USA Wrestling reaches new heights with American Airlines

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Wrestling is taking to the skies in a newly announced sponsorship deal with American Airlines. 

American Airlines has agreed to become an Official Sponsor of USA Wrestling in 2007, with a preliminary partnership in place until then. 

The sponsorship deal consists of various marketing avenues for American Airlines including recognition in USA Wrestler, TheMat.com and the USA Wrestling events poster. 

The airlines will also become the title sponsor for the annual New York Athletic Club Holiday International Tournament  In return, USA Wrestling will receive in-kind support through airline tickets.

The 2006 USA Wrestling/American Airlines New York Athletic Club Holiday International Championships will be held in New York City, November 18-19. Many talented international athletes in the three Olympic wrestling styles of men's freestyle, women's freestyle and men's Greco-Roman participate in this annual competition.
 
"It is a very good day when the world's largest airline makes a mutual commitment with the world's oldest and greatest sport. I'm thrilled," said USA Wrestling's Director of Development, Larry Nugent.

American Airlines is the world's largest airline. American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection® airlines serve 250 cities in over 40 countries with more than 4,000 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 1,000 aircraft. American's award-winning Web site, AA.com, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. 

American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve more than 600 destinations in over 135 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, the AmericanConnection® airlines, AA.com and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)

American Airlines is in business to provide safe, dependable and friendly air transportation to their customers, along with numerous related services, in the hopes that they will fly them again and again. American Airlines works very hard to make the entire experience with them a positive one. 

"USA Wrestling has done a fantastic job promoting the sport, and we couldn't be more pleased to be its newest sponsor," said Roger Frizzell, vice president of Corporate Communications and Advertising for American Airlines, who also is a former four-time NCAA All-American. "Wrestling is a great sport that includes nearly every country in the world, many of the places we fly every single day. I think it's a great relationship in the making!"

"We are excited and honored to welcome American Airlines to the USA Wrestling family as a corporate partner," said Rich Bender, Executive Director of USA Wrestling. "American Airlines approaches their business everyday with similar tenacity as American wrestlers as they prepare to become World and Olympic Champions.  We are confident that this partnership will provide significant mutual benefits for both organizations long into the future."

For more information about American Airlines, visit
www.aa.com

For more information on USA Wrestling, visit
www.themat.com