Olympic sponsors vie for international stage

(Ecns.cn) -- Olympic season is a time for sports fans to support gifted athletes from all over the world. Others, however, are far more excited by the business prospects.

Because the Chinese have a hearty appetite for all things athletic, domestic companies have been competing to use the London Olympics as a platform to boost sales of their goods, reports China Economic Weekly.

As a result, television viewers are bombarded by a variety of brands, including clothing, food and beverages, computers, automobiles and many others.

There are three ways to be a sponsor of a Chinese Olympic team: become a partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee, become a sponsor of a sub-team participating in a specific event, or recruit an athlete to become a spokesperson.

In London, smart Chinese firms haven't focused much energy on the Chinese Olympic Committee, as the criteria for sponsorship are very high.

Only one mainland company, CG Crystal, has achieved that honor by becoming a sponsor and the official digital imaging services supplier of the Games, according to China Economic Weekly.

Reports from foreign media have speculated that CG Crystal spent US$14.7 million for the privilege, but is still only a fourth-level sponsor.

Most firms have chosen a different route by sponsoring Chinese sub-teams participating in various events. Statistics show that 31 sub-teams have 62 sponsors, comprised of 61 companies and, surprisingly, the Ordos city government of Inner Mongolia, China Economic Weekly reports.

The sponsors favor China's most popular events such as diving, table tennis, badminton and basketball. The basketball team alone has 19 sponsors, while the archery, wrestling, artistic gymnastics, weightlifting, sailing, women's water polo, triathlon and synchronized gymnastics teams have four sponsors each.

The business value of the CBA has been increasing in recent years, so it has attracted many sponsors and raked in large amount of funds, said Bao Mingxiao, director of the Institute of Physical Science under the General Administration of Sports.

Garment and sporting goods companies usually constitute the bulk of sponsors. Anta Sports is providing all sportswear this time, including jackets, T-shirts, pants, shoes and podium-wear. Heng Yuan Xiang provided the formal attire for the opening ceremony, while Li Ning is providing garments for five sub-teams.

COFCO is the only state-owned company that has promised to supply food to the Chinese team, according to China Economic Weekly.

The public has been most surprised by the Ordos city government, a sponsor of the women's hockey team. Ordos has promised to donate 3 million yuan (US$475,000) a year to the team, in addition to allowing the free use of the city's hockey rinks.