Word: players
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...Saudi leader at the center of the investigation is Prince Bandar bin-Sultan, who in 2005 wrapped up more than 20 years service as the Kingdom's ambassador in Washington, D.C. Widely praised as an astute player on the global diplomatic stage, Bandar - also known for his intimate access to the highest levels of the U.S. government and his friendship with both President Bush and his father, former President George H. W. Bush - assumed a less visible role as a top national security advisor to the Saudi ruler, King Abdullah...
...partners as far afield as the U.S., India and China. Li Ruogu, head of the Export-Import Bank of China and co-chair of the forum, said his bank has invested in over 300 projects in Africa, from low-cost housing to schools to mining ventures. Li, a key player in the blossoming romance between China and Africa, said he's visited more than 20 African nations in the past year alone. Others are eyeing the region more intently, too. A panel of moneymen from companies like JP Morgan and Barclays Capital spoke of mounting enthusiasm among foreign investors...
Five years ago today, the Houston Rockets used the first pick of the 2002 basketball draft to bring a soft spoken 7' 6" center to the NBA. As a player, Yao Ming may or may not have been as good as advertised in his first five years in the league - he has been frustrated by injuries throughout much of his career; but as a vehicle to bring the NBA and its sponsors to the most populous country on earth, he has lived up to expectations...
Critical to that growth is what the companies call "grassroots" marketing, a key component of which is helping develop future stars, who can wear and promote the company's brands in a surging market. To the footwear companies, a player from China with the potential to play in the NBA is worth far more than his weight in gold, as Yao has shown...
That's why five years ago this month, as Yao prepared to become the NBA's number one pick, Yi Jianlian, then either 15 or 18, sweated through drills and games in a Shanghai gym, one of an elite group of players from all over east Asia. He was participating in an annual Adidas all star camp. He was a revelation, "the best player in the camp that year by far," says former NBA all star Detlef Schrempf, who now works for Adidas (which took over Reebok in 2005). These all star camps are "very important parts of our marketing...