Less than three years after announcing a partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and in the midst of a global economic crisis, Johnson and Johnson becomes the fourth partner to drop a top-level deal since last year.

'We are not renewing that sponsorship to enable us to focus on other business priorities,' Johnson and Johnson spokesman Lorie Gawreluk told the Journal in e-mail.

'We are proud to have been a sponsor of the (IOC) and the Beijing Olympics, which was a success for the company.'

Johnson and Johnson might remain affiliated with the Olympic movement as a sponsor of the US Olympic Committee and other national organising committees as well as the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, sources told the newspaper.

Other firms from the 2005-2008 period to discontinue The Olympic Partnership (TOP) elite-level sponsor deals include Kodak, ManuLife and Lenovo.

The IOC replaced Lenovo with rival Acer, returned ManuLife's insurance category to national Olympic groups and added the digital camera services of Kodak to Panasonics sponsorship.

'The TOP programme receives a lot of interest from a number of corporations from around the world looking to partner with the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement,' the Journal quoted an unnamed IOC spokesman as saying, adding that 'Further announcements are expected to be made regarding new members' in 2009.

While the IOC has nine partners for the 2009-2012 span and struck deals for more than the US$886 billion (S$1.35 trillion) it received in the past quadrennial, it has yet to reach its goal of US$1 billion for the period.

Johnson and Johnson's decision cost the IOC a renewal worth about US$100 million over the next four years.

Additional sponsor level categories such as automotive and personal care products sponsorships are being explored by the IOC, the report said.

The Journal said Johnson and Johnson officials spent US$73 million for the IOC deal for the Beijing Olympics but were frustrated by a lack of people around its pavilion in the Beijing Olympic Green area, where an area showcasing its products had smaller crowds than expected due to security issues. -- AFP