Olympics in Beijing set to raise $1bn from sponsors
Corporate sponsorship of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing is on course for a record figure of more than $1bn, confirming China's new-found status as a magnet for trade and investment.
Deals already agreed with six sponsors including Volkswagen, Bank of China and China Mobile are set to raise about $600m as large groups rush to promote their brands in China. “They will absolutely reach the figure of $1bn,” said Gerhard Heiberg, chairman of the International Olympic Committee's marketing commission. “I think Beijing will break all records.” The sponsorship bonanza provides commercial justification for the IOC's gamble of entrusting the Games to China. By voting to stage the most spectacular show in sport in the world's most populous market, the IOC shrugged off concerns about human rights.
The sums raised by Beijing will also remind the five main contenders for the 2012 Games London, Madrid, Moscow, New York and Paris that hosting the Olympics brings opportunities as well as risks. The 2012 host will be chosen in July.
The 2008 Games should be an important landmark as China opens up to the outside world, just as the 1964 Games in Tokyo and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul did for Japan and South Korea.
The Beijing domestic sponsorship figures exclude amounts raised by the IOC's so-called “TOP” worldwide sponsorship programme for multinational companies. In the 2001-04 Olympic cycle which covered the Salt Lake City and Athens Games 11 TOP sponsors put up $603m. They included Coca-Cola, Kodak, Visa International and Samsung.
Athens is understood to have raised �248m ($314m) from domestic sponsorship. Broadcasting was the Olympic movement's biggest source of funds in 2001-04, generating $2.24bn. Sponsorship yielded $1.34bn, ticketing $608m and licensing $81m.
北京奥运将筹得10亿美元企业赞助
2008年北京奥运会的企业赞助费有望超过10亿美元，并创下历史纪录，从而进一步确认中国成为吸引贸易和投资的新市场地位。
随着各大型企业集团竞相在中国推广品牌，与六家赞助商达成的协议将筹得大约6亿美元款项，这些企业包括大众汽车(Volkswagen)、中国银行(Bank of China)和中国移动(China Mobile)等。“达到10亿数字绝对不成问题，”国际奥委会市场推广委员会主席格哈德?海伯格(Gerhard Heiberg)说，“我认为北京将打破所有纪录。”富足的赞助资金为国际奥运会提供了商业上的理由，证明将这次奥运会交由中国主办是押对了宝。国际奥委会投票决定在中国这个全球人口最多的市场举行世界最壮观的体育盛事，并对有关人权的担忧未予理会。
北京筹集的资金也将提醒2012年奥运会的5个主要争办城市伦敦、马德里、莫斯科、纽约和巴黎，主办奥运会在带来风险的同时，也带来了机遇。2012年赛事的主办权将在7月见分晓。
在中国对外开放的过程中，2008年奥运会应是一个重要的里程碑，正如1964年东京奥运会对日本、1988年汉城奥运会对韩国一样意义深远。
北京奥运会的国内赞助数字不包括国际奥委会针对跨国公司的所谓“顶级”全球赞助计划所筹集的资金。在涵盖盐湖城和雅典奥运会的2001至2004年奥运周期期间，11大“顶级”赞助商提供了6.03亿美元资金。这些赞助商中包括可口可乐(Coca-Cola)、柯达(Kodak)、Visa国际组织(Visa International)和三星(Samsung)等。
据悉，雅典奥运会从国内赞助商那里筹集了2.48亿欧元(合3.14亿美元)。2001至2004年期间，转播收入是奥林匹克运动最大的资金来源，共产生了22.4亿美元收入。赞助收入13.4亿美元，门票收入6.08亿美元，特许经营权收入8100万美元。
