By staff reporters Chen Qian, Zhang Boling and Xu Ke

Hours after injured sports star Liu Xiang withdrew from the first heat of the 110 meter hurdles at the Beijing Olympics on August 18, sportswear giant Nike hastily revised its print advertising in China.

Although Nike’s ad campaign will continue featuring Liu, the tag line will change. Now it reads, “Love sport, even if it breaks your heart.”

Liu’s decision to quit due to a tendon injury was a blow to more than 10 major companies that contracted him for advertising endorsements including Visa, Amway, Coca-Cola, Yili, Lenovo and China Mobile. Each was counting the track star’s victories at the games to boost brand images.

For the time being, most advertisers say they will continue running Olympic ads featuring Liu. But like Nike, they’ve been forced to shift gears.

The 25-year-old Liu has been China’s most celebrated athlete since winning the country’s first men’s Olympic championship at the 2004 games. His reputation was considered a gold mine for advertisers wanting to expand in China’s fast-growing consumer market.

In 2004, Nike paid 300,000 yuan for a Liu endorsement. Another advertiser that signed a contract with Liu told Caijing the current cost of Liu endorsements has now reached more than 20 million yuan. 

Economist Zhang Wuchang predicted that a Liu win in the August 18 race could have earned the superstar 1 billion yuan from advertising deals.

Now, Liu’s surprise pullout may hurt not only his income potential but contracted advertisers who earlier prepared a slew of costly commercials with Liu – and scheduled them for release after August 18.

A spokesman for Chinese dairy Yili told Caijing, “We made different advertising plans based on the different results of the race. However, we didn’t expect him to withdraw.”

Yili had signed a three-year contract with Liu in Feburary 2006 and, in November 2007, launched an advertisement featuring Liu with the slogan “I Make China Strong.”

As Beijing games progressed, China’s diving gold medalist Guo Jinjin and the Chinese badminton team have appeared in Yili’s advertisements. The company spokesman said other ads would be released as planned.

Olympics global partner Visa also counted on commercial inroads based on Liu’s running record with the slogan, “Refresh the dream in 12.88 seconds.”

With Liu out, though, Visa’s advertising lost some punch. The company didn’t disclose whether it would replace Liu’s ads. But the company said nothing would diminish Liu’s stardom based on his performance in Athens.

Liu’s personal coach, Sun Haiping, told reporters that the hurdles sensation had withdrawn from all competition for a year, and would start preparing for the 2010 Games.

Jiang Jianer, marketing director for Amway China, told Caijing that Liu’s exit would have a limited impact on the company.

“Our brand building and marketing will not depend on one single person,” said Jiang. Liu has been global spokesman for Amway’s nutrition product brand Nutrilite since 2007. 

Coca-Cola told Caijing that cooperation between the drinks giant and Liu would not change.

“We have seen Liu Xiang’s great effort in the competition. He has performed outstandingly as an athlete,” a company statement said.

Liu was a member of the “Chinese dream team” of Olympians appearing on special cans of Coca-Cola in China last year.

And advertisers will continue to count on Liu as an ambassador for their companies and brands.

Ginger Zhu, Nike China’s public relations director, told Caijing the company would not replace TV commercials in China featuring Liu at the moment but would continue using him for marketing.

Nike planned to debut its new spike shoe -- the Zoom Aerofly LX, which was designed specially for Liu – at the August 18 event. The project fell flat. Yet the company said, “We understand his feeling at the moment and expect his return after he overcomes the injury.”

1 yuan = 14 U.S. cents