Rolex and adidas sign up Thai star

Paradorn's sponsorship appeal has grown significantly since he jumped from 112th to 16th place in the world rankings in a single season.

Rolex, Coca-Cola and adidas have rushed to sign up the new face of Asian sport, who is likely to attract further sponsorship demand amid the dearth of regional sporting talent.

On the domestic front, Telecom Asia - a joint venture partner in TA Orange - and the Bank of Ayudhya have also inked multi-million baht contracts to have their names attached to the star.

Rolex will fork out 12.9 million baht (about US$300,000) over three years, while Coca-Cola will pay Paradorn 10 million baht for a single commercial.

The most recently signed contract is a one-year Telecom Asia deal worth 20 million baht.

Cindy Ng, public relations manager of adidas Asia-Pacific, said the company was grooming Paradorn, who wears the company's clothing on court, for the international stage. "We are talking with Paradorn, as well as our international colleagues, and are trying to bring this together," Ng said.

"We see him as one of the emerging Asian athletes, and we believe he has the potential to become one of our international athletes."

Ng, who said it was company policy not to disclose how much it paid its athletes, said an adidas print media campaign featuring Paradorn would be launched in Thailand by the end of this month.

TA Orange managing director, Aphirak Kosayothin, described Paradorn as a role model for the "new generation".

"It's important that TA Orange supports him," Aphirak said.

Sport will be one of the main activities that Orange focuses on in 2003.

Aphirak said Paradorn's example for young people tied in with the company's slogan: 'The Future's Bright, the Future's Orange'.