Recently, Chinese sports brand Li Ning opened its first U.S. store in Portland, right next door to Nike’s headquarters!

It’s estimated that the annual sales volume of Li Ning in 2009 will exceed its biggest rival Nike for the first time, making Li Ning the No.1 sports goods retailer brand in China. But it seems they will not stop there. To gain international recognition, Li Ning is now expanding its brand overseas, the Portland store being only one example.

In mid-July, just days after Li Ning Company Limited announced its acquisition of China’s third most popular badminton brand Kason Sports, Japan’s Mizuno Corp. announced it would close 200 unprofitable stores in China. While Li Ning brand is expanding through acquisition, Mizuno is decreasing its presence in the Chinese market. This contrast reflects the different fortunes experienced by domestic and foreign sports brands in the year following the Beijing Olympics.

Apparently nothing can stop Lining’s rat race. In fact, on the 10th of November the 3rd biggest sport brand in China has announced an endorsement cooperation with NBA’s all-star one-guard Baron Davis who just joined the Los Angeles Clippers this season.

Loads of debates regarding what gains Beijing Olympics sponsors will be getting out of the sponsorship have taken place in the last months. Industry specialized magazines and websites have looked at the branding opportunities offered by the Games and we wrote ourselves a few pieces on sponsors’ strategies to brand themselves with the Olympics values.

Lotto Sport, the well-known Italian soccer and sportswear brand, has entered a 20 years partnership with Li Ning, the third biggest Chinese sport brand named after former Olympic hero of the 1984 Los Angeles Games.