IOC braces for Beijing Games ambush marketing

By Karolos Grohmann

ATHENS (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee is preparing to crack down on ambush marketing before and during this year's Beijing Games to protect the billion-dollars investment of its partners, the IOC said.

With billions of television viewers around the world and millions of fans in the stadia, the IOC wants to make sure companies not associated with the biggest sporting event of the year do not try to cash in.

In most sporting events, including past editions of the Games, there have been cases of companies who do not pay sponsorship fees or hold the rights, trying to promote their products by indirectly linking them with the event without breaking the law.

"We have taken this issue very seriously," IOC marketing commission chief Gerhard Heiberg told Reuters on Friday. "This is brand new to Chinese companies. Some do it with good intentions and some not with good intentions."

Heiberg said most Chinese companies did not yet know the rules which prohibits any marketing linked to the Games logos, symbols and slogans for companies that are not official partners or sponsors of the IOC or the Beijing Games organizing committee

(BOCOG).

There have been several cases where Chinese companies have violated these rules already, on billboards and television ads, and Heiberg said he personally contacted some of the companies involved to clarify the rules.

"We expect that some companies will think they can get away with it (during the Games)," Heiberg said. "We will have people in place in every venue and every city cooperating with BOCOG and the Chinese authorities."

He said officials had also talked to Chinese Central Television and newspapers to inform them of the rules.

Heiberg said a special team had been set up within BOCOG to monitor any violations and he expected Beijing to be a tougher task than the Athens 2004 Olympics.

'FULLY PROTECTED'

"In Athens we were absolutely prepared but now we need to be better prepared. In many ways I think it will be tougher, yes," he said. "We ask for a lot of money from our partners and they have the right to feel and be fully protected."

The IOC has also recruited Peter Bratschi, formerly Nike sports marketing chief for Asia-Pacific.

"He (Bratschi) knows what this is about. He will strengthen our team," Heiberg said.

The IOC estimates marketing revenues from its top partners program for the Turin 2006 Winter Games and the Beijing 2008 Olympics to around $900 million. Contracts are for a four-year period to include both editions of the Games.