Cycling federation gets new sponsor in Percept D'Mark

New Delhi, June 15 (UNI) In line with spurt in companies shifting focus from cricket to other sports, Sports management company Percept D'Mark (PDM) today signed a three-year deal with Cycling Federation of India to promote the sport in the country.

PDM Sports, which had successfully managed road cycling races in Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Delhi for at least three years now, will be the first management company to be associated with the apex cycling body in the country and will be the its sole marketing partner.

The company will be the marketing partner in every CFI national event from this year onwards for three years. It has ambitious plans to start Tour of India next year on the lines of Tour de France.

Expressing happiness after signing the deal, CFI president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said, ''CFI wants to seriously promote the sport of cycling. We are pleased with the deal and look forward to a long association with PDM Sports.'' ''The deal will increase the profile of cycling as a sport ahead of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

''PDM Sports has associated with some of the most premium sports events, so it was the best choice undoubtedly for our marketing,'' he said.

PDM COO Roland Landers said, ''We will market all the national competitions which are held under the aegis of CFI and we hope to introduce a Tour of India next year on the lines of Tour de France,'' he said.

When asked if the company has any plans to sponsor some top cyclists in the country, he said, ''Where are the stars in cycling who have marketable value. But, we hope as the sport developes stars will naturally come up and by then we will try to rope in sponsors for them,'' said Roland, whose company is managing Indian cricket stars Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj singh and S Sreesanth.

Some of the events which were successfully managed by PDM includes BSA Cycle run in Chennai, Hercules Mumbai-Pune Cycle race, Hercules national road cycle race and PHDCCI Open Cycle Race in Delhi.

UNI