Sky to sponsor British Cycling

BSkyB has signed as the principle partner and sponsor of British Cycling in a multimillion-pound, five-year deal. The satellite company says sponsorship will start in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, with activity planned up to London 2012.

The partnership will run across every level of the sport, from grass roots and schools initiatives to support of the Elite team of World, Olympic and Paralympic cyclists as well as British Cycling’s talent development programmes.

British Cycling says the partnership will “build on Britain’s love of cycling”. Sky will also use its marketing expertise to encourage participation in cycling for sport and leisure.

British Cycling is the national governing body for cycle sport. It has 22,000 members and was involved with 2,500 affiliated events last year. Sky’s partnership with the body is the latest in a series of initiatives to encourage young people to get involved in sport.

Earlier this week, Sky announced its sponsorship of the London Freewheel in event in September.