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NEW YORK (AP)—Dow Chemical announced its new 10-year deal with the International Olympic Committee on Friday, making it the official “chemistry company” for the games.

The American giant became a top-tier sponsor through 2020. Olympic and Dow officials declined to reveal terms, but IOC marketing commission chairman Gerhard Heiberg said the value of deals was increasing even with the global financial crisis. Each four-year IOC sponsorship contract usually goes for up to $100 million.

“The five Olympic rings are the only medium that we have in the world that is recognized by 95 percent of the global population,” said Dow vice president Heinz Haller. “Developing countries, developed countries, mature economies, emerging economies.”

By Julian Linden

NEW YORK, July 16 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) signed a new global sponsor Friday but a fragile economic climate has delayed the start of negotiations for the U.S. television rights for the 2014 and 2016 Games.

IOC president Jacques Rogge told Reuters in an interview that the negotiations could be put off until after the 2012 Olympics in London because of the uncertainty of the American economy.

LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications

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LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP)—The International Olympic Committee is holding off negotiating the next round of U.S. television rights and could delay the high-stakes bidding again until next year because of the fragile state of the American economy and weakness in the advertising market.

Richard Carrion, the IOC official who handles the TV negotiations, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the unfavorable financial climate makes it unwise to seek a deal now with U.S. broadcasters for the 2014 and 2016 games.

LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications

LAUSANNE, June 22: The International Olympic Committee executive board led by president Jacques Rogge gets down to business for two days of meetings at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne.

Top topic on the agenda is the fate of the three bid cities Annecy, Munich, and PyeongChang and if they will be put for ward as candidate cities. As there are only three cities in the running it is highly likely that they will all three be pushed forward to candidate city phase.


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CANMORE, Alta. '€” Win an Olympic gold medal as an American, an Australian, an European or an Asian and there'€™s a very good chance you'€™ll be set for life financially.

Yet, it'€™s only a handful of highly decorated and visible Canadian amateur athletes who will be able to cash on their Olympic successes. But the latest group of medallists from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics say that while it still takes a lot of knocking, there are more opportunities now than ever before.

SOCHI, RUSSIA '€” When Vladimir Putin and backers of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games went to Guatemala City in 2007 to persuade the International Olympic Committee to give them the Olympics, they built a temporary ice arena at a restaurant near the conference hall and flew in members of the Russian Ice Ballet.

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia '€” After the stress of seven years of intense planning, a financial meltdown, problematic weather, a gruelling cross-country torch relay, an athlete's death on opening day and the euphoria of a final-day gold-medal hockey win, the staff and volunteers of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics were emotionally drained.