Builds on Current Relationship; Includes Olympus US Open Series Title Sponsorship

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., January 14, 2008 – Olympus, a precision technology leader creating innovative opto-digital solutions in healthcare, life science and consumer electronics products, announced today a six-year sponsorship of the US Open and US Open Series, representing the most comprehensive sponsorship partnership in the company’s history in the Americas. This sponsorship with the USTA, which provides a platform to leverage the Olympus brand throughout the world, represents a significant and far-reaching expansion of the current relationship between Olympus America, the USTA and the US Open, which began in 2003.

“For the last five years, Olympus has enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the USTA, the US Open and millions of tennis fans around the country and beyond. As a major sponsor of the US Open and now the premier sponsor of the Olympus US Open Series, we have witnessed first-hand the passion and participation of these tennis fans. Further, we have seen that both photography and active, healthy lifestyles are important to them, so the connections between this audience and what the Olympus brand stands for are very strong,” said F. Mark Gumz, president and chief operating officer, Olympus America Inc.

“As a result, we are pleased to extend our exclusive camera-category sponsorship of the US Open through 2013 and to announce that during this same period, the 10 US Open Series events will now carry the umbrella title of the Olympus US Open Series. We are proud to be the official camera and official binocular of the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series—for many years to come,” he added.

The Olympus US Open Series brings together the 10 tournaments in North America during the summer tennis season immediately preceding the US Open. Event sites include Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Toronto, Stanford, Washington D.C., Montreal, Cincinnati, and New Haven. Since its inception in 2004, the Series has doubled television viewership and increased event attendance. In total, 2007 US Open Series events, including the US Open, generated a record of 1.7 million attendees, 121 million TV viewers in the U.S. during 104 hours of live television coverage nationally, and more than 32 million web site visits. The US Open is televised in 180 countries, attracting more than 100 million viewers from across the world.

An exciting feature of the Olympus US Open Series is that the winners of the men’s and women’s series title will each compete for a $1 million bonus, to be known as the Olympus US Open Series Challenge, for also winning the US Open—allowing the winners to “Capture It All,” consistent with Olympus’ commitment to photographers worldwide. Additionally, Olympus will staff a professional photographer’s service center at the US Open to provide technical support to the hundreds of professional photographers that cover the tournament.

At the US Open, a premier sporting event connected with high performance and excitement, Olympus will feature the E-System, its Digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera platform, designed with revolutionary features that expand the frontiers of digital photography. From the flagship E-3 camera, which provides the high-precision performance demanded by professional and enthusiastic photographers, to consumer Digital SLR models, the Olympus E-System offers industry-leading technologies for amazing image quality.

"Olympus has been a tremendous partner and friend to the USTA and the US Open for many years. This new partnership ensures that for the millions of worldwide viewers, the millions of people that attend USTA events, and for tennis and sports fans everywhere, the best tennis and camera equipment in the world will be showcased at the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series,” said Arlen Kantarian, CEO, Professional Tennis, USTA.

ABOUT OLYMPUS
Olympus is a precision technology leader, creating innovative opto-digital solutions in healthcare, life science and consumer electronics products. Olympus works collaboratively with its customers and its affiliates worldwide to leverage R&D investment in precision technology and manufacturing processes across diverse business lines. These include:

• Gastrointestinal endoscopes, accessories, and minimally invasive surgical products;
• Advanced clinical and research microscopes;
• Lab automation systems, chemistry-immuno and blood bank analyzers and reagents;
• Digital cameras and voice recorders.

Olympus serves healthcare and commercial laboratory markets with integrated product solutions and financial, educational and consulting services that help customers to efficiently, reliably and more easily achieve exceptional results. Olympus develops breakthrough technologies with revolutionary product design and functionality for the consumer and professional photography markets, and also is the leader in gastrointestinal endoscopy and clinical and educational microscopes. For more information, visit www.olympusamerica.com.

ABOUT THE USTA
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. It owns and operates the US Open, the largest annually attended sporting event in the world, and launched the US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 94 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. A not-for-profit organization with 720,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.

- ### -