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.

With Beijing Olympic Games wrapping up on August 24th, we have decided to make our own selection of the brands who won the sponsors race of 2 weeks long branding run.

Hilton, one of the world’s largest hotel chains, is paying $15-million on an advertising campaign including TV and Olympic sponsorship for its nine brands. The initiative will include a new spot airing during the Beijing Olympic Games.

Lenovo is bringing athletes views of the Olympics together even before the games begin! As a worldwide partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Lenovo has taken a global approach to well utilize its role as sponsor and technology solution provider of the Olympics.

Eliminating the pollution in Beijing is not the only thing that’s trying to get removed. This time the Chinese government is trying to ban, remove and eliminate ads throughout the city and elsewhere that either “promote non-Olympic sponsors or contain any unauthorized use of Olympics logos and images in ads.”