VOA标准英语2010年-Olympic Sponsorship Strong Despite Glo

Many athletes depend on corporate¹ sponsorships to help ease financial burden, which has become more difficult during recession

Kane Farabaugh | Vancouver 21 February 2010

 
Photo: VOA Image K. Farabaugh

Training to compete in the Olympics is a long and arduous² process for many athletes.  And can be expensive.  Many athletes depend on corporate sponsorships to help ease the financial burden, something that has become increasingly difficult during a global economic downturn.
 
Stephen Colbert is known as a satirist³ and a comedian⁴, but he is also a U.S. Olympic sponsor.  The TV host of the Colbert Report agreed to help the U.S. Speedskating Team when a U.S. bank backed out after declaring bankruptcy⁵.

 

"He did, he stepped in where there was need," said Jerri Roush, the managing director of the United States Olympic Committee's Events Services.  "It's times like that when you have such great pride in Americans, when you see somebody do something like that for a smaller sport, certainly a prominent sport, where they needed that funding.  It's a great story, certainly creates a buzz on the streets."

Many governments provide funding for their Olympic teams, but the private U.S. Olympic Committee depends on other sources.

"The U.S. Olympic Committee is funded by sponsors, donors⁶ and private dollars," she added.

Private contributions are what keep luge slider Brian Martin and many other American athletes in competition.  But Martin admits, the global economic downturn was noticeable leading up to the Olympics.

"It has been a real struggle to find new sponsorship and keep old sponsorship.  We've seen a drop off of the amount of money that we have to spend when we are on tour," said Martin.

The USA House here in Vancouver is a sort of oasis⁷ for the U.S. athletes, their families, and the sponsors and donors that keep them in competition.  Completely paid for through sponsorship, it is one place in downtown Vancouver where, regardless of the economy, businesses can promote their brand, and connection to Team USA.

Jerri Roush says the size of this USA House is smaller than the one they had in Beijing for the 2006 Summer Olympic Games.  She says that's more of a reflection on the fact there are less athletes and events in the Winter Olympics than a sign of the recession.

As some sponsors have pulled out, others have stepped in to take their place, and Roush says she see the situation improving along with the economy.

"You know, we're seeing a bit of a change in tide as things get better, but we certainly felt it for a little bit, but as we're all doing, we're tightening⁸ the belts and working harder to find those other dollars," added Roush.

Other dollars needed to support Team USA as it prepares for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

 

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 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

3 satirist   

n.讽刺诗作者，讽刺家，爱挖苦别人的人

参考例句：

• Voltaire was a famous French satirist.伏尔泰是法国一位著名的讽刺作家。
• Perhaps the first to chronicle this dream was the Greek satirist Lucian.也许第一个记述这一梦想的要算是希腊的讽刺作家露西安了。

4 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

5 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

6 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

8 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。