US health care firm ends IOC sponsorship deal

Health care company Johnson & Johnson will not extend its top Olympic sponsorship deal that ends next month, the International Olympic Committee said yesterday.

The company is the fourth top Games sponsor not to renew its deal that expires at the end of the year, after Kodak, Lenovo and Manulife all decided to end their partnerships as one of the IOC's main sponsors.

Lenovo has since been replaced by Acer.

"Johnson & Johnson's sponsorship agreement with the IOC concludes at the end of 2008. In order that it can focus on other business priorities, Johnson & Johnson will not renew its membership of the TOP programme," IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said.

The US company signed up during the Turin 2006 Winter Games for an undisclosed fee.

The TOP programme is the IOC's most lucrative sponsorship programme involving major corporations usually signing up for at least one four-year, two-Games cycle.

IOC revenues from its TOP programme for the 2005-2008 cycle alone were about $866 million. The IOC's total sponsor and broadcasting revenues topped $3.5 billion.

IOC Marketing Commission chief Gerhard Heiberg told Reuters late last month that top sponsor programme revenues would rise by about 15 per cent to $1.0 billion for the 2009-2012 cycle, which includes the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympics.

The IOC currently has nine sponsors committed to the next cycle from 12 sponsors that signed up until Beijing. It has said it hopes to add up to two more for the next cycle.