Marathon Sports
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Textile |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | Rodrigo Rivadeneira [1] |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | South America |
| Products | Football kit uniforms |
| Website | marathon.ec |
Marathon Sports is an Ecuadorian sports equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Quito. It was founded in May 1981 by Rodrigo Ribadeneira when he opened his first store.
The company manufactures and distributes athletic sportswear to sports teams and athletes, mainly association football uniforms. In addition to its own products, Marathon imports, distributes, and markets global brands of clothing and accessories, such as Adidas, Nike, Puma, Diadora, Wilson, and Joma. There are currently 88 Marathon Sports-owned stores in Ecuador.
History
[edit]The company was founded in May 1981 by Rodrigo Rivadeneira. It began as a sporting store chain in Ecuador until 1994, when the Reebok contract with Ecuador national football team was set to expire. Marathon Sports subsequently entered into a sponsorship agreement with the Ecuadorian Football Federation; the duration of the initial contract was not publicly disclosed. This was later renewed in 2016 for a total of US$ 2.6 million, expiring in 2023.[1] The first national squad jersey design had a band of thick blue and red stripes on the right shoulder reflecting the flag of Ecuador. After a great, although unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the FIFA World Cup in 1998, the Ecuadorian Federation decided to stick with the brand.
In 2002 the Ecuadorian team qualified for its first World Cup, held in Korea and Japan –the first FIFA's jointly hosted World Cup. Marathon Sports consolidated as an international brand, having sponsored not only football teams in Ecuador but in Peru (Deportivo Municipal) and Uruguay (Rampla Juniors). Moreover, Marathon Sports opened stores in Lima (Peru).
In 2017, the company signed a contract with the Peruvian Football Federation to become official shirt supplier of Peru national team since 2018 for a total of USD 1,5 million –plus 8 million in sporting goods. The offer largely overcome Adidas', which had also showed interest in the Peruvian team. [2]
Sponsorships
[edit]Current teams wearing uniforms manufactured by Marathon are:
National teams
[edit]
Club teams
[edit]
Always Ready- Aurora
- The Strongest
Arriba Perú
Huachipato (From 2024 season)
Barcelona S.C.- Independiente del Valle
Universitario
References
[edit]- ^ a b Marathon será el principal patrocinador de la Federación Peruana de Fútbol by Santiago Guerrero on El Comercio, 25 Sep 2017
- ^ Selección Peruana: La razón por la que se prefirió a Marathon en vez de Adidas by Jostein Canales on La Repùblica, 24 Aug 2017
- ^ Camisetas Marathon de Bolivia - Copa América
- ^ La Selección de Ecuador ya tiene su nueva camiseta on El Comercio, 22 May 2019
- ^ Camisetas Ecuador Copa América 2019 on Marca de Gol, 22 May 2019
External links
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 Companies headquartered in Quito | ||
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