Viessmann and sports: Passion meets tradition
For more than 30 years, Viessmann has been closely linked to sports. Since 1993, many athletes, teams and associations have received long-term, sustainable support from Viessmann as a sponsor.
The company recognized the potential of sports sponsoring and the importance of athletes as brand ambassadors way back in the early 1990s. The goal was to increase national and international awareness through high-profile involvement in sports and use the positive image of the likable athletes and brand ambassadors for the company. People have always been the focus of communication. Together with advertising materials in the distinctive corporate color and the brand's iconic logo, it was possible to significantly increase recognition levels in Germany and internationally. The connection to long-standing customers and partners was also sustainably strengthened through sporting events, especially in the area of winter sports and soccer.
Commitment, taking responsibility, and teamwork are fundamental aspects of our corporate culture, and can be directly applied to the decades of sports sponsorship commitment. Support for young athletes has been and continues to be of special importance, such as through initiatives like the Viessmann Junior Teams, which Viessmann founded as a partner of the junior squad of the German Ski Association. Whether in winter sports or soccer – Viessmann's commitment has always pursued the goal of being a reliable and long-term partner at the side of athletes, associations and teams.
Sports sponsoring
For more than 30 years, Viessmann has been inseparably linked to sports. Sponsorship commitments in winter sports and soccer as well as decades of partnerships with athletes and brand ambassadors have long been as much a part of the family business as its products and services. Viessmann sustainably and with great passion supports sports and the athletes.
1993
It all started in 1993 with a commitment to luge and partnerships with top athletes like luge legend Georg Hackl. Also in the following years, the most successful German luge athletes were part of the Viessmann team: Three-time Olympic champion and record world champion Felix Loch and six-time Olympic double-seater champions Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt wore the Viessmann logo on their hats and helmets.
1994
Viessmann also supported the most successful bobsledding German athletes, including Christoph Langen. The two-time Olympic and eight-time world champion was a member of the Viessmann Team from 1994. The partnership in luge and bobsledding went even further. Runners for luge and bobsleds of Viessmann athletes were manufactured at the company's headquarters in Allendorf and successfully used in the competitions.
1995
Since 1995, Viessmann has been supporting one of the most popular winter sports in Germany: Biathlon. In addition to the partnership with the International Biathlon Union (IBU), numerous world champions, Olympic champions and overall World Cup winners such as Sven Fischer, Uschi Disl and Denise Herrmann-Wick have been part of the team. Laura Dahlmeier was also part of the Viessmann team during her magnificent five-time success at the 2017 World Championships in Hochfilzen and the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, where she won two gold medals.
2002
In 2002, Viessmann became the presenting sponsor of both the International Ski Federation (FIS) and Ski Jumping World Cup. Ski jumping is immensely popular in many countries, such as Austria and Poland, and as a result was extremely important for expanding the international reach of the sponsorship. But the connection to ski jumping also had a regional aspect: One of the annual highlights is the Ski Jumping World Cup in Willingen on the world's largest ski jump, the Mühlenkopfschanze, which is located near our headquarters in northern Hesse. During the many years of partnership in ski jumping, world-class athletes such as Katharina Schmid, Karl Geiger and Markus Eisenbichler wore the orange Viessmann helmet during their numerous world championship titles, Olympic medals and World Cup victories. Viessmann also supported cross-country skiing from 2002 to 2018 as part of its partnership with the International Ski Federation (FIS). In addition to the commitment in the World Cup, close partnerships were also established with athletes in cross-country skiing. For example, Tobias Angerer, with whom the good and long-standing cooperation continued as brand ambassador even after his active career.
2004
In 2004, Viessmann expanded its sponsorship portfolio with the International Ski Federation (FIS) to include the supreme discipline of winter sports: the Nordic combined. Over the years, Viessmann athletes have always managed to find the right combination of speed for ski jumping and endurance for cross-country skiing. With 18 world championship medals, Eric Frenzel is the most successful athlete at Nordic World Ski Championships and a true legend of the sport. He and Johannes Rydzek not only collected several Olympic and World Cup medals individually but also as a team, and secured the overall World Cup victory several times.
2007
In 2007, the partnership with the German Ski Association (DSV) was extended and the Viessmann Junior Team was founded. The promotion of young talent has always been especially important to us, which is why supporting youth work and fostering emerging talents is an essential part of our sports sponsorship commitment. Support for the German Ski Federation's junior squads in the disciplines of biathlon, ski jumping, Nordic combined and cross-country skiing provides the young athletes with ideal training and development opportunities. Like many other athletes, Laura Dahlmeier was also part of the Viessmann Junior Team at the beginning of her career. The successful cooperation between Viessmann and Laura continued throughout her active career, and she also remained a Viessmann brand ambassador after competing.
1994-2022
The period between 1994-2022 includes a total of eight Olympic Winter Games and whether in Lillehammer, Vancouver or PyeongChang, the Viessmann athletes ensured great joy for winter sports fans and achieved one success after another: Athletes sponsored by Viessmann won a total of 34 gold medals, 31 silver medals and 18 bronze medals at the Olympic Games. This also includes numerous world championship medals and titles, as well as World Cup and overall World Cup victories.
2018
In addition to the long-standing partnership in winter sports, the partnership between Viessmann and FC Bayern Munich began in 2018. The two global players, both market leaders in their industries, began their collaboration in China, where Viessmann became FC Bayern's official regional partner in 2018. A variety of activities were held in numerous local soccer schools and tournaments.
2021
In response to the successful partnership in China, Viessmann expanded its involvement with FC Bayern 2021 to the Southeast Asian region and became an official climate partner of FC Bayern Munich in selected European markets in the same year.
2022/23
At the start of the 2022/23 season, the partnership with FC Bayern Munich was expanded globally. This expansion was the logical consequence of the successful cooperation of previous years. The resulting partnership with world champion Thomas Müller, who was allowed to be used individually, and, from 2023, the collaboration with the FCB women's team once again raised sponsorship to a new level.
