Public Health Experts Want the Olympics to Drop Its Oldest Sponsor

Since then, each Summer and Winter Olympics has adopted a strict smoke-free argumentation and, since 2010, a implicit tobacco-free policy. Smoking is not permitted astatine immoderate Paris 2024 venues but successful designated areas—a rule that extends to vaping.

Alcoholic beverage companies are different class of controversial Olympic sponsors, from Molson Brewery astatine the 1976 Montreal Olympics to Heineken astatine the 2004 Athens games.

Though the IOC is partnered with AB InBev, the world’s starring brewer, Corona Cero—a zero-alcohol drink—is the planetary brew sponsor of the Paris Olympics. The Olympic Committee says this highlights some organizations' “commitment to liable depletion and a amended world.”

Efforts similar the Kick Big Soda Out of Sport run aren’t coming retired of nowhere. In the 2012 London Olympics, Coca-Cola’s sponsorship, which featured assorted promotional activities focused connected younker engagement, faced significant backlash. And successful 2021, the company’s sponsorship changed; Coca-Cola present has a associated “Olympic Partner,” oregon TOP, agreement with Mengniu, a Chinese dairy-product company, that makes them the exclusive non-alcoholic beverage sponsors of the Games. (The TOP programme is the Olympics’ highest level of sponsorship.)

“Coca-Cola gets positively connected with a dairy nutrient institution and the ‘health halo’ that comes with that,” says Joe Piggin, elder lecturer successful athletics Policy astatine Loughborough University. Therefore, though a associated sponsorship whitethorn look to lessen the value of Coca-Cola’s funding, strategically this determination really leverages the company's sponsorship and aboriginal longevity.

From 2021 to 2032 (when their contract is up), the associated sponsors volition wage an estimated full of $3 billion to the IOC. Coca-Cola’s 14-person jock roster was revealed successful the pb up to the 2024 games. The look of this run is this image, successful which the athletes clasp bottles of Coca-Cola’s drinks. Certain athletes clasp full-sugar Coca-Cola itself, which has 53 grams of sweetener per 500ml—almost treble the recommended daily sweetener intake for an adult.

Many of the athletes clasp Powerade Original, different of Coca-Cola’s drinks, which contains 5.8 grams of sweetener per 600ml bottle, astir 20% of recommended regular intake. (Powerade is besides the official drink of the US Olympic team.)

Experts person said that this selling strategy mirrors Olympians of the past hawking cigarettes. A recent project by the Centre For the Study of Tobacco and Society investigated this, noting that Harold “Dutch” Smith, a high-diving champion, was quoted successful a 1935 Saturday Evening Post advertisement saying “Camels don’t get your wind.”

“If a cigaret institution tried to tally a commercialized connected web TV during the Olympics, determination would beryllium specified an outcry. It [should be] nary antithetic for Coca-Cola,” says Lustig. (“The Coca-Cola Company provides a wide scope of beverage options that see dairy and foodstuff drinks arsenic good arsenic water, tea, coffee, and sparkling beverages, with galore sugar-free options available,” an IOC spokesperson tells WIRED.)

“We impulse sports organizations to halt promoting unhealthy nutrient and portion and enactment with wellness experts to make a healthier nutrient environment,” Zoe Davies, a nutritionist from Action connected Sugar said successful a connection issued to WIRED.

Coca-Cola did not respond to WIRED’s petition for comment. ”The institution has utilized its beforehand groups to beforehand the statement that the lack of carnal workout and not its sugary drinks are fueling an obesity crisis,” says researcher Ashka Naik from Corporate Responsibility. However, Coca-Cola has been criticized for its manipulation of science to warrant this shifting of blame.

Experts that WIRED spoke with consistently held that Coca-Cola should beryllium the adjacent Olympic sponsor to go; however, they don’t expect this to hap immoderate clip soon.

Many experts suggested a displacement shouldn’t beryllium near to the organizations themselves. In bid to halt sports organizations from “taking wealth from ultra-processed nutrient companies,” determination indispensable beryllium “public argumentation measures,” says Lustig. “When determination are much votes than dollars, that’s erstwhile things volition change.”