Zurich Group Germany has teamed up with embedded insurance specialist Hakuna, event organiser eichels GmbH and event technology provider RACE RESULT to offer ticket protection for selected running and triathlon events.
The new offering, Eichels Entry Fee Protection, enables participants to insure their registration fees when signing up for eligible events. Those who subsequently cannot participate can seek reimbursement under the policy terms, with cover available directly through the event registration process.
The arrangement brings together four complementary capabilities. Zurich provides the insurance underwriting, eichels distributes the product through its sporting events, and RACE RESULT connects the cover to its participant registration platform. Hakuna is responsible for administering the insurance digitally, from issuing policies to processing claims.
For Hakuna, the agreement builds on its existing collaboration with Zurich in product protection. The company specialises in embedded insurance, allowing businesses to integrate coverage into the purchase of goods and services. Under this arrangement, its platform will manage policy administration and claims settlement, with artificial intelligence automating a significant proportion of claims.
By incorporating protection into event registration, the partners aim to make insurance more accessible to participants while simplifying the purchase and claims process. Rather than arranging a separate policy, runners and triathletes can add cover when booking their place.
The launch marks Zurich Group Germany’s first entry into standalone ticket insurance. The initial rollout will cover selected events organised by eichels, including the ADAC Marathon Hanover, the H/21 Half Marathon, the Hanover Triathlon at Maschsee Lake and the SportScheck RUN Hanover. The partners will assess the initial offering before considering expansion to other organisers and event formats.
Sebastian Wolf, head of partnerships at Zurich Group Germany, said, “With ‘Eichels Startgeldschutz’ (Eichels Starting Fee Protection), we are entering the market for standalone ticket insurance for the first time. We are deliberately starting in the running and endurance event sector to gain experience with the model. In the future, we want to make this approach available to other organisers and event formats together with our distribution partner.”
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