Sponsors for the Olympics in 2012

BT counting losses for backing Olympics
Simon Fluendy, Mail on Sunday9 March 2008, 1:01pm

BT faces a huge shortfall on a massive deal to sponsor the 2012 Olympics , according to industry sources.
As predicted in Financial Mail, BT has agreed to provide communications services for the event in East London, including the Olympic Village and outposts such as Weymouth in Dorset, where the sailing events will take place. BT is one of five 'Tier One' sponsors, which are expected to enjoy publicity worth at least £50m from their connection with the Games and being able to use the 2012 logo on adverts alongside the Olympic rings.
In return, the businesses will provide goods and services as part of the £2bn that the Government is trying to raise from big business to help fund the Games. So even though BT is set to get publicity worth £50m to £80m from its association, it is expected to provide goods and services worth about £125m.
The race to become the prime communications sponsor was hotly contested between BT and Orange, owned by state-controlled France Telecom.
Cynics claim BT will push the extra cost on to its 18m customers in Britain.
'It is not as if BT is really an international brand. It can't get the benefit of global exposure,' said one industry insider.
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From The Sunday Times March 9, 2008
Russia’s oil and gas giant Gazprom may fund 2012 Olympics
Dipesh Gadher

Gazprom, the Russian state-controlled energy group, could become a sponsor of the London Olympics.
The company has held talks with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with a view to becoming one of 12 potential “global” sponsors after the Beijing Games this summer.
Gerhard Heiberg, chairman of the IOC’s marketing commission, flew to Moscow last November and is expected to meet Gazprom executives again later this month.
If a deal is struck it will come at a time when diplomatic ties between Britain and Russia hang in the balance. Gordon Brown is hoping that relations will improve following the election of Dmitry Medvedev as Russia’s new president.
Last week Gazprom was criticised for temporarily cutting gas supplies to Ukraine over unpaid bills. About 25% of Europe’s gas comes from Russia, most of it through the Ukraine.
The IOC has already signed up nine companies, including Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Visa, as global sponsors for 2009-2012. It aims to raise about £500m.
About £75m of this sum will go towards the London Olympics in 2012. London officials hope to raise a further £670m from “domestic” sponsors to help cover the £2 billion cost of hosting the Games.
A potential stumbling block to Gazprom’s Olympic ambitions is the fact that the IOC is allowing London to choose an exclusive sponsor from the “oil and gas” sector. For Gazprom to become an IOC global partner, it will probably have to bid separately for the London contract.
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From AGI:
OLYMPICS: GAZPROM DENIES SPONSORING LONDON 2012
Rome, mar. 10

Russian giant Gazprom claims that it will not sponsor the 2012 London Olympics, thereby denying news reports published by the British media: "It is not true, Gazprom will not figure as a sponsor" said Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov to Ria Novosti agency. According to the Sunday Times the president of the Olympic Committee's marketing commission was scheduled to meet with Gazprom at the end of the month to negotiate the company's insertion amongst the 12 main sponsors of the Olympic games. According to the British newspaper sponsorship deals have been reached with 9 international companies. These include Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Visa.
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Interesting to see that Gazprom has seen the light eventually. Wonder how many other companies need a tax loss?