Olympian Gabby Douglas arrives at the 2013 BET Awards in Los Angeles, California June 30, 2013. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok
(Reuters) - Citigroup Inc will go to the Rio Games this year with a sponsorship roster deep in household names like gymnast Gabby Douglas and beach volleyball's Kerri Walsh Jennings, but the U.S. bank is also betting on rugby, a new Olympic sport unfamiliar to many Americans.
Citi, which announced its Olympic lineup on Monday, believes its sponsorship of Carlin Isles, an Olympic hopeful little known outside rugby, could bring attention to "rugby sevens," a TV-friendly format of rugby that sponsors said could catch on with American audiences, much like football has in recent years.
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