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A winning formula
With the events of London 2012 expected to inspire the nation and make a significant impact on physical activity levels, Jon Johnston, MD of Johnson Health Tech UK and head of the UK commercial division – Matrix Fitness Systems – explains what contribution the company will be making towards the Games’ legacy
Companies around the country are flexing their Olympic connections, but until gym workouts are declared an Olympic discipline, what’s in it for equipment suppliers? We don’t have any commercial partnerships or associations with LOCOG or the IOC, but with the event happening on home soil, UK fitness equipment companies would be crazy not to embrace the Games, or be inspired by the Olympic ideals and the three core values of excellence, friendship and respect.
“OUR LONG-TERM BUSINESS SUCCESS DEPENDS ON THE SUPPORT OF OUR CUSTOMERS, AND THEIR CUSTOMERS”
Clearly there’s a connection between elite sports
and mass participation, as demonstrated by the Lance Armstrong Effect on cycling participation, the Wimbledon Effect on the number of people playing tennis every year, and more recently, the growth in British interest for winter sports since Amy Williams won gold for the women’s skeleton event. Hopefully the Olympics will follow suit, and with the London legacy aim of getting two million people to be more active, we should all share responsibility for helping to make this happen. The question is, what form should this support take? Matrix has been engaged in a number of elite sport
sponsorships for the past four years, and we’re conscious of the opportunities to increase brand awareness by association with the Games, but it’s my belief that suppliers
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So it’s business as usual for JHT and Matrix? Not entirely. Any event that has the potential to stimulate increased physical activity on such a massive scale cannot be ignored. We’ll be cheering on Team GB along with the rest of the nation, and continuing to build on our association with past, present and future Olympic athletes through our ambassador projects and sponsorships – including Team Johnson (participating members include Tim Brabants, James Cracknell and Sally Gunnell, GB triathlete Jody Stimpson, international coach Bernie Shrosbree, and the Matrix- Fitness-Prendas racing team with world champions Dani King and Joanna Rowsell). But on a much more local level, we’ll also be working on inspiring everyday people – the ‘real world’ athletes if you
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital may 2012 © cybertrek 2012 Jon Johnston says Matrix aims to create a fi tness legacy
like ourselves would be better served by concentrating on long-term health and fitness initiatives, and working with customers on a local level to encourage more people to be more active, more often.
That sounds like the basis of the Olympic legacy? There are common objectives, yes, but we aren’t claiming ownership of the national blueprint. Our company founder, Peter Lo, could be credited with creating his own ‘legacy’ though. He also instilled within our company three core values of health, value and sharing, which have been the driving force behind our global activity for many years. He thought back in the 1970s about the imperative need to build fitter, healthier future generations. So while the primary role of our business continues to be the development, manufacture and distribution of innovative fitness equipment, we’re committed to realising Peter’s vision too, regardless of whether or not it happens to be an Olympic year.
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