May 12, 2004 – Ever since ispo Winter 2000, Messe Munchen GmbH together with DuPont,

INVISTA, and DuPont SA have been calling on young entrepreneurs to join

the biggest start-up competition in the international sporting branch. Over 1000 innovators world-wide have participated since then, and almost 400 of them have already had the opportunity of presenting their products to a world audience at the leading sporting good trade show. A total of 126 young companies from 19 countries participated in the 10th edition of the competition. For

the first time, entries from the USA (29%) nearly equaled those from

Germany (30%); 32% of the applications came from the other European

countries, while the remaining 9% came from overseas.

The jury noted two trends in particular:

. established products which have been completely re-vitalized due to new

materials and technologies

. more and more playful elements coming into the game.

The criteria for participating in the ispo BrandNew Awards are:

. brand or company under four years old . not previously registered as an exhibitor at ispo . innovative product, design, or marketing.

The transparent folding kayak “Napali” by Clear Water Hawaii offers totally new insights into the underwater world – and folds neatly into any car trunk or boot. The outer layer of the kayak is made of extremely durable urethane, stretched over a highly lightweight and corrosion-resistant frame of carbon/Kevlar poles. “Napali” is ideal for cruising in clear waters and brings a new dimension to kayaking. This innovation has already won recognition in Fortune Magazine, Time Magazine, and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, SGMA International.

Coolmax Sportswear Award – Kite Chicks, Australia Kitesurfing is the latest and likely to be the most dynamic boardsport of the times – and a burgeoning community of young women has discovered a new passion. The enthusiastic female kitesurfers at Kite Chicks develop and design their product explicitly for this customer group, with high emphasis placed on functionality, but still focussed mainly on feminine, sexy designs. The jury is impressed with the courage of these young women, who have translated their lifestyle into a segment within an extremely dynamic market.

Cordura Style Award – ZEHA, Germany Cult sneakers out of Berlin, going back further than adidas or Puma, and yet BrandNew. ZEHA used to be the official supplier of former GDR athletes, and the striking double-stripe emblem was often be seen on the winners platform, especially at world championships and Olympic Games. Following the reunification of Germany, these products disappeared from the market, only to be called back to life by two Berliners in 2003, and have since metamorphosed into true cult clodhoppers.

The pogo stick is a product that has been around for a long time, a stick with a built-in spring for balancing and bouncing. The new, patented elastomer spring, however, transforms the “Flybar” into a power pogo stick for jumping into completely new dimensions. Mile-high jumps are now just a

question of courage. A Freestyle Community has already formed in the

USA, demonstrating unbelievable tricks and going for the sky as the

limit.

Hytrel Boarder Award – Force Industries, Australia The guys from Down Under produce their bodyboards with their patent-pending RAPCAP Torsion Cap Technology. Jeff Lang's bodyboard designs trailblaze into new performance ranges – they are super light, extremely fast and responsive. The jury was sold on the ergonomic 3D deck elements and the sublimated digital graphics on the underwater base made possible by their

innovative production technology. www.force.net.au

The young designer crew at Lösungsmittel (literally translates to “solutions”) from Vienna has developed an ergonomic shoulder holster aimed primarily at endurance athletes such as runners, mountain bikers, and cross-country skiers. This perfectly designed and feather-weight product features an assortment of easily-accessible pockets, to hold such things as MP3 players, credit cards, keys, phones, and other valuables. Its ergonomic design makes “Urban Tool” unobtrusive during activities. The rear reflectors ensure safety in the dark or in bad visibility conditions.

A very simple, but altogether convincing product: A beach towel that enables surfers to simply and comfortably carry their boards, neoprene suits, and valuables to the beach “hands free” – ideal for women and children. The Surfsling's ends are drawn together, creating a huge sling into which boards fit easily. The shoulder strap enables easy carrying even over large dunes and rocks. With its built-in velcro fastener, Surfsling also transforms into a changing robe, while the built-in pockets easily accommodate all valuables.

Thermolite Accessories Award – FRWD Technologies, Finland Heart-rate monitors have been around for a while already, but the next big step has now arrived. Finnish company FRWD has developed the “Sport Performance Recorder”, a GPS-based recorder for an unbelievable assortment of training data such as distance, uphill or downhill inclination, speed, heart rate, and lots more. It records not only the low, high, and average values, but for the entire distance covered, which can be traced using the included PC software and its easily-handled interface. The 3D-graphics clearly indicate the route covered from every angle. Figures displayed as graphs or tables make for easy comparisons either of individual performance on a training route or with other runners, mountain bikers, etc.

These eight winners plus the 32 other selected finalists will be presented at

ispo Summer 2004 from Sunday, July 4 to Tuesday, July 6, in Hall A4

on the grounds of the New Munich Trade Fair. The award ceremony takes place

Sunday, July 4, starting at 5:00 p.m., in ispo BrandNew Village in Hall A4.

In addition, the winners in the fashion category will be showing their collection in daily fashion shows.

Further information and photo material on the ispo BrandNew Competition, the winners and finalists are available from: ispo BrandNew Awards, c/o Hansen+Heinz GmbH, Sigmund-Riefler-Bogen 2, 81829 München, Tel. (+49 89)

944 196-0, info@ispo-brandnew.com.

. Silke Keller, Marketing Manager Active/Outdoor INVISTA Deutschland GmbH . Peter Knoll, ispo exhibition group director . Vanessa Knowles, Manager WSA

. Dimitri Lehner, Editor Bike Magazine, Delius Klasing Publishing . Flaviano Medici, Einkaufsleiter Migros . Michael Plank, Managing Director m2b . Danielle Sellwood, Active Market Editor WGSN . Mick Wallace, board_ispo community manager

. Florian Weingärtner, Marketing Director Head Snowboards (starting May 10th: Head of Marketing and Communications Consumer Goods, Messe München GmbH)

. Josh Welz, Chief Editor Bike Magazine, Delius Klasing Publishing . Leon Widdison, Sports Product Designer . Manfred Wutzlhofer, President and CEO Messe München GmbH