The IAAF has announced the extension of its partnership agreement with Japanese watch manufacturer Seiko.

The new four-year deal will see Seiko continue in its role as a worldwide sponsor of the IAAF World Athletic Series of competitions until at least 2012.

The renewal was brokered by Dentsu, the IAAF’s worldwide marketing partner for the World Athletics Series which includes the biennial IAAF World Championships in Athletics, the latest edition of which begins in Berlin on Saturday.

Although financial details of the deal were not released, industry insiders value the contract at around US$2 million a year.

The new agreement recognises Seiko as the official timer for the IAAF World Athletics Series, 2010 – 2013, with the company supplying its state-of-the-art timing and distance measurement services to 19 events over the coming four years, including the 13th World Championships in Athletics, Daegu, Korea (2011) and the 14th edition in Moscow, Russia (2013). 

When the new contract begins in 2010 Seiko will have been in partnership with the IAAF for 25 years, having begun its continuous relationship with the world governing body of the sport at the 1985 World Indoor Games, the precursor of the World Indoor Championships. 

IAAF president Lamine Diack said, “We are delighted to continue our long partnership with Seiko.  Their technology and services have been vital to the success of our events for a quarter of a century and we look forward to another four years of great cooperation.”

Shinji Hattori, executive vice president of Seiko Holdings Corporation, said “We are honoured to be selected again by the IAAF for the next four years, and we will continue to repay the sport’s trust in our timing technologies with new systems and services that help the future growth of the great sport of athletics.”