Sporting goods retailer Decathlon was able to enter into new partnerships with various top athletes, who will advise and help with product development. Also present: the German volleyball professional Ferdinand Tille, the French athlete Yoann Kowal, the Spanish padel players Lucía Sainz and Maxi Sánchez and the racing bike team Cofidis as well as the newly formed UCI mountain bike team.
After Decathlon’s own brand Artengo announced its five-year partnership with French tennis pro Gaël Monfils, more are now planned in the areas of cycling, volleyball, athletics, trail running and padel.
Ferdinand Tille for Allsix
“German volleyball legend Ferdinand Tille wears the Fit 500 shoe from Decathlon brand Allsix to encourage his fast, reactive style of play. With his club TSV Herrsching he has been playing in the 1st Bundesliga for several years and is entering into a cooperation with Allsix at the beginning of the year. His many years of experience in professional volleyball speaks for itself: 165 international matches, 3rd place at the 2014 World Cup and the award for “best libero” at the 2010 World Cup. He will incorporate his expert knowledge into product development at Allsix in a Decathlon press release.
Yoann Kowal for Kiprun
Decathlon’s own brand Kiprun was able to conclude its first partnership in athletics with Yoann Kowal. He was multiple French champion and European champion in the 1,500 m and 3,000 m steeplechase and secured fifth place at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Now he is aiming for a medal at the 2024 Olympic Games. At Kiprun he will bring his expertise to the development of shoes, clothing and accessories.
UCI World Tour Team Cofidis for Van Rysel
Decathlon’s racing bike brand Van Rysel has signed a contract for the next two seasons with the French UCI World Tour Team Cofidis and will provide the athletes with functional bike clothing or design a new collection consisting of jerseys, gloves, bib shorts, socks and other accessories for them. The partnership aims to incorporate the special needs of professional cyclists into product development. The new product line will then be available in selected German Decathlon branches and the online shop from mid-May.
UCI mountain bike team for rock riders
Decathlon’s own mountain bike brand Rockrider is sponsoring a UCI mountain bike team for the first time, which includes the five French bikers: Stéphane Tempier, Joshua and Lucas Dubau, Emeline Dettileux and Romain Seigle. These should constantly improve and further professionalize the Rockrider products.
Lucía Sainz and Maxi Sánchez for Kuikma
Spanish padel players Lucía Sainz and Maxi Sánchez have signed a three-year contract with Decathlon’s own brand Kuikma and will play with the brand’s products in the future. They will also be involved in the development of new products. “With the help of the new brand ambassadors, Kuikma wants to further consolidate its position as a strong padel tennis brand,” explains Decathlon.
Trainrunning team for Evadict
Decathlon’s own trail brand Evadict has been supporting a female trail running team from France since this year. The ten-strong Evadict women’s team consists of four reigning trail world champions and six other ambitious high-performance athletes. They are trained by Frenchman Philippe Propage, who has been the coach of the French trail team for twelve years and has already won 34 medals and several world championship titles with his team.