Chinese Oil Company To Be Olympic Games Sponsor

China's largest producer and supplier of crude oil and natural gas has become the latest sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Xinhua agency reports.

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) yesterday selected the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) as the eighth official partner.

The choice was made on the eve of the fourth plenary session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Co-ordination Commission for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (COCOM) in Beijing.

CNPC will provide services to the Beijing Olympic Games, the Beijing Paralympic Games, BOCOG, the Chinese Olympic Committee and Chinese sports delegations to the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy and the 2008 Beijing Games.

"We are glad to see CNPC participating in the Beijing Olympic Games as an official partner representing crude oil and natural gas," Wang Wei, BOCOG's Executive Vice-President and Secretary General said at the signing ceremony.

"We believe CNPC's participation will not only further consolidate the material foundation for a successful Beijing Olympic Games, but will also actively promote the development of China's petroleum industry, boost the use of clean energy and ensure the sustainable, long-term development of the city."