Coca-Cola And International Paralympic Committee Announce Global Partnership
September 1, 2020
The Coca-Cola Company joined the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)’s roster of Worldwide Paralympic Partners. The new agreement, which encompasses worldwide marketing rights to the IPC and the Paralympic Games, will help communicate the impact of the Paralympic Movement to a whole new audience.
“We are very excited to welcome The Coca-Cola Company as a Worldwide Paralympic Partner,” said Andrew Parsons, president, IPC. “At the IPC, we believe that change starts with sport and that Para sport can foster a more inclusive world. We know The Coca-Cola Company shares our belief. They have been a supporter of the Paralympic Movement and our Games for decades, and their recent commitment to support the Japanese National Paralympic Committee during the COVID-19 pandemic shows how much they value Para sport. We look forward to working with Coca-Cola over the coming years on initiatives that can benefit our athletes around the world.”
The partnership is the result of the long-term collaboration signed in 2018 between the IPC and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Worldwide Paralympic Partners are granted the right to use the designation of the Paralympic Games and their emblem.
The IPC recently launched its one-year-countdown campaign, #WaitForTheGreats, for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, which were pushed to next summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign includes a powerful TV ad, an Instagram athlete virtual relay stretching from New Zealand to the west coast of the United States, as well as athlete TikTok challenges and Instagram stories from all 22 Paralympic sports that will feature in the Games. The Paralympic Games also are the subject of the new Netflix film, Rising Phoenix, which tells the story of nine athletes across two Paralympic Games.
Ricardo Fort, vice president of global sports and entertainment partnerships for The Coca-Cola Company, applauded the announcement, stating, “The Paralympic Games are the third largest sporting event in the world and have set the standard for inclusivity in sport. Through our expanded relationship with the IPC, The Coca-Cola Company will continue supporting elite Para athletes who will make history at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 and beyond.”
“The Paralympic Games are the third largest sporting event in the world and have set the standard for inclusivity in sport. Through our expanded relationship with the IPC, The Coca-Cola Company will continue supporting elite Para athletes who will make history at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 and beyond.”
Before the agreement was signed, Coca-Cola Japan was an existing Gold Partner of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the highest domestic sponsorship tier. In June, Coca-Cola Japan launched an athlete donation program to support the Japan National Team due to impacts caused by COVID-19.
For Tokyo 2020, The Coca-Cola Company will execute its most significant portfolio play, to date, leveraging a team of elite Olympic, Special Olympic and Paralympic athletes from 25 countries around the world. The new platform will be the first global Olympic marketing campaign by the company to showcase a portfolio of beverages.
The Coca-Cola Company’s Olympic journey began on a freight ship in 1928. The transport arrived in Amsterdam carrying the U.S. Olympic Team and 1,000 cases of Coca-Cola. Since then, the company has sponsored every Olympic Games, helping bring the Olympic spirit to fans in host cities and around the world.
The Coca-Cola Company recently extended its Olympic sponsorship to 2032.