The priceless trophy, under the supervision of a full-time security guard, is being taken on a promotional tour of Hong Kong by Philips, an Official Partner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany and one of only three companies to have sponsored every FIFA World Cup™ since 1986.
The FIFA World Cup ™ Winner’s Trophy was unveiled at the Hong Kong Football Club by Donough Foley, Vice President of Regional Brand Management and Corporate Communications of Philips Electronics Asia Pacific, and George Cohen, a key player in England’s famous 1966 FIFA World Cup™ final victory over West Germany.
“Philips is committed to supporting sports around the world, particularly football, so we are delighted to bring this famous trophy to Hong Kong,” announced Mr Foley. “We play an important role in local football as the title sponsor of the Philips Hong Kong Universities Football Leagues as well as the Philips Lighting International Soccer Sevens Tournament.”
Yesterday, Philips hosted a private coaching clinic for a group of youngsters from the ‘Save the Children’ charity who also had their photograph taken with the trophy. George Cohen, who played 408 games for Fulham F.C. and was capped 37 times for England, was also on hand to provide coaching tips to the kids.
Philips will take the trophy to Po Leung Kuk, one of the largest charities in Hong Kong, tomorrow (Monday, November 21) where students of Pershing Tsang Primary School will have their photo taken with the celebrated award. Philips will also donate all funds raised from the promotional tour to Po Leung Kuk.
The FIFA World Cup™ Winner’s Trophy is 36 cm tall, made of solid 18-karat gold and weighs 4.97 kg. The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite and has room for 17 small plaques bearing the names of the winners – enough space for all the World Cup champions up to year 2038.
As the Official Partner for the 2006 FIFA World Cup ™, Philips today announced its most ambitious project ever to support the world's most popular sporting event. The Philips program encompasses a broad spectrum of activities to support and promote the FIFA World Cup™ and will cover every market in which the company operates to draw upon resources from across the Philips healthcare, lifestyle and technology portfolio.
Philips involvement in the 2006 World Cup™ Finals include:
- Eight of the 12 FIFA World Cup™ stadiums will be lit by Philips Lighting
- Giant 60 m2 Philips screens will feature live matches from the 12 host cities throughout Germany
- Philips Semiconductor’s RFID technology will be incorporated into the smart ticketing system
- Philips is providing 10,000 Philips Flat TVs for use in media, broadcasting and official viewing areas across the 12 stadiums hosting matches. This includes Philips TVs for main media center (Munich) and media centers at all other match sites, to support the host broadcaster and for the official hospitality villages located in each host city
- Matches will be broadcast in HDTV and 16:9 format, giving Philips a strong platform to promote its wide-screen televisions and HDD DVD machines
- Philips defibrillators will be provided to some of the stadiums
To conclude the promotional tour of Hong Kong, Philips will also take the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ Winner’s Trophy to St Paul’s College in Hong Kong.
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