Sportswear maker ends TV deal ahead of Olympics

Chinese sportswear maker Li Ning suspended its deal to provide clothes and shoes worn by sportscasters on China’s state-run sports channel, the Wall Street Journal reported. Li Ning, which is not an official Olympics sponsor, announced that sportscasters and guests in CCTV’s studio will stop wearing the company’s logo from now until the end of August, though journalists can still wear Li Ning clothes while reporting in the field. The suspension follows a government warning in early June against "ambush" marketing during the Olympics by non-official sponsors. The paper said that the suspended deal between Li Ning and CCTV, two well-connected companies, indicates that Beijing is serious about enforcing Olympic sponsorship deals.