As indicated in the agreement, Tsingtao Beer will provide funds, beer products and related services to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, BOCOG, the Chinese Olympic Committee and the Chinese sports delegations to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

"Tsingtao Beer, a hundred-year old brand name, has made great contributions to the cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world in the past century," Wang Wei, BOCOG executive vice-president and secretary-general, said at the signing ceremony. "With prestigious enterprises such as Tsingtao Beer to actively sponsor and support the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, we feel more confident of running a successful Games."

"Tsingtao Beer has always had the vision of becoming a leader in the global beer industry, and sponsoring the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is an integral move for Tsingtao Beer to achieve its globalization dreams through the international platform of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. BOCOG's choice of Tsingtao Beer as its sponsor fully affirms the quality behind our hundred-year-old brand as well as the positive corporate image we have enjoyed," Jin Zhiguo, president of Tsingtao Brewery Co Ltd said at the ceremony.

The company, in line with its new tag line "Passion, dreams and success", plans to implement a series of marketing activities to boost the promotion of the Olympic spirit.

Senior BOCOG officials, representatives from the Tsingtao Brewery Co Ltd and other government agencies and departments witnessed the signing of the sponsorship agreement.

The Beijing 2008 Sponsorship Program consists of three tiers of support, including the Beijing 2008 Partner, the Beijing 2008 Sponsor, and the Beijing 2008 Supplier. Since the Beijing 2008 Olympic Marketing Plan was launched on September 1, 2003, nine enterprises, namely Bank of China, China Network, SINOPEC, CNPC, China Mobile, Volkswagen Group (China), adidas, Johnson & Johnson and Air China, have been selected as the Beijing 2008 Partners. Three Beijing 2008 Sponsors have been announced so far: UPS, Qingdao-based Tsingtao Beer and Beijing-based Yanjing Beer.

Tsingtao Brewery Co Ltd is headquartered in Qingdao, a port city about 800 kilometers from Beijing. It is Beijing's co-host city, where the sailing events of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be held. Beer produced here is labeled with the city's colonial age spelling, Tsingtao. It is the oldest beer manufacturer in China, tracing its root back to 1903 when its predecessor, Tsingtao Brewery Factory, was first established.

(BOCOG August 11, 2005)