Today, Visa, the Worldwide Payment Technology Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, unveiled the current list of 117 athletes joining Team Visa for Paris 2024 including Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala. The 2024 class is the largest group of Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls in the program’s history and the most diverse, representing more than 60 markets and 40 sports including new addition Breaking, which is a competitive form of breakdancing.
Team Visa athletes from around the world attended the recent Team Visa Summit in Paris for a two-day, creator-led content master class focused on brand immersion and best practices for how to tell their own stories within the broader creator economy.
“Today, athletes have the power to tell their own stories, transform fans into community, and generate commerce through their own creations,” Frank Cooper, Chief Marketing Officer, Visa. “We gathered the Team Visa athletes in Paris to help them further develop their skills as creators and to find new and effective ways to communicate, engage and inspire people around the world.”
“Being on Team Visa is a tremendous honor. Visa’s support is invaluable during my journey to the Olympics, and I’m thrilled to have their backing as I prepare to compete on the biggest stage in athletics. Joining Team Visa is not just about athletics; it’s about inspiring people globally and connecting with my fans on a deeper level. I’m excited to be part of this diverse and talented group of athletes, and I look forward to sharing my story and experiences with the world.” said Ferdinand Omanyala.
“We are incredibly proud to welcome Ferdinand Omanyala to Team Visa for the Paris 2024 Games. His presence on Team Visa not only represents the diversity of talent within the African continent but also underscores Visa’s commitment to supporting athletes who are dedicated to making a difference and inspire their communities. We are proud to have him as part of us and look forward to witnessing the continued impact he will make both on and off the track.” said Eva Ngigi-Sarwari, Ag. General Manager for East Africa at Visa.
Team Visa Summit: A Master Class in Creator Storytelling
Visa transformed a future site of Paris 2024 into a creator playground by tapping into cultural touchpoints across art, technology, music, sport, fashion and food. Guided by cultural influencers and best-in-class social media creators, athletes learned to express themselves through these passion points while also learning hands-on social platform tips for elevating their personal brand and storytelling prowess.
Cultural influencers and creators were on hand as athletes participated in content challenges and collaborative sessions that included learning a new sport, creating an exclusive music track, trying their hand at street art, and capturing trending social media content around Paris.
Team Visa also met with youth from Sport Dans La Ville, a leading association for professional integration through sport in France, to accentuate Etienne Bardelli’s inspiring mural in Stade Elisabeth to celebrate the community and incentivize youth sports participation.
Team Visa for Paris 2024 By the Numbers:
Since 2000, the Team Visa athlete program has championed more than 600 Olympic and Paralympic athletes selected based on their athletic achievements, community involvement, and alignment with Visa’s core values of equality, access, and inclusion.
Paris 2024 Team Visa highlights:
- 117 Olympic and Paralympic athletes from 60+ markets, including seven new markets (Austria, Armenia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia, Uzbekistan, Honduras)
- Ages 15-48 with highest percentage of women athletes in program history
- 40 sports, including new Paris 2024 sport: Breaking, which is a competitive form of breakdancing.
- 175 medals collectively, with 15 athletes competing in their first Olympic or Paralympic Games
- More than 45 million combined social followers across Team Visa athletes
Team Visa Paris 2024 includes decorated athletes like Noah Lyles (Athletics – Sprint), Iga Swiatek (Tennis, Poland), Sky Brown (Skateboarding, Great Britain), Teresa Perales (Para swimming, Spain), Kanoa Igarashi (Surfing, Japan), and first-time Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, Qingyi Liu (Breaking, China), Rasheed Broadbell (Athletics – Sprint/Hurdles, Jamaica), Ardan Galymuly (Goalball, Kazakhstan) and Jonathan White (Para canoe, Great Britain).
“Being on Team Visa is an honor. Visa was instrumental in helping me navigate the obstacles of Tokyo 2020 and I am happy I have their support on the road to Paris 2024,” said Noah Lyles. “Being with so many inspiring athletes at the Team Visa Summit is cool enough, but having a partner like Visa bring in game changing creators to help me elevate my own personal brand beyond sport and connect better with fans worldwide makes it even more energizing.”