After a long absence from competition, Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang "found himself back in the headlines in more ways than one," according to Li & Sun of CHINA DAILY. Messages and pictures of the star athlete "have circulated on major Internet portals and social networking platforms." Only this time, "the media hype appears more related to money than sporting success." Soon after Liu announced his retirement on Tuesday through his microblog, int'l and domestic companies "rushed to launch marketing campaigns featuring him, in the hope of maximizing their commercial interests." Nike, which has invested heavily in Liu through sponsorship, released a series of advertisements featuring his pictures alongside the slogan "The ordinary can also fly." Companies that do not have contracts with Liu, including a drinks producer, fast-food restaurant chain, smartphone maker and even a condom manufacturer, "have also joined the marketing frenzy, in the hope of using Liu's celebrity status to attract greater publicity." Some observers "view this as business paying tribute to a national hero, while others see it as exploiting the last of Liu's commercial value as a former athlete." At the peak of his career, Liu had 17 sponsors' contracts worth about 1B yuan ($162M). From '03 to last year, he earned 535M yuan, according to Forbes magazine. In '07, the magazine "ranked Liu as the second-richest celebrity in China" after basketball player Yao Ming (CHINA DAILY, 4/9).
