Gold Medal-winning U.S. skier Julia Mancuso has signed a deal to endorse KT Tape, becoming the focal point of the brand’s push into the Winter Games while she attempts to become the first U.S. woman to qualify for her fifth Olympics. Mancuso underwent major hip surgery in November '15, making her a good match for the kinesiology tape maker, said KT Health CEO Greg Venner. KT Tape has enjoyed huge boosts in consumer awareness thanks to summer Olympians wearing the brightly colored tape, but wintertime use poses a challenge because there is minimal bare skin. That makes Mancuso’s long road to recovery after her injury a useful storytelling device. Mancuso will wear a KT Tape logo on her competition helmet and podium hat and also participate in a social media campaign, consumer-facing advertising and fan activations. The uniform branding will debut at a race in Cortino, Italy, this weekend. Financial terms were not disclosed. KT Tape has also signed two speedskaters, Mia Manganello and Thomas Hong, following a sponsorship deal done with U.S. Speedskating in November. In total, KT Tape has 17 Team USA athletes signed as brand ambassadors. Manganello is represented by Michael Engleman of Mission Sports Group LLC and Thomas is unrepresented. CAA Sports' Lowell Taub, a '14 SBJ/SBD "Forty Under 40" winner who reps Mancuso, said his client has been using KT Tape throughout her recovery and he knew their “proven model of working with athletes, especially in the Olympic space." Mancuso’s other sponsors include GoPro, Audi, Spyder, Squaw Valley Resort, Poc (helmets and googles), Swix (ski polls) and Stockli (skis). KT Tape will emphasize its Pro Extreme line of tape in the winter Games, which hockey players and other winter athletes say is usual for its durability underneath sweaty layers of clothes, Venner said. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal expires in September '18.
