(ATR) Computer maker Lenovo will end its worldwide sponsorship of the Olympics after the Beijing Games.
The company says in a statement that it will not renew its category with the IOC as worldwide computing equipment partner, which ends at the end of 2008.
A source familiar with the company tells Around the Rings that Turin and Beijing helped give Lenovo worldwide brand awareness, but Lenovo will now turn toward campaigns targeted at specific geographic regions.
“The company’s primary focus during the next nine months is the successful execution of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games,” reads a Lenovo statement.
The China-based company, with headquarters in the U.S., is supplying more than 20,000 pieces of hardware and some 500 technicians for the Beijing Games. The company is also a 2008 Torch Relay Presenting Partner.
One report from China says Taiwan-based Acer, one of Lenovo’s main rivals, could take over the computer hardware company.
The departure of Lenovo drops the number of TOP sponsors to eight following the Beijing Olympics. In October, Kodak announced its withdrawal from the program after Beijing. The IOC has said it will have 10 to 11 sponsors on board for the Vancouver Olympics.
Written by Maggie Lee
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