Top Story Replay - Three Companies Vie for New Olympic Sponsorship

This story was originally published June 13.

(ATR) The evolution of technology beyond the realm of PCs and laptops is leading the IOC to drop its computing equipment category in favor of a new one that would also include the growing use of tablets.

Acer, the Taiwan-based PC manufacturer, has held the category since 2009, but will not be renewed while the IOC considers how to include tablets, as well as old-line computer gear.

Acer, Panasonic and Samsung are among the possible contenders for the new category, still unnamed, IOC marketing commission chair Gerhard Heiberg tells Around the Rings.

"The way technology has changed, this is not easy," he says.

"With tablets and all the other products, defining the category is a challenge," says Heiberg.

There is now overlap in products among Samsung, Panasonic and Acer.

As previously detailed by ATR, all three firms make computer equipment as well as tablets, while Samsung also includes smart phones in their product line as the mobile phone sponsor for the IOC.

Around the Rings requested comment from Acer but was unsuccessful.

The value of the new sponsorship category is not known, but one Olympic marketing expert says the deal could be worth more than $100 million across two Olympics.

He added: "If there is any time to adjust category pricing of TOP [sponsorships] it is now".

Heiberg says that while the IOC would like to close the new category as soon as possible, it may be necessary to allow an organizing committee to handle the category domestically.

"Sochi wants to know," he says, with those Games now just over 18 months away.

That’s what happened in 2002 when Salt Lake City did a deal with Dell after IBM dropped its sponsorship after the Sydney Olympics. Since then, Lenovo and Acer have held the computer equipment category as worldwide sponsors.

Written by Ed Hula.