Yelena Isinbayeva set a new pole vault world record of 5.05 meters at the Beijing Olympic Games, and the 26-year-old told press earlier that she wanted to clear 5.20 meters by the end of her career. Yelena started Pole Vault with Evgenii Vasilievich Trofimov in 1997 and ended in November 2005. She’s now coached by Vitalii Afanasievich Petrov.

Li Ning is markedly in seek of a change in their branding route with the latest high-profile signing, especially after Anta, its Chinese competitor, sealed a deal with Jelena Jankovic, the top ranked female tennis player this January. Li Ning signed NBA player Baron Davis last November, a confusing branding move to us. The company’s president, former Olympic champion Li Ning, labeled by Chinese as the “Prince of Gymnastics”,  ignited the cauldron at the Beijing Olympic Games’ opening ceremony.

About Li Ning Company Limited:

Li Ning was established in 1990. The company now has endorsement deals with Shaquille O’Neal, Ivan Ljubicic and Tolossa, and is official partners of Spanish Olympic Committee, Spanish Basketball Association, Sweden Olympic Committee, Argentine Basketball Association and US Table Tennis.

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Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps yesterday on Feb. 11 issued a video apology customized to his Chinese fans.  The eight gold medals winner at the Beijing Olympic was caught somking marijuana during a student party by a British newspaper. 

Phelps has already signed endorsement deals with brands including Speedo swimwear, Omega watches, Visa Inc, Subway sandwiches and Hilton Hotels Corp and Rosetta Stone. Kellogg, the world’s largest cereal maker, said on last Thursday that they will not extend a contract with him.

The American swimmer just inked a seven-figure endorsement deal with Mazda this January to be their spokesperson of Mazda 6 model. And DMG Entertainment, the company who brokered the deal told media they’re standing with Michael. 

Related Reads:

• Reuters:  Phelps apologises for ‘inappropriate’ conduct
• edmunds:  Swimmer Michael Phelps Appears Secure in Chinese Mazda Ad Deal Despite Marijuana Scandal

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ANTA Sports Products Limited, the Fujian-based Chinese sportswear maker, signed a deal on Jan 18 with the top ranked female tennis player “JJ” Jelena Jankovic. The historic deal clearly marks the company’s ambition to go global, a very good branding move especially compared with Li Ning, who last year signed a two-year contract with the third-tier NBA player Damon Jones, the then Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard now playing for Milwaukee Bucks.

Jelena previously collaborated with Reebok before penned the deal with the Chinese company. Famous for her explosive forehands and powerful straight backhands, the Serb had a taste in No.1 for WTA on 11 August, 2008. With a record of 65 wins and 19 losses in the season of 2008, Jelena is the 18th WTA tennis player who ranked the first in women’s single, and she has become world No. 1 women’s tennis player since 6 October, 2008.

“The recent success of the Beijing Olympics has firmly established China’s reputation as a world power in sport. I feel very honored to be forming a partnership with the leading Chinese sports brand ANTA. I am delighted with the JJ range of products we have developed and I look forward to working with ANTA to promote the development of tennis and the ANTA brand world-wide,” Jelena said to the AFP.

Under the contract,  ANTA Sports will work with top designers from the US and Japan to tailor-make a range of professional sportswear and apparel for Jelena. In addition, the company will be launching a series of products including footwear, apparel and accessories named as “Jelena Jankovic series”. Jelena will be wearing ANTA gear in the Australian Open 2009, from Jan 19 to Feb 1.

About ANTA Sports Products Limited:

As one of the leading branded sportswear enterprises in China, ANTA Sports Products Limited primarily designs, develops, manufactures and markets sportswear, including sports footwear, apparel and accessory. The Group has established extensive distribution network and nationwide retail outlets in China under the management of the distributors.

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Shanghaiist guys had for us some ‘swellfun‘ last month. Now the Guizhou-based Kweichow Moutai Co. seems to have come up with a new way of baijiu branding by adding a little Olympic flavor into their drinks.

The company, producing probably the most renowned Chinese liquor, or baijiu, collaborated with the Beijing National Aquatics Center Co., Ltd for their high-end water cube liquor. He Kexin, the disputed Beijing Olympic champion, received a limited edition of this Water Gube Wine (水立方酒) with some other winners at the press conference.

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Chinese Grand Prix, hosted at the $450m Shanghai International Circuit since 2004, may see its end in 2010 when the contract with F1 expires.

“We’re doing the assessment. By next year we should be able to give you an answer,” Qiu Weichang, deputy director of the Shanghai Administration of Sports, told AFP on Thursday when asked about the future of the racing event. Early this month, Shanghai Grand Prix was announced by F1 to be rescheduled to play in April next year, a move, according to Chinese media, is to avoid clash with the ATP Masters Series next October.

Shanghai Grand Prix received 130,000 visitors this year, which is only half the number of its first year in 2004. According to Chongqing Evening News (CEN, 重庆晚报), the circuit needs to make RMB 625 million only to break even of its costs, which includes first phrase development the circuit, annual hosting fee to F1 and TV broadcast rights purchase. Shanghai Grand Prix generated RMB 300 million in 2004 and 216 million in 2005 in ticket sales. Its best year was 2006, making about RMB 400 million as the circuit hosted the farewell match of Michael Schumacher, then it plunged again to about RMB 200 millon last year. The CEN reported that the circuit at least makes a loss of RMB 200 million each year. “Of course we would like at least to break even. But there are two factors – one is the assessment; the other part is the win-win situation that we can create,” Qiu noted. By assessment, Qiu was obviously referring to a global profile and new opportunities the event can bring. But with the World Expo 2010 to be held in the city, will Shanghai still need F1 to do the branding?

Though China still remains a fast-growing economy when most of other countries suffer this winter, statistics suggest that the pace of the middle kingdom slowed. In order to boost its economy and consumption, Chinese government recently decided to throw a stimulus package of RMB 4 trillion (roughly $600 billion USD). “The stimulus plan is mainly about infrastructure development projects such as railways and airports, and it seems that it has nothing to do with raising people’s salaries,” said Mao Yushi, chairman of the Beijing-based Unirule Institute of Economics. “Millions of Chinese could lose their jobs next year. Salaries will shrink and people will less likely to buy.” So consumer confidence will not soon be recovered. This is, without doubt, gloomy news for most business owners in the country, and the racing event now looks like more of a drag to Shanghai’s economy.

Sources:

• AFP: Shanghai may axe F1 Grand Prix
• The Economist: China’s stimulus package

Photo: Bert van Dijk

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