Tata Consultancy Services signs with the Sydney Marathon as a title partner

As a part of partnership, the company will sponsor 14 global running events that are attended by 6,00,000 runners

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, announced its title partnership of the Sydney Marathon. The five-year partnership will see TCS leverage its expertise to enhance the marathon’s use of advanced technologies, sustainability, accessibility, and charitable impact while continuing to support running and well-being across Indigenous Australia.

The TCS Sydney Marathon, presented by ASICS, is the latest addition to a deep portfolio of global running events sponsored by TCS, including four World Marathon Major races in New York, London, Chicago and Boston, alongside marathons in Amsterdam, Mumbai, Singapore and Toronto. In total, TCS now sponsors 14 global running events with participation from over 6,00,000 runners.

TCS will support the candidature of the TCS Sydney Marathon to the Abbott World Marathon Majors—a series that includes six marathons – the Tokyo Marathon, Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America, TCS London Marathon, BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS New York City Marathon.

As a candidate race, the TCS Sydney Marathon must meet a series of key criteria for two years consecutively to join this group as a new member in 2025. Attaining this world-class status will increase the marathon’s economic impact on Sydney and New South Wales.

Wayne Larden, race director, Sydney Marathon, said, “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. TCS’ 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.”

Abhinav Kumar, chief marketing officer at TCS, said, “Our partnership with Sydney Marathon is aligned with TCS’ commitment to be a true transformation partner for our clients, our communities, and the ecosystems we live and work within. We are proud to partner with this iconic race, not only to support its rise as a major global race– but to help it set a new standard in sustainability and in the way, technology can enhance marathons for participants and fans alike.”

The Sydney Marathon, first held on April 30, 2000, and called The Host City Marathon, was a test event for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Since then, it has become an annual tradition, held in September every year, attracting over 40,000 runners from over 100 countries. It is considered one of the world’s most scenic marathon courses, taking in some of Sydney’s landmarks including the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. The event features three races and has raised over $26.5 million for charitable organisations since its inception. This year the marathon will take place on September 15, 2024.

TCS has received global recognition for its efforts in using technology and sports to positively impact the community. Featuring among the Top 50 most valuable brands in the world in the 2024 Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands report, TCS’ brand value has grown by 7% in a year to $44.79 billion.

Martin Guerrieria, head of Kantar BrandZ, said: "The TCS brand has gained momentum in recent years, crowned as Kantar BrandZ’s #1 most valuable Indian brand, and maintaining membership of Kantar BrandZ's Global Top 100 most valuable brands since 2021, growing brand value 213% since then. Growing +7% in brand value this year, the TCS brand is now worth $44.8 BN, testament to its growing traction and strong customer relationships."

TCS’ growing stature as a brand and its strong client relationships are evident in Australia, one of its fastest growing geographies. The company has a longstanding commitment of over 35 years in this market and serves as a digital partner to most of the top 10 listed companies on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). TCS recently announced a partnership with the ASX to provide a next generation clearing and settlement platform. The company has operations in five locations across the country and has also been recognised among LinkedIn’s Top 25 companies to work for and as a top employer in the region by the Top Employers Institute.

Vikram Singh, country head Australia and New Zealand at TCS, said, “TCS has played a pivotal role in Australia as a technology provider for nearly four decades. We are proud to continue our commitment to the community with the announcement of this new partnership with the TCS Sydney Marathon. I am looking forward to engaging our clients and partners with this race, as we use our technology expertise and passion for sustainability and wellness to create an unforgettable marathon experience in the iconic setting of Sydney.”

As the title partner of the Sydney Marathon, TCS will prioritise the participant and spectator experience to deliver on the marathon’s mission to foster a global community of passionate runners and promote health and fitness. TCS has launched several new initiatives to empower the next generation of runners.

• 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 inspire next-generation runners to embark on their own journey towards wellness.

• TCS Sydney Marathon will appoint Hayley Pymont, a Wiradjuri woman and graduate of the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF) as the TCS Sydney Marathon’s Indigenous running ambassador to champion the power of running for Indigenous communities across Australia. TCS has been a long-standing partner of IMF and supported well over 100 First Nations runners on their marathon journey.

• TCS will work in partnership with Sydney Marathon organisers to establish a sustainability framework for the future of the race. ReScore, a first-of-its-kind app designed by TCS and used by the Council for Responsible Sport, will measure, track, report, and verify progress on a broad range of environmental and social indicators.

• The TCS Sydney Marathon goIT challenge, in partnership with the NSW Department of Education, will empower NSW students aged 6-17 to use design thinking and technology to create sustainability solutions for the marathon’s future. University students can also contribute ideas through a TCS Sydney Marathon-specific challenge during the TCS Sustainathon, a real-world problem-solving competition.

• The TCS Sydney Marathon goIT Challenge in partnership with the NSW Department of Education will run from 1 August to 31 August 2024. It is open to all students across NSW as well as students from around the world.

• TCS Sustainathon ANZ will take place between 16 July to 6 September. It is open to university students across Australia and New Zealand.