China's household appliance giant Haier Group signed a deal in Qingdao on Friday with the Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG), becoming the official white goods sponsor of the games.

　　Wang Wei (L), vice executive chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) and Zhang Ruimin, CEO of Haier Group, hold a souvenir after the household appliance giant signed a deal with the BOCOG to become the official white goods sponsor of the games in Qingdao, a coastal city in East China's Shandong Province, Friday, August 12, 2005. [newsphoto]

　　Haier Group, headquartered in Qingdao, the coastal city that will host sailing events during the 2008 Games, will provide funds, products and related services to the Beijing 2008 Olympics and Paralympics, BOCOG, the Chinese Olympic Committee and the Chinese sports delegations to the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics and 2008 Olympics.

　　The Marketing Plan of the 2008 Olympic Games includes partnership, sponsorship, suppliership and licensing programs. Partnership, sponsorship and suppliership grant enterprises four-year exclusive marketing and promotion rights, while the licensing program authorize companies to produce and sell products with the official Olympic logo only after paying royalities to BOCOG.

　　BOCOG has signed nine partners so far, including Germany's automobile giant Volkswagen, Sinopec, CNPC, China Mobile and Bank of China, and four sponsors. It is scheduled to launch the suppliership program by the end of this year.()