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BEIJING, CHINA, March 18, 2002 - SOHU.COM (Nasdaq: SOHU),
China's leading online media, communications and commerce company, today
unveiled the Chinese Football Association's 2002 World Cup Official Site at a
press conference in Beijing, in the presence of senior sports officials. At the
same time, SOHU is pleased to announce that TCL Computer, a business unit of the
prominent Chinese IT company TCL, has become the general sponsor of the CFA
Official Web site for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Last month, SOHU entered into an exclusive partnership with Sports-01 Co.
Ltd, a sports management company that has the official rights as granted by CFA,
to the CFA Official Web site for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Under the agreement,
SOHU.com produces, hosts, markets and commercially operates the official Web
site of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), the governing body of football
in China and a member of the Federation Internationale de Football Association
(FIFA), for the 2002 World Cup Korea/Japan (http://worldcup.sohu.com).
Jilong Zhang, vice chairman of the Chinese Football Association who attended
the press conference, explained why the CFA decided to work with SOHU for the
World Cup 2002. "SOHU has a rich experience in providing sports news. The
Company did an excellent job in keeping the public up-to-date during Beijing's
bid for Olympic City 2008 and the Top Ten Asian Qualifier Games last year,
greatly contributing to the development of sports in China. As a result SOHU
enjoys an outstanding reputation among Internet users and football fans alike.
The portal is very popular nationwide and has a large user base, strong brand
and unique partnerships with sports media, so we have a high expectations for
the CFA Official Web site for the 2002 FIFA World Cup built and hosted by SOHU.
We believe this site will provide a great service to the Chinese public and
further promote football in China".
"We appreciate the Chinese Football Association's support for SOHU, which
enables us to demonstrate yet again our proven abilities in media, technology
and user services to launch the CFA Official Web site for the 2002 FIFA World
Cup in such a short time frame. Our work with CFA provides a solid basis for
closer cooperation with the sports authorities and sports industry in China. In
addition, we are determined to make full use of this opportunity to further
entrench the SOHU sports channel as the most comprehensive, informative and
entertaining online sports experience in China and as a result, the platform of
choice for corporate advertisers," commented Charles Zhang, CEO and President of
SOHU.com.
SOHU will support the CFA Official Web site for the 2002 FIFA World Cup with
its full range of services, including SOHU Sports Channel, Online Chat, SOHU
wireless services and SOHU E-store.
SOHU Sports channel will make available its resources to the CFA Official
World Cup Site. In addition, over ten sports journalists will go to Japan and
Korea to cover the games for the Official Site with exclusive live reports and
interviews. The coaches and players of the Chinese national soccer team will
come to SOHU's VIP chat room and have an online exchange with users after the
worldcup.
World Cup Short Messaging is another unique service SOHU will offer the China
Football Association's Official Site."SOHU provided outstanding SMS services in
cooperation with Beijing Mobile during the Top Ten Asian Qualifiers last year.
Likewise, the CFA Official Web site for the 2002 FIFA World Cup will release
real time news online and in SMS, so that Chinese soccer fans can keep abreast
of World Cup games in real-time, anytime, anywhere, through their mobile
phones", Victor Koo, COO of SOHU.COM, said.
SOHU.COM and Sports-01 will jointly organize a series of events in
preparation of the Chinese National Soccer Team's March to the World Cup. Events
co-hosted by SOHU and Sports-01 include the Goodwill Ceremony ahead of the
National Soccer Team's departure for the 2002 World Cup; publication and
marketing of a commemorative book ("50 Years of Football in China, 1952-2002");
online selection of a team of cheerleaders to accompany the soccer team; and
online voting for the selection of the National Soccer Hero of the past five
decades. The commemorative book and other souvenirs exclusively developed for
the CFA Official Web site will be available for purchase at SOHU's E-store
(http://store.sohu.com).
About SOHU.com
SOHU.com is the leading Internet portal in
Mainland China with current daily page views exceeding 12 million. It provides
navigation/search, news, sports, business and finance, real estate channel,
entertainment, chat, email and e-commerce activities for a solid and wide base
of visitors. Dr. Charles Zhang founded SOHU.com in 1997. Its investors include
Intel, Dow Jones, IDG, the Morningside China Group, PCCW, Legend and Hikari. Its
content partners include CNET, DOW Jones and dozens of local media organizations
in China.
For further information:
Dahlia Wei
SOHU Investor
Relations and Communications
Tel: +86 10 6272 6598
E-mail:
ir@sohu-inc.com
http://www.sohu.com/about/English/ |
