The Unlimited Sports Team brings DSM and Sports closer to our employees all over the world. DSM and is looking to sponsor ambitious sportsmen and women that compete in Olympic sport disciplines and who will likely qualify for the Olympic and Paralympic Games of Beijing in 2008. Together they will complete the DSM Unlimited Sports Team which will compete in Beijing next year. Rob Meima, Sponsoring Manager at Corporate Communications explains the important role of the Unlimited Sports Team members. “Not just in Beijing, but also for us, the athletes take center stage in the program. Their drive, ambition and commitment inspire us every day. They really exemplify the story behind our program. Furthermore, their affiliation with DSM brings important benefits to our business – both for internal as well as external events, these athletes are available for customer relation and hospitality events, clinics, demonstrations and master-classes.”

The Unlimited Sports Team currently consists of the following athletes:

Sharon Walraven (Wheelchair tennis)
Sharon started to play wheelchair tennis in 1994. Since then she has won many tournaments around the world, and currently holds second position in the world ranking. Winning Silver at the Paralympics in Sydney 2000 was her ultimate personal triumph and greatest achievement so far. Now Sharon is focusing on the Paralympic Games of Beijing 2008 to win another Olympic medal! To learn more about Sharon’s road to Beijing, please check Sharon’s personal website.

Sharon’s remarkable and inspiring story of adversity, perseverance and personal triumph has been written down in a book by a former member of Parliament and sports ambassador Jan Rijpstra. This book, entitled “Terugslaan bij Tegenslag” was presented on November 22, 2007. More information and how to order (available only in Dutch) can be also be found on her website.

Rens Blom (Pole Vault)
In August 2005, Dutch pole vault athlete Rens Blom reached the highlight of his career during the World Championships in Helsinki. Rens was the first Dutch athlete ever to win a Gold medal at a World Athletics Championship, and holds a personal and Dutch national record of 5.81 meters. After competing in two previous Summer Games in Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004), his focus is now on Beijing 2008, where he hopes to win an Olympic medal. Follow his Road to Beijing on his website.

Rens’ passion for his sport is illustrated by the fact that,in addition to his active career as a world class athlete, he also founded the Rens Blom Foundation, aimed at supporting the development of young talent for instance by providing training facilities and organizing clinics for young and talented pole vault jumpers.

Volleyball
The Olympic Gold Medal in Atlanta 1996 established volleyball as one of the most popular sports in the Netherlands. Under the inspirational leadership of Joop Alberda, the team, featuring star players such as current national coach Peter Blangé and Ron Zwerver, seized the highest price in sports in a memorable match against Italy, which was later proclaimed the greatest Dutch sports moment of the century. Now, both the men’s and women’s national team are again looking to qualify for the next Summer Olympics in Beijing. Team work and a constant drive for technical perfection are core values that fit perfectly well with the Unlimited.DSM brand. For more information, please go to the official website of the National Teams of Dutch Volleyball Federation (Nederlandse Volleybal Bond, Nevobo).

Sailing 470 class
The most recent members of the Unlimited Sports Team are the Dutch men’s and women’s 470 class sailing teams. DSM is proud to be an innovation partner of these two world class teams both of which are medal contenders for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. We look forward to supporting these top athletes in achieving their Olympic dream on the waters off the coast of Qingdao!

The brothers Sven and Kalle Coster of Team Coster are multiple Dutch champions, were runners up in the recent World Championship in Cascais, Portugal, and went on to win the Open Dutch Championships in Medemblik in October 2007. Beijing will be their second Olympic Games after what was already a successful first appearance in Athens 2004. For more on Sven and Kalle, please visit their homepage.

Lobke Berkhout and Marcelien de Koning are reigning World Champions in the women’s 470 class and won their third consecutive title in Cascais earlier this year. Thanks to these extraordinary performances, Lobke and Marcelien were knighted in the Order of Oranje Nassau in October 2007. Their mission for Olympic Gold in Beijing can be followed on their webpages.

With their performance during the World Championships in Melbourne, de Koning and Berkhout delivered yet another qualifiying result for the Olympic Games in China. The Coster brothers showed a sustainable performance by finishing among the top twelve countries. This has made qualification for both teams a certainty.

Swiss fencing
We proudly announce the partnership with the Swiss Fencing Federation, which was signed in Kaiseraugst (Switzerland) on 12 December 2007. Swiss Fencing's core values of accuracy, speed, elegance and concentration perfectly complement DSM's ambitions in the fields of sustainability and innovation.

Members of this world class fencing team, with 2004 Olympic Champion Épée Marcel Fischer, will compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and represent the first non-Dutch athletes joining DSM’s Unlimited Sports Team. Michael Kauter secured his ticket for the Olympics during the World Cup event in Heidenheim, Germany (28 - 29 March 2008), whilst Marcel Fischer retains a chance of receiving a wild card for the Beijing Games.

Tianjin Judo team
On March 12, 2008, DSM and the Tianjin Sports Bureau announced an agreement involving the sponsorship of top female Chinese judokas who will be competing in the Olympic Games of Beijing in August. The two year agreement, covering not only the Olympic year but continuing into 2009, further underlines DSM’s involvement with sports and our presence in China.

Judo is a traditional oriental sports dating back to the second half of the 19th century. It is an Olympic discipline for men since the games of Tokyo in 1964. For women, judo saw its Olympic debut in Barcelona 1992. It is a tactical sport involving skill, intelligence and strategy. Chinese judo is highly competitive, especially in the women's competitions. Two of the top athletes representing the Tianjin Sports Bureau are Shi Junjie, current World Champion in the < 52 kg category, and Tong Wen, triple world champion and team World Champion in 2007 (+78 kg).

The agreement was signed in Tianjin in the presence of high-ranking officials of the General Administration of Chinese Sports, the Chinese Judo Association of Tianjin, the Vice Mayor of Tianjin, and Weiming Jiang on behalf of DSM.

An international program, an international team!
As stated the Innovation is our Sport™ program is an international activation program, which will be rolled out in a number of key countries. At present, negotiations with several athletes in these countries are in progress. The names of the other sponsored athletes will be announced soon.