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BIZCHINA> Top Biz News
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Nike hopes for strong Olympic performance
By Yu Yilei (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-16 09:46 Parker said he believed a Nike-equipped Liu could create the defining moment of the Beijing Games. It could be as Michael Johnson did in a pair of Nike shoes when he won both the 200m and 400m with world record times at the 1996 Atlanta Games or as Cathy Freeman did in a green-and-white, one-piece Nike dress when she won the 400m at the Sydney Games. "We hope Liu Xiang will perform at his highest level. We will do our best to help him," Parker said. "It's highly motivating and inspiring for us to see athletes like Liu Xiang do well and to think we are actually helping him win the gold and perhaps set a world record." In addition to Liu, Nike signed agreements with more than 100 Chinese athletes and 22 federations of 28 of the sports featured in the Games. "(Chinese sports federations) have high expectations to create the best products to allow their athletes in each sport to perform and compete for the medals," Parker said. "They challenged us to create the best, and that allows us to really rise to our full potential at the same time." In Athens, many of Nike's newly endorsed athletes emerged as surprising winners, including Xing Huina (women's 10,000m) and two history-making pairs - Meng Guangliang and Yang Wenjun (canoeing C2 500m winners), and Li Ting and Sun Tiantian (women's tennis doubles winners). "The Olympics is our opportunity to showcase our products, innovation and brand all at the same time on the world's best athletes, while everybody is watching the world's greatest sporting event. We are very passionate about it," Parker said. "We are already focusing on the next Olympics as well, and looking at what we can in advance." (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
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