adidas official partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the Chinese Olympic Committee

Company release, January 25, 2005

Beijing/Herzogenaurach

The Beijing Olympic Organizers and adidas-Salomon AG announced today that adidas will be the Official Sportswear Partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Under the agreement, adidas will supply sportswear for all staff, volunteers and technical officials of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. adidas will also outfit the Chinese Olympic teams for the Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

"adidas is proud and honored to play a major part when the world's biggest and most exciting sports celebration event will be held for the first time in the world's biggest country, China. In addition, we are excited to support the Chinese Olympic team in its mission to deliver outstanding Olympic performance on home soil," said adidas-Salomon CEO Herbert Hainer. "adidas has been a part of the Olympic Movement ever since our founder Adi Dassler produced his first pair of sprint spikes for an Olympic athlete back in 1928. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will once again be worldwide visible proof of our dedication to athletes, products, innovation and leadership. At the same time, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games provide us with a unique platform to build the adidas brand image and business in China and the whole of Asia."

"As one of the major important sponsors, adidas has always paid enthusiastic attention and rendered active support to the development of China's sports," Wang Wei, Executive Vice-President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), said at the signing ceremony. "In the context of the rapid growth and continuous expansion of the Chinese sports market, we believe adidas, by sponsoring the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, will make greater contributions to the Olympic Movement and to China's sports as well as create larger room for its own development and a better prospect. We are looking forward to the friendly and reciprocal co-operation with adidas," Wang added.

Joined by more than 250 media and guests, Liu Jingmin, Vice Mayor of Beijing and BOCOG Executive Vice-President, Wang Wei, BOCOG Executive Vice-President, Mr. Christophe Bezu, the Managing Director of adidas Asia Pacific, and Ms. Sandrine Zerbib, Head of adidas Greater China Area, signed the agreement at the Beijing Olympic Center today. The composite logo of adidas and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was unveiled amongst hundreds of medal podiums which signified victory.

Olympic greats and successful athletes like Haile Gebrselassie, Nadia Comaneci, Maurice Greene, Justine Henin-Hardenne, and Ian Thorpe all sent in their best regards for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Chinese gold medalists from the Athens Olympic Games, including Feng Kun and Xian Dongmei, also attended the signing ceremony and expressed their confidence in winning gold again in 2008. "All of us in China put our hearts in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. We'll be successful!" said Xian Dongmei, Gold Medalist of Women's 52kg Class Judo at the Athens Olympic Games.

adidas was already an Official Supporter of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games(tm), and supplied more than 1.4 million products to federations, volunteers, officials and others. By outfitting 22 National Olympic Committees, adidas secured its position as the true Olympic brand in Athens and was the brand of choice of nearly 50% of the athletes at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Exciting product innovations helped athletes wearing three stripes to win more then 400 medals. Among the successful adidas athletes were swim star Ian Thorpe (Australia), the world's number 1 female tennis player, Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium), the king of athletes, decathlete Roman Sebrle (Czech Republic) and local hero, weightlifter Pyrros Dimas (Greece) as well as emerging athletes like the golden girl of swimming, Jodie Henry (Australia), pole vault world record holder Elena Isinbayeva (Russia) and 200 meter sensation, 18-year-old junior world record holder Allyson Felix (USA).

adidas' Olympic tradition goes back to 1928, when adidas founder Adi Dassler created the first products for athletes to compete in Amsterdam. Ever since, the history of adidas and the Olympic Games has been closely linked. Olympic greats such as Jesse Owens, Emil Zatopek, Wilma Rudolph, Bob Beamon, Dick Fosbury, Nadia Comaneci and Haile Gebrselassie marked milestones in athletic achievement in adidas products.

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