The International Paralympic Committee has added the Coca-Cola Company to its roster of worldwide Paralympic Partners, its top tier of sponsorship. The new agreement provides Coca-Cola with the global marketing rights to the IPC and Paralympic Games until 2032.
Under the new agreement, the two organisations will focus more on purpose-driven marketing campaigns. Recently, the IPC has launched a new campaign, naming One Year to Go campaign for Tokyo 2020, with a hashtag #WaitForTheGreats.
The campaign included a strong impactful television advertisement, an Instagram athlete ‘virtual relay’, athletes completing challenges on TikTok, and Instagram stories from all 22 Paralympic sports at next year’s Games.
The new Netflix film called “Rising Phoenix” is based on the Paralympic Games which tells the story of nine para athletes across two Paralympic Games.
IPC President, Andrew Parsons said, “We are very excited to welcome the Coca-Cola Company as a Worldwide Paralympic Partner. At the IPC, we believe that change starts with sport and that Para sport can foster a more inclusive world.”
He further added, “Coca-Cola’s 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.”
Speaking on the partnership, Ricardo Fort, from the Coca-Cola Company said, “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.”
Coca-Cola Japan launched an athlete donation programme in June to support Japanese athletes affected by Covid-19.