Beijing Yanjing Brewery Co. Ltd has been selected as the official domestic beer sponsor of the  2008 Olympic Games, organizers announced on Wednesday.

Yanjing's signing up means the 2008 Olympics have two sponsors in the beer category as Busch-Anheuser Budweiser Beer signed last year as the international beer sponsor to support the Games.

There is an established principle in Olympic marketing that only one enterprise can be selected as the sponsor and enjoys exclusive marketing rights within the designated product category.

"This is an exception," said Yuan Bin, marketing director of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG).

"The IOC and BOCOG jointly decided to give both enterprises the sponsor status in light of the special situation," she added.

Yuan added that the two breweries enjoy the same rights and obligations.

Yanjing, one of China's leading brewery based in Beijing, will provide funds, beer products and related services to the Beijing 2008 Olympics and Paralympics, BOCOG, the Chinese Olympic Committee and the Chinese sports delegations to the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics and 2008 Olympics.

Li Fucheng, Yanjing's chairman of board, said at the signing ceremony that being sponsor of the Beijing Games is important for Yanjing to become an international brand.

"As a Beijing-based enterprise, we are eager to get involved in and make our contributions to the Beijing 2008 Olympics," said Li.

"Yanjing will utilize the Beijing Games as a great opportunity to develop the company and make a bigger contribution to the country's economy," he added.

The Marketing Plan of the 2008 Olympic Games includes partnership, sponsorship, supplier ship and licensing programs. Partnership, sponsorship and supplier ship grant enterprises four-year exclusive marketing and promotion rights, while the licensing program authorize companies to produce and sell products with the official Olympic logo only after paying royalties to BOCOG.

BOCOG has signed nine partners so far, including Germany's automobile giant Volkswagen, Sinopec, China Mobile and Bank of China. It started to seek sponsors this March and is scheduled to launch its supplier-seeking campaign by the end of this year. 

(Xinhua News Agency August 11, 2005)