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Li Ning Company Limited and the Chinese National Badminton Team Join Together

Li Ning Company Limited
2009-04-24 16:11 3119

Chinese Badminton Advances into a New Era

BEIJING, April 24 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- On April 23, 2009 the Chinese National Badminton Team reached an agreement with Li Ning Company Limited, a leading Chinese sports brand. The badminton team became the 5th Chinese team to partner with Li Ning, along with the Chinese National Table Tennis Team, the Chinese National Gymnastics Team, the Chinese National Shooting Team and the Chinese National Diving Team. VIP guests at the signing included the director of the Table Tennis & Badminton Administration Center of the General Administration of Sports of China, Liu Fengyan, the athletic representatives of five generations in the badminton history of China: Tang Xianhua, Lin Shiquan, Li Yongbo, Zhang Ning, and Lin Dan, the chairman of the board from Li Ning Company Limited, Li Ning, and CEO of Li Ning Company Limited, Zhang Zhiyong. All attended the press conference to witness the signing of the agreement with the theme of "the glory of badminton," an historic milestone.

The press conference also provided a rare opportunity for the badminton athletes to get together and speak their minds. Reviewing the glorious history of Chinese badminton, they talked about the future of the sport. Also, Liu Fengyan and Zhang Zhiyong discussed ways of promoting the development of badminton in China with the other influential guests attending the conference. At the end of the conference Mr. Li Ning presented a gold badminton bat as a special gift to the chief coach, Li Yongbo, and the athletes of the Chinese National Badminton Team, wishing them continued glory and their dream of grabbing all five medals at the next Olympic Games. According to the badminton personnel attending the conference, the partnership between the leading Chinese sports brand and the top badminton team in the world will undoubtedly give Chinese badminton a new breath of life.

Liu Fengyan also highly praised the alliance between Li Ning and the China National Badminton Team. "The brand of Li Ning has been part of the development of all sports in China since its founding and has made remarkable contributions to the development of Chinese sports and I believe the 'win-win combination' between Li Ning Company Limited and the Chinese National Badminton Team will surely promote the flourishing development of badminton in China, as well as the whole world," said Liu. Li Yongbo also expressed his views about the cooperation between both parties. He was quoted as saying: "The development team from Li Ning Company Limited has built a thorough understanding of the leading trends of the development of badminton technology. From the close cooperation of both parties, the technical performance and application of the complete set of Li Ning outfits have obtained athletic recognition as such outfits can meet or exceed professional demands. Li Ning Company Limited is definitely capable of providing the professional, skilled, and customized service that we have awaited for many years! I believe the great all-round support provided by Li Ning Company Limited will undoubtedly help the Chinese National Badminton Team to achieve outstanding performance on the court."

Mr. Li Ning said at the press conference that Li Ning Company Limited will perform its duties as a Chinese brand with its entry into the badminton market to enhance the popularity, participation in, and the influence of badminton throughout the world. Zhang Zhiyong expressed that Li Ning Company Limited will do its best to promote the popularity and development of badminton by utilizing its powerful commercial promotion platform and professional experience in integrated marketing and promotion in addition to supporting the Chinese National Badminton Team with top-notch equipment. "Li Ning Company Limited has confidence in its partnership with the Chinese National Badminton Team. We believe that Li Ning will become a leading brand in the badminton field through its persistent input and operations in badminton," said Zhang Zhiyong.

A survey on the status of sports participation throughout China conducted by the General Administration of Sports of China shows that badminton has the largest participation in China next to the relaxed sporting event of "walking," with the number of fans in China reaching 250 million. According to the survey entitled "The Most Suitable Olympic Event for the Public," released by the Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily, badminton ranked first with a participation rate of 67.8%. Moreover, the report released by the International Olympic Committee shows that the TV news reports and the number of viewers for badminton events rapidly increased over the last three Olympic Games. A total Chinese audience of 800 million watched the badminton games during the Athens Olympic Games, and the audience reached a new record during the Beijing Olympic Games. The market size behind such figures is significant, and it shows that badminton is in a golden era of flourishing development. And the agreement entered into by Li Ning Company Limited and the Chinese National Badminton Team is an important link for its strategic commercial deployment. Li Ning Company Limited will form a regional business orientation with leading advantages throughout the world through badminton. Depending on the power of brand influence, solid product development strength, and professional sponsorship experience, Li Ning Company Limited will not only provide top-notch professional equipment and service support to the Chinese National Badminton Team and help them to reach a new level, but also promote the growth of the badminton market in China and assist Chinese badminton in it's international development.

It is reported that the Chinese National Team will be completely equipped with Li Ning products for the first time in May for the upcoming Sudirman Cup in which the Chinese National Badminton Team will show up internationally for the first time after the signing of the agreement by both parties.

For more information, please contact:

Yuan Enqing

LI-NING Brand, Li Ning Company Limited

Add: No. 8 Xing Guang 5th Street, Opto-Mechatronics Industrial Park,

Zhongguancun Science &Technology Area, Tongzhou District, Beijing,

P.R. China 101111

Tel: +86-10-8080-0730

Email: enqing.yuan@li-ning.com.cn

Tang Yeping

Ruder Finn Public Relations (Beijing Office)

Add: E101, East Lake Villas, 35 Dongzhimenwai Main Street, Dongcheng

District, Beijing, 100027

Tel: +86-10-6462-7321 x677

Fax: +86-10-6462-7327

Email: tangg@ruderfinnasia.com

Source: Li Ning Company Limited
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