Olympic sponsors squirm

(Is there any precedent for a major sponsor withdrawing support before the Games even began?) There was almost a Salt Lake City scandal and that was strictly a corruption scandal. I think the Olympic sponsorship in older days wasn’t as expensive as it is now. (Some of the major American Olympic sponsors rely on China a lot, right?) Yes, that’s the point, this is the most attractive Olympic buy because of the enormous Chinese market. (There are dramatic things happening in Tibet and Darfur and it sounds like you’re saying there isn’t a tipping point for Olympic sponsors?) Not yet. China’s view of Tibet as a domestic issue is unusual as well. (Can you imagine any sponsors withdrawing, or is it not even on the radar?) I don’t think it’s on the screen yet, and I think this is just pressure groups working. But most of the money is already paid in. and China is a new frontier and a lucrative one.