Talent from Rankweil takes Rauch into worldwide sponsorship

From the Ski World Cup to Formula 1 to the German Football Bundesliga, the Rauch brand is clearly visible in sports all over the world today. As so often in our history, it all began in Rankweil.

In the early 1990s, Peter Lin's marketing team was looking for new ways to strengthen the brand. Serendipitously, Klaus Bodenmüller from Rankweil was one of the most successful shot-putters in Austria at the time. He was the first athlete ever supported by Rauch with a personal sponsorship deal.

It was also useful that Franz Rauch had been closely associated with the Rankweil ski club for many years, because a young, very talented member of this club had been skiing in the Ski World Cup since 1991 - Mario Reiter. The 23-year-old scored his first points in the 93/94 season. Peter Lins: "Franz Rauch rushed into my office one day and said that we would be supporting Mario Reiter from now on. I should please negotiate the deal."

The timing was perfect. Mario Reiter made his international breakthrough in the 94/95 season. At the 1996 World Ski Championships in the Sierra Nevada he won silver in the slalom behind Alberto Tomba. In 1997 he won the slalom in Kitzbühel. In Nagano in 1998 Reiter won Olympic gold in the combination.

In 1997 Mario Reiter won the slalom in Kitzbühel. And Rauch celebrated with him as his sponsor.