| DPWN
has operations in more than 220 countries and territories and the tournament will
feature teams from regions from around the globe. The 24 final-round teams are
from Europe, Americas, Asia Pacific, emerging market countries, as well as host
country Germany. Employees
ranging from board members to couriers were selected from all DHL business units
- Express, Global Forwarding, Exel Supply Chain and Global Mail. The
primary goal of this event is to make an emotional contribution to strengthening
the feeling of unity within the group. "We strongly believe that the most
prized asset in our organisation is our employees. This event is an excellent
opportunity to bring our people together in the spirit of camaraderie and teamwork
- a key element of DHL's success stories worldwide," said DHL Express - Asia
Pacific CEO Scott Price. "This
is also an excellent opportunity for our representatives in different countries
to get to know each other better, fostering goodwill through an exciting tournament,"
he added. Besides
the five football squads who will be participating from Asia Pacific, there will
also be five cheerleading teams from this region who will conduct their own competition
parallel to the soccer tournament. FIFA
Organising Committee president Franz Beckenbauer will have a special message for
participants at the opening ceremony of the competition. The kick-off event will
be moderated by René Hiepen, a sports reporter with Germany's public ZDF
television network and member of the ZDF team of moderators for the 2006 FIFA
World Cup. Highlights
of the program include the live appearance of Elli, winner of the TV show Germany
Seeks a Superstar and the voice of the current DPWN group song, as well as
"Band on the Run," a brass band made up of DHL Norway employees, and
soccer artist "Jacek," a DHL staff with mesmerizing ball skills. Long-time
FIFA referee Walter Eschweiler will officiate at the group championship game on
18 June. | 
