CSPI and global health groups urge Olympics to ditch Coke sponsorship

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is urging the International Olympic Committee to drop its longstanding sponsorship with Coca-Cola.

The Olympic Games have been sponsored by Coca-Cola since 1928 and the contract extends until at least 2032. Sponsorship of sporting events allows companies to associate their products with leading athletes, creating a "health halo" effect over unhealthy items, such as sugary drinks, according to the group. Event sponsorship also lures athletes into these tacit endorsements, which many may otherwise choose to avoid.

CSPI's move is part of a broader, global campaign launched today to Kick Big Soda out of Sport. The campaign is led by concerned global health organizations and advocates and highlights the harmful effects of sugary drinks on our health and the planet. Launched ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, a petitionurging the International Olympic Committee to terminate Coca-Cola's sponsorship of the Olympics has garnered over 26,000 signatories to date.

"Contrary to the sunny marketing messages offered by Coca-Cola in connection with the Olympics and other sporting events, excessive consumption of Coke and other sugary drinks are linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, and other health problems," said CSPI president Dr. Peter G. Lurie.  "Sugary drinks certainly don't promote physical fitness or athletic prowess, as the sponsorship of these products during the Olympics is intended to convey."

"Notable elite athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and Tom Brady are known to avoid added sugars to maximize their fitness," Lurie said. "That the relationship between Coke and the Olympics spans nearly 100 years should be seen as an embarrassment worth ending, not a tradition worth continuing. It's time for the IOC to exercise some responsibility toward the games' young viewers and lead then away from products antithetical to the values celebrated during the Olympics."

The opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris occurs tomorrow.

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