News Notes: Nike Scores Big With Fencing
The first gold medal for the United States proved to be especially golden for U.S. Olympic Team sponsor Nike.
Fencing gold medalist Mariel Zagunis worked with the apparel company to design the shoes that she wore to defeat fellow American Sada Jacobson. Nike took full advantage of it, inviting media to the company’s hospitality center in Beijing for interview availability with Zagunis.
While the Nike hospitality center will play host to similar media events throughout the Games, its primary purpose is to serve the athletes and national organizing committees that the company sponsors. On Sunday, it played host to 100 members of the Chinese track team and the entire German men’s basketball team.
“It’s a safe haven for them — a place to get away,” said spokesman Dean Stoyer.
Nike converted a field house in Beijing into a hospitality center. It laid flooring on top of basketball courts and soccer fields to build a two-room facility for guests. A cafeteria sits on the basketball court where guests can dine on food from an Italian caterer, the same one Nike used in Torino. There are three TVs in the room as well as a foosball and a pool table. It seats 125 people and serves two meals a day.
The other is more of a lounge. It features a 72-inch high-def television under a “Just Do It” sign. It also has six computer stations, a ping pong table and an air hockey table.
Hall May Not Be Swimming, But He’s Appearing
Three-time Olympian Gary Hall Jr. didn’t make the U.S. Olympic swim team this year, but that didn’t stop him from coming to Beijing. The freestyle sprinter is here on behalf of sponsor Eli Lilly and Becton Dickinson, promoting diabetes awareness. He’s scheduled to do a clinic for children with diabetes on Aug. 20 that’s being done in partnership with Eli Lilly and Speedo.
Hall is represented by David Arluck, who runs Arluck Promotions. Other Arluck athletes in Beijing include Matt Biondi, Gail Devers, Bob Beamon, Jenny Thompson, Dominique Dawes, Carl Lewis and others. They’re making appearances for UPS, Qualcomm, Coca-Cola, Visa, AT&T, Hilton, Johnson & Johnson and others.
Bank of America Feeds Off Jones’ Relay Gold
Bank of America took advantage of one of its athlete endorsements today, making swimmer and U.S. gold medalist Cullen Jones available to the press at the bank’s Hometown Hopefuls Center hours after Jones and his teammates won the 400-meter freestyle relay.
Visa Opens Games With Lucrative First Day
The athletes may be winning gold, silver and bronze, but the fans are heavy into plastic.
According to data developed by TOP sponsor Visa, international tourists in Beijing spent about $10 million on Visa credit and debit cards on Aug. 8, the first day of the Beijing Games. That’s 11 percent more than tourists spent in Beijing last year on the same day.
The biggest spenders? American, Japanese and tourists from Hong Kong.
