By Paul Osborne

Sponsors looking secure the top sponsorship package at Tokyo 2020 will have to foot a bill of JPY15 billion ©Getty ImagesCompanies hoping to become leading sponsors of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympics will reportedly have to pay around JPY¥15 billion (£80 million/$128 million/€110 million).

"Gold Partner" sponsorship is one of the most sought after contracts for major firms looking to back the global sporting event, with those happy to foot the bill gaining rights to use the Games logo and slogans in advertisements in Japan.

Tokyo 2020 are hoping to use the bidding war to raise at least JPY¥150 billion (£840 million/€1.27 billion/$1.1 billion), according to host news agency Kyodo News, with contracts now extended until the end of 2020.

Seven companies are rumoured to be interested in the top tier sponsorship package, including brewer Asahi, telecoms giant NTT Docomo, and Toyota, the world's largest automobile manufacturer.

The companies have already forked out JPY¥600 million (£3.37 million/$5.1 million/€4.39) over four years to the Japanese Olympic Committee's own sponsorship programme.

If the pricing is accurate, the top tier sponsorship package will signal a mark-up of an estimated $65 million from London 2012, where the likes of Lloyds TSB are said to have paid an estimated $63 million for top tier sponsorship ©Getty ImagesIf the pricing is accurate, the top tier sponsorship package will signal a mark-up of an estimated $65 million from London 2012, where the likes of Lloyds TSB are said to have paid an estimated $63 million for top tier sponsorship ©Getty Images



Sponsors will be divided into three ranks, as is the norm in the Olympic Movement, and only one company will be selected per category.

According to Kyodo News, the second rank will be "Official Partner", which will have a floor of JPY¥6 billion (£33.7 million/$51.1 million/€43.9 million) for participating sponsors.

The rest will have to settle for the "Official Supporter" designation and will be required to pay from JPY¥1 billion (£5.6 million/$8.5 million/€7.3 million) to JPY¥3 billion (£16.8 million/$25.5 million/€22 million) for the honour.

Tokyo 2020 organisers are reportedly in negotiations with a number of the companies, with the first to be potentially announced by the end of this month.

If the top end price tag is accurate it will signal a mark-up of an estimated $65 million (£43 million/€56 million) from London 2012, where companies including BT and Lloyds TSB paid an estimated $63 million (£41.8 million/€54 million) for top tier sponsorship.

But the figure is reportedly less than those paid by sponsors for other recent Games, such as Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016. 

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