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Selected news articles



From Wall Street Journal, February 24, 2006, Roger Thurow and Gabriel Kahn

“At the Games Antipasto Isn't Anticlimatic”
The Sponsors Go Whole Hog And the Chefs Deliver Gold; Bode Loves His Spaghetti

TURIN, Italy -- The chef bounds out of his kitchen with the joy of a gold-medal winner.

"The food! The food!" shouts Alessandro Boglione, when asked about his specialties. "All that's possible to eat!"

Chef Boglione hails from a nearby town called Bra, home of the "slow food" movement, an antithesis to the fast-food culture. The slow fooders cook with local ingredients and linger over every morsel. That is Mr. Boglione's specialty.

"This is something that is inside of us. We seek a perfect taste that you can't miss," he says. "You enjoy it so much, you get a psychological boost as well."

Italy, and particularly Turin's surrounding region of Piedmont, celebrates its food and the ritual of eating even more lustily, perhaps, than it embraces its sports. Here, too, the passengers of the Olympic gravy train -- the corporate sponsors, hangers-ons and other high rollers who flock to the Games -- have been sharing a seat at the athletes' training table, for the same carb-loaded pastas that are featured on many precompetition menus are also the highlights of the hospitality buffets.

"Absolutely, our guests need the pasta. Otherwise, they get tired, too," says Mr. Boglione, who is the executive chef at AB+ restaurant, which is housed in a 16th-century nobleman's residence in downtown Turin that has been taken over by U.S.-based Jet Set Sports as a hospitality center for a number of corporate clients. The chef was part of the deal.

During the Olympics, Mr. Boglione has been whipping up homemade pasta with a number of sauces: artichoke and clams; lamb ragu and pecorino cheese; mint and sausage from Bra. He's also been serving beef with polenta, lamb chops with roasted artichokes and duck in red wine and maple syrup sauce.

For an athlete preparing to compete, he says he would concoct spaghetti with tomato and basil, topped with Parmigiano. "It is one of the easiest dishes," he says, "but also one of the most difficult to prepare properly."

At Casa Barilla, in a golf club south of Turin's city center, the star is Roberto Bassi, the top chef of Parma-based Barilla, Europe's largest pasta maker. Pasta, he notes proudly, is one of the best fuels for athletes because the low sugar content slows the absorption of the carbohydrates into the system so that energy levels can be maintained more evenly.

Casa Barilla boasts a heavily stocked lunch and dinner buffet that is open to just about anyone who knocks on the door. There is also a bar run by Danish brewer Carlsberg and coffee from Illy of Trieste.

In addition to preparing the twice-daily feasts with his hand-picked assistants, Mr. Bassi offers cooking lessons to whomever happens to drop by. One pupil was U.S. figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. Bode Miller, the American skier who wears the Barilla logo on his helmet during non-Olympic races, also sat down for lunch, though he stayed out of the kitchen.

Mr. Miller dug into a plate of spaghetti with anchovies and vegetables topped with Parmigiano. Alas, although it may have aided his stamina, it didn't help his performance; Mr. Miller, who won two medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, has so far been shut out in four races.

Mr. Bassi is a native of the Emilia Romagna region, home to such delicacies as Parmigiano cheese and Bolognese sauce, among others. But in an ode to Piedmontese cuisine, he has been serving penne pasta with fonduta, or fondue, in which the pasta is covered with melted fontina cheese -- a local favorite -- and served with white truffles grated on top.

The day before an event, he recommends eating lots of pasta with a sauce of light vegetables, a dab of raw extra-virgin olive oil and topped with Parmigiano.

Parmigiano (also known as Parmesan) is a favorite at the Bank of America Hometown Hopefuls hospitality house. "In Italy, the Parmigiano is very important as the topping," says Chef Helal Wasef Wasfy, who came to Piedmont from Egypt 30 years ago. He goes by the name of Chef Michel. "Parmigiano has good amounts of protein per fat ratio," he explains. "And, of course, it has a very good taste."

Bowls of Parmigiano adorn the buffet table along with specialties like bowtie pasta with zucchini, sausage and tomato, pasta al pesto, gnocchi pomodoro, panzerotti with salmon and rigatoni with four cheese sauce. The house is open to all U.S. athletes and their families and friends. The buffet has also offered veal stew, sea bass filet, shrimp and plenty of salad. There is a pizza bar and a table laden with various pastries for desert.

"We wanted an Italian flair," says Allison Gardiner, Bank of America's strategic marketing executive for Olympics and golf. "We want people to experience Italy when they're in Italy."

"Just what we need," says the father of speedskater Amy Sannes as he tucks into the bowtie pasta and a salad. "It hits the spot."

