The Chinese Winter Olympic team in preparation for the Turin Winter Olympics that begin on Friday, is handed another boost from Bank of China, the partner for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Before the delegation left for Turin, the Bank of China ensured that each team member received the first Olympic themed card - Great Wall Euro Visa Card.

Another Olympic themed credit card BOC VISA Olympic Credit Card has also been created as a result of cooperation between Bank of China and Visa International.

Besides issuing the cards, branches of the Bank from home and abroad joined forces to set up a Winter Olympic On-site Financial Service Team to provide financial consultation, to answer queries and to receive complaints. The company's Beijing card centre has also set up a Long-distance Emergency Backup Service Team with a 24-hour hotline.

Moreover, the first set of original-colour gold bars of "Beijing Olympics Gold Bar" that first appeared nationwide last year are catching the attention of both investors and collectors. After the "Beijing Gold Bar" debuted in the capital, sales of the product rocketed throughout the country in 20 cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Nanjing and Qingdao.

Experts believe that the "Beijing Olympics Gold Bars", due to their unique design and limited number, are highly desirable to collectors.

Another product the "2008 Gold Medal Bar" was also launched on the market recently and investors and collectors who buy the bars will be entered into a prize draw to win Olympic tickets for the 2008 Games.

Bank of China has stated that it will continue to work closely with the Chinese Olympic Committee and other parties to support Olympic sports through providing financial products.

(China Daily February 9, 2006)