Olympic hurdling champion Liu Xiang has joined China’s biggest cigarette maker as a corporate image ambassador.
Liu, 21, emerged from obscurity to win the 110m hurdles at the Athens Games.
“Everyone likes Liu Xiang and hopes he will ‘soar’ higher and faster, and maintain his sunny, healthy image,” said Baisha boss Lu Ping.
China’s Track and Field Association has sole right to negotiate endorsements for athletes, with income split between the athletes and the group.
Money money money! Besides morality being a factor here (scarface…perhaps you could start another thread on abortion and people who smoke cigarettes???), the guy made a good business move.
You’d think that being the world record holder and probably the most successful Chinese track athlete in history, he’d be able to land better endorsements than that.