Bridgestone Agrees To Deal To Become TOP Sponsor For Rio, Tokyo Games.

Sources said that Bridgestone Corp. will pay about 35B yen ($344M) to become a major sponsor of the IOC "in a deal that will cover the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," according to the ASAHI SHIMBUN. The 10-year deal "will recognize Bridgestone as one of the 11 top-ranked worldwide sponsors under the TOP (The Olympic Partner) program." The agreement "will allow Bridgestone to use the Olympic logo globally for advertising and other publicity purposes." The deal "will run from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and cover the 2020 Summer Games." Sources said that Bridgestone "will likely sign the formal contract in June, when IOC President Thomas Bach is expected to visit Japan" (ASAHI SHIMBUN, 5/24).