Sydney Marathon And Tata Consultancy Services Announce New Naming Rights Partnership

The TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS today announced a landmark partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting and business solutions, as the new naming rights partner of Australia’s largest marathon. 

The new multi-year title sponsorship agreement marks a significant step forward in the pursuit to achieve Abbott World Marathon Major (AbbottWMM) status. 

As the world’s largest sponsor of mass participation running events, TCS brings unparalleled expertise in building innovative and impactful technology solutions from their title partnerships with the TCS New York Marathon and TCS London Marathon, as well as their role as technology partner for the Boston Marathon and Chicago Marathon. Their proven track record will enhance the Sydney Marathon experience, making the event more sustainable, inclusive, accessible, and enjoyable for runners and spectators.

“Bringing our portfolio of running properties worldwide to 14, we are proud to support the iconic TCS Sydney Marathon, one of the most beautiful races in the world, in their candidacy year to become the next Abbott World Marathon Major and help cement this event as a powerful economic and social driver for New South Wales,” said Abhinav Kumar, Global CMO of TCS. “TCS has played a pivotal role in Australia as a technology player for close to four decades and we are proud to continue our commitment to the community and use our technology expertise and passion for innovation to enhance the Sydney event experience.”

To become a Major, the Sydney Marathon has been required to meet strict criteria for two consecutive years.  Having achieved the criteria in 2023, Sydney Marathon will need to be successful again this year, to join an esteemed group of races - Tokyo Marathon, Boston Marathon, TCS London Marathon, BMW-BERLIN Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS New York City Marathon - as a new member of the prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors in 2025.

“As we relentlessly pursue our goal of becoming the next Abbott World Marathon Major, we recognise the importance of partnering with industry leaders like TCS, who share our vision of excellence and community impact in sustainability, education, accessibility and health,” said Wayne Larden, Race Director, Sydney Marathon. “TCS’s experience with the Abbott World Marathon Majors and other major global events provides invaluable insights that will help us to elevate the Sydney Marathon, globally.”

The partnership with TCS symbolises a strategic investment in the future of Sydney Marathon and the communities it serves. Throughout the multi-year partnership TCS will prioritise the participant and spectator experience of the event to deliver on TCS Sydney Marathon’s mission to become the most accessible marathon, run on the most beautiful course in the world. 

To support this vision, TCS has launched several new initiatives that reflect TCS and Sydney Marathon’s shared commitment to sustainability, education, and health in 2024:

1.    TCS ReScore app, developed in partnership with the Council for Responsible Sport: Setting the gold standard in sustainability. TCS is working with TCS Sydney Marathon to certify the race through the Council for Responsible Sport’s ReScore app.  Designed by TCS, ReScore enables sporting event organisers to measure, track, report, and verify key environmental and social indicators.

2.    Supporting a culture of running across Indigenous Australia: Sport is a powerful connector of communities.  By extending TCS’ long-standing partnership with the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF) the TCS Sydney Marathon will focus on attracting more Indigenous runners to participate. Hayley Pymont, an IMF graduate will take on the role of Indigenous Running Ambassador for this year’s event.

3.    TCS Sydney Mini Marathon: The Family Fun Run will be transformed into the TCS Sydney Mini Marathon, championing the importance of healthy active living for all. The evolution of the new 4.2km course will aim to inspire next generation runners to embark on their own journey towards wellness, in a symbolic step towards the aspirational goal of completing a full marathon later in life. 

4.    TCS Sydney Marathon goIT challenge in partnership with the NSW Department of Education: All NSW school students will have the opportunity to contribute their ideas to ensure TCS Sydney Marathon is sustainable from start to finish line by participating in the inaugural TCS Sydney Marathon goIT challenge. The program running from Thursday, 1 to Saturday, 31 August will be available to all teachers and students across NSW schools.  Finalists will be selected from Sydney metro and also regional/remote school teams and invited to run in the TCS Mini Marathon with the winning team being announced at TCS Sydney Marathon 2024.

5.    TCS Sustainathon 2024 Australia & New Zealand: University students from across the regions will be able to propose and develop digital sustainability solutions for the TCS Sydney Marathon as part of the global sustainability problem solving competition, contributing to the sustainability framework for the event in the future. 

The partnership with TCS represents a strategic investment in the future of the Sydney Marathon. The collaboration is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of excellence, fostering positive change, and redefining the marathon experience for generations to come.

“The Sydney Marathon is a fantastic community event that showcases the best of our city,” said Minister for Jobs and Tourism, John Graham.  “I congratulate the Sydney Marathon and TCS on their partnership.”

The Sydney Marathon and its candidacy for the Abbott World Marathon Majors series is supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

For more information please visit: sydneymarathon.com

By Sydney Marathon
Posted 2/07/2024