For the first time, the Olympic Games will be sponsored by an alcohol producer. The organization Sometimes not impressed.
CEO Michel Doukeris and IOC President Thomas Bach during a press conference in London in January. Photo: Kin Cheung / APPPublished: Published:
Less than 20 minutes ago
The sponsorship deal, which applies to the next three Olympic Games, was announced in London in January, according to the news agency AP.
It is the alcohol producer AB InBev that has signed the lucrative contract. The Belgian company is behind, among other things, well-known beer brands such as Stella Artois, Budweiser and Corona.
– This partnership is, in our view, a perfect match, said President Thomas Bach of the Olympic Committee (IOC) to those present.
Both Bach and AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris were keen to emphasize that the deal is led by the alcohol-free brand Corona Cero. The exception, writes CNNis during the Games in Los Angeles in the USA in 2028: Then it is the light beer Michelob Ultra that will front the partnership.
Read on E24+
The coffee heir’s villa for forced sale: – Will have bids over 50 million
– Sports washing
But not everyone agrees that the match is that good.
– This is an Olympic record for poor judgement, and obvious sports laundering by the alcohol industry, says general secretary Ragnhild Kaski in the interest organization Av og til.
She reacts to the fact that the Olympics will now be sponsored by an alcohol manufacturer for the first time, and calls it “a big step in the wrong direction”.
also read
Paris Olympics lands luxury sponsor
– It has become increasingly clear how great the negative consequences of alcohol use are, both in Norway and internationally. The WHO says that preventing the marketing of alcohol is one of the most important things you can do to reduce consumption, Kaski points out.
Nor is she alone in reacting to the partnership. Interest group Alcohol Change UK emphasized in a statement to CNN that the athletes rarely drink alcohol at all when preparing for the Olympics.
They called the partnership “a strange pairing.”
Lucrative market
The parties did not wish to announce the value of the sponsorship agreement, according to Reuters.
But when AB InBev now joins the ranks of the Olympics’ top sponsors, together with Coca-Cola, Visa and Deloitte, among others, they are also taking part in a lucrative market.
According to a report from Sportcal in 2018 there were 281 active sponsorship agreements between sports organizations and alcohol producers – for a total value of 764.5 million dollars. This corresponds to well over NOK 8 billion.
“Unfortunately, this is yet another example of sports being bought by big money – even when the money is earned to a large extent on a product that creates major challenges in a number of countries,” says Kaski in Av og til.
– It deserves a gold medal for cynicism. It is also a paradox to market a product such as alcohol during an event where athletes largely drink little or no alcohol, says Kaski.
– Thirst for success
For their part, IOC and AB InBev have pointed out that the agreement highlights alcohol-free beer, which has seen a strong increase in demand in recent years.
“Part of this partnership is about strengthening beer as a category for moderation, so that consumers can enjoy the Olympic Games safely and responsibly with alcohol-free beer,” Marketing Manager Marcel Marcondes told CNN Sport.
The IOC’s own marketing statutes state that it “shall not accept commercial associations with products that may conflict with or be considered inappropriate to the IOC’s mission or the Olympic spirit.
IOC President Thomas Bach was asked during the press conference in January why they entered into an agreement with an alcohol producer.
– We are both organizations that are thirsty for success, but in addition we know and have realized that with every success comes a social responsibility, he said to AP.
The next three Olympic Games will be held in Paris in 2024, Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in 2026 and Los Angeles in 2028.
2024-02-11 13:32:40
#Reacting #alcohol #sponsorship #Olympics #Olympic #record #poor #judgement
