Lotto renews endorsement deal with Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi

Bad Nauheim, Germany. December 18, 2003 – Top Italian sportswear brand Lotto has signed Israeli tennis star Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi to a new two-year endorsement contract. The product endorsement and marketing deal covers apparel, footwear and accessories. Smashnova-Pistolesi, ranked No. 16 in the world, has been under a similar contract with Lotto since the beginning of 2003. The new contract runs from calendar 2004 through calendar 2005. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The 27-year-old Belarus-born Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi is the highest-ranked Israeli to ever play professional tennis (Amos Mansdorf was ranked No. 18 in 1987) and is currently Israel’s top female athlete. She reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 15 at the beginning of 2003 and has consistently ranked in the Top 20 for the past two years. In 2003, Smashnova-Pistolesi won two WTA Tour tournaments at Sopot and Helsinki. She holds a career total of eight tour titles and close to one and a half million dollars in career tournament earnings.

The Lotto agreement was negotiated by ITMS Sports, Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi's business managers. In addition to managing the careers of world class athletes, ITMS Sports offers worldwide expertise across major sports and event marketing disciplines: athlete representation, integrated event management, marketing consulting and sponsorship fulfillment. ITMS Sports is a subsidiary of ITMS Marketing GmbH, an advertising and marketing communications group based in Germany.

Lotto Sport Italia, founded in 1973, has traditionally been a leading brand in the world of tennis. Lotto is an official partner of the ATP, WTA Tour and the official footwear supplier for Wimbledon. Past tennis endorsees who have helped establish the brand’s popularity on an international level include John Newcombe, Boris Becker, Thomas Muster and Martina Navratilova. During the course of its history the Lotto brand has become a worldwide symbol of technological research and Italian Sport Design.

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