The world’s best goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, is on a quest to look for new goalkeeper talent all over Asia – especially in China. He started his quest in Shanghai, last Friday. A highlight during Kahn’s visit was the soccer clinic at Tongji University. Prior to this event, Oliver Kahn used his new Chinese website, www.kingkahn.cn, to invite aspiring goalkeepers all over China to send in a short video of their skills. Winners of this video competition together with selected players from Tongji University and the Ping-Liang Lu Di Si Xiaoxue, were selected to get some insider tips from Kahn, during the practice session, last Friday.  Fans were so excited during the training session that security had difficulties to keep back the fans – ranging from small kids to adults, both male and female.

162000 visitors saw the Oliver Kahn webcast and there were TV specials on Oliver Kahn nationwide. From Kahn’s arrival at the airport, throughout the soccer camp and during meetings with fans and media, CCTV followed every step of his visit. Shanghai Media Group (SMG) also did a 20-minute special feature on him. On Saturday, SOHU did a 1 ½ hour live web-casting. During the press conference there were not only sports magazines, but also newspapers and business magazines, picking up on Kahn’s personality and his message that it is willpower that you achieve your goals in sports and life. This approach goes far beyond soccer tips. Kahn sees himself rather as a mentor to lead an active and successful lifestyle – and get what you want out of life. But this trip was quite a challenge for Kahn: “I was overwhelmed by the amount of requests from different media to do interviews, focusing not only on soccer, but character issues.”  Yerumedi’s CEO, Axel Klopprogge adds: ”Oliver was amazing. After an 11-hour flight he stepped off the plane and headed straight for the soccer field – despite the pouring rain. In spite of his jet-lag and lack of sleep he was in a great mood and did great interviews for CCTV. And he was always friendly and patient with the multitude of fans.”  Oliver Kahn is still recovering from his recent arm surgery in the U.S., where 13 small bone pieces were removed during 6 separate surgeries. After surgery his arm was put in a machine which moved the arm for 72 hour non-stop. Kahn says: ”This was the worst torture of my life.”

 

Nevertheless, he still came to China to start his talent quest Kahn’s main message during the interviews was the role that the internet and new media plays in his talent quest. He is facing the question: How do you find talent in remote provinces in China where there are not even any soccer clubs? This is where internet can really be beneficial: Oliver Kahn has his own Chinese website, www.kingkahn.cn, where he asks people to send in short videos of their goalkeeping talent, so he can look for new talent online.  This website is designed to develop into a ‘cyber-soccer clinic’, where you can watch Oliver Kahn online, giving instructions for basic goalkeeping practice – wherever you are in China. On another level, this website can serve as an open platform, a kind of ‘talent-scouting platform’, where e.g. Chinese soccer clubs can check the videos and find new talents to support the future development of Chinese soccer.

Oliver Kahn is excited about the potential of this cross-media soccer campaign. While phase 1 of Oliver Kahn’s talent quest is focused on new media, it goes beyond it: It is designed as a unique cross media campaign. In phase 2, beginning of 2008, the new TV format: ‘Total soccer blast - Oliver Kahn’s quest for new soccer talent’ will be launched. It is currently being offered to TV stations across China. This TV show will be the basis for the multi-media strategy. However, the TV program is more than a soccer casting show. It is marked not by ’15 minutes of fame stars’ (like the ‘Superstar’ format), but by sustainability. Oliver Kahn builds upon his image as a mentor to help young talent in Asia to find their way into the world elite of soccer. This is great news for soccer fans all over China and for Oliver Kahn it might be the chance to become more than a soccer legend: A mentor and role-model for hundreds of young Chinese soccer talents.

 

About Yerumedi: 

YES! Yerumedi Entertainment & Sports, a PR and media production house and one of the international pioneers in the Chinese media business is managing Oliver Kahn (Playce AG) in Asia. Yerumedi’s German CEO, Axel Klopprogge, has been successful in raising brand awareness for companies like Bayer, Heineken, Dove, Shell Helix etc. through his media strategies. Klopprogge also worked with UNIVERSAL, producing winners of the SPRITE ‘Wo Xing Wo Show’ (similar to the ‘American Idol’ format), delivering a TV-audience of over 180 million. Now he developed a new TV- and multi-media format together with Oliver Kahn: The Oliver Kahn ‘Soccer Blast’ – the world’s greatest goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn, looking for new soccer talent in China and all of Asia.

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Website: www.kingkahn.cn

Youtube TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pllmhji3mn8   Oliver Kahn in China (CCTV 5 special)