Ras Al Khaimah October 02, 2009: Premier Marathons, the leading provider of online registration services to the sports community in the region have announced that their online payment systems will now also accept JCB credit cards.

JCB credit card holders/Najm JCB card members can now use their JCB cards, along with the existing ability to pay with Visa or MasterCard and also by bank check, to pay for event registrations through the Premier Marathons website.

Premier Marathons recently celebrated 1 year of offering sports events the ability to register individual and team participants online as well as a host of dedicated services for race directors and participants alike and continues to lead the region in race management services.

Managing Director of Premier Marathons Nathan Clayton says his team is constantly striving to be innovative and offer maximum value and service to their customers: "Every day we witness new people registering for a member profile and taking part in one of the events on offer. Our service is fairly unique in that we don't charge the participant any fee - our online services are totally free for them. Our costs are met by the Event Organizers who still benefit by not losing from participants who used to register but not show up on the day to pay, thereby costing the organizer precious funding."

Premier Marathons also announced a reduction in processing fees for all Race Directors, bringing the cost of utilizing their online services to a more competitive level than any other online processing provider. "Simply put," says Clayton, "we offer an unmatched level of service and facilities for less than you can possibly find elsewhere, including beating the online payment goliaths such as PayPal! Now with our acceptance of JCB credit cards along with our check processing facility, we offer a service that we feel is unparalleled in the region."

Online Payment Facilities are provided by Network International, part of Emirates Bank Group.

To register online please visit www.premiermarathons.com

Further Information:

Premier Marathons was established in 2001 to conceptualize, create and organize world class marathons, half marathons and road races. Premier Marathons Online Services were established in 2008 and is the only dedicated Middle Eastern registration service allowing online payments to be made in local currency. Premier Marathons also works with local partners to establish and promote grass root campaigns to foster the spirit of running and charitable awareness through road races. Premier Marathons are the lead organizers of the RAK Half Marathon and owners of ChampionChip UAE. www.premiermarathons.com

JCB has been the leading credit card brand in Japan since its inception. In 1981, JCB began its international development program, and in this short time we have established a solid foundation as a global payment brand offering creative new products and services as the pioneer in credit card payment solutions.

About 60.2 million card members worldwide now hold JCB cards, which are accepted at about 12.76 million associated merchants in 190 countries/territories, and supported by close ties with more than 350 financial institutions around the world. Our success as a major global payment brand is due to our steadfast commitment to quality services and products meeting every need of our valued customers. www.jcbinternational.com