2006年VOA标准英语-Sponsors Use Olympics To Improve Corporate

By Brian Padden
Turin, Italy
15 February 2006
 
watch Olympic Sponsors report 

Visibility for CocaCola, one of the corporate¹ sponsors of the Olympics  
  
Much of the over $4 billion in revenue taken in by the International Olympic Committee over the last four years has come from corporate sponsorship.

VOA’s Brian Padden reports from Turin on what companies pay to become an Olympic sponsor and what they hope to get in return.

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The Olympic Sponsor Village in Turin, Italy is a mini-amusement park where visitors to the Fiat² car company can play fuzz-ball.   And at the Coca Cola exhibit people can try to score a goal.   Corporate sponsorship of the Olympics is now an accepted part of the games.  

 
Andrew Kollo
  
Andrew Kollo, from Canada, has been to eight Olympics and says commercialism is necessary. “It does make it too commercial but at the same time without them we would not have the events that we have.  We wouldn't have the world class events that we have and that lets the athletes compete at the highest caliber³ they can.”

One of the major sponsors of the Olympics is GE, General Electric, which is paying between $40 million and $60 million to be associated with the Winter Games in Turin.  GE also owns NBC, the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of the Olympics. It recoups some of its sponsorship costs by providing over 620 electrical generators⁴ and lighting⁵ for all the Olympic venues⁶.  At the Sponsor Village GE visitors can take a virtual ride through the human heart.  

 
GE's virtual ride through a heart is available for visitors to the Games
  
GE's director of global marketing⁷, Mathais Henssen, says this ride, and much of its marketing, uses the public interest in the Olympics to sell GE as a leader in sports-related health care technology. “The Olympics is the biggest event - sports event in the world.   We are a very large infrastructure⁸ company so we believe that our products and services can be valuable for the games.”  

At the Samsung exhibit, Italian ski legend Alberto Tomba signs autographs.  While there visitors can try out the South Korean company's newest mobile phones and cameras.   

 
Louis Kim 
  
Samsung's Louis Kim says the company is hoping to increase public trust in its products through its affiliation⁹ with the established and respected Olympics movement. “Obviously we might not be able to get the return overnight, but we believe this has to be Samsung's long-term commitment to the worldwide consumer which we serve, and over time we would like to build the consumer's affinity¹⁰.” 

While the costs of sponsoring the Olympics may seem excessive, these companies are competing in a global market.  And as advertisers will tell you, you have to spend money to make money. 

1 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

2 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

3 caliber   

n.能力；水准

参考例句：

• They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。
• We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。

4 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

6 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

7 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

9 affiliation   

n.联系，联合

参考例句：

• There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似，但我们之间并没有关系。
• The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。

10 affinity   

n.亲和力，密切关系

参考例句：

• I felt a great affinity with the people of the Highlands.我被苏格兰高地人民深深地吸引。
• It's important that you share an affinity with your husband.和丈夫有共同的爱好是十分重要的。