FIRST BANK OFFICIAL BANKER FOR LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS

Aligning with the values of respect, friendship, and excellence that drive the Olympic Games, First Bank of Nigeria Plc will serve as Official Banker to the Nigerian Olympic Committee for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Games of the 30th Olympiad scheduled to hold from July 27 to August 12, 2012 will see London play host to more than 200 nations, about 10,500 athletes and millions of spectators during the most celebrated sports fiesta that comes up once every four years.

The city of London emerged host following four rounds of voting by members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2005 at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore.

First Bank's management at the official signing ceremony at the headquarters of NOC yesterday said its involvement as 'Official Banker of NOC' represents the bank's endorsement of the values of respect, friendship, and excellence espoused by the Olympic Movement.

According to Folake Ani-Mumuney, Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, First Bank and the Olympic Movement share a rich pedigree of being organisations that have been promoting excellence, social responsibility and respect for globally acclaimed ethical principles for more than 100 years of existence.

Ani-Mumuney said the Olympic symbol of five interlaced rings, which represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes throughout the world, was one of the most profound emblems in the world. 'The quest for a united and peaceful world is a noble one that FirstBank identifies with. 'Our various CSR interventions in sports are borne out of our conviction that sports is a vehicle for promoting unity, youth empowerment and excellence,' she said.

The Olympic Movement also promotes the cause of sports practised without discrimination. Ani-Mumuney said First Bank's stance against discrimination is evident in its policy on equality in the workplace, superior service delivery to all classes of customers, and provision of alternative channels to ensure financial inclusion of the unbanked and under-banked in Nigeria.