Olympic fundraising

This is a fascinating article dealing with the ways Beijing is coming up with the money for the 2008 Summer Olympics:

Enterprises from both home and abroad are jockeying for positions on different rosters connected to the Games, in the hope of marketing their products and enhancing brand awareness through this extraordinary opportunity.

It is not only corporate titans, but also Olympic officials who have are keeping a close eye on the bottom line, especially since costs have soared in the wake of the September 11 terror attacks in the United States.

“Without the support of the business community, without its technology, expertise, people, services, products, telecommunications, its financing - the Olympic Games could not and cannot happen,” says IOC President Jacques Rogge of the importance of Olympic marketing.