'ESC': Lenovo Will Opt Out Of IOC Sponsorship After '08 Games

By Tripp Mickle, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Lenovo announced today that it plans to discontinue its sponsorship of the Olympic Games following the '08 Olympics in Beijing. The IOC is expected to make an announcement this week regarding a new TOP partner, and reports of Lenovo's departure have coincided with rumors that Acer, a Taiwanese computer company, has reached an agreement with the IOC.  Lenovo spokesperson Bob Page said, "When the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will have concluded, we expect the partnership will set out what we wanted to do." Page said the company wanted to prove that it could provide computing equipment for a large-scale event like the Games, build the brand globally and show its design capabilities by designing the Olympic Torch for Beijing.  Page: "We feel as though all those things are happening. ... We still have a ways to go but we feel the Olympics have been integral to building that brand awareness."

LOOKING AHEAD: Lenovo, Asia's top PC maker, became an Olympic sponsor in '04 in a deal valued at $80M over four years. Page said Lenovo will continue to be active in sports and event sponsorship but will take a more targeted approach, keying on specific markets and regional properties rather than working with global properties like the Olympics. The company will continue to be an active sponsor of the NBA, Page said.