Barter Again Plays Prominent Role In 2008 Olympic Games

One of the more spectacular Olympic Games is envisioned when China hosts the Games in the summer of 2008. The Chinese are excited about the world seeing their country...the new China.

Staging the largest sporting event is no small feat. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers are required, as well as billions of dollars. Playing a prominent role are the Olympic Sponsors, major companies that inject some cash but much more in bartered services and products.

Top brands that will be bartering their products/services for the commercial rights to display the USA five-ring logo in their advertisements as well as on their products include: Coca-Cola, AT&T, Bank of America, Nike, GE, McDonald�s, Anheuser-Bush, Visa, The Home Depot, Panasonic, Samsung, Johnson & Johnson, Eastman Kodak, and others.

(Colorado Springs-based USOC will cull more than 85% of its funding from American corporations this year, including broadcast fees from NBC.)

So far, 51% of the sponsors are from the consumer packaged goods industry, 37% from service-oriented businesses, and 11% from business-to-business organizations. A complete list can be obtained at USOC.org.