Moments later, during a pep rally for the U.S. women's hockey team (which won a bronze medal), one of the players' mothers shouted into the microphone, "We love the Italian food and the vino."

For the players themselves, Chef Michel would offer pasta with vegetables and a pesto-basil sauce and maybe a small piece of meat in extra-virgin olive oil. "Something that is very easy to digest," he says.

The schmoozing mecca in Turin is, appropriately, Casa Italia, which has recruited culinary experts from all over the country and attracted the A-list of Italian celebrities. Housed in the 17th-century Palazzo del Valentino, it's also the place where Italian athletes go to celebrate after winning a medal. It is a shrine to Italian products and comestibles, from wine, which flows freely, to tables stacked with cheese and mortadella, known outside of Italy as bologna.

One of the top chefs involved in preparing the menu is Carlo Zarri, a sommelier and fourth-generation Piedmontese restaurateur. One of the most-requested local dishes: risotto al limone e rosmarino (risotto with lemon and rosemary). Mr. Zarri insists that Italian cuisine is high-performance food because it has a lot of in-season ingredients and isn't overly laden with butter or cream. Of course, he says, it's also full of carbs.

His recommended prerace diet: mozzarella and tomatoes, known as caprese in Italian, followed by a Piedmontese specialty, ravioli al plin, a hand-made pasta stuffed with meat and vegetables, topped only with olive oil and a bit of grated Parmigiano. He recommends a very light second course of prosciutto di Parma sliced thinly accompanied by -- what else? -- Parmigiano.

Schmoozers and athletes alike would do well to heed this chef's recommendation. Mr. Zarri also worked at the Casa Italia in Athens at the 2004 Summer Olympics, where the speedwalker Ivano Brugnetti chose to dine for five consecutive days before his 20 kilometer race.

"Each night, he ate a half kilo of pasta with only extra-virgin olive oil and Parmigiano," recalls Mr. Zarri. "Then he won a gold medal."

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November 10, 2004

CoSport Launches Ticket Sales for 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy

FAR HILLS, N.J. – CoSport, the Official Ticket Sales Agent of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), today announced the launch of ticket sales to the American public for the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The partnership was established to provide Americans the opportunity to purchase premier event tickets and hospitality packages for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games. As the Official Ticket Sales Agent of the USOC and Official Sponsor of the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, CoSport is the only company that provides full access to the Olympic Games.

“The Games are fast approaching and we are excited to begin our individual ticket and ticket package sales” said Matt Bijur, President of CoSport. “We greatly value our partnership with the United States Olympic Committee and we are so proud to be able to provide access to the Games in Torino to a nation that is so passionate about the Olympic Winter Games. We want to support our U.S. Olympic Team by reestablishing the American presence in the stands of the Olympic Games venues. We pledge to the American public unparalleled service and extraordinary access.”

CoSport will accept individual ticket requests starting today at www.cosport.com. From Nov. 10 - Dec. 22, United States residents will be able to request tickets for their desired Olympic Games events. CoSport will also offer a wide variety of Olympic Games event ticket packages that will include pre-selected events. Ticket package sales begin today and will be sold on a live - first-come first-serve basis. All information needed to secure Olympic Games tickets including the competition schedule, venue information, times and prices is available on the CoSport web site.

In February 2005, CoSport will increase public access to the Olympic Games by offering a wide variety of accommodation/ticket packages. These packages are being designed to give Americans a full range of amenities from all inclusive packages - including meals, bi-lingual hosts, ground transportation, accommodation and tickets to base level packages which include tickets and accommodations.

About CoSport

CoSport, LLC is a leading provider of Olympic Games hospitality packages and individual Olympic Games event tickets. CoSport’s array of products and services are the leading choice for consumers seeking rarified access to the Olympic Games. CoSport offers individual Olympic Games tickets and hospitality packages that include premier event tickets, accommodations and accredited ground transportation obtained directly through the Olympic Organizing Committees. For more information, please visit www.cosport.com

About Jet Set Sports

Jet Set Sports LLC, the parent company of CoSport, is a leading provider of Olympic Games hospitality packages and individual Olympic Games event tickets. Since 1984, Jet Set Sports has provided corporate clients with unparalleled hospitality experiences at Olympic Games through its VIP Hospitality Programs and Hospitality Management Services. For more information, please visit www.jetsetsports.com

CoSport is a registered trademark of Cooperative Sport LLC. All other names and trademarks are the properties of their respective owners

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From Sports Business Journal Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2004, Steve Woodward

Jet Set Sports steers hospitality efforts more toward small business

Jet Set Sports founder Sead Dizdarevic can see the Acropolis and the 1896 Panathinaic marble statue. He also thinks he sees the future of his business.

