Zug, Switzerland, 19 June 2007 - Infront Sports & Media, the exclusive marketing partner to China’s CBA Professional Basketball League and China’s national basketball teams, has announced that it has reached a joint-venture agreement with Excel Sports Management, a premiere athlete management company in the US, which represents top NBA players including Jason Kidd (NJ Nets), Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics), Lamar Odom (LA Lakers), and Tyson Chandler (New Orleans Hornets) among others.

This is a long-term agreement, whereby Excel and Infront will partner to develop a basketball representation business in China, where the sport is flourishing and generating more and more players with outstanding potential.

Excel Sports Management Chief Executive Jeff Schwartz, a top NBA agent who represents professional basketball players for full-service management, said: “We are excited to be on the forefront of the basketball revolution that is occurring in China. The growth potential is enormous and we could not ask for a better partner than Infront.”

The objective for the partnership is to build the most professional player representation business in China.  It will create a gateway to help promising Chinese players to play overseas, gain valuable experience, as well as encourage foreign players to play in China and provide the necessary introductions and assistance to enable them to do so.  As a result, players and coaches in China will enjoy much greater exposure to international basketball.

It will also offer professional basketball players from the USA and Europe access to the Chinese market, which is of increasing interest to sports leagues and brands across the world. This century, China will become the largest economy in the world, providing one-fifth of global GDP. It is already the biggest market for televisions and mobile phones and the second biggest in Internet use. It is set to become the world’s largest market for most products.

The agreement entails setting up the infrastructure for the business, as well as training and supervising staff to understand the representation business and identify, sign and handle the professional basketball players in China.  Infront will utilise Excel Sport’s top international network of experts to help further develop the sport in China.

The Infront/Excel combination already represents one of China’s most prominent basketball stars and former Miami Heat (NBA) player, Wang Zhi Zhi. Already initial agreements have been reached with the Chinese sports apparel company Voit and China Mobile. Additionally there is interest from high profile NBA players wanting to establish ties to the market in China, especially with the 2008 Olympics being held in Beijing.

“We are very impressed with the professionalism and approach that Jeff and his team at Excel offer – this gives us a strong position to provide even greater value to our clients and to development of sport in China”, commented Paul Wong, the Managing Director of Infront China.

John Kristick, Infront’s Executive Director Asia: “Our relationship with Chinese basketball involves every aspect of the game. This partnership will help Chinese basketball to move to the next level by raising the profile and opportunities for the country’s top players. We will be developing the next generation of ‘Yao Ming’s’ and that is an exciting prospect.”

About Excel Sports Management
Excel Sports Management, with offices in New York and Los Angeles, is a premiere full-service athlete management company representing some of the best known names in the NBA on a worldwide basis. In addition to negotiating team contracts, Excel creates personalized public relations and marketing strategies for its clients.

About Infront Sports & Media
Infront Sports & Media AG based in Zug, Switzerland, is one of the most experienced international sports marketing companies in the world with an exceptional track record on major events. It is recognised for its innovative marketing skills and the provision of specialist services to sport, including host broadcasting and on-site event management. It has a leading position in football and winter sports and is the Host Broadcaster of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Infront’s strategy also includes significant expansion in Asia – especially in China. The group has important strategic partnerships with two of China’s top sports – football and basketball – at both League and national team level.


For further information, please contact:

Jörg Polzer
Manager, Communication & PR
Infront Sports & Media AG
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15
Fax +41-41-723 15 16
press infrontsports.com

www.infrontsports.com

Jaymee Messler
Excel Sports Management
Tel. +1-310-407-0506
Fax +1-310-788-5537
jaymee excelsm.com
www.excelsm.com