut-throat nature of the telecommunications market has been causing all the mobile-phone producers some real problems. Recently announcements concerning job-losses and budget-cutbacks have been commonplace, so while we're saddened to lose our major sponsor, we can certainly sympathise with the reasoning behind their decision," states John Bache, ISF President.

With snowboarding making its second appearance at the Olympic Winter Games early next year, and a recent survey*) showing that snowboarding is still the fastest growing sport in the USA (51% growth compared to 1999), interest in the sport is at an all time high.

For the season 2001/2002, the ISF has already received a record number of applications for championship level sanctioning, and negotiations with companies regarding tour sponsorship are progressing already.

Founded in 1991, the ISF is the governing body of snowboarding worldwide. It is one of the youngest, most idealistic and democratic sporting federations, and consists of 26 member nations (representing 9000 amateur snowboarders around the globe) and 500 professional riders. The ISF Tour will this year feature events in Asia, Europe and North America, and it is hoped that last season's tour purse of US$ 1.8 million prizemoney will be surpassed.