The Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) launched the sale of 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics' merchandise in Chinese markets on Sunday, providing Chinese fans unique licensed products for next year's Summer Olympics.

With the partnership of Beijing Honav Culture Development Co Ltd, a company that offers licensed merchandise, the COC held a press conference Sunday to announce several licensed merchadise for Rio 2016. Sales of plush toys, pins and keychains will be on sale in Chinese markets beginning in October under the authorization of the 2016 Olympic Games organizing committee.

This marks the second time that the COC promotes Olympic merchandise sales to its own market after their first launch for the 2012 London Olympics.

Li Yingchuan, vice-president of the COC hailed the expansion of Olympic merchandizing to China as a great way to spread the Olympics value.

Thomas Bach, president of International Olympic Committee (IOC), attended the launching ceremony, where he presented plush toys of the Rio 2016 mascots as gifts to Chinese students.

Bach praised the introduction of the Rio 2016 merchandizing as a great implementation of the IOC's Olympic Agenda 2020 reform proposals.

According to Honav, the provider of licensed products for 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics, the first batch of Rio 2016 merchandise will be available for Chinese consumers at COC-licensed stores, online shopping platforms, post offices, and banks.

Taken from China Daily