Olympics helps promote Lenovo brands — BTOB|BTOC|Chinese Online|GOLF BALL

Lenovo Group officially inaugurated its showcase yesterday at the Olympic Green in Beijing. The new 1,200-sq-m showroom on Landscape Street of the Olympic Green borders the "Bird's Nest". A member of the Olympic Partner Program (TOP), the group is the first to showcase its products in the Olympics display area. Lenovo says it will provide a new experience through "popularizing Olympic science and technology to benefit the public". Showroom allows the public to feel the innovative products and technology of Lenovo up close. Its products also form the hardware platform for Olympics information technology. The inauguration of Lenovo's display and real-time support for the Games shows its Olympics strategy is in full swing. Lenovo Chairman Yang Yuanqing said that as the sole TOP member from China, Lenovo has devoted extraordinary efforts to the Games. "Levono has been anticipating the Olympics since its support for Beijing's bid seven years ago," he said. "It later became a TOP member, designed the Olympic Torch, "Cloud of Promise", and supported the global torch relay and its ascent on Qomolangma." Because of its sponsorship, Lenovo's reputation has been greatly improved in the overseas market during the past three to four years, making it a globlized company from a local company in China, Yang said. "Lenovo is contributing in various ways to the Games for Beijing to realize its goal of hosting a distinctive and high-level Olympics," said Gou Zhongwen, vice-mayor of Beijing at the opening of the facility. "Since Beijing won the bid to host the Olympics in 2001, various circles of society have devoted great efforts to preparation for the Games," said Yang Shu'an, executive vice-president of the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee. "With its sense of mission and passion, Lenovo has spared no effort in popularizing the Beijing Olympics, disseminating the Olympic spirit of friendship and peace and promoting its progress," said Yang. Yesterday's ceremony signals that Lenovo's real-time competition service is ready, the chairman said. He recalled that when Lenovo signed its TOP agreement in 2004, it had the dream to be an internationalized company providing quality services to the Olympics. Lenovo became a Fortune 500 company last month, proving the dream came true, Yang said. "With the Olympics approaching, we are confident that our program will allow global audiences learn more about our brand as it displays its charms at the Games," he added. Lenovo is providing more than 30,000 pieces of computer hardware and more than 580 engineers and technicians to support the most complex sports event in the world. The company has also created Internet lounges for athletes, trainers, media and other members of the Olympic family near competition venues. Seven Lenovo Olympic Internet lounges and two computer service centers are now in operation. Multi-brand computer service outlets at two press centers provide free maintenance and repair services. Lenovo Internet outlets supply free service to the press centers and other locations in Beijing, Hong Kong and Qingdao. Lenovo has also signed sponsorship agreements with five sports teams and 15 famous athletics that are expected to deliver outstanding Olympic performances. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina in the United States .