Bridgestone drives the Olympic Winter Games beyond snow and ice

In addition to serving as the Official Tyre of the Olympic Games, Bridgestone contributes a variety of products, services and expertise to support the Olympic Movement and the staging of its first Olympic Winter Games as a Worldwide Olympic Partner.

"Bridgestone is proud to further demonstrate our commitment to the Olympic Movement, to the world's greatest athletes, and to improving the way people move, live, work and play as aligned with the company's "Our Way to Serve" commitment," said Asahiko "Duke" Nishiyama, Executive Vice-President and Executive Officer of Bridgestone Corporation.

Bridgestone Blizzak winter tyres on the IOC fleet

As part of its Games-time programme, Bridgestone is supplying industry-leading Blizzak winter tyres for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) vehicles within the Olympic fleet. Tyres are an important vehicle safety feature, as it is critical to have the right type of tyre for the driving conditions. Engineered with specialised rubber compounds that remain flexible as temperatures drop, Blizzak winter tyres provide enhanced traction in snowy, icy and slushy conditions, giving Olympic officials maximum control while travelling in PyeongChang.

Support for Team Bridgestone

The company supports more than 100 athletes in various sports around the world who are members of Team Bridgestone. This roster includes more than 50 Olympic and Paralympic heroes and hopefuls across 10 countries who embody the company's "Chase Your Dream" message and work as athlete ambassadors to serve as the face of Bridgestone activities.

The Team Bridgestone athlete ambassadors competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 include Nathan Chen (USA, figure skating), Erin Jackson (USA, long track speed skating), Maciej Kot (Poland, ski jumping), Elana Meyers Taylor (USA, bobsleigh), Amy Purdy (USA, para-snowboarding), Evan Strong (USA, para-snowboarding) and Pierre Vaultier (France, snowboard cross). Team Bridgestone also includes the women's ice hockey athletes of the Japanese Olympic Team, known as Smile Japan, which includes a Bridgestone employee on its roster.

Leaving a legacy in South Korea

Bridgestone has partnered with the PyeongChang Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2018 (POCOG) to support the PyeongChang 2018 Education Programme. The company's support allowed the official education programme of the Olympic Winter Games to expand its reach to a new group of students – the children at Shin Mang Won Orphanage in Gyeonggi Province, Yangpyeong-gun.

As part of this partnership, multiple activities have been organised to enable children to experience Olympic sports and learn about the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect, including a VIP spectator programme at the Olympic Winter Games.

Ongoing support for the Olympic Movement

In addition to the company's support of the Olympic Movement as a Worldwide Olympic Partner, Bridgestone Corporation became the first Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel in August 2016, signing a four-year agreement to support the ground-breaking digital platform in its mission to celebrate the Olympic Movement and the world's greatest athletes every day of the year. Bridgestone Corporation is also a Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Gold Partner and will support the Japanese Paralympic Team through to 2020; and Bridgestone Americas is supporting US Paralympics through to 2024.

For more information, visit bridgestone.com/olympics.