The 2008 Beijing Games will be the most
financially successful in Olympic history, generating an estimated three
billion dollars income, IOC marketing chief Gerhard Heiberg said.
"The Beijing Games will be better financially than anything before,"
said Heiberg. "They will set a new benchmark for future Games such as
2012."
The Beijing organisers have already raised 600,000 dollars from local
sponsorship and Heiberg predicts the final total will reach one billion
dollars.
"That is the way it looks today. The Olympics have never been stronger.
Beijing will be an excellent Games, Vancouver (2010) will be an excellent
Games so there is no reason why the winning city for the 2012 Games can
not match the one billion dollars raised by Beijing," he said.
Last year's Athens Games generated a total of 1.5 billion dollars - the
highest raised by a host city to date. Beijing will get to keep most of
the one billion dollars it raises from its own internal sponsorship deals.
"Only a very, very small amount will go to the IOC," explained Heiberg.
Of the other two billion much will go to the IOC and the 200 plus National
Olympic Federations.
A high percentage will also go towards Olympic Solidarity which helps
athletes and underpriviledged countries and their sports programmes. But
some of it will still go to the Beijing organisers.
The financial success of the Beijing Games is good news for the IOC
which decided to set aside
complaints over human rights absuses to give the most populous country in
the world the planet's biggest sporting spectacular.
With six major companies already signed up with the Beijing Organisers,
including Volkswagen, Bank of China and China Mobile, the commercial lure
of the 2008 Games is clear and companies want to strengthen their position
in the biggest marketplace in the world.
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-01-18 15:43
