The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has today announced a new partnership with sports hydration company SOS Hydration Inc. (SOS).
Beginning in 2017, SOS will become the official hydration partner of the Qantas Wallabies through the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, as well as the Qantas Australian Sevens teams, including the World and Olympic Champion Australian Women’s Sevens team, in the build up to their Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games campaign.
Pictured above: Bill Pulver & Andrew Shaw
Developed in 2013, SOS is a comprehensive hydration solution formulated with the very latest in sport and medical science to combat dehydration as a result of sports and active lifestyles.
SOS entered the Australian market in 2015 having established a global reputation as one of the most premium hydration products available. Developed by a medical physician and two former professional athletes, SOS has a fundamental commitment to ongoing research to ensure its products are of the healthiest and most effective on the market.
Within the new three-year partnership, SOS will facilitate the distinctive hydration needs associated with the demands of training, travel and the unique match-day requirements of the Qantas Wallabies and Australian Sevens squads.
SOS provides a distinctive formula that is free of additives and artificial ingredients, non-GMO, incredibly low in sugar while maintaining high levels of electrolytes and a fast rate of absorption.
Throughout the partnership SOS will continue its research into hydration within the recently developed ‘SOS Sweat Lab’ in Melbourne. The Sweat Lab will further assist the ARU by evaluating the individual hydration needs of the player’s to determine those required on the field. As well as being available for High Performance Sport, the SOS Sweat lab is also open to the public.
Head of Team Wallaby Physical Performance, Haydn Masters said, “SOS provides a crucial element of the team’s hydration strategy. The medical grade formulation maximises hydration both in the training environment and for our extensive air travel requirements, combatting the negative effects of long term exposure to the poor cabin environment well before we arrive.
“The sachets allow us to individualise player hydration strategies based off sweat rates. SOS is the one stop shop to our athlete hydration needs.”
ARU general manager, commercial, John Nicholl added, “We welcome SOS aboard as the official hydration of the Qantas Wallabies and the Qantas Australian Sevens teams through until 2020.
“We are proud of our association with a brand that is focused on the well-being of athletes and projects a message of healthy living, effectiveness and credibility.”
SOS Hydration Australia’s MD Andrew Shaw is a lifelong Wallabies fan.
“This is more than a business partnership for us, it’s a personal one. My involvement with SOS grew from the incredible benefits I experienced while using it, so to be able to bring that to a sport and a team that I love is the beginning of what is very much a passion-project for all of us here at SOS,” said Shaw.
