One of Cumbria's biggest employers is set to sponsor Team New Zealand in this year's America's Cup sailing competition.
Tyre manufacturer Pirelli, which is Chinese-owned and has its headquarters in Italy, has a factory on Dalston Road, Carlisle, with more than 800 staff.
The firm's logo will feature on the boat and its rudders, which the company has said will become a metaphor for the tyre.
Marco Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli's chief executive and vice president, said: “The sponsorship of the Emirates New Zealand team adds to the already rich portfolio of high profile sporting collaborations which Pirelli, the leader in the prestige segment, has and which has grown ever richer in recent months, even beyond motor competitions, with the goal of strengthening the brand’s positioning at the high end of the market”.
The company also sponsors the Ice Hockey World Championship, the Alpine Skiing World Championships and Swiss-Ski, the national skiing federation of Switzerland.
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