---- Blick auf die Pekinger Olympischen Basketball Sporthalle, auch als Wukesong Indoor Stadium, in Peking, China, 2008. MasterCard Inc. sagte, daß es ac
--FILE--View of the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium, also known as Wukesong Indoor Stadium, in Beijing, China, 2008. MasterCard Inc. said it acquired the right to put its name on the former Beijing Olympic basketball stadium, the first foreign firm to get commercial naming rights over an arena in Chinas capital, as the U.S. card company tries to get a leg up in an electronic-payments market that has been largely closed to foreigners. Under the five-year deal, the 18, 000-seat arena, which is also used for concerts and other sports such as table tennis, will be called the MasterCard Center. MasterCard did not say how much it is paying to brand the arena with its name. Naming stadiums after companies is common in the U.S. but more unusual in China, where the government has traditionally owned the venues. After the Beijing Olympics in 2008, there were moves to sell branding rights to the iconic Birds Nest National Stadium, home to track-and-field events during the Games. Despite a number of multinational companies expressing interest, nothing came of it.
