Beijing, August 25th, 2008 - "The Olympic Games in Beijing were a
huge success for adidas - both in China and around the world," said
Erich Stamminger, President of the adidas brand in Beijing. "We were
clearly the leading brand in terms of visibility across all sports
during the Games. We provided first-class service and exciting
products that were especially made for Beijing. We also made our mark
in communication with our campaign 'Together in 2008 - Impossible is
Nothing' that won the first ever Golden Lion for China at the Cannes
Festival. So the Olympic Games in Beijing brought us another giant
step closer to our mission to be the leading sports brand in the
world."
As Official Sportswear Partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games,
adidas supplied more than 3 million products to federations,
volunteers, officials and others. By outfitting 16 National Olympic
Committees, including the most successful nation, China, plus three
other Top Six ranked Olympic Teams, Great Britain, Germany and
Australia, adidas underlined its position as the true Olympic brand.
In total, more than 3,000 athletes competed in adidas products and
adidas provided products for 27 out of the 28 Olympic sports.
Among the successful adidas athletes who won Olympic Gold were pole
vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia), double Olympic
swimming champion Britta Steffen (Germany), Britain's cycling sprint
sensation Chris Hoy, US gymnast Shawn Johnson, 110m hurdler Dayron
Robles (Cuba), Italian fencing legend Maria Valentina Vezzali,
Norwegian javelin champion Andreas Thorkildson, footballer Lionel
Messi from Argentina and judo champion Xian Dongmei (China).
"We already used the UEFA EURO 2008(TM) in Austria and Switzerland to
grow our football leadership and now we demonstrated at the Olympic
Games again that we are the brand that is at the core of sports. With
the platform of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games brand adidas has
become market leader in China in terms of revenues, market share and
brand perception," Erich Stamminger added. "Our Olympic journey will
continue as we have already started to prepare for the London 2012
Olympic Games where adidas will again be Official Sportswear
Partner."
In terms of revenues, adidas Group sales in China increased over 60%
on a currency-neutral basis in the first half of 2008. Based on this
growth, China will become the second-largest market for the adidas
Group after the USA by the end of this year. "We are well on track to
reach our sales target of more than EUR 1 billion for the adidas
Group in China by 2010," stated Herbert Hainer, CEO and Chairman of
the adidas Group. "These successful Olympic Games in Beijing will
leave a legacy for sport in China and for all brands of our Group.
Therefore, I am convinced that we will continue to achieve dynamic
growth in this market for the years to come."
About the adidas Group
The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting
goods industry, offering a broad range of products around three core
segments: adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Headquartered in
Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 34,000 employees and
sales of EUR 10.3 billion.
***
Contacts:
Media Relations Investor Relations
Jan Runau Natalie M. Knight
Chief Corporate Communications Vice President Investor
Officer Relations
Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-3830 Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-2187
Anne Putz John-Paul O'Meara
Head of Corporate PR Senior Investor Relations
Manager
Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-2964 Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-2751
Kirsten Keck Dennis Weber
Corporate PR Manager Investor Relations Manager
Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-6207 Tel.: +49 (0) 9132 84-4989
Please visit our corporate website: www.adidas-Group.com
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