Conti tires the foundation for Hanover basketball court

HANOVER, Germany—Some of Continental A.G.'s tires are poised to be part of a different kind of drive, one you may not expect.

Namely the confidence to drive the lane and take the shot.

The city of Hanover, in partnership with BasKIDball, is building a new basketball court for children in the surrounding area to play, run and train. And the tire maker is helping to make that a reality by donating the paving stones for the project—all of which are made from recycled racing tires from the Extreme E electric race series.

"We are very pleased to support the project with paving stones made from our recycled tires here in Hanover," Enno Straten, Continental's head of strategy, analytics and marketing for replacement tires EMEA, said at the basketball court's groundbreaking ceremony. "In this way, we are bringing the materials from the sustainable Extreme E electric racing series back into circulation and using them for a good cause."

Continental, which has been a supporting partner of the Extreme E race series since its inception in 2019, said the tires used for the paving stones "underwent a particularly complex manufacturing process to extract all chemical components" before being used to build the paving stones.

The basketball court project in Hanover marks another step forward for BasKIDball, a program that aims to break down social barriers by using sports as the conduit. With this focus, BasKIDball builds courts throughout Germany to offer young people a place to train together, regardless of age, origin or school.

Continental, which said it was proud to be part of this project, isn't really a stranger to the basketball court or the game itself. The company has poured some of its marketing into the sport, and since 2014, Continental has been a regular presence on NCAA courts—or at least the sidelines and baselines—thanks to sponsorship agreements with more than 30 universities.