As the countdown to Tokyo continues Dutch wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot will be joining a roster of global Para athletes advocating for inclusivity both within and outside of sport.
De Groot, who will be Team Citi’s first Wheelchair Tennis player, recently claimed yet another title at the 2021 Wimbledon singles championship, as well as her second singles Roland-Garros title in June. Since the beginning of her career in 2009, de Groot has won over 10 Grand Slam tournaments. In 2019, De Groot became the first Wheelchair Tennis athlete to hold all four major singles titles (US, French and Australia Opens and Wimbledon) at the same time. She also competed in the 2016 Rio Paralympics in both singles and doubles competitions, receiving a silver medal in women’s doubles.
“Citi has been a great advocate for inclusivity within society and to change perceptions of people with disabilities. It is something I experience daily as do millions of other people living with disabilities. Through my sport, I want to inspire all people to start to move and believe in their dreams. I really like that a company like Citi supports me and wants to inspire millions of people around the world. From today onwards, I am proud that we will fight together to accomplish our mission to help raise awareness” says Diede.
“Citi and the Citi Netherlands team are proud to partner with a talented athlete like Diede to help generate excitement for the Paralympic Movement and the many remarkable athletes like Diede”, says Auke Leenstra, Citi Country Officer the Netherlands. “We are committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive society and, together with Diede, changing the conversation around disability as we help create new Para sport fans at Citi and beyond.”
Citi first began its partnership with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in 2018. As a member of the IPC, de Groot will support Citi’s global efforts to foster a more diverse, inclusive society and help change perceptions of people with disabilities. To date, Team Citi already counts 55 para athletes from around the world. In addition to its partnership with the IPC, Citi currently partners with 23 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) including Australia, Bulgaria, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, , Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Thailand, and the UAE.
Through this mission-driven partnership, Citi aims to raise awareness for the Paralympic Movement, support Para athletes, and advocate for societal change in perceptions of disabilities. Along with its IPC partnership, Citi has sponsored many Para sport events including the 2018 Asian Para Games, the 2018 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships, the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships and the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. In late June, Citi launched its #StareAtGreatness campaign across various social platforms. Featuring athletes from Team Citi, the campaign seeks to amplify the voices of people sharing their own experiences living with a disability and spark a conversation around perceptions of disability.
About Citi Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.
Citi Netherlands Citi operations in the Netherlands began in 1964 and is one of the largest foreign banks in the Netherlands and the only US headquartered bank with such a long standing presence in the country. Citi Netherlands employees 80 professionals who exclusively serve large multinational corporations, market leading local companies, financial institutions, large investor funds, pension funds, public sector organizations and since 2021 mid-sized companies through the Commercial Bank.