“We’re excited to initiate the Arena Swim Challenge in the spirit of healthy competition and goodwill”

For the first world record that is broken between now and the end of 2012, in any individual race, Arena will donate $40,000 to the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation (www.edithsanford.org) if the record is broken by an athlete wearing an Arena suit. The brand has also pledged that even if the first world record is broken by an athlete in one of its competitors’ suits, Arena will still contribute $20,000 to the charity. If nobody breaks a world record, then the brand will donate $10,000.

The announcement took place at a reception – hosted by Arena – on the eve of the first day of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha, Neb. On hand to help announce the Swim Challenge were special guests, Dave Durden, Cal Swimming & Diving Head Coach; Brett Hawke, Auburn University Swimming & Diving Head Coach; and Aaron Peirsol, five-time Olympic gold medalist.

“We’re excited to initiate the Arena Swim Challenge in the spirit of healthy competition and goodwill,” said Vice President and General Manager of Arena North America, Tim McCool. “Not only is this an opportunity to have a little competitive fun, but it has the potential to raise awareness for a very meaningful organization. Swimming is one of the few sports where there are as many, if not more, female than male participants. Unfortunately, breast cancer is a disease that touches many of our lives – whether male or female – so we’re thrilled to offer our support to the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation and are thankful for the great work they do.”

At the event, Arena also announced details of its newly-formed partnership with the charity. Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation is a non-profit organization pursuing cutting-edge translational genomics research to identify specific treatments that will work best for each person, prevent the disease on an individual basis, and ultimately eradicate breast cancer. The charity was selected by Arena because the two organizations share many of the same brand values, including a focus on grassroots awareness and a commitment to constantly challenging innovation to break records and reach breakthroughs.

The Challenge is partly centered on the success of Arena’s newest suit, the POWERSKIN Carbon-Pro, which is the first racing suit to integrate a carbon cage into its design to deliver intelligent muscle compression, combined with unprecedented fit. Arena is confident in the suit’s potential and is committed to helping athletes realize their maximum potential and set new records in 2012, with this new frontier of performance racing swimwear.

In the coming weeks, Arena will send out a letter to all of its swimwear competitors to let them know about the significance of this important cause and encourage them to be a part of the Swim Challenge in the way that is right for them.

Arena is also inviting swim fans to get involved. Fans can follow the action throughout the summer by visiting www.ArenaSwimChallenge.com. In addition, fans that love the spirit of competition and believe in the cause can help cheer Arena on by tweeting their support. The website will feature first-person commentary from Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol, as he captures all of the swim competition excitement as it unfolds throughout the summer.

The Swim Challenge comes on the heels of Arena’s recent opening of its wholly-owned North American subsidiary in Portland, Oregon and is part of the Italian-based swimwear company’s plans to quickly grow its position in the U.S. market.

About Arena

Since 1973, Arena has created and marketed Waterwear products for competitive swimmers and swimming fans worldwide, and is universally recognized as one of the premium brands of high-quality swimwear and equipment. Over the last 37 years, the company has developed strong expertise in developing best-in-class products with particular focus on the pool segment, while also gradually expanding into leisure and beachwear.

Arena has commercial subsidiaries in Italy, France, Germany, and the U.S., and also operates through a global network of distributors and licensees. The Arena brand is present in 106 countries worldwide, of which 95 are directly managed by the Arena Group (five through commercial subsidiaries and 90 through distributors and licensees), while in the Far East (11 countries) the brand is owned and managed by the Descente Group.

The company’s ties to the world of sport and swimming in particular are reinforced through sponsoring activities at different levels, including governing bodies, national federations, athletes and clubs. For more information, please visit: http://www.arenausa.com/ and www.arenapowerskin.com

About Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation

The Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation is pioneering a bold new comprehensive approach to breast cancer, with a mission to unlock each woman’s genetic code, advance today’s prevention and treatment, and end breast cancer for future generations. For more information about the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation, please visit edithsanford.org or call 1-855-GO-EDITH (463-3484). Sanford Health^® is the patient care and research partner of the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation, and the largest rural, not-for-profit health care system in the nation, with 116 clinic locations and nearly 1000 physicians in 70 specialty areas of medicine.