Visa Announces Team Visa Roster for the Upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
September 20 2017 - 3:01AM
Business Wire
Roster features athletes from 17 countries,
including Mikaela Shiffrin, Chloe Kim, Gus Kenworthy, Oksana
Masters, Mark McMorris, Kamil Stoch and Lee, Sang Hwa
Visa (NYSE:V) today announced its global Team
Visa roster for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
PyeongChang 2018, comprised of over 40 Olympians and Paralympians
from 17 countries, including Mikaela Shiffrin (USA),
Chloe Kim (USA), Mark McMorris (Canada), Gus
Kenworthy (USA), Oksana Masters (USA), Lee, Sang
Hwa (South Korea), Kamil Stoch (Poland), and Hilary
Knight (USA). This team of Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls
represent a diverse group of individuals representing a range of
sports, from snowboarding and speed skating to ski jumping and
figure skating.
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Visa is excited to announce the #TeamVisa
roster of athletes who are going for gold at #PyeongChang2018.
(Photo: Business Wire)
A global Olympic partner for more than 30 years and Paralympic
partner since 2003, Visa founded its Team Visa program in 2000,
with the aim of providing athletes with the tools, resources and
support they need to achieve their lifelong dreams, both on and off
the field of competition, regardless of their origin or background.
Today, Team Visa is unified by athletes who embody Visa’s values of
acceptance, partnership and inclusion, with athletic talent matched
equally by their character.
“We are excited to welcome all of our Olympic and Paralympic
athletes to Team Visa and we think this roster is the perfect
embodiment of what the Visa brand stands for, as these athletes
push boundaries every day in everything they do,” said Chris
Curtin, chief marketing innovation and brand officer at Visa Inc.
“Team Visa athletes remain at the heart of Visa and we are excited
to cheer them on in their pursuit of Olympic and Paralympic Gold in
PyeongChang.”
The following athletes officially joined Team Visa ahead of
PyeongChang 2018:
- Mikaela Shiffrin (USA, Alpine
Skiing): After making history at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi
2014 as the youngest American to win Olympic Gold in Slalom,
Mikaela is looking to solidify her place in Olympic Winter Games
history by winning more Olympic medals than any other female alpine
skier. During PyeongChang 2018, she is determined to compete in
four individual events and the team competition.
- Chloe Kim (USA, Snowboard –
Halfpipe): As a 13 year-old, Chloe qualified for the Olympic
Winter Games Sochi 2014 and would have been a favorite to win Gold,
but by rule was too young to compete. At the Olympic Winter Games
PyeongChang 2018, as a first generation Korean American, Chloe is
looking to win her first Olympic Gold medal in her parents’ home
country. The Southern Californian teen has quickly become the
sport’s biggest star aiming to make her Olympic Winter Games mark
in PyeongChang.
- Mark McMorris (Canada, Snowboard –
Slopestyle & Big Air): After a near-fatal crash in
back-country British Columbia in March 2017, Mark’s determination
to reach the top of the podium at PyeongChang 2018 is what is
fueling his recovery to push himself beyond the limits. Given that
he won bronze at Sochi 2014 just two weeks after suffering a
fractured rib, Mark is determined to defy the odds once again at
the Olympic Winter Games, and bring home Gold in the inaugural big
air event – arguably his best event.
- Gus Kenworthy (USA, Freestyle Skiing
– Slopestyle & Halfpipe): As the first openly gay action
sports athlete, Gus is a trailblazer on and off the slopes. In his
Olympic Winter Games debut in Sochi 2014, Gus earned a Silver medal
in the inaugural slopestyle event, and has his sights set on
reaching the podium in both slopestyle & halfpipe at
PyeongChang 2018. Off the slopes, Gus is a major advocate for the
LGBTQ community, hoping to inspire others to be confident and open
about their sexuality.
- Lee, Sang Hwa (South Korea, Speed
Skating): As a two-time Gold medalist, Lee, Sang Hwa is always
pushing past her own limits on and off the ice. She was inspired to
skate by her brother, but her parents could only afford to support
one child in pursuit of the Olympic Winter Games dream, driving her
to work harder to push past her personal boundaries. In 2018, Sang
Hwa hopes to do what only one other Olympian has done – win a Gold
medal in three consecutive Olympic Winter Games. With PyeongChang
2018 being held on her own turf, she is inspired more than ever to
reach the top of the podium.
- Kamil Stoch (Poland, Ski
Jumping): Born and raised in Zakopane, a Polish ski resort,
Kamil Stoch learned to ski when he was three years old, and started
jumping just one year later. By the time he was sixteen, Stoch made
his World Cup debut and two years later he competed in his first
Olympic Winter Games. At Sochi 2014, Stoch won two individual
Golds, making him the third ski jumper in history to win both
individual events.
