Today, in celebration of the oneyearout mark for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Lenovo, Worldwide Partner for the Olympic Torch Relay and TOP Sponsor of the Olympic Games, announced plans for a global online philanthropic auction. The auction will feature limitededition notebook computers inspired by the Lenovodesigned 2008 Olympic Torch.To mark the six month countdown to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, a series of backtoback, weeklong auctions will begin on February 8, 2008, and conclude just prior to the Olympic Games. Each week, a “Cloud of Promise”themed notebook PC will be available for bidding during a sevenday period. Several of these limitededition notebook PCs will be autographed by athlete ambassadors Lenovo Champions offering fans the chance to bid on the opportunity to own a part of Olympic history.“We are delighted to have the opportunity to take our design for the Cloud of Promise even further,” said Yao Yingjia, director of Lenovo’s Innovation Design Center and leader of the team that designed the torch that will travel the world in the Olympic Torch Relay leading up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. “The cloud motif that makes the torch so distinctive is associated with humanistic, benevolent ideals. In this spirit, and in the Olympic spirit of internationalism and cooperation, it is fitting that these notebooks should be used to raise money for noble causes. Lenovo is gratified to see that our beautiful design is being used for beautiful purposes.”One hundred percent of the proceeds from the auction of the Olympic Torchbranded notebooks will be distributed through the Lenovo Hope Fund to select philanthropies, including Right to Play. In the spirit of Lenovo’s sponsorship of the Olympic Games, the program will concentrate on microfinance, small and mediumenterprise development and bringing sports to communities of children. The auction will take place at www.lenovohopefundauctions.com.