Asia Sports

Sports sponsorship growth in Asia rose by 54% in 2007, with net a spending of $643 million, driven in part by the Beijing Olympics, according to IVCast from OgilvyAction. However, there was also a large rise in the sheer number of deals being done in other Asian countries with 2,233 in 2007 versus 1,624 in 2006, showing that the popularity and relevance of sponsorship is growing. The forecast for 2008 is currently showing a small decline of 9.5% reflecting the unknown continuation of deals recorded in 2007. (SportBusiness.com, 3/27/08)