Liu Xiang's sponsors...?

Question

I was wondering if Liu Xiang's sponsors (Nike, Ping An, etc.) will continue to sponsor him. Maybe if they've released word...or maybe if you happen to know the status of commercials/ads in China that concern Liu Xiang.

I am not looking for people to tell me that they never should sponsor Liu Xiang in the first place bc he's a fake or other stuff like that. I disagree with those people, even though each is entitled to his/her opinion. I just want to know if everybody's given up on Liu Xiang already (which I think they shouldn't).

刘翔加油！

Answer 1

I think the plan of sponsoring him will be thrown to the trash can.  

Answer 2

I think they will continue to sponsor him, but maybe not to the same degree.  He is still going to be immensely popular and he will make a come back as long as he is given time to recover from his injuries.  No one can take away the fact that he has won an olympic gold medal, broken the world record and been a world champion.

Many of his sponsors have been pretty sympathetic so far, and you can read about that here: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/2008/0...

To be completely honest, it may not be such a terrible thing if he isn't used in advertising so much.  I think his life must be pretty bad because of his fame.  He can't have a normal life and if he goes out he is swarmed by fans.  No amount of money and endorsements can make up for personal freedom.  I can't imagine the pressure he has been under for the last 4 years, and he could never get away from it.  If he goes out, he sees himself everywhere...a constant reminder of what 1.3 billion people expect him to achieve.  I personally already felt sorry for him before he pulled out of the race!