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Beijing Olympics Sponsors Face a $110 Billion Dilemma

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Athletes compete during the Speed Skating China Open, part of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games test event, in Beijing on Oct. 10.
Athletes compete during the Speed Skating China Open, part of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games test event, in Beijing on Oct. 10.Photographer: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images
Bloomberg News

For the global consumer giants that sponsor the Olympics, the Beijing Winter Games will be a high-wire act of marketing.  

The events are a showcase in one of the most important markets for the Games’ biggest sponsors, including Intel Corp., Procter & Gamble Co., Coca-Cola Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. Not all disclose how much annual revenue they generate in China, but Bloomberg data and analysis by Strategy Risks, a U.S. firm that measures corporate exposure to China, suggest that 10 of the 12 top overseas sponsors combine to bring in $110 billion a year there.