RIYADH, 9 November — Arab News and Power Horse have entered into an agreement under which Power Horse will sponsor a Kingdomwide "Arab News/Power Horse Cricket Tournament" as part of its strategy to promote cricket and also brand awareness of the energy drink.
The agreement was signed on behalf of Arab News by Khaled A. Al-Maeena, its editor in chief, and Hermann Ritz, country manager, Power Horse. Austrian Ambassador Dr. Harald Wiesner and commercial attache at the Austrian Embassy Dr. Matthias Prader were also present.
The meeting was attended by Alfred Inzinger, president, Power Horse International, Franz J. Krispel, CEO, Power Horse (Saudi Arabia), Walid S. Al-Jamaan, general manager, Health Water Bottling Company, Ali Fahad Al Sufiyan, sales manager, Ahmad Al-Haroon, marketing manager (Western Province), and Maher Al Safadi, executive director, Dar Safad for Marketing. Javed Akhtar, sports editor of Arab News, was also present.
According to Javed Akhtar, there will be three independent tournaments to be played in the Central, Western and Eastern provinces of the Kingdom. "Jeddah Cricket League, Riyadh Cricket Association and the Eastern Province Cricket Association will organize the tournaments in their respective regions," he said.
The players will be provided free T-shirts sporting the logos of Arab News and Power Horse logo, which will be the official drink at all the matches.
There will be an inaugural ceremony and a prize distribution ceremony to be held at mutually convenient dates. These events will also be publicized in Arab News.
Speaking after the signing ceremony, Khaled A. Al-Maeena said Arab News had always been in the forefront in promoting sporting activities. He cited several events, including many cricket, squash, table tennis and tennis tournaments in which some leading international players took part.
"Arab News always strives for creating better understanding and goodwill among different nationalities. Sporting activities are a useful tool for achieving this aim," he said.
Describing it as a major agreement, Ritz said they were happy to sponsor the tournament, since it was in line with their strategy of promoting brand awareness of Power Horse and dispelling misconceptions about the energy drink.
"It is in the fitness of things that two leading organizations in their respective fields should join hands to promote cricket, which could also serve as a vehicle for publicizing our message," Ritz said.
Asked to comment on the general impression that the consumption of Power Horse creates some side effects, Ritz explained that it is a high energy drink which can be taken alone or mixed with water in ratio of 1:1. "It lowers blood pressure, helps to maintain the functionality of eye photo receptors, decreases cholesterol level and helps the development of hearing capacity. Hence, one can drink Power Horse at all times if one feels tired and exhausted."
He added that Power Horse has already sponsored several sporting events relating to basketball, table tennis, golf, bowling, bodybuilding, swimming, inter-hospital tournaments, Zahid Basketball Tournament and several other competitions organized by the Saudi passport office, safety and security exhibition, karate and billiards.
He said that in September they had also signed agreements with three major television networks, including Saudi TV, in connection with the soccer matches that Saudi Arabia played against Thailand on Sept. 15, Bahrain on Sept. 21, Iran on Sept. 22, Iraq again on Oct. 5 and Thailand again on Oct. 19.
The country manager also disclosed that they were organizing, in collaboration with the directorate of Public Security and King Saud University, a quiz competition among Saudi students as part of their twin objective of creating an awareness of their own country and also about their product. Details of the quiz contest had been placed on their website on the Internet: www.power-horse.com.
"We are targetting some 500,000 students throughout the Kingdom for this competition, for which the first prize will be a 2001 model car," Ritz said. A decision regarding the choice of the car had not yet been finalized.
Speaking on the global presence of Power Horse International, its president Alfred Inzinger pointed out that the energy drink was consumed in 21 countries. Their subsidiaries were functioning in the Middle East , North America, Eastern Europe, Spain and Britain.
"We have set off a revolution in the beverage market," he said, adding that all these efforts had pushed Power Horse to the No. 2 slot of the energy drinks. "It is popular among students, taxi and truck drivers, athletes and all those engaged in strenuous tasks."
Asked about the Men’s World Day grand award which former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev presented in Vienna on Nov. 3, the president said these awards were presented to men who have changed the world. Hundreds of journalists and TV crews from around the world covered the event, which was held at the Imperial Hofburg Palace in Vienna, a location of historical significance, he added.