Jet Set, a pioneer in Olympic Games corporate travel and hospitality logistics, has built it’s name nearly exclusively over the last two decades with large corporations, mainly Games sponsors. The customers Dizdarevic aggressively sought for Athens, however, were much smaller than Fortune 100 companies, and he said last week that he sees a shift in the Olympic Games travel and hospitality business.

‘We went after the so-called wealthy small-business owners; we’ve been developing that portion of our business,” said Dizdarevic, who launched his company in 1975 and the first executed Olympic Games packages for the 1984 Winter Olympic Games in his native Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. “Many of these are privately held companies."

“If you want to be in the same lifestyle as a public company CEO, you have to pay for it, and [successful entrepreneurs] expect to pay for it. They became a natural customer for us.”

Pricing varies depending on the scope of a package, but Jet Set’s average for Athens, including Games event tickets, ground transportation, lodging and dinning, is $30,000 a couple for five days.

Coca-Cola, NBC Universal, Sports Illustrated and Visa, all major underwriters of the Olympic Games, continue to roll out large hospitality operations involving thousands of guests. Some outsource the logistics to New Jersey-based Jet Set or California-based SportsMark; others, such as NBC, run them internally.

In Athens, Jet Set’s staff of 393 is taking care of about 15,000 guests, including 4,000 from the wealthy entrepreneur category. Athens organizers also outsourced coordination of Olympic Games VIP’s – celebrities, royalty, etc.- to Jet Set. Another group of clients was cultivated from the elite society of 1,500 business-people known as the Chief Executives Organization.

As the Games neared an end, relative calm pervaded Jet Set’s Athens headquarters, which takes up three floors normally occupied by a local college. Staffers stared into screens dominated by grids of client data stored in a custom software programs. In the transportation “situation room”, GSP tracking technology pinpointed the real time location of 62 sedans and 37 buses.

“We can’t [afford to] fail,” said Dizdarevic, whose company and its public ticket sales subsidiary, CoSport, became U.S. Olympic Games sponsors in 2000 essentially as a defensive move to discourage competition.

Athens did not have the luxury of failing, either, and Dizdarevic believes public opinion totally misread the ability of Greece to host the games.

“Providing you can make your customers comfortable, this is a more desirable location [than Sydney in 2000],” he said. “The world owes an apology to the Greeks. They‘ve been really hammered, relentlessly, on every issue.”

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May 15, 2003

Canadian Olympic Committee and CoSport Launch Ticket Sales for Olympic Games in Athens

Toronto, May 15, 2003 – The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and CoSport today announced the launch of Canadian public ticket sales for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The partnership was established to provide Canadians the opportunity to purchase premier event tickets and hospitality packages for the upcoming Olympic Games. As the Official Ticket and Travel Package Sponsor of the Canadian Olympic Team and Official Supporter level sponsor of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, CoSport and its sister company Jet Set Sports are the only companies that provide full access to the Olympic Games.

“The COC is pleased to partner with CoSport to bring Canadians who wish to experience the Olympic Games in Athens an incredible experience through the tickets and hospitality packages provided by CoSport,” said Chris Rudge, COC Chief Executive Officer. “CoSport brings many years of Olympic Games experience and first-class hospitality to the Canadian public.”

“The Games are fast approaching and we are excited to commence our ticket and package sales and countdown to the eagerly awaited Athens Olympic Games,” said Sead Dizdarevic, President and CEO of CoSport. “We are excited about our partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and will offer the Canadian public unparalleled service and access to tickets.”

CoSport will accept individual ticket requests starting today at www.cosport.com. From May 15 to June 6, Canadian residents will be able to request tickets for their desired Olympic Games events. Requests received during this period will be given first priority and will be fulfilled to the greatest extent possible. In the incident of an overwhelming request for a particular event, tickets will be issued following a lottery on behalf of all the individuals who have made requests to attend that event. With well over 100,000 tickets available, the COC and CoSport are confident Canadians will be able to acquire their desired tickets. All information needed to secure Olympic Games tickets including the competition schedule, venue information, times and prices is available at the CoSport web site.

CoSport will also offer a wide variety of accommodation/ticket packages and ticket packages at a later date. These packages are being designed to give Canadians a full range of amenities from complete packages including meals, ground transportation, accommodation and tickets to the minimum of tickets and hotel rooms. Accommodations range from two- to five-star hotels in the Athens area as well as the luxury cruise ship, Queen Mary 2, which will be a floating hotel berthed in the Port of Piraeus.

