(Yicai) June 24 -- As the build up to the Paris Olympics reaches fever pitch, Chinese manufacturers are working full tilt to supply the Games with a wide range of merchandise, from specialist sports equipment to souvenirs. Although many of these orders are not large, being an Olympic supplier boosts the international reputation of these firms, Yicai learned from recent visits to factories.

Shuangyu Sports Goods Group is the exclusive supplier of table tennis balls at the Paris Games next month for the first time in 16 years, a company insider told Yicai. The Guangzhou-based firm specially designed the PAR40+ Paris ball as the official designated ball for the Olympics.

"Shuangyu set up a dedicated team to work on the Paris Games order to ensure product quality and that the deliveries are on time,” a factory manager surnamed Deng said. Shuangyu is also providing referee equipment for the table tennis competitions, he added.

Zhenyue Art & Crafts, which supplied mascot-themed items to the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, is making mascots and souvenirs for the Paris Olympics, including ornaments, crystal balls and key chains of its mascot "Phryges."

"At the end of last year, the Games’ organizers asked Zhenyue to produce more than 100,000 Paris Olympic gifts, which needed to be ready by March," director Yu Chongyang said.

"We have completed these orders, and are now hurrying to finish some new orders that need to be delivered in mid-July. The Quanzhou-based factory, which specialises in resin crafts and anime figures, is working overtime to meet the deadline," Yu said.

Raised Profile

Although the orders are not large, the contracts are like gold, as they greatly endorse the quality of the company’s products and raise brand awareness, paving the way for the firms to get larger international orders in the future.

The value of Zhenyue’s Paris Olympic orders are only around CNY1 million (USD137,700), and will not make much difference to the firm's business performance, Yu said. And Shuangyu's orders are only a couple of million yuan.

However, being an Olympic supplier greatly improves our reputation abroad and brings in more international customers, Yu said.

Zhenyue has logged a 30 percent jump in orders from Europe so far this year from the same period last year, Yu said. And Shuangyu’s exports of sports equipment have jumped 15.2 percent year on year.

Zhenyue is aiming for an annual turnover of CNY100 million (USD13.7 million) this year, up from the usual annual sales of between CNY70 million and CNY80 million, Yu said.

Thanks to its raised profile, Shuangyu is in talks with the organizers of the American Baseball League. And Zhenyue's previous contracts with the Olympics and the World Cup will help to bring in more orders.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor