E-Malt.com News article: China: Tsingtao Brewery Group is getting ready for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

Less than five months from the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Tsingtao Brewery Group is getting ready to welcome athletes, journalists and visitors to China, Xinhua-PRNewswire reported April 18.

On August 11, 2005, Tsingtao Brewery Group became one of the two official domestic beer sponsors of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. As an official sponsor, the company has pledged to provide funds, beer products and related services to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Beijing Organizing Committee for Games of the 29th Olympiad (BOCOG), the Chinese Olympic Committee and the Chinese sports delegations to the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Since becoming an Official Sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Tsingtao Brewery has proudly participated in milestone events leading up to August 8, 2008. To further elevate the status of ''Tsingtao'' as a world- class brand, Tsingtao Brewery also has partnered with several major sporting events in China.

Tsingtao Brewery has sponsored five times the Xiamen International Marathon since 2003, and four times the China Tennis Open held in Beijing every year since 2004. The company is also a sponsor of the China National Diving Team, a relationship that began with the 2007 FINA World Diving Championships, and has pledged to give its full support to this ''Dream Team'' as they prepare for the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games.

In June 2006, Tsingtao Brewery joined hands with Hunan TV to launch a nationwide television program called ''Tsingtao Beer -- I Am the Champion" to support a national fitness campaign in the spirit of the Beijing Olympic Games. Millions of Chinese viewers watched as people from all over China participate in this televised competition to promote the Olympic ideals.

Tsingtao Brewery, CCTV-2 and the National Geographic Channel (US) have also jointly created ''Qing-Guo-Qing-Cheng," a TV program that presents China's most popular cities to the world, while passing the Olympic Spirit everywhere in China. Launched in April 2007 and running through the end of 2008, business leaders, city officials, media organizations, celebrities and Chinese people will appear on episodes in support of their favorite cities. Each candidate city will have the opportunity to display the best of its local community and a panel of experts will evaluate each city based on tourism, sustainable development and economy. The panel will also be allowed to offer recommendations on how each city can improve its image.

As partner of 'Qing-Guo-Qing-Cheng", Tsingtao Brewery hopes to broadcast its slogan, ''Passion, Dreams and Success,'' throughout each city and motivate Chinese people to enthusiastically participate in the Olympic Games by sharing their passions and dreams. An interactive online campaign titled ''China's Most Popular Cities'' was also developed for candidates to showcase their cities on the Internet while allowing Tsingtao Brewery to directly reach consumers across China.

The program is supported by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), BOCOG, the United Nations World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations Development Program.

Tsingtao Brewery is preparing to welcome visitors to China during the Olympic Games with sponsored activities and events throughout the country under its slogan ''Passion, Dreams & Success.'' A program of events will be announced later. Tsingtao Brewery invites visitors to China and cheer for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. ''Cheers, China!''

About Tsingtao Brewery Group

Established in 1903 under the name Tsingtao Brewery Factory, Tsingtao Brewery Group is considered the oldest brewery in China. The Company is a leading producer of beer and beer products with 50 breweries and three malting mills in 18 provinces and cities across China. Its signature product, Tsingtao Beer, is one of the most well-known Chinese brands in the international market and is distributed in more than 50 countries and regions around the world. The Company is the first mainland Chinese enterprise to list on an overseas stock exchange; it joined The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 1993. That same year the Company issued A-Shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.


18 April, 2008