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Exhibit 99.1
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Investors:
Kate Rajeck
Quokka Sports Inc.
415/908-3800
[email protected]
Press:
Caryn Marooney
OutCast Communications
415/392-8282
[email protected]
Alvaro Saralegui Named President and CEO of Quokka Sports,
Al Ramadan Named Chairman of the Board
o Media Veteran Saralegui to Focus on Company's Expansion into Mainstream Sports
o Founder Ramadan to Oversee Company's Strategic Direction
SAN FRANCISCO, CA; October 31, 2000, Quokka Sports, Inc. (Nasdaq: QKKA), a
leading provider of sports entertainment for the digital world(TM), today
announces that effective immediately, founder Alan Ramadan will assume the role
of Chairman of the Board to oversee strategic direction of the Company. Alvaro
Saralegui, currently Chief Operating Officer, will become Quokka Sports' new
President and Chief Executive Officer and will join the company's board of
directors.
Saralegui brings 15 years experience in the sports media industry to his role at
Quokka Sports. Prior to joining Quokka in April 1999 as COO, Saralegui was
general manager of Sports Illustrated, where he was a member of the team who
built Sports Illustrated into a dominant sports publication and was responsible
for the development of their Internet strategy and launch of CNNSI.com.
Saralegui most recently served as group publisher of the People Magazine Group.
During his tenure at Time Warner, Saralegui spent 15 years at Sports Illustrated
and was responsible for the negotiation of all of Sports Illustrated's Olympic
partnerships during the 1990s. He also held the positions of head of finance,
director of marketing, and director of advertising sales for Sports Illustrated.
During his time as COO of Quokka Sports, Saralegui has been responsible for the
company's day-to-day operations, as well orchestrating strategic relationships,
including the ongoing relationship with NBC Sports.
"I take great pride in announcing that Alvaro Saralegui will become Quokka's new
president and chief executive officer," said Alan Ramadan. "His promotion
represents a formalization of our roles and recognizes the outstanding
leadership he has demonstrated during his time at Quokka. I believe that
Alvaro's experience and expertise will continue to accelerate Quokka's growth
into mainstream sports and our drive to profitability."
During Saralegui's time with Quokka, the company has expanded its sports
verticals from its initial focus of niche sports such as sailing, and motor
racing to more mainstream sports. Major expansions and
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partnerships under Saralegui have included:
o Acquisition of golf.com - a leading golf vertical. This drive into the
golf sector has also included the digital coverage of major golf events
including the US Open at Pebble Beach, The Presidents Cup and others.
o Pending acquisition of Total Sports - a leader in US mainstream sports
verticals including Major League Baseball, college basketball, college
football and other NCAA championships such as the College World Series.
o NBC/Quokka Ventures - leadership with a joint venture between NBC
Sports and Quokka Sports to produce digital coverage of the Olympic
games through Athens in 2004. This venture produced the number one
Olympic web site for the Sydney Games, www.nbcolympics.com. and won gold
medals from ESPN Magazine, Nielsen//NetRatings, Sports Illustrated and
Web Criteria among others. NBC/Quokka Ventures recently signed a joint
agreement with the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Winter Olympic
Games of 2002 to produce the official worldwide web site of the 2002
Olympics.
Ramadan's commitment to the company and its goal of becoming a great, enduring
digital sports entertainment company is stronger than ever. As Chairman of the
Board, Ramadan will continue to provide strategic direction and vision for
Quokka Sports as well as identify new development initiatives and business
opportunities. Fellow founders Dick Williams and John Bertrand will continue to
be involved in the Company. Williams will assume the role of Vice-Chairman of
the Board and Bertrand will remain on the board of directors.
"Dick Williams and John Bertrand have been instrumental in building our great
company. They have been great mentors to me; much of our success can be
attributed to their great leadership and commitment to our original vision of
revolutionizing the way the world experiences sport. I am delighted that Dick
and John are continuing their active involvement in what is the next phase of
our company's development," said Alan Ramadan.
"I am very proud be a part of such an outstanding management team, and in
particular, to work with Alan Ramadan, a true visionary," said Saralegui. "I
believe the opportunity for Quokka Sports is greater now than ever. We have all
the ingredients and momentum to truly change the way the world experiences
sport."
ABOUT QUOKKA SPORTS
Quokka Sports, a leading provider of sports entertainment for the digital
world(TM), creates complete interactive sports experiences that fulfill the
passions of sports enthusiasts worldwide. Quokka Sports (Quokka.com) leverages
digital technology to offer rich, immersive presentations that include live
event coverage, analysis, news and information, audio and text dispatches from
athletes, games, community forums, and premium shopping. The Quokka Sports
Network is comprised of several sport verticals that feature some of the world's
premier sporting properties. These include Golf (Golf.com, PresidentsCup.com)
year-round coverage of Olympic sports (NBCOlympics.com, SaltLake2002.com),
Sailing (QuokkaSailing.com, AmericasCup.org, BTChallenge.com,
VolvoOceanRace.org), Motor Racing (CART.com, MotoGP.com) and Action Sports
(MountainZone.com coverage of skiing, climbing, hiking, snowboarding, adventure
racing and mountain biking). Quokka Sports develops its content for a broad
range of digital platforms from narrowband and broadband Internet to wireless
and converged devices.
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Quokka Sports' innovative sports entertainment productions are enabled by Quokka
Performance Team members Compaq Computer Corporation, Computer Associates
International, Inc. and Intel Corporation. Quokka Sports has offices in San
Francisco, London, New York and Seattle.
