Lenovo Will Keep Athletes Connected at Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games

Lenovo Announces Seven “Lenovo i.lounges” for Athletes, Journalists and Officials in Torino,Providing the Highest Ratio of PCs-to-Athletes in History of Olympic Games

PURCHASE, N.Y., January 24, 2006 - Lenovo today announced that it will create and operate seven Internet “i.lounges” equipped with ThinkPad notebooks and Lenovo desktops at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games for athletes, coaches and trainers to stay in touch with their families and supporters. The custom-designed Lenovo i.lounges will be located in Olympic Villages in Torino, Sestriere and Bardonecchia, providing the highest ratio of personal computers to athletes in Olympic history.

“Athletes use personal computers in their everyday activities and expect to have these capabilities onsite during the Olympic Games,” said Enrico Frascari, IT managing director, Torino Organizing Committee for the XX Olympic Winter Games. “Demands for connectivity are even higher in 2006 than in previous Olympic Games, and the Lenovo i.lounges will play a major role ensuring athletes, coaches, media and staff have easy access to information for a productive and positive experience in Torino.”

Opening on January 31 and continuing until the Olympic Winter Games conclude on February 26, the Lenovo i.lounges will offer athletes, trainers, coaches and members of the Olympic Family a resource to remain productive in an upbeat, social environment. More than 165 ThinkPad and ThinkCentre workstations, with broadband Internet connection provided by Telecom Italia, will be included in the i.lounges. An additional Lenovo i.lounge will be located in the Main Press Centre, for use by journalists in central Torino.

“Internet lounges are important to athletes for two reasons,” said Emily Cook, freestyle aerialist from the United States. “First, they provide an essential link for sharing my experience at the Olympic Winter Games with my family and friends at home in Utah and Boston, as well with colleagues throughout the world. Second, Internet lounges provide a great way for athletes to meet and to come together socially. All athletes want and need to share their experiences with friends and supporters, and Lenovo i.lounges will make it easy for them to do that.”

In addition to i.lounges in the Olympic Villages, Lenovo designed an i.lounge for the Bank of America Hometown Hopefuls™ program, which provides families and friends of qualified U.S. Olympic athletes the opportunity to attend and experience the Games together. This lounge, located in the program’s Family Center, includes a network of ThinkPad X41 ultraportable notebooks for families and friends to stay connected while in Torino.

Allison Gardiner, senior vice president at Bank of America, said, “We know that behind every athlete who makes the U.S. Olympic Team, there are families and friends who have made personal sacrifices to support and encourage that athlete’s Olympic dream. Our partnership with Lenovo will further enhance our ability to recognize these very special people, and enable U.S. athletes and their families the ability to share their success at Games with loved ones back home in the United States.”

Lenovo is also working with the United States Olympic Committee and other Olympic Games worldwide sponsors to create customized i.lounges that will support their Torino operations.

About Lenovo
Lenovo creates the most innovative products and services in the personal computing industry. Lenovo engineers, programmers and scientists from five laboratories in China, Japan and the United States focus on research and development that solves customer problems and improves productivity. Lenovo is the Technology Equipment sponsor of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, providing notebook and desktop PCs, servers, storage and other computing equipment. For more information about Lenovo, visit www.lenovo.com.

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Bob Page

Lenovo

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