When Li Ning, the well known Chinese gymnast and entrepreneur, lapped the Bird's Nest stadium in the air before lighting the main torch tower for the Beijing Olympic Games, almost everybody cried out in delight at the unique image.

Yet the "flying torch bearer" represents a bitter pill for Adidas, which spent 1.3 billion yuan (US$189.2 million) to become the exclusive sponsor of the Games. The lighting was regarded as free advertisement for Li Ning to promote his brand.

Sportswear producers Li Ning, Adidas and Nike are in fierce competition to seize the invaluable opportunity to popularize their products offered by the Olympic Games, China Youth Daily reported recently.

Adidas:

As an official sponsor of the Olympic Games, Adidas provides clothes for athletes, volunteers and technicians. Athletes should wear Adidas’ uniforms when they receive medals.

Nike:

22 of 28 Chinese national teams are wearing Nike in the Games. The brand's other top sports figures include Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant, Liu Xiang and Yao Ming.

Li Ning:

Li Ning, the domestic sport brand, sponsors the national shooting, diving, gymnastics and table tennis teams. In addition, it provides sportswear for the Swedish and Spanish national teams, the Sudanese athletics team, and Argentina’s basketball team.

Li Ning versus Adidas:

Adidas raised an official complaint when Li Ning sponsored CCTV’s Olympic Channel in order to have its "L" emblem on screen. The complaint was supported by BOCOG, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Wei Jizhong, a senior consultant from BOCOG, said: "Li Ning can sponsor the channel, but its emblem should not appear at the same time as the Olympic emblem."

Nike versus Adidas:

After Adidas tendered successfully for the sponsorship of the Olympics, Nike signed contracts with many sport teams to provide uniforms and shoes for them. As a result, Nike sponsors many more teams than Adidas. Many athletes in the Chinese national teams wear Nike in the competitions.

(China.org.cn by Wu Jin, August 12, 2008)