Under the deal, signed today China Dongxiang will provide the Norwegian team with Kappa and Phenix sportswear at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and 2012.

 

Chen Yihong, the chairman of China Dongxiang said: "It is our honour to become the official partner of the Norwegian Olympic Committee.

 

"The strategic partnership, which demonstrates the recognition and confidence of the international sports sector toward our brands and products, will further enhance our brand exposure internationally.

 

"We will provide the Norwegian Olympic team with the most advanced and fashionable sportswear, enabling them to excel at competitions.

 

"We will also work closely with the team to explore more win-win co-operation."

 

China Dongxiang (Group) Co., Ltd, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, is primarily engaged in the design, development, marketing and wholesale of branded sportswear in China, which is the fastest growing market in the world.

 

They owns all rights in China, Macau and Japan to Kappa, who were founded in Turin in 1916 and are mainly associated with football

 

Last April China Dongxiang also brought Phenix, Japan's biggest skiing and outdoor company.

 

Norway excels in the Winter Olympics and has won more medals than any other country since the Games began in 1924.

 

They have claimed a total of 280 medals, including 98 gold.

 

Their most successful Games was at Salt Lake City in 2002 when they finished as the leading nation with 25 medals, including 13 gold.

 

Their most decorated competitor has been Kjetil André Aamodt (pictured), the only Alpine skier to have won eight medals at the Olympics.

 

His total includes four gold medals, - the Super-G three times, at Albertville in 1992, Salt Lake City 2002 and Turin 2006 and the Combined event, also in Salt Lake.

 

Norway has also proved to be successful at the Summer Games, including at Beijing last year when the team won nine medals, three of them gold.

 

Chinese companies are increasingly trying to cash in on the lucrative sportswear market.

 

As insidethegames reported earlier this month, Russia's Olympic pole vault champion and world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva signed a new $7.5 million (£5.1 million) deal with China's largest sportswear retailer Li Ning.

 

The company has been actively looking for opportunities to market itself abroad and it already has sponsorship deals with the Argentina and Spanish basketball teams and the Swedish Olympic Committee.