Samsung Electronics, an official sponsor of the 18^th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019, has launched the “Make the Wave” campaign to encourage athletes and also inspire their fans by connecting them through inspiring music, based on its brand philosophy, “Do What You Can’t”.

Samsung Electronics appointed Simone Manuel as the ambassador for this year’s campaign, to encourage sports fans from all over the world to share music through social media. Simone Manuel won a gold medal and set an Olympic record in the women’s 100-meter freestyle at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. As Samsung Electronics’ ambassador for the event, she will share a message of encouragement and discuss pushing boundaries without losing hope amid difficult circumstances, as well as talk about the songs and the music that inspire her and help boost her performance.

As part of the campaign, special events are planned for aspiring swimmers in Gwangju city. Students will be provided with a chance to be escorts for the water polo finals. They will also meet Kim Se-jin, an accomplished swimmer better known as the “robotic leg swimmer,” who was a member of South Korea’s national disabled swimming team.

“This campaign is designed to spread the heat of the competition with a variety of marketing activities, to share the stories of swimmers who are challenging themselves in working toward their dreams, and to cheer on one another through music, powered by our brand philosophy of ‘Do What You Can’t,’” said Younghee Lee, Global CMO at Samsung Electronics. “I hope that everyone will enjoy the events throughout our ‘Make the Wave’ campaign.”

“I am glad to be able to share my stories and songs by participating in the ‘Make the Wave’ campaign, which corresponds with my can-do spirit. I hope all swimmers will leave the competition without any regrets and that sports fans will cheer on the athletes loudly,” said Simone Manuel.

Samsung Electronics has set up a 255-square-meter experience zone in the athlete village, where athletes will be able to interact with other swimmers through uniform exchange, birthday parties and a Korean name calligraphy event. Additionally, there will be opportunities to test out Samsung’s latest products such as the Galaxy S10 series, AKG N700 headphones, ‘The Frame’ 4K TV, and Samsung Notebook 7.

Samsung Electronics, which has sponsored FINA since 2015, has been supporting the events with various products. For this year’s events in Gwangju, in addition to the official sponsorship, Samsung is providing 1,996 refrigerators for the athlete village and the stadiums where the competitions will take place.

The 18^th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019, which will kick off on July 12, is one of the world’s top-five mega sports events, with competitions in six events – swimming, diving, high diving, water polo, artistic swimming and open water swimming. About 7,266 aquatic sports athletes, officials, media, and International Swimming Federation officials from 193 countries have registered, an all-time high. More than 12,000 participants are expected to gather in Gwangju for the events, including the World Masters Swimming Competition starting on August 5.

Any sports fan can participate in the digital event on the official website of Samsung Electronics to share their songs and cheer for the athletes. Those interested in the event can visit the official page (www.samsung.com/fina2019), select the music they have been inspired by when facing new challenges, and share it on their personal social media with their own album cover. This event will be held from July 9 to August 18 during which 20 AKG N700 headphones and 41 Galaxy Buds will be given away through a lucky draw.

The Universiade Gwangju 2015 kicked off on July 3 as university student athletes from around the world descended on the South Korean city. “Universiade” is a combination of the words “university” and “Olympiad”. The multi-sport event has the stated mission to develop the education and culture of university students worldwide through sports. It takes place every two years and is split into summer and winter events. It is a premier world athletic competition for young athletes, as almost half (48 percent) of Olympic medalists were also Universiade medalists.

This year’s event includes athletes and officials from 170 countries. The event includes 21 sports ranging from archery, golf, swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, basketball and more, and wraps up on July 14.

Samsung is a Global Premium Partner of Universiade Gwangju 2015, the highest level of sponsorship for the event. Samsung is providing about 9,000 appliances, including air conditioners, refrigerators, computers, TVs and mobile phones, which can be found within the athletes village and at event venues. Samsung is also operating on-site experience centers.

To support these young athletes, Samsung has introduced the “You Light Me Up” campaign to encourage participants to cheer on fellow competitors in the name of friendship and sportsmanship. This campaign aims to foster an atmosphere of partnership in place of rivalry. Samsung officially kicked off its You Light Me Up campaign with a new video that highlights how the intensity of competition can bring out the best. Athletes can share encouraging messages to cheer on their fellow competitors through an app on Samsung devices at the “Samsung Athletes Meet” exclusive lounge.

Samsung Athletes Meet is located in the heart of the athletes village. It provides a relaxing atmosphere for participants to come together and make new friendships during the games. The venue offers amenities and facilities to allow athletes to mingle and enjoy themselves with Samsung’s cutting-edge products. At the venue, athletes can play pool, watch a Curved SUHD TV or enjoy a bit of virtual reality with Gear VR. An exclusive smart rental program lets athletes have fun with Samsung’s latest gadgets such as the Level On and Gear S, and a one-point lesson shows athletes how to use the devices.

As a part of the You Light Me Up campaign, Samsung is also hosting two “Uniform Exchange” events to continue the culture of sportsmanship. The first event was held on July 7, and the second event will be held on July 12 at the Samsung Athletes Meet lounge. Athletes can participate by visiting the lounge wearing their uniforms with the athlete to whom they sent a “You Light Me Up” message. Athletes can also exchange uniforms randomly with others. This event is inspired by Samsung’s “Dream Exchange,” held at the Incheon Asian Games 2014.

To further share the spirit of the games, Samsung provided the opportunity for executives and the general public to participate as torchbearers in Universiade Gwangju 2015 Torch Relay. Selected employees at Samsung’s Gwangju facility, and participants of Samsung Electronics’ various citizenship programs, were given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part of the Torch Relay for Universiade Gwangju 2015.

The Universiade being a young and energetic games, Samsung focused on providing an opportunity for the athletes to share friendship beyond competition. We will contribute to creating a festive atmosphere for more people to enjoy the games here in Gwangju.” said Won-Pyo Hong, the President and the Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung Electronics.

Samsung is a proud sponsor of Universiade Gwangju 2015, which celebrates athleticism and sportsmanship for young athletes. It promises to be a dynamic event that combines education, culture and sports and promotes a challenging, fearless spirit and a passion to achieve goals for its young participants.