Behind Liu Xiang's decision to quit

All over China, people are discussing the background to Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang's sensational exit from the Games; one hot topic is whether his advertising earnings will be affected. On August 19, China.org.cn invited famous sports journalist Yan Xiaoyan and Huang Xingxing from Sports Forum Weekly to talk about the issues.

China.org.cn: One topic people are discussing is Liu Xiang's advertising earnings after quitting the race. He featured in advertisements for many top brands. Do you think this will affect his income?

Yan Xiaoyan: I don't think it will have much effect, because Liu Xiang showed his fighting spirit and his determination never to give up. He wanted to win so badly that he went to the track even though he was injured. The most important thing for sponsors is spirit, not results. Liu's spirit inspired the whole country; it can inspire customers and enhance the image of the companies that sponsor him. If anything he will be an even hotter property in advertising. I expect his main sponsors such as Coca Cola and Adidas to create a new series of advertisements taking his spirit as main theme. If I were an advertising executive, that's what I would do.

Huang Xingxing: Liu Xiang's exit caused huge disappointment around the country. People are saying they should have been told in advance about his injury. The public wants to know the details of the injury, why he dropped out, and why he didn’t show up at the post-race press conference. Without hard information, rumors are spreading like wildfire. A result like this leaves people feeling cheated. For the advertisers, that's a real problem. They need to emphasize the positive side of Liu Xiang.

China.org.cn: People are genuinely worried about Liu Xiang. Xiaoyan, you have reported a lot on his career. Tell us what you know about his injury.

Yan Xiaoyan: It's an old injury from 6 or 7 years ago. His heel bone is abnormal and ordinary shoes don't fit him. For the last 6 or 7 years he has suffered pain in his foot, in the bones. His coach Sun Haiping said he also injured his Achilles's tendon, causing periostitis. It's horrible. The pain is unimaginable.

I had never seen his face like that before that day in the Bird's Nest. He was obviously in extreme distress. At previous races he had always been brimming with confidence, determined to defeat his opponents. But this time all you could see was a grimace. The pain must have been intense. When he tore off his number and walked from the track, all the journalists in the press area were in a state of shock; girls were crying.

China.org.cn: Were the tears for Liu Xiang, out of a feeling of distress, or something else?

Yan Xiaoyan: Mainly it was distress. People felt he sacrificed too much for the Olympics, and could not live a normal life. As soon as the Athens Olympics ended, he started preparing for the Beijing games. He worked so hard for 4 years, and it all evaporated in a couple of seconds. His 4 years of effort were all for nothing, all the pain was for nothing. So of course we all felt very distressed.

Huang Xingxing: You can understand why Sun Haiping cried, and why, so it's said, Liu Xiang cried in the dressing room. I used to be a professional athlete. My calf muscle detached. For the first time in my life I felt helpless and depressed. Having gone through that, I can understand why Sun Haiping and Liu Xiang cried. I would have felt the same.

China.org.cn: Before this happened, everyone was looking forward to the battle between Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles. Now it seems like the result of the 110 meters hurdles final is going to be a foregone conclusion.

Yan Xiaoyan: Not necessarily. Liu Xiang broke the world record of Renaldo Nehemiah in 2002. I interviewed Nehemiah on August 17, and asked his opinion of the race. He said one athlete was physically ready, the other one was mentally ready, but neither was totally ready. And Liu Xiang's exit may also affect Robles.

Huang Xingxing: He may lose motivation. An athlete needs competition and is always thinking about defeating an opponent, but if there's no rival anymore he won't have anyone to defeat. Liu Xiang has quit and Trammell is injured, so Robles may feel lost. He may lose interest in the race. Even if he wins he will not be satisfied. It's the same in life for every one, not just for athletes.

Yan Xiaoyan: He won't be happy even if he wins the gold. An athlete wants a real competitor, a worthy rival. The greatest honor for an athlete is to defeat your adversary, and a win for Robles without real competition won't make him a hero, so it won't mean so much to him.

Other responses to Liu Xiang's withdrawal

Most sponsors have said they will continue to support Liu Xiang and expect further cooperation with him, even though injury forced him out of the Olympics.

On August 19, sports brand Nike signaled that it will continue to work with Liu Xiang by featuring him in a full-page newspapers advertisement. The ad pictured the hurdler with a determined expression, above the slogan, "Love competition. Love to compete. Love to win it back. Love at any cost. Love honor as well as setbacks. Love sport even when it breaks your heart."

According to Zhu Jinqian, communications director of Nike Sports China, the advertisement, which was put together literally overnight, shows Nike's continued support and understanding for Liu Xiang. "There is no doubt that Nike will continue to work with Liu Xiang," she said.

Zhu said injuries to other athletes who have worked with Nike had not influenced their association with the brand. Nike has a sponsorship contract worth 4 million yuan with Liu Xiang, and designed his Olympic running shoes. On the day of Liu's withdrawal, the company released a statement, saying, "At this moment, we understand his feelings and also look forward to his return to the track."

Liu Xiang has signed contracts with more than ten Chinese and overseas brands, including Visa, Nike, Chinese insurance firm Ping An, the Bank of Communications, China Mobile and Amway. After his pull-out, some commentators said sponsors might lose confidence in him.

However, Chinese insurance firm Ping An, Yili Group, Coca Cola, Visa and Lenovo have all indicated that the pullout will not influence their cooperation with Liu.

Ping An said, "Withdrawal is also a kind of courage. We are not in favor of struggling at any cost, it's important to protect athletes' health. We wish Liu Xiang a speedy recovery and expect the flying man to return to the track and accomplish still more in the future."

Coca Cola also said its sponsorship relationship with Liu Xiang would not be affected. "Liu Xiang's outstanding performances reflect his iron will, and the Olympic spirit of never giving up."

But it cannot be denied that Liu Xiang's withdrawal will have some effect on business. Some news reports suggest sponsors may take a hit of over 3 billion yuan. And some are rethinking their advertising strategies.

On August 18, Lenovo removed a TV advert featuring Liu Xiang. Li Lan, vice president of Lenovo Group in charge of Olympic marketing, insisted it was a pre-planned move and had nothing to do with Liu Xiang's withdrawal. But Lenovo also said it will be reassessing the question of a contract extension after the present contract expires.

An Internet rumor that Liu Xiang's decision to drop out of the competition was "due to pressure from his sponsors" is malicious gossip, said Zhu Jinqian. She added that Nike's legal department is looking into the matter.