Asian Games wins race for sponsors

GUANGZHOU: Organizers of the 16th Asian Games are feeling victorious after attracting a record haul of sponsors, despite the global economic crisis, an official from the organizing committee said yesterday.

"We have tried to avoid the impacts of the global financial meltdown since last year," said Fang Da'er, director of the Games organizing committee's market development department. "Our hard work has paid off because the initial goal of finding adequate sponsorship was realized one and a half years ahead of the Games' opening."

So far, 28 companies have signed sponsorship deals with the Games organizing committee - the largest number in Asian Games' history, said Fang.