21.2.2022 10:00:00 CET | Play Magnus AS | Non-regulatory press releases
(Oslo, 21 February 2022) - Sports company PUMA has signed a long-term agreement
with Norwegian Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and with the Meltwater Champions
Chess Tour. Through the partnership with Magnus and the Tour, PUMA will connect
the world of chess with the world of sport performance by creating engaging
content and activations for chess fans around the world.
Carlsen, a five-time World Chess Champion, is an avid sports fan and a natural
fit for PUMA. At just 13 years of age, he became the youngest Grandmaster at the
time and won his first World Chess Championship in 2013. In 2014, he became the
highest-rated player in history.
"We often think of sports as being physical, but you also need mental strength,"
said PUMA CEO Bjørn Gulden. "Few people embody that spirit like Magnus, who is
widely regarded as the best chess player of all time. We are proud that he has
become a part of the PUMA Family."
As part of the agreement, the company will also support the Meltwater Champions
Chess Tour, which is managed by the Play Magnus Group, a company founded by
Carlsen. The Tour is the most popular circuit in the chess calendar and reaches
millions of fans worldwide through its innovative presentation of chess as a
spectator sport.
"Being part of a great company such as PUMA and joining so many people that I
personally admire, is special to me. As a chess player, I am a huge fan of
sports and that makes this partnership even better," Magnus Carlsen said.
"This partnership is a milestone not only for the Tour but for the wider chess
community. We are still in the early days of chess being a mass-market spectator
sport, and together with PUMA we aim to evolve the image of chess on a global
stage." said Arne Horvei, Tour Director of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.
Together with Magnus Carlsen and the Tour, PUMA will help to expand the
influence of the game of chess and bring the sport forward to millions of fans
around the world.
Further details about PUMA's partnership with Magnus Carlsen and PUMA's
involvement with the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour will be made available at a
later stage.
For more information contact:
Arne Horvei
Tour Director, Play Magnus Group
arne@playmagnus.com
Gudrun Cämmerer
Teamhead Global PR, PUMA
gudrun.caemmerer@puma.com
About PUMA
PUMA is one of the world's leading sports brands, designing, developing, selling
and marketing footwear, apparel and accessories. For more than 70 years, PUMA
has relentlessly pushed sport and culture forward by creating fast products for
the world's fastest athletes. PUMA offers performance and sport-inspired
lifestyle products in categories such as Football, Running and Training,
Basketball, Golf, and Motorsports. It collaborates with renowned designers and
brands to bring sport influences into street culture and fashion. The PUMA Group
owns the brands PUMA, Cobra Golf and stichd. The company distributes its
products in more than 120 countries, employs about 16,000 people worldwide, and
is headquartered in Herzogenaurach/Germany.
About Play Magnus Group
Play Magnus Group is a global leader in the chess industry focused on providing
premier digital experiences for millions of chess players and students. The
company offers elearning and entertainment services via its market leading
brands: chess24, Chessable, iChess, New In Chess, Everyman Chess, Silver
Knights, CoChess, Aimchess, the Play Magnus App Suite, and the Meltwater
Champions Chess Tour. The Group's mission is to grow chess to make the world a
smarter place by encouraging more people to play, watch, study, and earn a
living from chess.
Play Magnus Group is listed on Euronext Growth Oslo under the ticker PMG. For
more information visit pmg.me - http://pmg.me - http://pmg.me/.
DISCLOSURE REGULATION
This release is an announcement issued pursuant to legal information obligations
and is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to the Market Abuse
Regulation (MAR) Article 17 no. 1 and section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities
Trading Act, and was submitted for publication by Arkus Fredriksson, Chief
Strategy Officer of Play Magnus Group.
ATTACHMENTS
Download announcement as PDF.pdf -
https://kommunikasjon.ntb.no/ir-files/16823864/1220/1623/Download%20announcement
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