Health benefit provider Aetna has signed as Great Britain's Olympic beach volleyball squad's first major commercial sponsor.
The news comes as Team GB continue their preparations for the Games and their bid to secure extra team spots in both the men's and women's competitions, in addition to the automatic entitlement as hosts to one place in each.
Team GB has been represented at the Games on only one previous occasion, at Atlanta in 1996, when the women's team participated.
Under the terms of the sponsorship, Team GB players' kits will carry the Aetna logo as they face a hectic travel, training and qualifying tournament schedule in the lead up to the Games. The sponsorship was brokered by sports specialist Beach Volleyball UK Ltd.
David Healy, General Manager of Europe, Aetna International, said: "As an organisation, we are committed to empowering people to live healthier lives through the provision of both insurance and health management services.
"This partnership is the perfect fit for us, given the fact that volleyball is a sport that can be played by anyone, yet it also demands its competing athletes maintain the highest levels of health, nutrition and fitness."