- Oksana Masters (USA, Para
cross-country skiing & Para biathlon): Oksana was born with
complications that later were linked to nuclear radiation exposure
and she was given up for adoption at a Ukrainian orphanage.
Needless to say, the now three-time Paralympian has been defying
all odds since birth. Oksana has three Paralympic medals under her
belt (2 Bronze and 1 Silver), and is hungry for her first Gold at
PyeongChang 2018. She’s also hoping to make history. After missing
the medal podium by 3 seconds in 2014, Oksana is aiming to be the
first US athlete at the Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games to medal
in Biathlon.
- Hilary Knight (USA, Ice Hockey):
Hilary was a member of the United States Women’s Ice Hockey Team
that won Silver medals at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 and
Vancouver 2010, and is hoping to bring home her first Gold at
PyeongChang 2018. Off the ice, Hilary is a leading advocate in the
fight for equal compensation for female ice hockey players and also
made history in 2014 when she became the first female skater
(non-goalie) to practice with an NHL team.
Additional Team Visa athletes from around the globe include:
- North
America: Sarah Hendrickson (USA, Ski Jumping),
Maggie Voisin (USA, Freestyle Skiing – Slopestyle), David
Wise (USA, Freestyle Skiing – Halfpipe), Jamie Anderson
(USA, Snowboard – Slopestyle & Big Air), Travis Gerrits
(Canada, Freestyle Skiing – Aerials), Charles Hamelin
(Canada, Short Track Speed Skating), Mac Marcoux (Canada,
Para alpine skiing), Scott Moir (Canada, Figure Skating),
Spencer O’Brien (Canada, Snowboard – Slopestyle & Big
Air), Tessa Virtue (Canada, Figure Skating)
- Not
Competing: Meryl Davis (USA, Figure Skating),
Charlie White (USA, Figure Skating)
- Retired:
Angela Ruggiero (USA, Ice Hockey)
- Asia:
Park, Seung Hi (South Korea, Speed Skating), Beibei
Chu (China, Para cross-country skiing), Han Cong (China,
Figure Skating), Sui Wenjing (China, Figure Skating), Han
Tianyu (China, Short Track Speed Skating), Zhang Yiwei
(China, Snowboard – Halfpipe), Sara Takanashi (Japan, Ski
Jumping), Noriaki Kasai (Japan, Ski Jumping), Park,
Caroline (South Korea, Ice Hockey), Lee, Sang Ho (South
Korea, Snowboard – Parallel Slalom), Lim, Hyo Jun (South
Korea, Short Track Speed Skating), Jung, Seung Hwan (South
Korea, Para ice hockey) , Michael Christian Martinez
(Philippines, Figure Skating)
- Europe:
Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic, Alpine Skiing & Snowboard
– Parallel Slalom), Roope Tonteri (Finland, Snowboard –
Slopestyle & Big Air), Elise Christie (Great Britain,
Short Track Speed Skating), Billy Morgan (Great Britain,
Snowboard – Slopestyle & Big Air), Peter Fill (Italy,
Alpine Skiing), Marcus Kleveland (Norway, Snowboard –
Slopestyle & Big Air), Maxim Trankov (Russia, Figure
Skating), Tatiana Volosozhar (Russia, Figure Skating),
Stina Nilsson (Sweden, Cross-Country Skiing), Patrick
Burgener (Switzerland, Snowboard – Halfpipe)
- Africa:
Brolin Mawejje (Uganda, Snowboard – Slopestyle & Big
Air)
- South
America: Dominique Ohaco (Chile, Freestyle Skiing –
Slopestyle)
Tickets are currently available for purchase directly through
the PyeongChang 2018 ticketing website for residents of Korea
(including registered Non-Koreans residing in Korea) or through
PyeongChang 2018’s Authorized Ticket Resellers for international
residents. Starting from November, tickets will also be available
on sale at outlets and main ticket centers in Korea. For more
information on PyeongChang 2018 tickets, please visit:
https://tickets.pyeongchang2018.com/
For additional information on Team Visa, follow along at
@VisaNews on Twitter and visit www.visa.com.
About Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments.
Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative,
reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals,
businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing
network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the
world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction
messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is
a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any
device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future
for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to
digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and
scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information,
visit usa.visa.com/aboutvisa, visacorporate.tumblr.com and @VisaNews.
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Visa Inc.Bitsy Rich, 415-813-7252erich@visa.comSarah Hamblen,
415-728-7268shamblen@visa.com
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