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2004 sponsors working on French deal
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Athens 2004 organizers are working on an agreement with the French Olympic Committee under which national sponsors of the Athens Games will be able to sell Olympic merchandise in France. A similar agreement has already been completed with Cyprus, the organizing committee said. "With Cyprus we have obtained all rights ... and our national sponsors can use Cyprus for their promotion," said Marton Simitsek, executive director of the organizing committee. "That is what want with France. We will finalize the agreement very soon." Simitsek was speaking Thursday after a two-day conference for sponsors, which was also attended by International Olympic Committee Marketing Director Michael Payne. Under the agreement, national sponsors will be able to sell their products on the French market, with a portion of the revenue going to the French national committee. "For us, it will be an opening into a huge market," Simitsek said, adding that similar agreements with other countries are expected to follow. Athens 2004 organizers have secured one of the largest sponsorship packages for the games, including a $72 million deal with Greece's Alpha Bank and a $17 million deal with Athinaiki Breweries, which has the license for Heineken and Amstel beers in Greece. Other national sponsors include Swatch and the state telecommunication company OTE, which has committed about $50 million. Organizers have also announced a 5.7 billion drachma (dlrs 16 million) sponsorship deal with Greek Radio and Television, ERT. Organizers have already covered 93 percent of their sponsorship goals. The national sponsorship program hopes to attract 40 sponsors and will cover 20 percent of Athens' projected $1.7 billion revenues. "I think Athens here is off to an excellent start with a truly quality program based on design and image ... I think it will help set a new benchmark on the direction and quality of Olympic licensing," said Payne.
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