TOKYO, March 6, 2019 – Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (“Ajinomoto Co.”) signed an agreement today to serve as an official sponsor of the 30th Southeast Asian Games (“SEA Games”) to be held in the Philippines in November and December 2019. Ajinomoto Co. will provide support as a sponsor of the highest rank of the SEA Games.

The SEA Games are held every two years to help forge strong regional cooperation, understanding and unity within the Southeast Asian community. They are the largest sporting event held in Southeast Asia, attracting the attention of a total of the more than 600 million people in the region. For this year’s event in the Philippines, Ajinomoto Co. will continue to be a sponsor of the highest rank, after becoming the first Japanese company to do so at the previous event.

Since 2003, Ajinomoto Co. has been working on the Victory Project®1 to support the conditioning of top-level athletes in Japan and conducting nutritional support activities that include providing Ajinomoto Group products and promoting the Kachimeshi®2 program. Utilizing that knowledge, three Ajinomoto Group subsidiaries in the ASEAN region have each entered into contracts with sports associations or athletes since 2018 to start an ASEAN Victory Project®.3 Ajinomoto Co. plans to expand this initiative into other ASEAN countries in the future. Ajinomoto Co. will use this official sponsorship of the SEA Games as an opportunity to promote further support for the ASEAN Victory Project® through its subsidiaries in the ASEAN region.

Ajinomoto Co. has established business bases in the Philippines, the host country of the event, as well as in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere, and has conducted its consumer food business in those countries for many years, thus maintaining a close connection with local food cultures. Ajinomoto Co. will expand its support for sports to further contribute to advances in “food” and “health” for the general public as well as for athletes in each country. 

1. Victory Project®: Support activities including guidance on sports nutrition and amino acid conditioning for top-level athletes at international tournaments.

2. Kachimeshi® (“Winning meals” in Japanese): Ajinomoto Co.’s sports nutrition meal program for building a winning physique.

3. AJINOMOTO (SINGAPORE) PRIVATE LTD. signed an agreement with the Singapore Swimming Association in March 2018, P.T. AJINOMOTO INDONESIA signed an agreement with an individual Indonesian swimmer in April 2018, and AJINOMOTO CO., (THAILAND) LTD. signed an agreement with the Thailand Volleyball Association in December 2018.

Overview of the Agreement

(1) Contract content: Sponsorship (a Sponsor of the highest rank)

(2) Rights granted to Ajinomoto Co. Use of “a Sponsor of the highest rank ” designation, use of the official logo mark, display of the corporate logo on signboards and at venues, etc.

(3) Contract categories:  Exclusive categories: Seasonings, amino acid-based granules and jellies, powdered nutritional drinks

 (Total area: 11 participating countries)

  Exclusive categories in specified countries: Instant noodles (countries: Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos); canned and powdered coffees (countries: Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar); frozen foods and frozen bread (countries: Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore)

Reference

Overview of the 30th SEA Games

(1) Location: Philippines

(2) Event schedule: November 30 to December 11, 2019 (12 days)

(3) Participating countries:  Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, East Timor (11 countries)

(4) Host organization:  Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee