The Cricket World Cup (ICC) is one of the most important sporting spectacles after the Football World Cup and the Olympic Games.
The Cricket World Cup (ICC) is one of the most important sporting spectacles after the Football World Cup and the Olympic Games.
"Sponsorship and television rights for the 2007 running of this competition amount to US$550 million, with the event being broadcast in over 200 countries and the estimated number of television viewers amounting to over 2 million," said Shah Rouf, CEO of Aviva Romania.
Shah is an ardent supporter of this sport, and Aviva is one of the supporters of cricket in most of the markets on which it operates.
The Cricket World Cup is taking place this year from 13 March - 8 April in the West Indies, the Caribbean climate being absolutely ideal for this British summer sport. With 16 teams qualified, this is the largest tournament ever organised since the start of the competition in 1975.
The West Indies won the first two World Cup contests, but today they no longer represent a "superpower" in the field. Young sportspeople from the Caribbean are drawn to the spectacular income offered by American sport, especially basketball.
India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have each won one contest. Australia, the current world champions, are the favourite for this tournament, having won three cups. "They are something like what Brazil is to football. Of course, they're also favourites this year, but I expect South Africa to have a good showing," added Shah Rouf.
"Great Britain has reached the final three times, but lost each time," he added ruefully, giving away who the favourites are to him.
The employees of Aviva Romania will be amongst those few Romanians who will know about the Cricket World Cup, as they are constantly kept up to date with how the event is unfolding. "Aviva has operations in eight of the 16 countries taking part in the tournament. With a portfolio of over 35 million clients and over €400 billion worth of administered assets, we are also a strong provider of confidence for out clients and our employees. As part of a big international family, it's extraordinary to discover and to understand what is important to colleagues from other parts of the world. The Cricket World Cup is an enjoyable and at the same time rather unusual way to achieve these things," concluded Shah.
-ends-
For further information:
Giliola Ignat
Telephone: 203 83 73
Notes to editors:
About Aviva
Aviva is the fifth largest group for insurance products* and the biggest provider of insurance in Great Britain. The group is the market leader for life insurance and pension products in Europe, recording a sustained increase in the field of long-term savings on eastern European, Asian, Australian and US markets.
Aviva's portfolio is made up of long-term savings products, private pensions, administration of investment funds and general insurance products. The group administers assets of 434 billion euros, representing the money of over 35 million clients worldwide.
Aviva Life Insurance officially started trading on 11 October 2000, and the company currently boasts a sales team of over 1,000 consultants and managers and a network made up of 19 agencies and 4 development centres.
* According to the volume of gross premiums reported in the fiscal year ending on 31 December 2006.