Lenovo sees brand benefits from relay

OLYMPIA, Greece: The lighting of the Beijing 2008 Olympic flame here on Monday marked the start of the global tour of the "lucky cloud" torch.

And IT giant Lenovo, the company behind the torch's distinctive design, hopes its own fortunes will achieve the reach of the relay it is sponsoring.

"Participating in the Olympic torch relay matches our strategy of going global and improving our brand image," Li Lan, the firm's vice-president, said.