Yamaha Motor to Sponsor International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals in Hakuba

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. will serve as title sponsor of the 2008 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals to be held at Hakuba Happo-one in Nagano Prefecture between February 20 and February 26.

Yamaha Motor pursues its corporate mission of "Creating Kando*" through its products, including motorcycles, pleasure boats, sailboats, personal watercraft and snowmobiles, and through supporting competitions using these products, as well as sports like soccer and rugby. Yamaha Motor's official sponsorship of the 2008 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals, Hakuba is another example of this, and through its sponsorship, the company hopes to share the special excitement and satisfaction that sports can bring with all those who enjoy and compete in alpine skiing, while promoting friendship and understanding between people from around the world.

Yamaha Motor cooperated in the development of chair skis to be used by Japanese athletes in this competition, and also develops and manufactures electric wheelchairs, which are exhibited each year at the "International Home Care & Rehabilitation Exhibition" held at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition complex.

The 2008 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals, Hakuba are organized by the Ski Association of Japan for the Disabled, a designated non-profit organization, with the cooperation of the Sports Association of Japan for the Disabled and the Japan Paralympic Committee. These are the second IPC finals held in Japan following those held in 2006, also sponsored by Yamaha Motor. This event is the last of a series of competitions held in Austria, France and South Korea, where individual and national team rankings will be determined. The competition will gather approximately 150 competitors and officials from 12 countries.

Official Logo of the 2008 IPC Finals