A sponsorship agreement was signed between the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and Haier Group, one of the largest manufacturers of household electrical appliances in China.

As an official sponsor, Haier will provide funds, home appliances and related services to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, BOCOG, the Chinese Olympic Committee as well as the Chinese Olympic sports delegations to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Haier Group, established in 1984, is headquartered in Qingdao, Beijing's co-host city for the sailing events of the 2008 Games, which is about 800 kilometers away from the Chinese capital.

"Haier becoming an official sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will greatly boost the preparations for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, especially the Olympic sailing events," BOCOG Executive Vice-President and Secretary-General Wang Wei said at the ceremony, "On the other hand, sponsoring the world's greatest sporting event also provides Haier with an unparalleled platform to build up its prestige on a global basis.'

'The decision to sponsor the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games has been widely recognized and supported by Haier employees as it is in line with Haier's corporate culture and business philosophy. Haier's corporate culture, noted as 'Self-challenging, Exploring, Innovating', is in line with the Olympic spirit, "Citius, Altius, Fortius” (Faster, Higher, Stronger), the presentation of prime philosophy of human being," Haier CEO Zhang Ruimin said at the ceremony.

"Haier is obliged and also able to offer home appliances and related services to the 2008 Olympic Games," Zhang noted.

Senior BOCOG officials, representatives from Haier Group and other Beijing and Qingdao municipal governmental agencies and departments witnessed the signing of the sponsorship agreement.

The Beijing 2008 Sponsorship Program consists of three tiers of support, including the Beijing 2008 Partner, the Beijing 2008 Sponsor, and the Beijing 2008 Supplier. Since the Beijing 2008 Olympic Marketing Plan was launched on September 1, 2003, nine enterprises, namely Bank of China, China Network, SINOPEC, CNPC, China Mobile, Volkswagen Group (China), adidas, Johnson & Johnson and Air China, have been selected as the Beijing 2008 Partners; four enterprises have been selected as the Beijing 2008 Sponsors, namely UPS, Haier Group, Tsingtao Beer and Yanjing Beer.

(BOCOG August 12, 2005)