Getty Images Reignites Relationship with U.S. Olympic Committee

SEATTLE, April 29, 2009 - Getty Images, Inc. has announced today that it has renewed its agreement to serve as an Official Photographic Partner with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). Committed to providing the best, most complete coverage, Getty Images will continue to cover U.S. athletes as they prepare, train and ultimately compete at the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games. Under the agreement, Getty Images will have the commercial rights for the licensing of U.S. Olympic photography to sponsors and licensees of the USOC.

In 1988, the USOC for the first time partnered with Getty Images, the leading creator and distributor of visual content and other digital media, to use photography of U.S. athletes from past Olympic Games. Since then, many of these images have been used on the USOC's website, in publications and promotional campaigns.

”The U.S. Olympic Committee is excited to continue its relationship with Getty Images,” said Lisa Baird, USOC Chief Marketing Officer. “During the last 21 years, Getty Images has consistently provided elite photographic coverage of U.S. Olympic sports in an indelible and unrivaled fashion. We look forward to seeing what lasting moments Getty Images will capture in the future.”

“Getty Images has a passion for sports photography and we are proud to be a part of the Olympic movement,” said Janey Marks, Director of Olympic Programs and Strategic Alliances for Getty Images. “Our comprehensive coverage has captured some of the most defining moments in U.S. Olympic sports history, making Getty Images the ultimate resource for all Olympic imagery worldwide. We are honored to have renewed our partnership with the USOC and are excited to capture many more iconic moments of these world-class athletes as they compete at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and beyond.”

In addition to the relationship with the USOC, Getty Images also serves as the Official Photography Agency of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Its archive contains some of the most notable Olympic photographs dating from the 1896 Games in Athens to the most recent games in Beijing. The collection features some of the greatest moments in U.S. Olympic history including swimmer Michael Phelps as he earned his unprecedented eighth Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing; gymnast Mary Lou Retton victorious after winning All Around Individual competition at the 1984 Olympic Games; and, speed skater Bonnie Blair winning the gold medal in the 500 meters and 1000 meters at the 1994 Games, taking her Olympic Winter Games tally to a record five gold medals.

These images, among many more, can be viewed on Getty Images’ dedicated Olympics website, www.gettyimages.com/olympics, which includes 112 years of iconic sporting imagery.