Bangkok--22 Aug--Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
Visa survey shows anticipation is high for the final event of the Games — expected to be almost as popular as the Opening Ceremony
Singapore, 22 August 2008 — Following the awe-inspiring Opening Ceremony, almost two-thirds of people across Asia Pacific are eagerly awaiting what promises to be a spectacular Closing Ceremony, according to research findings by Visa.
Of the 4,315 people from the region who said they would watch the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) said they would be watching the Closing Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The Opening Ceremony was a resounding success, with an estimated four billion people tuning in to watch . The Visa survey found the Closing Ceremony holds the same fascination and universal appeal, as the Opening Ceremony attracting high levels of interest from all age groups, regardless of gender or marital status.
Richard Chang, Visa’s Executive Vice President and General Manager, Greater China and the Philippines said, “The Closing Ceremony celebrates the amazing human achievements made over the past 16 days, and it will be a highlight of the Games for many. It will also be a time for supporters all over the world to pay tribute to their home teams. We congratulate all the athletes, including Team Visa’s Michael Phelps for setting the all-time record for most career Olympic gold medals by one athlete at a single Games.”
Overall, Visa sponsored athletes had a strong showing at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, taking home 17 gold medals and 37 medals in total. If Team Visa was competing as a nation, it would have ranked equal third with Great Britain based on its gold medal tally, behind China and the USA, as at the end of Thursday, 21 August 2008.
Closing Ceremony most popular among Indians and Malaysians
People from countries and territories across the region are looking forward to the fanfare of the Closing Ceremony. In fact, it is the second most popular event at the Olympic Games for nearly nine out of ten Malaysians (87 percent) and nearly four out of five Indians (78 percent), ranking even higher in popularity than other events and sports at the competition.
The Closing Ceremony is among the top three Olympic Games events for Australians (75 percent), and Hong Kongers (74 percent), and the fourth most popular event for Koreans (61 percent), New Zealanders (70 percent), Singaporeans (68 percent) and Taiwanese (52 percent).
According to another survey carried out by Visa , three out of four Chinese (75 percent) believed the Games would be the biggest and best ever. Seventy percent said China’s gold medal tally would increase in this year’s Olympic Games and indeed, as at the end of Thursday, 21 August 2008, China had already won 46 gold medals at these Games, 14 more than the 32 they took home for the entire Games in Athens in 2004.
Richard Chang said, “It’s hard to believe the end of the XXIX Olympiad is nearly upon us, but it has been wonderful to see how much people from Asia Pacific have enjoyed the Games. Even after the flag is lowered and the flame is extinguished, we will always remember the highlights of the Games and people from all over the world who have been united through sport.”
For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.
Contact:
Mark Thomson, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, +66 (0) 2 205 6609, [email protected]
Kasama Vidhayasai, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, +66 (0) 2 205 6625, [email protected]