Questions are rising about the ethics of companies pouring money into sponsoring the Beijing Olympics.

By abetting the genocide in Darfur, the Chinese Government has turned the event into the "Genocide Olympics", writes New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.

"The central problem is that in exchange for access to Sudanese oil, Beijing is financing, diplomatically protecting and supplying the arms for the first genocide of the 21st century. China is the largest arms supplier to Sudan, officially selling $83 million in weapons, aircraft and spare parts to Sudan in 2005, according to Amnesty International USA ... China provided Sudan with A-5 Fantan bomber aircraft, helicopter gunships, K-8 military training/attack aircraft and light weapons used in Sudan's proxy invasion of Chad last year. China also uses the threat of its veto on the Security Council to block U.N. action against Sudan so that there is a growing risk of a catastrophic humiliation for the U.N. itself ... China deserves an international celebration to mark its historic re-emergence as a major power. But so long as China insists on providing arms to sustain a slaughter based on tribe and skin color, this will remain, sadly, The Genocide Olympics."

For examination of the ethics and strategic issues surrounding the Olympics sponsorships, we turn to this discussion from Wharton.

"Human-rights activists, celebrities, political leaders and average citizens accuse China of repressing its population in Tibet, supporting a genocidal regime in Sudan and crushing religious and political dissent at home, and many are gearing up for further public pressure on China during the games. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have said they will expel Olympic athletes who engage in "propaganda," such as displaying a Tibetan flag. Could there be an unlucky photo or video clip of, say, Chinese police cracking a protester over the head in Beijing with a General Electric, Johnson & Johnson or Visa logo in the background?"

Wharton professors say the corporate sponsors will have to play this one carefully, maybe diplomatically expressing some displeasure with China's policies without pulling out altogether. A neat little two-step.

But are the rewards from sponsorship in the world's biggest and growing market actually there? Research suggests that the exercise will not really build brand awareness in the Chinese market, reports Forbes.