Health experts call on Olympics to cut ties with Coca-Cola August 8, 2024

Coca-Cola has sponsored the Olympic Games since 1928 (Emmanuel Dunand)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Health experts call on Olympics to cut ties with Coca-Cola

On Wednesday, two health experts called on the organizers of the Olympic Games to cut ties with Coca-Cola, claiming that the big-money sponsorship deal allows the US company to "launder sport" with unhealthy sugary drinks.

The International Olympic Committee, however, said it was "incredibly proud" of its partnership with Coca-Cola, while the company said it also offers sugar-free drinks.

The appeal from health experts follows criticism from environmental activists over the amount of plastic bottles used to serve fans at the Paris Games.

Events in the French capital are full of advertising for the ubiquitous fizzy drinks from Coca-Cola, which has sponsored the Olympics since 1928.

But these sugary drinks "offer little or no nutritional value" and the promotion of these unhealthy products has no place in sport, according to Trish Cotter and Sandra Mullin, from global health group Vital Strategies.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are a "key factor" in several serious health problems affecting people around the world, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, they wrote in a commentary published in the journal BMJ Global Health.

Coca-Cola products also contribute to global plastic pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions and consume a huge amount of water, they added.

"By continuing its association with Coca-Cola, the Olympic movement risks being complicit in intensifying a global epidemic of malnutrition, environmental degradation, and climate change," the authors wrote.

"It is time for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to cut ties with Coca-Cola in the interests of athletes, spectators, and the planet."

- A "responsible approach" - The IOC defended its partnership with Coca-Cola.

The IOC defended its partnership with the soft drink company.

"We are incredibly proud of our almost 100-year partnership with the Coca-Cola company," said Anne-Sophie Voumard, the IOC's managing director for television services and marketing, at a daily press conference.

"From the IOC's point of view, Coca-Cola is taking a responsible approach to supporting the athletes' families, and the fans and is participating fully in the staging of the Games," she said.

In a statement, Coca-Cola noted that it is also offering water, tea, coffee, and juice at the Paris Games.

"As a complete beverage company, we support the recommendations to limit added sugar to 10% of daily calories and continuously adapt our product range by reducing added sugar and introducing innovative products to meet evolving consumer tastes," it said.

In 2020, the American food and beverage giant signed a joint agreement worth $3 billion to extend its sponsorship of the Olympic Games until at least 2032.

Cotter and Mullin noted that last year Coca-Cola had more sports sponsorships than any other brand, including sportswear companies like Nike.

"This strategy culminates in a gold medal opportunity to 'sport-wash' an unhealthy product," they wrote.

The World Health Organization has called for countries to tax sugar-sweetened beverages.

A petition launched before the Games called "Kick Big Soda Out of Sport" has more than 109,000 signatures and has been supported by several public health organizations, including the World Obesity Federation.

- Plastic bottles

Environmental NGOs have also criticized the amount of plastic used to serve drinks at the Paris Games.

In May, the Coca-Cola Company said that around 10 of the 18 million drinks served at the Olympic Games would be "single-use plastic free".

Bottles of Fanta, Sprite, and Coca-Cola were served in reusable cups at the Olympic venues, a practice that some say goes against the Games' promise to be the greenest in history.

Around 700 drinking fountains have been installed to limit the use of plastic.

Where drinking fountains are not possible, drinks are served in glass or recycled plastic bottles in reusable and returnable cups provided by the organizing committee, Coca-Cola said on Wednesday.

"The scale and complexity" of the Games "provide a unique opportunity to test and learn about packaging distribution, and we look forward to learning from Paris 2024," the company said.

This year's Paris Games are still expected to meet the target of reducing single-use plastic by 50% compared to the 2012 London Games, organizers said.

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