Yingli Solar helping light up FIFA venues

In sponsoring event, company also hopes to up its profile

It might seem odd to associate a Chinese solar panel maker with big name backers of the FIFA World Cup that starts next month - McDonald's Corp, Coca-Cola Co and Budweiser - especially when the country's team didn't qualify.

But Yingli Green Energy Holding Co Ltd, known as Yingli Solar, sponsored the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and will do so in soccer's showcase this year in Brazil. It is the only Chinese company, and the first renewable energy firm, to do so.