USA, Chicago: Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. announced on March 11 it has signed a multiyear agreements to extend its Olympic Games sponsorships through the summer games in Beijing in 2008, as it tries to attract more drinkers outside the United States while also expanding its sports sponsorships.

The world's largest brewer, which has been an Olympic sponsor since 1984, will be the "official beer sponsors" of the U.S. Olympic Team through 2008, which will give its Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob ULTRA use of the U.S. Olympic five-ring logo in marketing and advertising.

St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch will also be the sole alcohol sponsor on Olympic Games telecasts on NBC and its sister networks, including CNBC, Telemundo and MSNBC, Tony Ponturo, vice president of Global Media and Sports Marketing, said.

Separately, Anheuser-Busch has also signed on to be the "official beer sponsor" of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, its first sponsorship of Olympic Games held outside the United States.

Anheuser-Busch declined to disclose details of the sponsorship agreements. "One of our top priorities as a company is to grow our business outside the U.S.," Ponturo said, noting Anheuser-Busch already has about 50 percent of the U.S. beer market.

In China, the world's most populous country, the company owns a brewery and is the top selling international beer. It also sponsors the Chinese Olympic team. "Obviously the growth in china intrigues us very much," Ponturo said.

Brewers, which have been facing a sluggish beer volume growth environment in the past year, see sports sponsorships as a way to reach out to male drinkers aged 21-29. Rival Adolph Coors Co. has reported great success with its sponsorship of the National Football League.

E-malt.com, the global information source for the brewing and malting industry professionals. The bi-weekly E-malt.com Newsletters feature latest industry news, statistics in graphs and tables, world barley and malt prices, and other relevant information. Click here to get full access to E-malt.com. If you are a Castle Malting client, you can get free access to E-malt.com website and publications. Contact us for more information at marketing@castlemalting.com .