Prince launches O3 Speedport in Middle East

Notes and media contacts

About O3 Speedport:
- O3 Speedport is the next tennis racquet innovation built on Prince Sports' award-winning O3 Technology platform. Today, O3 Technology is found in 7 of the 15 best selling racquets in the country, including the top-selling racquet, the O3 White.* O3 Technology has resulted in players claiming more than 150 ATP and WTA tournament titles.

- O3 Speedport racquets capitalize on the one dimension of the game that potentially has the most impact on how players perform on the court: SPEED.

- Conventional thinking about racquet speed has led to the development of super light-weight racquets which are easy to maneuver but, by their design, reduce the size of the sweet spot, increase vibration and generally reduce power, precision and comfort. With O3 Speedport, Prince has, for the first time, engineered a racquet that increases racquet speed without compromising weight, power, precision or comfort.

- Designed to give competitive players every advantage, O3 Speedport racquets are up to 24 percent faster than traditional frames - allowing them to cut through the air more quickly with no extra effort. This leads to increased racquet head-speed throughout the entire swing pattern, and produces consistently sharper, cleaner shots resulting in more powerful serves, more penetrating ground strokes and crisper volleys.

- The string holes, or Speedports, are sculpted like the air intake ducts on fighter planes and high performance sports cars. O3 Speedport uses Prince's patented larger O-Port string hole technology as a starting point, but enlarges and reshapes the holes to reduce air drag and deliver the promise of extra racquet speed.

- The size and shape of the Speedports result in the creation of a huge sweet spot that is up to 59 percent larger than traditional racquets.

- O3 Speedport was designed by Roberto Gazarra, manager of research and development at Prince Sports, in consultation with some of the world's top touring pros. Gazarra also designed the original O3 Technology.

- O3 Speedport is currently available in three models:
- O3 Speedport Silver
- O3 Speedport Red
- O3 Speedport Blue

* 2006 Sports Marketing Surveys/Tennis Industry Association Specialty Store Retail Audit, Third Quarter.
** Racquet speed testing results taken from a 2006 Computational Fluid Dynamics Report by Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom.

About Prince:
From its origin as a manufacturer of tennis ball machines, Prince has proven itself to be an industry leader in the development and manufacturing of performance racquet sports equipment. Prince has revolutionized the game of tennis with its introductions of the "Oversize" and "Longbody" and today, O3 engineered racquets. Prince's expanded tennis line outfits players from head to toe, with shoes, apparel, balls, accessories, and more.

Prince has leveraged its international exposure by sponsoring some of the sport's most elite athletes, including Maria Sharapova, Guillermo Coria, Jennifer Capriati, Patrick Rafter and Martina Navratilova. Their success in Grand Slam competitions has heightened consumer interest in the Prince brand as well as the sport of tennis.
Today Prince maintains a strong presence on the professional tennis circuit through sponsorships and events, working closely with local programs throughout the country, and developing grassroots opportunities for the sport's next generation of stars.

For more details, contact:
Rohini Rego
Media Relations Manager
Tel:04 282 0044
www.partnershipme.com