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IT MIGHT be the best piece of free advertising in Olympic history.
  China's selection of ghd uk former gymnast and multimillionaire Li Ning as final torchbearer was a tribute to the nation's transformation from Communist state to business powerhouse.
 But Adidas AG, the official sportswear sponsor of the Games, isn't likely to join the party.
 That's because Mr. Li runs the $6 billion Li Ning Group, a sportswear maker that competes with Adidas and Nike Inc.
 Mr. Li, who won six medals at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, appeared to defy gravity -- not to mention Olympic sponsors -- as he ran horizontally along the rim of the stadium rooftop in a run that lasted several minutes.
 'This is a powerful message' for the company, said Greg Paull, head of market-research firm R3, which has done work for Adidas and Li Ning.
 Both companies have spent millions to corner the market on sponsorships for the Games in the world's fastest growing market for athletic wear. Adidas spent an estimated $80 million to $100 million in cash and kind to be an official sponsor of the Beijing Games, and Nike individually sponsored the bulk of China's Olympic teams.
 With its stylized L-shaped logo, which some say resembles the Nike swoosh, Li Ninged hardy caps hadn't been slated to play a big official role in the Beijing Games. It was left as sponsor for a handful of Chinese teams, including gymnastics and shooting. Still, the company, which was the official Chinese Olympic team's outfitter for years, proved adept at tying its name to the Olympics in the public's mind.
 Even before the Opening Ceremonies gambit, Li Ning wasn't far behind Adidas in terms of brands Chinese consumers most associate with the Olympics. In fact, in a recent survey by R3, 45% of Chinese consumers believed Li Ning to be an Olympic sponsor.
 Mr. Li's role as final torchbearer will almost certainly add luster to his company, which has been striving to position itself as an international brand to Chinese consumers. Last week the company signed a 20-year agreement with European sports equipment company Lotto to distribute its products in China.
 When asked before Mr. Li's selection to comment on his potential selection as the final torchbearer, Adidas's Olympics marketing head EricaGHD kiss Kerner said, 'All torchbearers have to wear Adidas.'
 Terry Rhoads, whose sports marketing firm ZOU has done work with Adidas, said, 'For Adidas it was not that big a deal. [Mr. Li] wasn't representing Li Ning the brand. He was representing Li Ning the icon.'
 But many Chinese consumers find it hard to separate one from the other. Though not well known outside China, Mr. Li symbolizes both China's past sporting achievements as well as the economic reforms that have transformed the nation and helped made Mr. Li one of China's richest people.
 When the 20-year-old Mr. Li participated in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, China was just emerging from its years of self-imposed isolation and political turmoil. China won 15 gold medals in Los Angeles, with Mr. Li accounting for a one-fifth of the haul.
 The quiet and low-key Mr. Li is a child of teachers and the product of China's giant state-funded sports system, who rose from modest beginningsGHD Purple to become a millionaire businessman. He has also founded a organization to help retired athletes.
 Mr. Li's elevation put to end an enthusiastic nationwide pastime of guessing the identity of final torchbearer, a game which drew thousands of responses in online polls and readership surveys.