All over China, people are discussing the background to Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang's sensational exit from the Games; one hot topic is whether his advertising earnings will be affected. On August 19, China.org.cn invited famous sports journalist Yan Xiaoyan and Huang Xingxing from Sports Forum Weekly to talk about the issues.

Liu Xiang quits men's 110m hurdles on August 18, 2008 at Beijing Olympic Games. [Sina.com]

China.org.cn: One topic people are discussing is Liu Xiang's advertising earnings after quitting the race. He featured in advertisements for many top brands. Do you think this will affect his income?

Yan Xiaoyan: I don't think it will have much effect, because Liu Xiang showed his fighting spirit and his determination never to give up. He wanted to win so badly that he went to the track even though he was injured. The most important thing for sponsors is spirit, not results. Liu's spirit inspired the whole country; it can inspire customers and enhance the image of the companies that sponsor him. If anything he will be an even hotter property in advertising. I expect his main sponsors such as Coca Cola and Adidas to create a new series of advertisements taking his spirit as main theme. If I were an advertising executive, that's what I would do.

Huang Xingxing: Liu Xiang's exit caused huge disappointment around the country. People are saying they should have been told in advance about his injury. The public wants to know the details of the injury, why he dropped out, and why he didn’t show up at the post-race press conference. Without hard information, rumors are spreading like wildfire. A result like this leaves people feeling cheated. For the advertisers, that's a real problem. They need to emphasize the positive side of Liu Xiang.

China.org.cn: People are genuinely worried about Liu Xiang. Xiaoyan, you have reported a lot on his career. Tell us what you know about his injury.

Yan Xiaoyan: It's an old injury from 6 or 7 years ago. His heel bone is abnormal and ordinary shoes don't fit him. For the last 6 or 7 years he has suffered pain in his foot, in the bones. His coach Sun Haiping said he also injured his Achilles's tendon, causing periostitis. It's horrible. The pain is unimaginable.

I had never seen his face like that before that day in the Bird's Nest. He was obviously in extreme distress. At previous races he had always been brimming with confidence, determined to defeat his opponents. But this time all you could see was a grimace. The pain must have been intense. When he tore off his number and walked from the track, all the journalists in the press area were in a state of shock; girls were crying.