About the COC:
The COC is a private, not-for-profit corporation and the largest private funder of high performance sport in Canada. It is responsible for all aspects of Canada's involvement in the Olympic Games movement, including Canada's participation in the Olympic Games and Pan American Games. In addition, the COC manages a wide variety of programs that promote the Olympic Games Movement in Canada through cultural and educational means.

Media Contacts:
Jackie DeSouza
Director, Communications
Canadian Olympic Committee
(416) 324-4122

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February 26, 2003

Jet Set Sports and CoSport Extend Support of the U.S. Olympic Teams Through 2012
Companies to be Exclusive Providers of Tickets and Hospitality Packages

FAR HILLS, New Jersey – Jet Set Sports announced today a sponsorship agreement that extends Jet Set Sports’ support of the United States Olympic Committee “USOC” and the U. S. Olympic Team as the official sponsor for hospitality programs and management services, corporate and consumer ticket and travel packages, and individual tickets through the 2012 Olympic Games. Beginning in 2005, the agreement confirms that Jet Set Sports, and sister company CoSport, will continue to provide world class hospitality services for U.S. Olympic Team sponsors, National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and their members and the general public at the XX Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy in 2006, and the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China in 2008, as well as the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010 and the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012.

A USOC official sponsor since 2000, the agreement continues Jet Set Sports’ 20-year relationship with the international Olympic Games Movement and ongoing relationship with the USOC. The sponsorship agreement with the USOC through 2012 is part of the company’s longstanding commitment to support the ideals of the Olympic Games Movement. In addition to the USOC, Jet Set Sports is a sponsor of nine other National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and several U.S. NGBs such as; U.S. Speedskating, U.S.A. Cycling, U.S.A. Weightlifting and U.S.A. Gymnastics.

“During the past 20 years Jet Set Sports has unquestionably supported U.S. Olympic Games athletes in their quest for the gold and are committed to continuing that support for the next 10 years. America’s athletes’ have always made their country and sponsors proud and we believe there is no better time than right now to renew our faith in the U.S. Olympic Team,” said Sead Dizdarevic, President and CEO, Jet Set Sports.

As a result of Jet Set Sports’ existing relationship with the 2004 Athens Organizing Committee (ATHOC), the agreement will allow the USOC to continue to provide the best available hospitality services to its domestic sponsors during the upcoming 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. These Olympic Games hospitality packages include: luxury accommodations, premium event tickets, accredited transportation, first-class catering and experienced management services. During the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games more than 12 U.S. Olympic Games sponsors utilized Jet Set Sports’ hospitality services while CoSport, the Official Public Package Agent for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, hosted several thousand individual guests.

The new sponsorship agreement is ground breaking for the USOC. For the first time, all of the ticket and hospitality packages are combined under a single exclusive provider. This arrangement will allow for any Olympic Games fan, corporate or individual, to fulfill their personal Olympic Games needs from a company with experience as well as a reputation for quality service.

Lloyd Ward, U.S. Olympic Committee CEO said, “Jet Set Sports has a long-standing tradition of supporting athletes from around the world in their pursuit of excellence. Through the extension of the sponsorship agreement with the U.S. Olympic Team, Jet Set is once again demonstrating its commitment to America’s athletes.”

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From Technology Meetings, May 1, 2002, Susan Hatch

MONSTER.COM GOES FOR THE MARKETING GOLD

To make the most of its sponsorship of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, job search giant Monster.com took a flying leap into client hospitality. Colleen McGrath, senior manager of marketing, and Beth Gilstrap, senior sales communication manager, had the challenge of bringing 58 of Monster's best clients and their guests to the Salt Lake Games in five back-to-back groups over 17 days. As far as McGrath and Gilstrap were concerned, it was the event equivalent of the triple lutz.

This was the first time Monster — or any dot-com — had signed on as a sponsor of the Olympic Games, and the first time Monster had hosted a significant client hospitality event. “I've planned smaller events, internal employee things. But I've never done anything on this scale that clients would be involved in and make such a huge impression,” McGrath says.

McGrath and Gilstrap began by searching out a logistics partner to walk them through the Olympic Games maze. After reviewing a number of bids, Jet Set Sports, Far Hills, N.J., (www.jetsetsports.com) got the job. “Not many people know them. They only do Olympic Games hospitality. And they're very low-key. When people are doing hospitality for the first time, they're usually the ones that are recommended,” says McGrath. Jet Set has been organizing Olympic Games hospitality since the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, and from McGrath's perspective, its experience is priceless. “They just made it so much easier. Beth and I both had other responsibilities. It was just kind of a side thing to plan this huge event. We could have never done it alone. Transportation issues, ticketing, hotel issues — they handle pretty much all of that.”

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